I Am Orochimaru

Time passed swiftly as Orochimaru continued his relentless training. Before he knew it, midnight had come. Deciding to balance work and rest, Orochimaru packed up and headed home for some well deserved sleep.

---

The next morning, Orochimaru made his way to a local grocery store. Without hesitation, he walked in and approached the counter.

"Five chakra Paper strips."

"That'll be five hundred ryō! Thanks!" the fat shopkeeper replied with a friendly smile.

Orochimaru handed over the banknotes without batting an eye. Five hundred ryō was quite a sum each chakra test strip costing one hundred ryō but in this world, everything related to ninjas was notoriously expensive. Orochimaru was already well aware of this.

For example, an ordinary shuriken cost around three hundred ryō, and a kunai could set you back a thousand ryō.

Given that, a chakra paper strip costing a hundred ryō was still within a reasonable range.

As Orochimaru thought of ninja tools, he couldn't help but recall Tenten from the original timeline. Now that he thought about it, she was truly a wealthy person. She would casually toss around various ninja tools during battle. He couldn't fathom how a genin could afford such a vast arsenal!

But today, Orochimaru's focus wasn't on ninja tools. He had come to buy chakra paper strips for a very specific reason.

Anyone familiar with the world of Naruto would recognize that these strips could be used to test the elemental nature of a ninja's chakra.

Chakra attributes were divided into seven categories: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Water, Earth, Yin, and Yang.

The chakra paper , however, could only measure the first five Fire, Wind, Lightning, Water, and Earth. The Yin and Yang attributes couldn't be detected by these strips.

The process was simple: inject a small amount of chakra into the test strip, and depending on the reaction, the user could determine their chakra nature.

- Fire: The paper will ignite and turn to ash.

- Wind: The paper will split in two.

- Lightning: The paper will wrinkle.

- Water: The paper will become damp.

- Earth: The paper will crumble.

In Orochimaru's inherited memories, aside from the Three Basic Jutsu (Clone Jutsu, Substitution Jutsu, and Transformation Jutsu), he also possessed knowledge of the Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Wind Release: Great Breakthrough technique.

However, he was unsure whether he possessed any other chakra attributes aside from wind. Testing his chakra was the first step to figuring out which elements he could wield, and in turn, plan his training accordingly.

He was fully aware that in the ninja world, the five element ninjutsu wasn't necessarily the most practical in battle.

Most elemental jutsus were medium to long-range techniques that required hand seals to perform. Given the fast pace of ninja combat, it was common for an opponent to counter your ninjutsu before you could complete the seals.

However, elemental ninjutsu were like nuclear weapons in battle. They were not always used, but when your enemy employed them, you needed to be able to respond in kind. Otherwise, you would be at a significant disadvantage.

For now, Orochimaru thought it wise to master the basics of the five element ninjutsu before delving into the more advanced snake related jutsus he would eventually develop.

He found a quiet spot in the village and, with the chakra test strips in hand, prepared to determine his chakra nature.

---

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office of Konoha Village, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, was engrossed in handling military affairs. His silver hair and piercing red eyes gave him a formidable presence, and he wore the traditional robes befitting his esteemed position.

Standing respectfully before him were Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo, both dressed in their black combat uniforms.

"You two performed admirably on this last mission," the Second Hokage said, his voice stern but approving. "The sniper mission was a success, and the pressure on the border has eased significantly. I expect a period of truce to follow."

Tobirama paused, his expression softening slightly. "You don't need to take on any more missions for now. Stay in the village. The Academy will be holding graduation exams soon, and you'll both serve as mentor jōnin for the new graduates."

"Yes, sensei!" Hiruzen and Danzo replied in unison, bowing slightly.

Despite Danzo's usual manipulative and scheming nature, he had nothing but respect for Tobirama. It wasn't just because Tobirama was their teacher, but also because of his ruthless and iron-blooded methods. The Second Hokage was not a man to be trifled with.

Just as Tobirama was about to continue speaking, the door to the office burst open, and a little girl came skipping inside.

"Uncle! Uncle!! Oh, hey, Teacher Sarutobi, you're here too?" the girl chirped.

The Second Hokage's brow furrowed slightly. "Tsunade? What are you doing here?"

"Hehe, I came to tell you something important!"

"And what's that?"

"After the graduation exam, I want to be on the same team as Orochimaru!" Tsunade declared, her voice full of enthusiasm.

"Orochimaru?" Tobirama repeated, his expression one of mild confusion. "Who's that?"

At this point, Orochimaru had only just begun to show his talents, and Tobirama, as the Hokage, hadn't yet had the opportunity to notice him. He didn't pay much attention to the civilian-born ninjas.

"He's a genius!" Tsunade answered proudly.

"Genius, you say?" Tobirama mused for a moment before responding calmly. "If you think he's a genius, then he must be special."

Tobirama had watched Tsunade grow up, and although she had her shortcomings, he knew she was no fool. Her standards were high, and for her to recognize someone's talent meant that person was indeed remarkable.

"Of course!" Tsunade boasted, her eyes gleaming. "Not only does he have perfect scores in all his basic courses, but just yesterday, he performed a Shadow Clone Jutsu. That alone qualifies him as a top-tier genius, right?"

Tobirama's usually stoic face showed a rare glimmer of surprise. "He can use the Shadow Clone Jutsu? And he hasn't even graduated yet?"

"We witnessed it ourselves yesterday," Hiruzen added, stepping forward. "Orochimaru truly is an exceptional child."

In truth, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already planned to recommend Orochimaru for special training even before Tsunade's request. Now, it just seemed things were happening a little sooner than expected.

Tobirama stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I see… So you've had your eye on him for a while?"

"Yes, sensei," Hiruzen confirmed.

"Interesting…" Tobirama muttered. "It sounds like this boy is something else."

"So, Uncle, does that mean you'll agree to put us on the same team?" Tsunade asked eagerly.

"There's no reason to say no," Tobirama answered with a small smile.

"Yay! Long live Uncle!" Tsunade cheered, jumping up and down in excitement.