Shigeki was sent flying by the angry Kyuubi's tail, and Orochimaru’s expression grew solemn as he looked at his three disciples before him.
Apart from Shigeki, who was absent, the three present were all orphans with no families. In a sense, Orochimaru was the only family they had left in Konoha.
Therefore, some matters could be decided by Orochimaru, their teacher, with a single word.
Orochimaru gazed at the sphere of chakra spinning in Minato’s hand for a moment, smiled with satisfaction, and spoke to interrupt the young boys and girls engrossed in studying new ninjutsu.
“Kushina, Minato, stop for a moment!”
Minato dispersed the chakra in his palm at the sound of his voice, wiped the sweat from his brow caused by his intense focus, and walked alongside Kushina to Orochimaru.
“Teacher!”
Orochimaru nodded slightly, reached out to ruffle the heads of the three little ones, and asked with a smile,
“Because of your strength, you couldn't integrate with your peers at the academy, so I specially allowed you to train as a team, provided you don't fall behind in your ninjutsu theory knowledge.”
“How does it feel?”
Nonou’s eyes narrowed behind her glasses. She extended her small hand towards Orochimaru, her chakra surging, instantly covering her arms with a layer of condensed chakra. With a slight swing, the air hissed.
“Teacher, although it was a bit slow, I have completely mastered the advanced medical ninjutsu called Chakra Scalpel!”
The little girl’s voice was full of pride.
Of course, Nonou had the right to be proud.
At the age of thirteen, mastering an advanced ninjutsu that most medical ninjas could never learn in their lifetime—such talent and intelligence would make her a top genius in any village.
Orochimaru looked at the emerald green chakra glow on Nonou’s arms and nodded in agreement.
“Not bad!”
Minato looked at Nonou, who was being praised, and a barely perceptible hint of envy flashed in his eyes. He dejectedly extended his hand and demonstrated the chakra manipulation technique he hadn't fully mastered in front of Orochimaru.
“Teacher, this ninjutsu isn't fully developed yet. I've disappointed you…”
Orochimaru carefully observed the spinning chakra in Minato’s hand for a long time, then chuckled and shook his head.
“No, Minato!”
“On the contrary, the teacher is very satisfied with your progress!”
Minato looked up in surprise, his heart trembling slightly at the look of approval on his teacher’s face.
“Teacher…”
Orochimaru gently placed a hand on Minato’s shoulder and said earnestly,
“Don’t compare yourself to Nonou!”
“While the Chakra Scalpel is not easy to master, there are always records left by predecessors to guide you.”
“But you are different…”
“You are developing a ninjutsu that simplifies a Tailed Beast Bomb for human use. To reach this level is already remarkable progress!”
“It won’t be long before this ninjutsu shines brilliantly under your hand!”
“Of course…”
Orochimaru hesitated for a moment and then emphasized with a stern tone.
“After you complete its development, it would be best to discuss the naming of this ninjutsu with the teacher.”
Minato, who was deeply moved, blinked in confusion.
“Huh?”
“Teacher, I’ve actually already named this ninjutsu in advance.”
“What do you think of ‘Spiral Flash Tailed Beast Chakra Ball’?”
“It combines the characteristic of chakra rotation and indicates that this ninjutsu was inspired by the Tailed Beast Bomb…”
Orochimaru’s mouth twitched, and he thought to himself, ‘As expected.’
Nonou instantly felt a sense of awe for Minato’s naming talent. Kushina, standing beside Minato, seemed to be spurred by the name and jumped up to punch Minato squarely on the head.
“You guy who insults the ninjutsu we worked so hard to develop, die!”
“Ouch!”
Minato yelped and was pinned to the ground and beaten by the flailing Kushina.
“You bastard, you’ve forfeited your right to name this ninjutsu!”
“Remove all that unnecessary junk in the middle, and just call it Rasengan!”
“Do you hear me?”
Minato, with his average bloodline, was no match for the Uzumaki physique. He fumbled to fend off Kushina’s attacks, repeatedly begging for mercy.
“Alright… it’s called Rasengan!”
“Kushina, you decide!”
“That’s more like it!”
Kushina climbed off Minato with satisfaction, placing a hand on her hip and pointing a finger at Minato on the ground with a domineering expression.
“I’m telling you, if you ever develop ninjutsu and come up with such bizarre names again, watch your head!”
“Oh…”
Minato, cowering, picked himself up from the ground, gave Orochimaru an embarrassed smile, and stealthily hid behind him.
Nonou watched the entire spectacle with amusement. She looked at the proud expression on Kushina’s face and made a shy gesture by her cheek with her finger, causing the fiery young girl to blush deeply.
Orochimaru shook his head with a wry smile, pulled Minato, who was acting like a quail, out from behind him, and casually wiped away the scratches on his face.
“So, the reason I asked you to discuss the naming with me was because of this…”
“See…”
Minato scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.
“Alright, Shigeki is on his way. When he gets back, I have something to tell you all.”
The three little ones nodded in unison and silently stood beside Orochimaru, waiting.
“Kyuubi, you heartless beast!”
“Do you know how far you sent me flying this time?”
Shigeki stumbled out of the forest, his hair full of leaves. Even before he arrived, his voice could be heard from afar by the group.
Orochimaru glared at his disheveled disciple, veins throbbing on his forehead.
This idiot, it seemed there was no hope of him inheriting his legacy.
Nonou, however, was quite concerned about Shigeki’s condition and quickly went to meet him.
“Shigeki-kun, where did you fly to? Are you hurt?”
Shigeki puffed out his chest, nonchalantly patting his firm, calf-like body.
“I just flew a bit too far, almost ended up at the Valley of the End. But with my body, how could I possibly get hurt?”
“Right, where is that scoundrel Kyuubi? I need to settle the score with it for ambushing me, that’s so disloyal!”
Nonou glanced at Orochimaru’s expression and quickly tugged at Shigeki’s sleeve.
“Keep your voice down, Teacher might be angry with you again!”
Shigeki blinked, looked up at Orochimaru with a confused expression, and tentatively asked,
“Why is Teacher angry with me?”
Orochimaru closed his eyes, exerting immense willpower to suppress the anger in his heart, and beckoned to Shigeki.
Shigeki’s heart leaped with joy. He broke free from Nonou’s hand and ran gleefully towards Orochimaru.
“Teacher, you… Ouch!”
Orochimaru, without opening his eyes, delivered a sharp rap to Shigeki’s head, making him stagger on the spot, barely avoiding falling to the ground.
“Shut up!”
Nonou, like a firefighter, quickly ran to Shigeki’s side, covered his mouth, and helped him up.
“Teacher, you hit him too hard!”
Nonou rubbed the large lump on Shigeki’s head and cast a resentful glance at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru waved his hand dismissively.
“Heal this idiot, and then listen to me!”
“Okay!”
The little girl pouted in agreement, helped Shigeki sit down, and quickly began to treat him with medical ninjutsu.
“The village has received new intelligence. Recently, an unidentified rogue ninja has been causing widespread slaughter within the Land of Demons.”
“Ordinary places would be one thing; death is common in the ninja world. But the Land of Demons is different…”
“Due to the excessive resentment generated by the deaths of many ninjas and civilians, the ancient shrine maidens of the Land of Demons, responsible for guarding the demons, are showing signs of their seals breaking.”
“If that demon escapes its seal, the entire ninja world will face a great disaster.”
The disciples’ expressions immediately turned serious upon hearing this.
“The shrine maidens of the Land of Demons have sent invitations to all the ninja villages, hoping that the great villages will set aside their differences and send people to the Land of Demons to deal with the issue of the demon’s seal.”
“I have accepted this mission for you all. Pack your things and come with me for a training exercise.”
Kushina’s eyes sparkled, and she eagerly raised her little hand.
“Teacher, Teacher!”
“Are we going on a training trip outside the village?”
“So am I the captain this time? After all, among the four of us, only I know sealing jutsu!”
Orochimaru glared at the energetic young girl and earnestly corrected her.
“It’s a training exercise, not a trip!”
Kushina was not discouraged and continued to pester.
“So, am I the captain?”
Orochimaru waved his hand helplessly and sighed.
“Alas! You can discuss it amongst yourselves!”
“Unless it’s a moment of extreme danger, I will not help you solve any problems.”
Kushina immediately stood up full of energy and patted her chest, taking on the role of captain.
“You guys, Teacher has agreed that I am the captain for this trip. From now on, you will all obey my commands!”
“Do you hear me?”
Minato scratched his head and asked with a confused expression.
“Kushina, Teacher said we should discuss who becomes captain, and besides…”
“Teacher said this is a training exercise, not a trip…”
Kushina immediately became enraged, leaped onto Minato, and began to shake him by the neck.
“Hmph!”
“How dare you contradict Captain’s orders? I’m giving you a chance to rephrase your words right now!”
“Who is the captain?”
Minato, his face red, was afraid Kushina might fall if he didn’t support her, but he was also hesitant. He stammered his agreement, forced to accept Kushina’s rule.
“You… you’re the captain, you’re the captain!”
Kushina, hanging on Minato, let go with satisfaction, turned, and looked at the two sitting on the ground.
“Brother Shigeki, Sister Nonou, who do you think is suitable to be captain?”
The two exchanged glances. Shigeki, unusually clever, clutched the bump on his head and cried out in pain.
“Ah!”
“I was seriously injured by Teacher, so I probably can’t be captain.”
Nonou helped to hold Shigeki’s head and nodded repeatedly like a pecking chicken.
“Yes, yes, I still need to help Shigeki-kun treat his wounds, so this captain will have to be you, Kushina!”
Kushina laughed heartily, like a victorious rooster. She patted Minato’s head and waved her hand forward.
“Minato, carry the captain back to pack your belongings!”
“Kushina Squad, depart immediately!”