Sora was undergoing rigorous training under Orochimaru at the underground base.

  Orochimaru's training was uhat of any other teacher. It demanded intense effht from the start, pushing students to prepare themselves both mentally and physically.

  At first ghe tasks seemed manageable—you might think you could hahem with ease. But as the training tihe real difficulty revealed itself. It wasn't just challenging; it became a gruelli of both body and mind, often leaving Sora feeling as though there was no light at the end of the tunnel.

  However, there was no denying Orochimaru's exceptional teag ability. His trainihods were meticulous and tailored to his student's strengths and weaknesses. If Sora showed any shortings, Orochimaru immediately poihem out and focused on strengthening those areas.

  Still, Sora couldn't help but wish Orochimaru would summon fewer snakes.

  Nearly a month had passed since Sora began training in the underground base. Ordinary snakes were no longer a threat to him. Now, in addition to the weights strapped to his body, the snakes he faced were far more dangerous—they were from Ryūchi Cave, imbued with chakra and far strohan any ordinary snakes.

  These snakes often overwhelmed Sora, f him to push himself even harder to adapt.

  During this time, Sora had also learhe Shadow e Teique—not the A-rank Forbidden Teique, Multiple Shadow e Teique, but the standard Shadow e Jutsu. Unfortunately, he could only create a single e.

  Inspired by Naruto, Sora attempted to use the Shadow e to accelerate his training.

  It didn't go well.

  When the e dispersed, its memories and physical exhaustioransferred back to Sora. The doubled fatigue hit him like a ton of bricks, nearly causing him to colpse. It was a brutal experiehat left him questioning whether he might die from overexertion.

  Evehe fatigue wasn't as intense as when the system simuted the Breath of Thueique using his body. Just thinking about that memory made Sora shudder.

  Realizing the limitations, Sora now used his Shadow e for a different purpose—studying ninjutsu theory. When the e dispelled, its knowledge was transferred to him, allowing him to save time without doubling his physical burden.

  Each day, Sora pushed himself to his limits, exhausting both his physical strength and chakra reserves.

  Orochimaru, however, provided a special solution to help him recover. Every evening, Sora drank a gss of the nutrient-rich liquid Orochimaru had developed.

  "This is a nutrient solution I created," Orochimaru had expined. "It replenishes your body's nutrients and eliminates fatigue."

  Thanks to this elixir, Sora could recover pletely ht. Each m, he woke up refreshed and ready to tackle anruelling day.

  Today was different, though. Orochimaru wasn't in the base. Before leaving in the m, he gave a simple instru: "Train by yourself."

  Even in Orochimaru's absence, Sora didn't sck off. His motivation wasn't to impress Orochimaru—it was for his own growth.

  The m's training passed quickly. Afterwards, Sora removed the weights strapped to his body, wiped the sweat from his face, and prepared to take a short break before starting his afternoon ninjutsu training.

  Since Orochimaru usually hahe cooking, Sora's role was solely to focus on his training. But with Orochimaru away, Sora had to prepare his own lunch.

  Deg on udon noodles, Sora began gathering ingredients i. Just as he was about to start cooking, Orochimaru uedly returned.

  Orochimaru donned his ninja attire and said to Sora, "I've taken on a k mission for you. We're heading out immediately."

  Sora, startled, put down the greeables he reparing as side dishes. "Huh? So sudden?"

  Leaning casually against the doorframe with his arms crossed, Orochimaru replied, "That's enough preparation. This k mission involves exterminating a group of bandits. It's time to see the results of your training this past month."

  Sora shook the water off his hands and said, "Uood. Let me grab my sword."

  Before he could leave, Orochimaru tossed something toward him. Sora caught it and found it was a ninja tool bag. Opening it, he saw five kunai, some shuriken, and a few explosive tags ly arranged inside.

  "Thank you, Orochimaru-sama," Sora said sincerely as he strapped the tool bag to his waist.

  As someone who couldn't afford such expeems—especially explosive tags, which cost several times more than kunai—Sora felt both grateful and slightly embarrassed. He was already eating, sleeping, and living at Orochimaru's expense, and now Orochimaru had also provided him with these essential tools.

  After taking his katana, Sora followed Orochimaru out of Konoha.

  It had been years since Sora had st left the vilge, and the experience left him feeling momentarily dazed. Memories of his parents came rushing back, filling him with a quiet sadness. They had been loving and supportive, and the four happy years he had spent with them remained some of his most cherished memories.

  If it weren't for those years, Sora thought, I might not have survived in this merciless ninja world. Without hope or purpose, I would have bee nothing more than a lifeless shell.

  But because he had experienced happiness, Sora now fought not just for himself but also for Uzumaki Kushina and for a better future.

  "What's on your mind?" Orochimaru asked, his sharp instincts pig up on Sora's sombre mood.

  Taking a deep breath, Sora forced a smile. "Nothing. I was thinking… this is my first time leaving the vilge siurning to Konoha. I'm a little excited."

  Orochimaru g him and chuckled. "Is that so…"

  Of course, Orochimaru wasn't fooled. He could tell Sora wased—he was reminisg. Since Kushina was still alive and well, Orochimaru deduced that Sora's thoughts must have been about his parents.

  The mission's destination was in Tenchi try, a small nation b the Land of Fire. Uhe major nations, Tenchi try cked a ninja vilge.

  The daimyō of Tenchi try had been negligent, allowing banditry to run rampant. This particur k mission involved eliminating a group of bandits who had pilged aroyed multiple vilges in the area.

  Standing atop a mountain overlooking the bandit-occupied vilge below, Sora and Orochimaru surveyed the se. The vilge was in ruins, with smoke rising from the charred remains of houses. Corpses littered the streets—men, women, children, and elders alike. The bandits had left no survivors.

  The sound of raucous ughter and shouting drifted up from the vilge. The bandits were gathered in the tral square, holding a celebration.

  Orochimaru spoke, his tone calm but firm. "Your task is to kill all the bandits in this vilge. However, you are not allowed to use Thunder Breath. You may rely on your swordsmanship, taijutsu, ninjutsu, and Sharingan. Do you uand?"

  Sora nodded solemnly. "Uood."

  "Then begin."

  With a quick use of the Body Flicker Teique, Sora vanished.

  Sora infiltrated the vilge alone. Carefully and silently, he explored the area, firming the number of ehe devastatio by the bandits was horrifying—every house was filled with the remains of vilgers, sughtered without mercy.

  The bandits were all gathered in the tral field, celebrating their gruesome achievements. This worked to Sora's advantage, as it was far easier to deal with them in one pce.

  After a bit of preparation, Sora approached the gathering point, staying hidden in the shadows.

  The bandits, drunk on stolen alcohol, were revelling in their loot, which had been piled in the tre of the square. The blood of their victims had dried on their clothes, staining them dark red and brown. They ughed and bragged loudly, reting hoeople they had killed and the methods they had used.

  From his ninja tool bag, Sora pulled out a kunai. His grip tightened as he gazed at the celebrating bandits, his Sharingan glowing faintly. His murderous i alpable.

  The time to strike had e.