Looking at General Niga before him, all Ryoma wanted to do was rush over to Snake Uncle right away.
To give Snake Uncle a bear hug.
This bottleneck that had hindered Ryoma for so long had just been broken by Snake Uncle.
Truly, "broken."
Was this the general of the Ninja Corps, Niga?
No, this wasn't Niga.
This was a warm river, the murky waters he had once waded through.
It was the lifesaving medicine during the Third Great Ninja War, the future that brought tears to Ryoma's eyes!
With Niga, Ryoma could at least ensure he had a solid chance against ordinary jonin.
Combined with the cooperation of the Shadow Corps soldiers, as long as no elite jonin from the village showed up.
Ryoma could at least guarantee his survival.
Moreover, he could now also summon soldiers from the Night Bat Corps, the Flying Corps.
If I can't win, can't I just run?
If I can't outrun them, I'll just take to the skies!
However, this incident also made Ryoma aware of a serious fact.
That was, while the Nara clan's special training could help him further master the abilities he had already developed.
When it came to the development and expansion of unknown abilities, perhaps no one in all of Konoha, or even the entire ninja world, was more professional than Snake Uncle.
After all, Snake Uncle worked with this sort of thing, so his methods were naturally much more varied.
Ryoma couldn't be sure if the conditions for summoning the other generals were the same as for Niga.
But perhaps Snake Uncle would always find the right path.
Who let him be the ninja world's only scientist!
Moreover, Ryoma could tell that Orochimaru had wanted to take him as a disciple earlier.
If nothing else, solely in terms of teaching disciples, Orochimaru was definitely among the very best in the entire ninja world.
Just the fact that he understood teaching according to the student's aptitude put him ahead of most teachers.
And Orochimaru's treatment of his own disciples was truly beyond reproach.
When Tsunade's younger brother Nawaki was killed by an exploding tag, even someone as emotionally reserved as Snake Uncle shed tears.
(PS: Nawaki seems to be the only person in all of Naruto to die from an exploding tag...")
Before deciding to defect from Konoha, he not only actively sought Anko's opinion.
Upon learning Anko did not plan to go with him, he deliberately severed ties with her, fearing his disciple would be implicated.
As for Sasuke, even less needs to be said. After training with Snake Uncle for a couple of years, he came out able to handle the new Team 7 by himself.
Teaching the Dream Fulfillment Master, cultivating Yamato with Wood Release, these are all proofs of Snake Uncle's capabilities!
"If I could really become Snake Uncle's disciple, it might not be a bad choice. After all, Nawaki is dead now, and Anko hasn't been chosen by Orochimaru yet. Just like Snake Uncle said himself, he lacks a child by his side, who could be an assistant, a disciple."
Ryoma rubbed his chin, then suddenly clenched his fist. "I could even be a research subject!"
Learning directly from Snake Uncle, researching himself.
You're invincible, kid!
Having made up his mind, Ryoma decided he still needed to seek his uncle Nara Shikaku's opinion.
After all, Ryoma had to admit, Shikaku's intelligence far, far surpassed his own...
Ryoma walked on the path toward Orochimaru's laboratory.
After learning what had happened, Shikaku first fell silent for a moment, then left Ryoma with only these words.
"That Lord, is it? Following him, you could indeed learn many things. But for some reason, that Lord always gives me a very dangerous feeling. However, since it's about choosing a teacher, it should be your own decision, Ryoma."
After Ryoma left, Shikaku pondered for a while alone.
Then he slowly said, "I hope it's just my misconception!"
Orochimaru probably had more than one experimental base, but the one he told Ryoma about was a location very close to the forest where Ryoma usually trained.
After all, Ryoma was new, and it wouldn't be appropriate to lead him directly to a place for human experimentation right away.
Might scare the kid.
Ryoma never expected he had been training right next to a snake den for so long.
It must be a special kind of fate~
That brought them together as family~
Entering Snake Uncle's experimental site, it wasn't as dark and gloomy as imagined, with no horrifying failed experiments lying around.
Instead, it very much resembled the hospital laboratories Ryoma had seen in his previous life.
Bright and tidy.
Snake Uncle was currently wearing a white lab coat, holding an unknown reagent in his hand, his golden snake-like eyes fixed intently on the changes within.
His expression was very serious.
Seeing Snake Uncle was busy, Ryoma did not disturb him.
He stood to the side, silently observing Snake Uncle's every move.
It had to be said, Snake Uncle was a truly qualified researcher. While he was conducting experiments, Ryoma seemed to see another, entirely new side of Snake Uncle.
No longer the madman of the ninja world, nor one of the Legendary Sannin.
Just an ordinary person filled with a thirst for knowledge, pursuing his own truth.
Like a girl lost in a sea of flowers~
Frantically searching for her lover named Science~
Ahem, ahem...
No wonder Naruto fans in his previous life said that if Snake Uncle became Hokage, Konoha would have had high-speed rail and 5G long ago.
Then the Otsutsuki clan on the moon would see Snake Uncle leading the ninjas of the world in spaceships, going up there to give them trouble!
After a long while,
Snake Uncle put down the test tube in his hand, turned to look at Ryoma, and his magnetic voice rang out.
"Ryoma-kun, you truly did not disappoint me."
Ryoma looked at Snake Uncle before him and said cautiously, "Lord Orochimaru, I wish to receive your help to further develop my abilities. I also wish to gain greater power. Of course, I will also assist Lord Orochimaru in researching my body."
After saying this, Ryoma looked up directly into Orochimaru's eyes and said, "I want to become your disciple!"
After hearing Ryoma's words, Orochimaru showed no sign of surprise.
He just asked Ryoma in his hoarse voice, "Why do you want to obtain powerful strength, Ryoma-kun?"
Ryoma looked at Orochimaru, thought for a moment, then replied, "Because I want to live. Only by possessing sufficient strength can I survive."
Hearing Ryoma's answer, a trace of surprise appeared on Orochimaru's usually impassive face.
Had this child already gained such awareness at this age?
Could the impact of his parents' death have been too great for him?
"But this child is surprisingly similar to me," Orochimaru thought silently to himself.
Snake Uncle walked towards Ryoma while speaking softly.
"Ryoma-kun, life itself holds no meaning. Even the meaning of life is elusive. But by living on, you might find something interesting, just as I found you."
After saying this, he handed the reagent in his hand to Ryoma.
Ryoma took the reagent. Orochimaru turned and walked to the experiment table lined with various instruments, returning to his previous working state.
He said to Ryoma, "Drink it, then lie down on the experiment table."
Looking at the reagent in his hand, Ryoma drank it down without hesitation, then lay directly on the cold instrument.
Orochimaru, wearing gloves and holding an unknown instrument, walked towards Ryoma.
At this moment, Ryoma suddenly felt a bit scared.
These things were no less intimidating than Snake Uncle himself!
Ryoma's scream suddenly echoed in the quiet laboratory.
"Ah! Lord Orochimaru, not there!"
Immediately followed by Orochimaru's hoarse voice.
"From now on, you should call me sensei, Ryoma-kun."
***