Just like that, time flew by, and a month quietly passed.
For Orochimaru, who had just embarked on the path of a Ninja, his Ninja career was not as thrilling as he had imagined.
Instead, it started with the lowest-level D-rank missions: pulling weeds, finding cats, taking care of children, repairing fences… basically, these were the trivial tasks.
Orochimaru had no complaints about this; these missions usually took place around Konoha Village, which conveniently allowed him to observe Konoha’s environment.
His main goal was to see if there were any business opportunities nearby, as research required funding.
Besides that, during this period, his main energy was focused on another matter.
It was a revised design for a hidden blade, a weapon commonly used by master assassins from another World, based on his memories.
Combining it with the existing knowledge of mechanism techniques in this World, he modified its trigger mechanism to be Chakra-activated, making it more suitable for a Ninja’s stealthy and swift combat style.
With the blueprint complete, the next step was to bring it to reality.
He found a blacksmith shop in the Village with a decent reputation.
The shop was small, hidden in a slightly secluded alley, and the air was filled with the scorching metallic smell of iron and the choking scent of burning coal.
Orochimaru handed the design blueprint to the sweating blacksmith master and briefly explained his requirements.
The blacksmith carefully examined the precise structure on the blueprint, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes; it was the first time he had seen such a detailed blueprint.
“This thing… the structure is very intricate, and the material and craftsmanship requirements are not low.
It will take a lot of effort to make.
As for the price… seeing as you are a Konoha Ninja, one hundred thousand Ryo will be fine.”
After a while, he put down the blueprint, wiped his sweat, and said in a deep voice.
One hundred thousand Ryo?
Even though Orochimaru was mentally prepared, his eyelids involuntarily twitched when he heard this number.
Based on what he currently understood, the reward for completing a D-rank mission was, on average, around one thousand Ryo.
And a steaming bowl of ramen on the street cost about sixty Ryo.
One hundred thousand Ryo would basically require 100 D-rank missions.
However, considering that the First Shinobi World War had just ended and everything was in ruins, the price of military supplies like weapons had a premium, so it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
Moreover, the design of this hidden blade was indeed complex and required extremely high craftsmanship.
He took a deep breath and took out a small pouch from his Ninja tool bag.
“This is the deposit; please make it as soon as possible.”
He pushed the money bag over, his tone calm.
Although it pained him a bit, it might come in handy at a critical moment.
“No problem, come pick it up in a week.”
The blacksmith weighed the money bag, his eyes lit up, and he nodded.
Stepping out of the blacksmith shop, the afternoon sun was a bit dazzling.
Money, it’s still not enough…
Orochimaru squinted slightly, feeling a bit emotional.
It’s already this expensive just to forge a hidden blade; who knows how much it would cost to build a fully equipped biological laboratory!
Relying solely on mission rewards would definitely not be enough, and if he did missions every day, his research time would certainly decrease.
It seems he must find a more efficient way to accumulate wealth as soon as possible…
As his thoughts drifted, a furtive figure entered his sight.
That distinctive White hair was particularly conspicuous in the crowd; it was undoubtedly Jiraiya.
He was currently tiptoeing, peeking and peering in the direction of the women’s bathhouse.
This guy… truly never changes…
Orochimaru’s mouth twitched imperceptibly, and he quietly averted his gaze, pretending not to know him, and turned to walk in another direction.
After walking for a while, he returned to his home.
Pushing open the door, the light inside was slightly dim.
As he stepped into the entrance, two figures identical to him silently appeared in the living room, nodding at him in unison.
“Poof!” “Poof!”
Accompanying two soft sounds, the Shadow Clones dissipated into white smoke. At the same time, a massive stream of information, like a bursting flood, surged into Orochimaru’s mind—it was all the experience and insights from the two Shadow Clones’ Chakra nature transformation training over the past few hours.
The Shadow Clone Technique, this is one of the most incredible BUG-level Ninjutsu in the Naruto World.
This Jutsu can create physical clones, and the clones possess all the experience of the original body; upon dispelling the clones, their experience and memories can be fully returned to the original body.
Whether it’s for training or research, it’s incredibly useful…
However, this usage also has drawbacks, which is that receiving a large amount of information at once can bring a significant mental burden.
Fortunately, thanks to his experience of sharing consciousness and memories with other “selves” in the gray fog space, his mental energy far exceeded that of his peers, and his soul resilience was greatly enhanced.
Currently, what restricts him is not the mental burden, but his Chakra volume!
After all, he doesn’t have any Tailed Beasts, Uzumaki bloodline, or anything like that…
He closed his eyes, silently digesting the new information in his mind.
During this time, the main content of the Shadow Clone’s training was Chakra nature transformation.
So-called nature transformation is to imbue one’s Chakra with specific attributes like Wind, Fire, Lightning, Water, Earth, or rather, to make one’s Chakra possess the characteristics of these elements.
Ninja who master nature transformation can unleash more powerful force when performing corresponding Release Ninjutsu.
For example, Fire Release infused with Fire attribute Chakra will have a higher temperature and stronger destructive power; Wind Release infused with Wind attribute Chakra will generate wind at a faster speed, and so on.
Depending on their innate physical aptitude, every Ninja is naturally more affinity with certain attributes of Chakra.
For example, his basic attributes are Wind and Earth, which means he will achieve twice the results with half the effort when training in the nature transformation of these two attributes.
But this does not mean he can only use Ninjutsu of these two attributes; through diligent training, he can fully master the nature transformation of other attributes, and even develop “Bloodline Limits” and “Bloodline Extermination” that combine multiple attributes.
The above information, as well as the method for training Chakra nature transformation, naturally came from the special tutoring given to him by his teacher, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Thanks to the talent he displayed during the bell test, Hiruzen naturally wouldn’t refuse his request to learn Ninjutsu.
It must be said that the Third Hokage truly lives up to his title as the “Dr. of Ninjutsu”; his understanding of Jutsu is indeed profound.
It’s just a pity that he leans more towards application rather than exploring their principles.
Orochimaru nodded with satisfaction; the training efficiency of the Shadow Clone was indeed well-known.
However, he was more interested in the mechanism of this information transfer and the creation of physical clones.
However, for him, there was an even more realistic problem.
He walked to the desk in the corner of the room, pulled open the drawer, and took out a passbook recording his income and expenses.
Looking at the balance, Orochimaru sighed; if he paid the remaining balance for the hidden blade, he would probably be eating dirt afterward.
It’s time to seriously consider ways to make money…
As his thoughts wandered, a stealthy figure entered his sight.
That iconic White hair was particularly noticeable in the crowd; it was undoubtedly Jiraiya.
He was currently tiptoeing, peeking and peering in the direction of the women’s bathhouse.
This guy… truly never changes…
Orochimaru’s mouth twitched imperceptibly, and he quietly averted his gaze, pretending not to know him, and turned to walk in another direction.