Naruto: Kushina's Redemption, My Revenge

After praising Chinya, Orochimaru now began pointing out his problems.

"First off, your hand seal speed still needs work. In a battle between ninja of equal strength, it's all about who can complete seals and cast techniques faster. Slow hand seals mean losing the initiative, which will put you at a disadvantage during combat. So, you'll be doing extra hand seal drills from now on.

This is your main issue. Other than that, you're actually doing pretty well overall. There were just a few small issues that appeared during your regular training. Once you get back, keep focusing on those specific problems.

Other than that, everything's fine. We temporarily put off training in Summoning Jutsu before because you had too many problems. Once those small issues are fixed, you'll sign the Ryuchi Cave pact and begin learning Summoning Jutsu and my secret techniques step by step."

Chinya was extremely interested in Orochimaru's secret techniques. Upon hearing he could finally begin learning them, he excitedly replied, "Yes, Master Orochimaru!"

Orochimaru patted Chinya's shoulder, then suddenly changed his tone, speaking softly, "Chinya, I understand exactly what's in your heart. Konoha is a prison for you, and you struggle to grow stronger solely to break free from this cage. One day, you will leave Konoha..."

"Master Orochimaru..."

Chinya frowned, wanting to argue, but Orochimaru ignored him and continued, "I told you before—we're the same kind of person. I desire to master every form of Ninjutsu in existence, but eventually this fragile body will become my limitation. Just like Konoha is your prison, this body is mine.

I want to break free from this cage at any cost. As someone just like you, naturally I understand exactly what's going through your mind."

At that moment, a gust of wind blew past, lifting both Orochimaru's and Chinya's hair.

Orochimaru looked up toward the bright moon in the sky. His voice sounded hoarse yet possessed a unique charm, "Right now, I have great expectations for you. I want to see where this wind—my disciple—will blow."

Chinya stared blankly at Orochimaru, not understanding his meaning.

Whatever Orochimaru meant, it was better to make his position clear now: "Master Orochimaru, I will always remain a ninja of Konoha."

Orochimaru glanced down at Chinya with a smile, yet his eyes revealed an indescribable emotion.

Orochimaru himself was currently in a period of confusion.

During The Second Great Ninja War, he personally witnessed the deaths of his friend Dan Kato and his own student Nawaki.

Especially Nawaki—though his personality had been completely different from Orochimaru's, being more similar to Jiraiya's, Nawaki remained Orochimaru's most beloved student.

During The Second Great Ninja War, Nawaki charged bravely to the front lines filled with passion, only to be killed by an explosive tag trap carefully prepared by the enemy in advance.

By the time Orochimaru and Tsunade arrived, Nawaki was already dead, his internal organs ripped out.

Even Tsunade, who possessed powerful Medical Ninjutsu, couldn't save him.

Faced with the tragic death of his beloved disciple, Orochimaru began contemplating the meaning of life. Witnessing a scene during wartime where people showed no respect for life, he came to believe that life itself was fragile.

Yet Orochimaru also believed the human body contained untapped power that one could never fully utilize within a single lifetime. To grasp the truth of existence, he needed to master all ninjutsu.

However, the number of jutsu in the Shinobi World was endless; even dedicating one's entire life would not be enough to learn them all.

Orochimaru increasingly saw his current body as a burden.

He secretly killed the guards and infiltrated Konoha's forbidden jutsu base, stealing numerous technique scrolls. Among these, the most significant to Orochimaru was a crucial technique capable of summoning the souls of the deceased from Yomi back into the living world — [Impure World Reincarnation].

Though still in the process of studying this reincarnation technique and not yet having mastered it, Orochimaru gained inspiration from it.

That inspiration was the soul.

The physical body was merely a vessel; the essence was the soul.

If one could transfer their soul into another person's body, could they achieve immortality?

At present, Orochimaru had only reached the theoretical stage, with no formal experiments conducted yet.

But should he begin experimenting, inevitably he'd have to conduct forbidden human trials.

Human experimentation was strictly prohibited in Konoha — indeed across the entire Shinobi World — as it violated basic ethics. Worse still, he was Hiruzen Sarutobi's student.

Orochimaru felt constrained not just by his mortal flesh, but also by these worldly moral codes.

If he were not the Hokage's apprentice or a ninja of Konoha, he could freely carry out his research without restraint.

Right now, however, Orochimaru found himself lost. He couldn't abandon worldly ethics nor recklessly pursue human experimentation.

As for Chinya...

Initially, Orochimaru had only been asked by Sarutobi Hiruzen to evaluate whether Chinya possessed the potential to become his disciple.

Chinya's talent was undeniable — undeniably brilliant.

What truly convinced Orochimaru to accept him as a student, though, was the look Chinya occasionally revealed: a ruthless gaze willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goals.

During the Second Great Ninja World War, Orochimaru himself had once worn exactly that same expression.

Recalling the time during the Second Great Ninja World War when Jiraiya, Tsunade, and he had been surrounded by Iwa ninja inside a cave, Orochimaru remembered clearly how Jiraiya had suffered grievous injuries — so severe that Jiraiya himself believed he wouldn't survive.

At that time, Orochimaru had considered Jiraiya a dying liability who would only slow him and Tsunade down, possibly causing both of them to perish as well. He had decided to end Jiraiya's suffering himself.

Tsunade accused him of being too ruthless, actually considering killing his own teammate.

Orochimaru admitted she wasn't wrong. He was a man willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goals.

He thought to himself: if he had been the man he once was, he probably wouldn't hesitate to proceed with human experimentation.

Seeing Chinya now reminded Orochimaru of his younger self. Chinya suited his tastes perfectly.

Thus, Orochimaru wanted to observe how Chinya — someone so like himself — would fare. Would this wind grow into a storm, or fade before it could reach full force?

Chinya felt uneasy facing Orochimaru's gaze, completely unable to guess what was going through Orochimaru's mind.

Orochimaru turned his back to Chinya and said, "Don't worry about it. Just proceed according to your own plans. I won't stand in your way—I'll even help you. Because you are my disciple, I will do my best to nurture you until you become the wind blowing freely through the skies."

Chinya eyed Orochimaru's back with suspicion.

He had been feeling like something was off about Orochimaru lately.

Moreover, Chinya seemed to notice that Orochimaru's attitude toward him had subtly changed.

Because you are my disciple.

It sounded like Orochimaru had acknowledged him as a true disciple.

But would the self-centered Orochimaru ever truly consider him a real disciple?

He hoped he wouldn't end up like Orochimaru's other subordinates, all treated as mere tools.

Chinya was completely confused but chose not to say anything else.

Orochimaru figured out that he would eventually leave Konoha. However, since he said, "Just proceed according to your own plans," Chinya probably didn't need to worry about others discovering his true intentions anytime soon.

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