After lunch.
Orochimaru's golden eyes observed the reactions of the San Xiao Zhi.
Nawaki stared at him, drool already dripping from his chin to the ground; Shibi Aburame's face was unclear, but his rumbling stomach clearly indicated his current state.
Finally, Wei Fang Ban Ren... his brows were furrowed, and his mouth was muttering.
Hmm?
Why do I feel like he's cursing me?
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips; it's a good thing for students to have energy.
Whether it's hunger or resentment, a Ninja is someone who endures what ordinary people cannot.
So, he'll let them starve a little longer, to test the limits of their endurance.
"Big Brother Orochimaru, I can't stand being hungry anymore, I want to eat!"
Seeing that his admired Big Brother Orochimaru hadn't left a single bite of food, Nawaki immediately opened his mouth wide and shouted anxiously.
Shibi Aburame and Kizuna didn't dare to speak, but they both looked at Orochimaru in unison.
They were truly hungry.
"Endure it."
Putting away the bento box, Orochimaru felt that Tsunade usually doted on Nawaki too much.
Then he'll let them eat in ten minutes... Orochimaru thought to himself... *burp* ~
Having let out a satisfied burp full of barbecue aroma, Kizuna patted his slightly rounded belly as he walked home.
Orochimaru-sensei treated them to barbecue; the Akimichi Clan's barbecue was indeed exceptional, the organic combination of dipping sauce and grilled meat bursting on his taste buds.
After the meal.
Orochimaru hastily departed after announcing the meeting time at the Hokage Building for tomorrow.
Kizuna also waved goodbye to his two teammates; Nawaki's Senju Clan was in the center of Konoha, and Shibi's Aburame Clan was near the forest.
And Kizuna's 'family' was on the edge of Konoha, near the main gate.
Constantly guarding Konoha's safety.
The afternoon sun wasn't as scorching, and the wartime streets were filled with a hurried sense of urgency compared to before; merchants and Ninja alike walked briskly.
War... Kizuna's heart was heavy, but looking at the Ninjutsu scroll in his hand, he felt a bit more comforted.
Orochimaru-sensei gave it to him, saying that only by getting the bells would there be a reward, and giving it to him now was an advance, which he would have to repay in the future, blah blah blah.
Hmm, the current Orochimaru still has a tsundere trait.
The scroll recorded three very practical Earth Release Ninjutsu.
For offense, Earth Release: Flying Pebbles, which turns the ground into shooting stones to attack enemies in front.
For defense, Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall, which raises an earth wall in front to defend against incoming attacks.
For surprise attacks and self-preservation, Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu, which softens the ground with Chakra, allowing the user to hide underground and pull the target underground, serving both offense and defense.
It was considered the most practical Earth Release Ninjutsu among the three.
And Orochimaru's original words were very direct:
"The learning difficulty of the three Ninjutsu ranges from low to high, with Headhunter Jutsu being the most difficult to learn. You can ask if you don't understand, but don't come to me without any thought like a brainless idiot."
Kizuna summarized the general meaning: practice by himself first, as the old man was also very busy, and only seek him out for problems that truly couldn't be solved.
"Overall, the freedom is quite high," Kizuna found some advantages in it.
He rested for a while at home.
After recovering his depleted Chakra and stamina, Kizuna went alone to a small river outside the village to practice the newly acquired Earth Release Ninjutsu.
Earth Release: Flying Pebbles.
Aside from the Three Body Technique and the Water and Earth Clone Jutsu, he didn't have any offensive Ninjutsu.
He was a bit panicked.
He unrolled the Ninjutsu scroll, which detailed the three hand seals for Flying Pebbles and the Chakra flow path.
It also included Orochimaru's... personal insights.
The Ninjutsu is C-rank; initial learning doesn't require involving the shape and nature transformation of the earth element, but directly uses Chakra to propel the ground beneath, turning it into stones to attack enemies in front.
So that's it, Kizuna nodded, starting with the simpler practice.
On a side note.
In the Hokage's Ninjutsu system, the rank of a Ninjutsu does not equate to its power, but rather to its difficulty of learning.
Moving away from the river, Kizuna came to an open area near some trees.
This was more suitable for practicing Earth Release.
Swish, swish, swish, three simple hand seals, Chakra gathered in his hands, then he suddenly squatted down and slapped the ground, transmitting the condensed Chakra.
"Earth Release: Flying Pebbles!"
Puff ~
The ground in front of him bulged into a small mound under the effect of Chakra.
"...This is hard to comment on. It should be that the Chakra injection into the ground was a bit problematic."
Looking at the indescribable yet somewhat cute small mound in front of him, Kizuna pursed his dry lips.
Again!
...Under the afterglow of the setting sun, Kizuna's shadow stretched long as he dragged his tired body towards home.
Although the Chakra consumption was excessive, the harvest was equally gratifying.
[Ninjutsu: ...Body Flicker Technique / Earth Release: Flying Pebbles / Water Clone / Earth Clone]
Looking at Earth Release: Flying Pebbles on his attribute panel, Kizuna was filled with a sense of accomplishment, feeling more grounded than the direct infusion of knowledge and power received when forming bonds with characters.
[Bloodline: Senju 30% / Uzumaki 30%]
His gaze fell on the bloodline section again, and Kizuna already had a clearer guess.
No!
It could no longer be called a guess; this was practically giving him the answer directly.
Having both Senju and Uzumaki bloodlines indicated that, looking back through his family tree, there must have been a history of intermarriage between the Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan.
He, Wei Fang Ban Ren, was a true-blooded Konoha native, which explained why he was assigned to Nawaki's team.
In Third Hokage's eyes, I'm actually one of his own!
Hiss ~
Thinking of the Third Hokage, Kizuna recalled memories from the day before the team assignments.
He 'ran into' the Third Hokage; Hiruzen Sarutobi, in his prime, didn't have the old age described in the original story, his hair was lush, his eyes were sharp as torches, and his white Hokage robe exuded a strong, confident, and powerful aura.
In his memory, the original owner was extremely excited, his eyes full of little stars of admiration, and the Third Hokage, in his prime, puffed on his pipe and asked with a chuckle.
"Child, what is your dream..."
"I want to become like you..."
In short,
A day after the Third Hokage personally completed his background check, he became Nawaki's teammate.
It was truly difficult for the Third Hokage, who was busy with countless affairs during wartime, to personally investigate and select teammates for Nawaki.
But his identity was there.
The First Hokage's grandson, the Second Hokage's grandnephew, and also the current strongest in Konoha.
— Uzumaki Mito's grandson!
She was the First Hokage's wife, and through her Sealing Technique, which naturally countered Tailed Beasts, she became a [Forcibly Perfect Jinchuriki].
Her old self also had the aura of Konoha's nuclear deterrent.
However, according to the original plot's development, she wouldn't live for more than two years, and then the Nine-Tailed would be transferred to Uzumaki Kushina.
It was not easy to find a Konoha native like himself, who had both Uzumaki Clan and Senju Clan bloodlines and was the same age as Nawaki.
He was practically a born Ninja talent to be Nawaki's teammate.
Recalling the Third Hokage at that time, with his pipe in hand and a benevolent smile on his face, Kizuna secretly praised him from the bottom of his heart.
Old fox, you really know how to pick!
...The next day.
Hokage Building.
Kizuna, who had woken up early and eaten, put on his blue Ninja uniform and Konoha forehead protector, arriving at the agreed meeting point.
Gazing at the red fortress-like building with the 'Fire' kanji sign, and the Hokage heads from the First to the Third carved into the rock face above.
A familiar yet strange feeling arose in Kizuna's heart.
He couldn't go back; after all, he was sent here by sheer luck. He hoped to live past twenty-five in this familiar world.
"Kizuna-san, over here to the mission assignment office!" Nawaki's energetic voice called out.
Kizuna looked in the direction of the voice, only to see Nawaki waving at him from a side building next to the Hokage Building, through a window.
"Coming!"
Kizuna waved back and walked towards the side building.
These were his wings to establish himself in the Ninja World in the future!