Xu Ming and Mikoto
After meeting Mikoto that day, Xu Ming rarely visited the Uchiha clan.
On the contrary, it was little Mikoto who often sought him out, deliberately playing with him whenever she went shopping with the adults.
According to her, Xu Ming was her first friend outside the clan, making him particularly special.
The Uchiha elders, finding it convenient, would simply leave Mikoto with Xu Ming while they handled their affairs or went shopping. Later, they would pick her up from his house once they were done.
"Have I become a babysitter?" Xu Ming sighed in frustration.
"What did you say?"
Mikoto, who was playing with a puzzle nearby, looked up in confusion.
"Nothing, nothing. Keep playing," Xu Ming waved dismissively.
"Oh." Mikoto nodded and returned to concentrating on her puzzle, her tiny face filled with focus.
Watching her, Xu Ming sighed helplessly.
What could he do? He might as well treat her like a little sister.
At only three years old, Mikoto was far too young for him to think of anything else.
But her soft little cheeks were just too tempting.
With a grin, Xu Ming reached out and pinched them lightly before turning to head upstairs. He had his own books to read.
"Call me when it's time to eat."
Mikoto barely reacted, too engrossed in her puzzle. Even when her face was pinched, she didn't look away.
It wasn't until Xu Ming was halfway up the stairs that she finally called out.
"I know, I know. I've already ordered roast squab from the Akimichi shop. I'll take you there later." Xu Ming replied, his voice trailing off as he went upstairs.
In just a week, their relationship had grown as close as that of siblings.
As a traveler, Xu Ming was far ahead of the Hokage world in the art of 'eating.'
Snakes, frogs, pigeons, eels, crayfish, cicada larvae, river pigs—you name it. His culinary adventures had completely widened little Mikoto's horizons. She followed him eagerly on food-hunting trips and even gave him a nickname: Gourmet Sage!
And so, a little follower trailed behind Xu Ming wherever he went.
A New Goal
Entering his room, Xu Ming sat down at his desk and rubbed his face.
Flipping open a notebook, he studied the pages filled with notes on various ninjutsu. His expression turned thoughtful.
'Rasengan, Chidori…'
He had successfully taught these techniques to Orochimaru and received significant feedback, greatly enhancing his own strength.
'This proves my [Accelerated Growth] plan is effective.'
Tapping his fingers on the notebook, Xu Ming pondered.
The question now was: what should Orochimaru learn next?
He had seen the entirety of Naruto and knew many jutsu, but not all powerful techniques were suitable for Orochimaru.
At just ten years old, Orochimaru wasn't ready for advanced techniques like cell transplantation, genetic cloning, or soul transfer.
'For now, we have to focus on traditional ninjutsu.'
'But it can't be a Kekkei Genkai technique since I don't fully understand how bloodline limits work.'
Xu Ming scratched his head. If he knew how to train Dust Release or Magnet Release, he could teach Orochimaru.
Unfortunately, in the original series, those techniques were exclusive to specific users—developed by the Second Tsuchikage and the Third Kazekage, respectively. There weren't any detailed explanations.
'So, let's go with this instead.'
Xu Ming picked up a pen and drew a circle around a word in his notes.
—Yang Release.
Shifting Focus
After lunch, Xu Ming, ignoring Mikoto's hopeful eyes, returned her to the Uchiha clan.
As a parting gift, he handed her a book on chakra cultivation. While Uchiha already had plenty of such books, his gesture effectively increased Mikoto's study workload.
Watching the little girl being dragged away by the elders, her face full of reluctance, Xu Ming almost burst into laughter.
'Happiness is built on the suffering of others.'
"I've spent too much time with this little one lately. I'll play with her again when she's a bit older." He muttered to himself as he left the Uchiha compound.
Next, he headed for the Sarutobi clan.
More specifically, the home of his teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Recently, Orochimaru had been spending all his time in the library, organizing ninja knowledge obtained from the Uchiha and Senju clans.
The kid had even skipped Ninja School because he was determined to write a proper book.
"Orochimaru, how's your progress?" Xu Ming greeted as he entered the library.
"The project is enormous. It feels like it'll take years to finish." Orochimaru looked up, rubbing his tired eyes.
"Then why don't you outsource it?" Xu Ming suggested.
"Outsource?" Orochimaru looked puzzled, unfamiliar with the term.
"Yeah. You delegate the repetitive, boring tasks to others, and you just oversee the final compilation." Xu Ming explained.
While this wasn't exactly how outsourcing worked in the modern sense, the concept still applied.
Orochimaru sat in stunned silence.
Then, as if awakening from a long dream, he let out a slow breath.
"Of course… I can outsource it…" He murmured, before turning to Xu Ming with admiration.
"Xu Ming, your thinking is truly flexible."
"Naturally!" Xu Ming grinned, silently praying for the poor Konoha ninjas who would be stuck with Orochimaru's grunt work.
"But, you didn't just come here to talk about outsourcing, did you?" Orochimaru asked, wiping his face with a damp towel. His demeanor suddenly shifted, eyes burning with excitement.
"You have a new ninjutsu idea?"
Xu Ming nodded, smiling.
"That's right. But this time, it's not just a single jutsu—it's an entire system of techniques."
"An entire system?" Orochimaru's eyes widened before his gaze sharpened, filled with anticipation.
A predatory grin spread across his face as he licked his lips.
"Then I definitely can't miss this."