Konoha, 15 years later.
A scene of peace and tranquility.
In the just-concluded First Ninja War, Konoha emerged victorious, successfully recapturing the body of the Second Hokage from the Cloud Shinobi.
This victory helped solidify the young Third Hokage's prestige, ensuring his position as Hokage.
It had been three months since Xu Ming had traveled to the world of Naruto.
After three months of adjusting, he had completely adapted to life in Konoha Village and had gained a clear understanding of his abilities.
Unremarkable.
That single word perfectly described his situation.
But that didn't matter—he was here.
[You have set a goal—Orochimaru]
[Feedback for strength improvement...]
Looking at the text visible only to him, Xu Ming smiled in satisfaction.
This binding system was his cheat.
Once he bound himself to someone, he would receive ten times the benefits whenever that person grew stronger!
The effect was simple, yet brutal!
At this point in time, the best candidate for binding was undoubtedly Orochimaru, who was still studying at the Ninja Academy.
Even more coincidentally, Xu Ming and Orochimaru were classmates in this time period.
It truly was an opportunity that had fallen right into his lap.
Xu Ming made his choice the very first day.
From that point onward, feedback would appear before him every day.
[You have perfectly mastered the Ninja Tool Throwing Technique taught by the Ninja School!]
[You have perfectly mastered the basic Three Body Technique!] (Ninja Seal cost reduced by half when performing the technique.)
[You have perfectly mastered the skills of climbing trees and treading water!]
[Your Chakra amount has increased by 100%! ]
Before long, Xu Ming's strength surpassed that of his peers, and he became one of the "geniuses" everyone talked about.
In this generation of students, there were only three geniuses so far.
They were Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade, all of whom were disciples of the Third Hokage.
Now, Xu Ming had become the fourth.
If he had traveled back in time earlier, and displayed such a "genius" growth rate sooner, he might have even been taken in as a disciple by the Third Hokage himself.
"The current Third Hokage is not the indecisive old man of the future."
"This one is the real deal!"
Xu Ming sighed with a mix of admiration and disappointment.
But it wasn't a big deal.
With his cheat, as long as Orochimaru worked hard enough, he would one day rise above everyone else and sit atop the throne of the Jōnin world.
"So, come on, Orochimaru!" Xu Ming cheered him on from above.
A few minutes later, another feedback notification popped up.
[You have perfectly mastered the C-rank ninjutsu: Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!] (Ninja Seal cost reduced by half when performing the technique.)
[You have perfectly mastered the C-rank ninjutsu: Water Style: Water Wave!] (Ninja Seal cost reduced by half when performing the technique.)
[You have perfectly mastered the C-rank ninjutsu: Lightning Style: Thunder Wave!] (Ninja Seal cost reduced by half when performing the technique.)
Xu Ming couldn't help but take a sharp breath.
As expected of Orochimaru—he learned three C-rank ninjutsu in just a few minutes.
His talent was truly extraordinary!
From Xu Ming's observations, his system feedback always said "perfect mastery," while Orochimaru's was just beginning.
In other words, whenever Orochimaru learned a technique, he immediately mastered it perfectly.
By the time Orochimaru achieved perfection in his ninjutsu, he would probably be able to use them without seals.
[You have perfectly mastered B-rank ninjutsu: Shadow Clone Technique!] (Ninja Seal cost reduced by half when performing the technique.)
Xu Ming was once again amazed when a new feedback notification appeared.
This time, it was a B-rank ninjutsu!
In the world of Naruto, B-level ninjutsu is considered advanced and is not readily available to most ninjas!
This is due to the difficulty of learning such techniques.
Without the talent to become a Jōnin, it was basically impossible to learn B-rank ninjutsu.
The Shadow Clone Technique in the anime was difficult in the real world of Naruto, being an advanced jutsu that only Jōnin could master.
In the original work, Uchiha Itachi once used a Shadow Clone to attend school in place of himself, causing a stir when the teacher discovered it.
So, Xu Ming was thoroughly impressed.
He was amazed by Orochimaru's talent, and by how effortlessly he was acquiring ninjutsu.
"You can learn B-level ninjutsu without even graduating. You really are Hokage's disciple," Xu Ming sighed.
It really was all about connections.
"But then again, they're only ten years old. Back in the Warring States era over a decade ago, they'd already been on the battlefield for years."
"It's time to start teaching some advanced ninjutsu."
Xu Ming nodded, agreeing with his own thoughts.
He even wished for the Third Hokage to engage in cramming education, teaching Orochimaru a dozen or so ninjutsu in a single day.
With ten times the feedback, he would soar to greater heights.
"Unfortunately, no more for now."
Xu Ming waited a while, then shook his head.
After the three C-rank ninjutsu and the B-rank Shadow Clone Technique, there was no more feedback.
It seemed the Third Hokage had only taught that much for the time being.
However, the future was long, and Xu Ming was eager to see what would come next.
Meanwhile...
At a public training ground in Konoha Village.
Three ten-year-olds were gathered together, panting and sweating profusely.
"Hoo… hoo..." One of the boys, with a naturally cold demeanor, took deep breaths, straightened his body on his knees, and once again made a mudra.
"Hey Orochimaru, do you want to practice again?" called out a white-haired boy nearby.
"Orochimaru, you've reached your limit, take a break!" said the blonde girl.
Orochimaru simply shook his head.
Despite his trembling hands, he resolutely completed the seal.
With the last of his chakra, he squeezed out every ounce of energy.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A strong gust of wind burst from Orochimaru's mouth.
Whoosh!
The fine sand on the ground was blown up, creating a smoke belt more than ten meters wide.
At the ten-meter mark, a stake that had been blown by the wind trembled.
"Oh, you've already used the technique you just learned?" the white-haired boy clapped his hands in appreciation.
"Orochimaru, your talent is really out of this world," the blonde girl praised him.
Orochimaru shook his head in response.
He turned his gaze toward the Ninja School, his expression lost in thought.
"Jiraiya, Tsunade, what am I worth?"
"That guy is the real prodigy."