Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 45
🕑 Added 2024-12-04 23:37:56 +0000 UTCAnko was fast asleep at her desk, a small trail of drool at the corner of her mouth. Dango... more dango... yes, stack them higher...
Being a purebred student aligned with the Hokage faction, as long as she didn't disrupt the class, no one really said much. The other students had learned to ignore her soft snores, some envious of her privileged position.
As Orochimaru's disciple, her path had already been set. Graduating was no issue whatsoever, and the school's graduation exams were far too simple for her.
As for the genin selection tests, Orochimaru most likely wouldn't make her repeat any classes either.
What could she possibly learn here? She had already signed the contract with Ryūchi Cave.
Although she had never visited Ryūchi Cave, she was curious about it and once mentioned it to Orochimaru. In response, he simply smiled at her, that curve of his lips that could mean anything or nothing.
Unable to figure it out, she decided not to think about it and continued enjoying her sleep.
It wasn't like she was slacking in her training. The school's curriculum was mandatory, but the lessons paled in comparison to what she learned from Orochimaru. Sleeping through class became her only option.
Besides, who needed to know about proper kunai grip when you could summon snakes?
In her dream, she was in a sweets shop, where they were hosting a special event: everything you could eat in-store was free. Mountains of colorful dango stretched toward the ceiling, each more tempting than the last.
She feasted to her heart's content.
"Anko."
It seemed like someone was calling her. Go away... just five more dango...
Unless it was Orochimaru's voice, she ignored it entirely.
"Anko, wake up!" The voice grew more impatient.
Huh? Someone trying to take my sweets?
Smack!
Her head was lightly tapped.
Anko groggily opened her eyes and saw the stern face of her teacher. Great timing, right when I was about to try the special flavor.
"Come with me," the schoolteacher said helplessly. In truth, Anko sleeping didn't disrupt the class, and he didn't want to wake her.
Even though he was a chunin, the questions this kid asked were completely beyond him.
The written tests in the Ninja Academy were already brutal, but the kind of questions she came up with were entirely in the realm of Orochimaru's research.
As his disciple, she was naturally on a different plane compared to ordinary ninja.
Currently, Orochimaru was at the height of his prowess, having completed 108 S-rank missions—a true gold-standard operative for Konoha.
Although he had lost the Fourth Hokage election, his reputation remained untarnished.
Everyone knew Orochimaru didn't care about becoming Hokage anyway, right?
"Sensei, is Orochimaru-sama here?" Anko asked excitedly, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
Come to think of it, it had been a while since Orochimaru last visited her at school.
"No, it's Masashi-sama."
"Masashi-sama?" Anko thought for a moment.
She lived in the northern district and hadn't been aware of the Nine-Tails attack when it happened. However, the name sounded familiar.
Was he one of Orochimaru's subordinates?
Having someone else fetch her was typical of him—he was always too busy. So, she followed her him out of the classroom, down the hall, and up the stairs.
As they climbed higher and higher, her excitement started to wane. Something felt different about this summons.
What was going on? Where were they going?
The answer became clear soon enough. Her teacher brought her to the rooftop.
There was only one person there, standing near the edge with his back to them. The wind gently rustled his dark hair.
He wore a Konoha ninja uniform with an armband emblazoned with a fan symbol—he was an Uchiha.
The Legendary Sannin were the most iconic ninja trio in the world, considered paragons of Kage-level power.
Among the trio, both Orochimaru and Jiraiya had countless fans, particularly among commoners. To them, the Sannin were proof that ordinary people could achieve greatness without relying on inherited lineage.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya weren't born into noble clans or destined by bloodline. Through a mix of talent, opportunity, and sheer effort, they reached the pinnacle of what ordinary people could hope to achieve.
Their stories were inspiring because they represented the path most people could aspire to follow.
The Uchiha clan, by contrast, symbolized the opposite. Known for their superior genetics, they were often seen as the embodiment of hereditary privilege.
With geniuses aplenty and their infamous Sharingan, the Uchiha were undeniably formidable.
No one in the ninja world underestimated their visual jutsu, which is why the saying "Run if you face one-on-one combat" exists.
The Uchiha's unpopularity stemmed largely from this gulf between them and ordinary people—no other clan embodied the advantages of bloodline quite like they did.
Even though many Uchiha weren't exceptionally strong or didn't possess Sharingan, their clan's image remained the same.
"Masashi-sama," the teacher respectfully addressed the Uchiha. "This is Anko."
"Uh…" Anko scratched her head, adopting an innocent expression. "Are you one of Orochimaru-sama's subordinates?"
Outwardly carefree, Anko was perceptive enough to recognize from her teacher's demeanor that this Uchiha shouldn't be judged by his young age.
She decided to play dumb for now, albeit clumsily.
The teacher sighed. Ah, to be young and free of tact. Though she's sharper than she lets on.
"No, I'm not," Masashi replied, unfazed. "I'm a teacher hired by the school, here to give you a lesson. Have you signed the Ryūchi Cave contract yet?"
"Huh? How do you know?" Anko asked, genuinely curious, her act dropping for a moment.
The Ryūchi Cave contract was supposed to be a secret.
"Because I'm also a Ryūchi Cave summoner," Masashi said, lifting his hand.
A small black snake slithered out from his sleeve, coiling around his wrist and flicking its tongue at Anko.
The teacher instinctively stepped back slightly, uncomfortable around snakes.
Noticing his unease, Masashi retracted the snake.
"Thank you. I plan to take her outside for this lesson. What's the procedure for reporting that?"
"It's fine. Outdoor private lessons are common, and the paperwork was already handled when you were scheduled."
"Good. I'll return her before the end of the day."
With that, Masashi approached Anko, placed a hand on her shoulder, and in the blink of an eye, the two vanished from the rooftop.
Left behind, the teacher simply marveled, "jonin are amazing," before returning to his work.
This was the Ninja Academy, after all—a place where extraordinary individuals were a daily occurrence.
---
From Anko's perspective, the scenery blurred, and she found herself in a forest.
Looking around, she recognized the western woods outside of Konoha. She had explored these woods before with Orochimaru, so they were familiar.
"Amazing!" Anko exclaimed excitedly. "Is this space-time ninjutsu?"
One of the benefits of being Orochimaru's pupil was her broad perspective.
For a student her age, this was an invaluable asset. Having such a wide frame of reference allowed her to understand herself better and chart her future path.
"Orochimaru has taught you quite a bit," Masashi remarked.
The Snake Sannin was a unique person. He was highly selective but extremely generous with those he favored.
While most people guarded their knowledge of ninjutsu as their most precious resource, he feared his protégés knowing too little.
Anko blinked, noticing something peculiar in how Masashi referred to Orochimaru—without honorifics or deference but also without any belittling tone. He speaks of Orochimaru-sama as an equal... but that's impossible, right?
In her mind, only the other two Sannin could rival Orochimaru.
Anko didn't overthink it. Instead, she became excited, eager to see what this new teacher would teach her.
"This is my first time giving a private lesson, so let's start by getting familiar with each other," Masashi said to her in the forest. "Attack me with everything you've got. Don't hold back—we're outside the village."
"Got it," Anko replied seriously, pulling out a kunai.
Combat simulation was the most popular class among students at the Ninja Academy.
At the Application Stage, the school no longer set combat simulation as a separate course, as students at this stage would engage in combat simulations almost daily, either in squads or solo.
Anko was the campus bully.
Incidentally, Itachi had also joined the Ninja Academy, but he graduated after just one year, in the same batch as Anko.
Watching the aggressive Anko charge at him, Masashi couldn't help but compare the two of them.
Ultimately, there was no real comparison to be made.
Among the Sannin, Jiraiya was clearly the best at teaching and choosing disciples.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, had an even worse track record than Tsunade; apart from Sasuke, none of his disciples had been particularly impressive.
Anko attacked Masashi with taijutsu. Her movements flowed like water—quick jabs followed by sweeping kicks, each strike aimed at vital points.
For her age, her movements were decent, and her stamina was notably strong.
She fought for a long time but couldn't even touch the hem of his clothing. Each time she came close, he would shift just slightly, making her attacks miss by mere centimeters.
"Why can't I touch you?"
"Your form is good, but you're too predictable. Think about why you're attacking, not just how," Masashi responded, sidestepping a kick.
Students at this age often have simple thoughts when teachers ask them to "try hitting me."
If I landed a hit, the teacher would teach me something good.
If I couldn't hit them, the teacher would be disappointed and wouldn't teach me anything good.
It was… a bit naive.
Anko began forming hand seals. Her speed wasn't fast but was above the passing mark.
After finishing the seals, she extended her hand, summoning multiple snakes from her arm.
Unlike the Orochimaru-style Substitution, the Striking Shadow Snakes wasn't something Orochimaru had devoted much research into.
Essentially, it was just summoning snakes from the Ryūchi Cave. The stronger the ninja, the more snakes they could summon, and the larger the snakes.
He gave this move the air of a serious jutsu because he had integrated summoning with his body-enhancement techniques.
The small snakes summoned by Anko barely approached Masashi before being swatted away by a tail.
The tail belonged to a massive snake nearly ten meters long, coiled around and surrounding Masashi.
Anko glanced at the dazed little snakes lying on the ground, then at the giant snake in front of her, and pouted.
She didn't know many ninjutsu techniques yet. Orochimaru had mainly been focusing on filling her head with knowledge. Her primary efforts had been directed toward physical training, as per his instructions.
To be fair, Orochimaru-style ninjutsu relied heavily on physical conditioning.
"All right, I have a pretty good idea of your level now," Masashi said, dispelling the summoned creature.
Walking back to Anko, he reached out to pat her shoulder and said, "Let's head back. I'll treat you to some food."
Just as his hand was about to touch her shoulder, he suddenly stopped and pulled it back.
Anko looked at him in confusion.
"I just remembered something," Masashi said. "Do you know your way back?"
"Huh? Oh, yes, I do."
"Hmm. I was thinking of letting you head back on your own, but it seems someone disagrees with that idea," Masashi said, turning to look at the figure standing in the shadow of the trees behind him.
"So, this is how protective you are of your students?"
"Oh, it's Masashi."
A pale-skinned man stepped out of the shadows. His iconic outfit and unmistakable face made it clear: Orochimaru.
"I thought someone had taken Anko away."
When he spoke, his tone was always unhurried, never overly forceful, but full of confidence.
However, Masashi thought his demeanor was even more unpleasant than the last time they met.
"Lately, you've been making quite a name for yourself. No, wait…" Orochimaru's snake-like eyes gleamed with something akin to interest. "It seems you've stopped hiding your strength as much as you used to?"
"You make it sound like I have ulterior motives," Masashi replied. "Isn't it only natural to keep certain things under wraps?"
"You're the 'intelligence expert' among the Sannin, so you understand this better than anyone."
"Indeed," Orochimaru admitted readily.
The title of Sannin had a slightly embarrassing origin. It was bestowed on the three of them after they were beaten by Hanzō in the Land of Rain. Over time, as Hanzō remained silent about the battle, the embarrassing details of the Sannin's origin faded from memory.
Orochimaru, who excelled in stealth and intelligence-gathering, had made intelligence second nature.
In the Sannin's usual setup, he was the frontline attacker, drawing enemy attention while using his highly resilient jutsu to gather and analyze enemy intelligence on the spot.
Jiraiya would then deliver the finishing blow.
Orochimaru was very interested in Masashi's intelligence. He hadn't paid much attention before, but once he did, it wasn't easy to find an opportunity to act.
When he learned Masashi had taken Anko, he thought it was the perfect chance.
Of course, he couldn't show that openly and instead brought up Anko as the reason. After all, concealing your true intentions was a basic ninja skill.
Fights between ninjas were battles of the mind.
"While you may be the man of the hour, taking my disciple without a word makes me uncomfortable," he said with a slight smile.
"Failing to communicate with the 'guardian' was indeed my oversight. After all, this is my first time teaching," Masashi said, pretending to sigh deeply.
Like I'd believe that nonsense.
But this suited him just fine. His real goal was to lure Orochimaru out and gauge his current state.
The killing intent and bloodlust were unmistakable, rolling off him in waves that made the air feel thick.
For most ninjas, such emotions meant they were genuinely about to kill someone. For Orochimaru, though, they didn't mean much. Killing and fighting were one and the same to him.
Truly a villain motivated by curiosity.
This made Masashi excited. He needed to test his standing in the shinobi world, and who better than one of the legendary Sannin?
