Two days later, in the early morning, before the sky had even begun to lighten, Naruto and Sasuke had already arrived early at the designated meeting spot outside the village. They then sat down on the spot and began their chakra refinement training. Under Tatsuya's guidance over these past few years, they had long since grown accustomed to this kind of early-morning routine.
Of the three-person squad, Sakura was the last to arrive. When she got there, she glanced at Naruto and Sasuke, who were sitting with their eyes closed, and assumed they were sleeping. So, she also leaned against a nearby wooden post and drifted off to sleep.
She slept soundly until noon.
Sakura was awakened by hunger. Having rushed out early in the morning, she hadn't had a chance to eat breakfast. Now, lunchtime had also arrived. Looking up at the position of the sun, Sakura hastily scrambled to her feet. She thought she had overslept! But as she opened her eyes and looked around, there was still no sign of their Jonin instructor anywhere.
Sakura couldn't help but turn her gaze towards Sasuke, who was standing not far away. "Sasuke-kun, where's our teacher?"
Hearing her, Sasuke turned his head, shot the annoying girl a brief, indifferent glance, and then ignored her. Having waited an entire morning for nothing, he was currently full of pent-up frustration with nowhere to vent it.
Nearby, Naruto eagerly chimed in, "Sakura-chan, our Jonin instructor hasn't arrived yet!" As he spoke, Naruto's voice was also filled with complaint. He had never encountered such an unreliable teacher! He had said to meet at 5 AM, but now it was already past 12 PM, and there was still no sign of him. What kind of nonsense was this!
Having experienced their previous teacher Tatsuya's... unique approach to punctuality once before, both Naruto and Sasuke had actually suspected that they would likely have to wait a long time today. But for their instructor to still be a no-show even by noon was simply too outrageous. They had finally graduated early, and now they couldn't just ditch their new instructor and leave. The three of them had no choice but to wait longer.
At 2 PM in the afternoon, Kakashi, his hands casually tucked into his pockets, finally sauntered over. He waved at the three dispirited Genin with a cheerful smile. "Yo! Morning!"
Hearing Kakashi's infuriatingly casual greeting, a wave of anger surged through the three of them. If they hadn't heard stories about this particular Jonin instructor's formidable reputation beforehand, the three of them might have seriously considered committing the grave offense of attacking their teacher. But since their strength was insufficient, they could only swallow their anger and endure.
Watching the three of them, their faces etched with resentment yet unable to do anything about it, the smile on Kakashi's face grew even wider. This task Tatsuya had dumped on him didn't seem too bad after all!
Immediately, just as in the original storyline Tatsuya knew, Kakashi began his team-building test for the three Genin. However, compared to the original plot, Kakashi's assessment this time was not nearly as straightforward. Under Tatsuya's rigorous training, Sasuke was no longer as arrogant as he once was, and both Naruto and Sasuke's combat abilities had been greatly enhanced. Even Sakura, the weakest of the three, had shown significant improvement compared to her original counterpart. Faced with the concerted efforts of these three surprisingly capable Genin, Kakashi almost found himself in a tight spot.
An hour later, watching Sasuke and Sakura attentively feeding Naruto (who had been tied to a post for trying to eat the bentos early), Kakashi formally announced to the three of them, "Alright! I declare that all of you have passed this test." Kakashi was very satisfied with the strength and awareness the three of them had displayed. Just as Lord Third had said, this batch of students who had graduated early from the Ninja Academy was indeed the most talented in many years. The bell test had not only allowed Kakashi to clearly assess the trio's abilities but had also helped Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura understand the crucial importance of teamwork. When it came to training students, Kakashi still had a knack for it.
On the same day that Kakashi was testing Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, the other Genin squads composed of Konoha's "Rookie Nine" (and Team Guy) also successfully passed their respective Jonin instructors' tests and officially formed their teams. The other three Jonin instructors were, as expected, Yuhi Kurenai, Asuma Sarutobi, and Might Guy. To cultivate this batch of exceptionally strong graduates, Konoha Village had directly assigned four elite Jonin to serve as their mentors.
After the teams were finalized, Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, and Guy began leading their respective squads on missions, starting with the most basic D-rank and C-rank assignments. For the next two to three months, these newly graduated Konoha Genin would spend their days in a flurry of complaints about trivial tasks and the busy, often grueling, life of a shinobi.
Kusagakure, the Village Hidden in Grass.
In the Kage's office, Orochimaru, dressed in a specially made Kage robe, sat at his desk, continuously flipping through stacks of documents. Under Orochimaru's cunning and often ruthless guidance, Kusagakure was no longer the insignificant, overlooked village it once was in the ninja world. In recent years, the number and quality of missions completed by Kusagakure had reached a top-tier level in the ninja world. Apart from the Five Great Shinobi Villages, no other hidden village could compare with Kusagakure's current operational success.
Among the younger generation, Kusagakure's "Sound Four" (though here, they are Kusagakure's top four) had also gradually begun to make a considerable name for themselves. These four were: Muku, the young master of Hozuki Castle; Ryuzetsu, who possessed a unique Kekkei Genkai; Kimimaro, the wielder of the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai; and finally, the "berserker," Jugo.
Under the dual enhancement of the semi-complete Fujinhoin provided by Tatsuya and Orochimaru's own Cursed Seal, among these four, apart from Ryuzetsu who was slightly weaker, the other three—Muku, Kimimaro, and Jugo—had all already reached the level of Jonin.
Knock, knock, knock~
A knock sounded at the door. A few seconds later, Kabuto Yakushi pushed open the door and walked into the office. Four years ago, after Orochimaru's ambush on the Third Hokage, Kabuto had followed him back to Kusagakure. Orochimaru no longer had any lingering attachments to Konoha. His revenge against his former master and his goal of promoting reform within Konoha Village—both of these objectives had been achieved, albeit with Tatsuya's clandestine assistance. With Tatsuya now firmly in a position of influence in Konoha, there was no longer any point in keeping Kabuto stationed there as a spy.
Now, Orochimaru lived solely for his own singular goal: achieving immortality. Kusagakure, and the numerous subordinates under his command, were merely tools and pawns for Orochimaru to achieve this ultimate ambition.
"Lord Orochimaru, Kimimaro's situation is very bad. Would you like to go and see him?" Kabuto asked, bowing respectfully after entering the room.
"Oh? Let's go then." Hearing Kabuto's words, Orochimaru lifted his gaze from the scroll he was reading. After a few seconds, he seemed to pull his mind back from the contents of the document and replied. With that, both Orochimaru and Kabuto's figures flickered and vanished from the office.
Thud.
With Orochimaru's departure, the scroll he had been reading, no longer supported, fell onto the desk. From the small, partially unrolled section of the scroll, four large characters could be seen: Fushi Tensei!
In a subterranean laboratory somewhere within Kusagakure.
Inside a secret room, a young Kimimaro sat weakly, leaning against a cold stone wall. In front of him, on the floor of the secret room, was a pool of blood. This pool of blood was somewhat peculiar; most of it was the vibrant crimson of normal human blood, but the blood near the edges of the pool looked different. This blood at the periphery was slowly turning a dull, ashen grey, and then, like fine ash, it gradually evaporated, disappearing into the air. If one didn't observe closely, it would be very difficult for an ordinary person to notice this strange detail.
Swoosh, swoosh~
Two figures flickered and appeared in the secret room. Seeing Orochimaru suddenly materialize, Kimimaro tried to force himself to stand up and greet him respectfully, but after a brief struggle, he collapsed, fainting completely.
Seeing the unconscious Kimimaro, a look of genuine regret appeared on Orochimaru's face. This body, which he had once considered his most perfect and ideal vessel, was probably no longer usable. He leaned closer, carefully observing Kimimaro's condition for a moment, then turned to Kabuto and said, "His condition won't last much longer. Kabuto, send him away immediately."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto replied immediately, his voice respectful.