Jin hadn't expected to encounter Orochimaru here, of all places. The encounter was so sudden. He'd wanted to meet Orochimaru, but not this Orochimaru. This Orochimaru was still loyal to Konoha, still under the influence of the Will of Fire. His later transformation, his final descent, would be solidified by his failure to become Hokage, losing to Minato.
If Jin gave his Foundation Training to this Orochimaru, he would immediately hand it over to the village, disrupting all of Jin's plans. While giving the technique to Konoha would undoubtedly spread it faster, reaching the elite ninja, there was a problem:
He was an Uchiha. He didn't know how the village would react, but it was unlikely to be with goodwill. The Konoha leadership preferred the Uchiha weak.
As Jin pondered his options, Orochimaru's serpentine eyes bore into him, the pervasive killing intent a clear warning against any sudden movements. Even this pre-prime Orochimaru was an elite Jonin. Jin, with his Tokubetsu Jonin level strength, was no different from an ant in his presence.
Orochimaru's voice was condescending, almost indifferent. "Tell me, Uchiha, you who are known for being unable to use ninjutsu, how is it that you can freely use the Shadow Clone and Fire Release?"
Damn. This man had not only witnessed his jutsu but also knew his identity. His reputation was widespread, but few knew his face. How did Orochimaru know?
With a nervous heart, Jin feigned respect and calm. "I'm surprised Orochimaru-sama knows of a nobody like me." Being recognized by Orochimaru was a death sentence! It was like waving a red flag in front of the village, screaming, "I'm suspicious!"
"Danzo's handiwork. To damage the Uchiha's reputation," Orochimaru said flatly, revealing the source of Jin's notoriety. That man lurking in the shadows would stop at nothing to undermine the Uchiha.
Damn Danzo! Jin gritted his teeth. Without that scheming warmonger, his reputation wouldn't be in tatters. He'd remember this.
Orochimaru looked at Jin, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. He'd noticed the subtle shifts in Jin's expression. "You seem to know about Danzo's existence." Danzo was a high-ranking official, but he operated in the shadows. Only Jonin and above were aware of his existence. Root, after all, was meant to be buried deep beneath the surface, a hidden force whose demise wouldn't even ripple through the village.
Jin, of course, knew Danzo. The future 5.5th Hokage, the original Hokage of the cooking pot. But this only intensified Orochimaru's killing intent, making Jin's body stiffen. Years of relative peace had dulled his senses to such overwhelming bloodlust.
He forced out an explanation. "My… parents'… diary… mentioned… him."
Orochimaru's face was unreadable. A ninja's ability to mask their emotions was essential. But Jin knew Orochimaru hadn't believed a word. The killing intent grew stronger.
"Surely… Orochimaru-sama… doesn't think… the Uchiha… would be… spies?!" Jin practically shouted, the single sentence draining his strength.
The effect was immediate. The killing intent receded.
Orochimaru considered this briefly and came to a conclusion: Indeed. If anyone in Konoha was least likely to betray the village, it was the Uchiha. In Orochimaru's view, any clan, given enough incentive, could betray Konoha. The old guard from the Warring States period was still around. But the Uchiha were different. From the elders to the younger generation, they considered Konoha their possession.
According to the Uchiha radicals, Konoha belonged to them. They would never give it away.
To Orochimaru, the Uchiha, though troublesome, were the most trustworthy allies, unlikely to backstab. Even their betrayals were open and direct. Yet these allies were treated with suspicion and hostility by the Konoha leadership. He couldn't understand it.
"Then are you afraid of the war?" Orochimaru's eyes were downcast, his expression unreadable. If only Nawaki had also feared the war and avoided it.
"No!" Jin, no longer feeling the killing intent, sat down heavily and began to explain. "The ninja exams were both ninjutsu-based. I couldn't use ninjutsu then, but I recently succeeded."
Orochimaru, unconvinced, turned to leave.
"Orochimaru-sama, have you ever considered the possibility of ninja immortality?"
Orochimaru stopped, turning to look at Jin, his gaze intense. The dream of immortality was a nascent seed in his mind, overshadowed by his pursuit of ninjutsu. No one could have known his thoughts.
Jin continued, undeterred. "I've developed a jutsu that can grant immortality. It accumulates chakra within the body without causing harm. Theoretically, with enough chakra, one can achieve immortality." And it had to be one's own chakra. Jinchuriki relied on borrowed power, risking their lives.
Orochimaru considered this. The concept was theoretically sound. Most ninja died in battle or from overexerting their chakra, essentially burning through their life force. Even so, many lived to their sixties or seventies.
"Can I see this technique?" Orochimaru approached Jin, his voice almost pleading. Unfamiliar knowledge deserved respect.
"I just happen to have a copy with me," Jin grinned, pulling out a small notebook from his pouch. "But in exchange, would you accept me as your disciple?" He'd quickly realized that feigning fear wouldn't work. It would only hinder him in the future. And this opportunity with Orochimaru was too good to pass up. Orochimaru might have a different understanding and application of the Foundation Training.
He would create a persona of a genius ninjutsu researcher. As Orochimaru's disciple, he would also be shielded from the village's hostility.
Jin's plan was perfect, but things rarely went as planned.
Orochimaru paused, his hand hovering over the notebook. Then he began flipping through the pages, describing the three stages of the technique, each composed entirely of sealing jutsu. He quickly realized that the three seals were a deconstruction and reconstruction of a single, more complex seal. Seeing the first, deconstructed seal, he understood why Jin couldn't use ninjutsu before.
No further explanation was needed. This level of complexity was beyond the capabilities of a child. He looked at Jin, who wore an exaggerated expression of disappointment, close to tears.
Inwardly, however, Jin was cursing Orochimaru's entire lineage.
You couldn't have just said yes?
"A genius in ninjutsu research… truly worthy of the Uchiha name," Orochimaru mused. A figure similar to the Second Hokage had emerged from the Uchiha clan. He wondered if this was a blessing or a curse for the village.
"I'll keep your secret," Orochimaru said, closing the notebook and looking at Jin meaningfully. "I can't be your teacher, but I'll find you one."
He vanished in a puff of smoke.
Jin stared blankly at the empty space. Nothing had gone as planned. Orochimaru had chosen to help him and even promised to find him a teacher.
"Who?! Tell me!" He hoped it was Tsunade. Beautiful, talented, and a medical expert.
Please don't let it be that fate-obsessed Jiraiya! He couldn't stand religious fanatics.
…
Back at the Academy, Minato looked at Jin, whose dark circles were even more pronounced. "What's wrong? You look exhausted." He'd only been gone a day! Jin looked like he'd been… overexerting himself.
"Don't ask," Jin sighed. He was too tired to notice Minato's strange look. He'd trained all day, then stayed up all night. He'd been excited about the Eight Gates, but then Orochimaru had appeared.
Who's my teacher?! Just tell me! But Orochimaru had vanished without a trace. He didn't even know where to find him. After returning home, he'd absorbed the memories of his studying clone and continued his research, trying to create his own version of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms movement technique. He'd finally realized the flaw in his approach: scale. He was trying to create a large-scale movement technique within the confines of his small body. It wouldn't work. He abandoned the idea and developed something else instead. Standard movement techniques were limited by the user's physical abilities. They couldn't match the speed and agility of ninjas, unless they were from high-level martial arts worlds, where physical abilities surpassed those of ninjas. But those techniques were poorly defined, lacking concrete steps for replication. He had to try a different approach. He'd spent the entire night developing a new technique.
He wouldn't create another technique like the Foundation Training, which required gradual improvement. He aimed for a technique that could be utilized at full power from the first level.
"I haven't slept all night," Jin yawned. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me up when class is over."
He slumped onto his desk and fell asleep.
Inoue, lecturing at the front, glared at Jin. This repeat student had no respect for him.