Naruto: Reborn As Orochimaru

"What's up with this guy?!"

Behind a large tree, a young man with a pineapple-shaped haircut whispered in terror, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

He pressed his back firmly against the tree, trying to steady himself, but the fear was overwhelming.

Behind two other trees stood two more figures a chubby red-haired boy and a skinny blonde. Their expressions mirrored his own fear, their bodies stiff with terror.

These three were none other than Ino-Shika-Chō, the team from Konoha consisting of members from the renowned Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans.

After entering the forest, they found themselves uncomfortably close to Orochimaru's group. Out of sheer curiosity, they had approached the area after hearing the commotion caused by the giant snake.

What they had witnessed next had shaken them to the core.

They saw Orochimaru summoning a python with his Hidden Shadow Snake Hands technique, using it to retrieve a Konoha ninja swallowed whole.

The sheer size and terror of the python had left an indelible mark on them, casting a shadow of dread over their hearts.

They couldn't comprehend how a ten-year-old boy could possess so much chakra to summon such a massive creature.

"Horrifying! That guy…"

"Yeah… there's no way we can compete with him."

The red-haired Akimichi and the thin Yamanaka slumped to the ground, speaking one after the other. The fear in their voices was palpable.

Though they were from notable families and considered talented, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio wasn't known for raw destructive power. Against a fearsome summoning beast like Orochimaru's, they were completely outmatched.

If Orochimaru had turned his attention toward them, they would have no choice but to hand over their scroll and hope for mercy.

"Thank goodness he doesn't seem interested in us!" Nara Shikafu, the boy with the pineapple haircut, breathed a sigh of relief. "If he was… we'd be doomed!"

"What now, Shikafu?" the red-haired Akimichi asked, his voice trembling.

"We'll stay hidden here a little longer, wait for them to get further away."

"Seriously, though… What kind of monster has so much chakra for such a summoning technique…?"

"Who knows…" Shikafu muttered quietly.

---

Meanwhile, back with Orochimaru's group.

After confirming that Orochimaru had fully recovered, Jiraiya turned his attention to the enormous python that had appeared earlier.

"How do you have so much more chakra than me, Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked, his eyes still wide with disbelief.

It was common knowledge that the larger the summoned creature, the more chakra it consumed. If Jiraiya tried to summon a toad of the same size as the python, it would likely drain all his chakra reserves.

No ninja in their right mind would waste all their chakra on a single summoning. So, Jiraiya reasoned that Orochimaru must have used far less chakra than expected for that giant snake.

"Is it strange?" Orochimaru smirked slightly.

"Of course it's strange!" Jiraiya responded, almost exasperated. "Your training clearly doesn't focus on building up chakra reserves, so how do you have so much more than me? It doesn't make sense!"

"Exactly! Even I'm surprised," Tsunade chimed in, backing Jiraiya up.

Orochimaru didn't belong to any special bloodline, nor had he undergone any unique chakra-enhancing training. And yet, his chakra reserves far surpassed Jiraiya's, who regularly trained on his own. It was a baffling situation.

Faced with their questioning, Orochimaru let out a helpless sigh. "Well, it seems this secret can't be kept any longer."

"Secret? What do you mean?" Tsunade asked.

"It's nothing too complicated. It's simply the result of my latest research. Though it's still in the experimental phase."

"Research? What are you talking about? Are you saying you've found a way to increase your chakra reserves?" Jiraiya and Tsunade were both stunned.

To them, the idea that there could be a method besides rigorous training to increase chakra seemed absurd.

"Exactly," Orochimaru nodded, nonchalant. 

The dliuted serum he had been working on was a future breakthrough he planned to reveal, so there was no harm in letting them know a bit early.

"What…?" 

"That's impossible!" Both Jiraiya and Tsunade exclaimed at the same time, their disbelief evident.

But as the words left their mouths, they quickly realized how foolish they sounded. Orochimaru's chakra had increased far beyond normal limits something that couldn't be explained by training alone.

"How is it impossible?" Orochimaru replied calmly. "Do you really think training is the only path to strength?"

"..." Tsunade fell silent.

"..." Jiraiya clenched his teeth but also stayed quiet.

For as long as they could remember, they had believed in the principle that hard work and training were the only ways to become stronger. But Orochimaru had shattered that belief right before their eyes.

Over the years, they had slowly come to accept the various miracles Orochimaru had accomplished. He began researching human genetics at the age of six and later developed the highly popular Super Recovery Potion. Now, hearing that he was working on a way to increase chakra reserves didn't seem so far-fetched after all.

"You really are a monster," Jiraiya muttered, finally giving up his resistance to the idea.

However, there was still a sense of discomfort festering in his heart. 

After all, the foundation of a ninja's strength had always been rigorous training and discipline. But now, Orochimaru was suggesting that scientific research could provide shortcuts to that power.

This upended everything they had ever believed.

The most disheartening thing for a person is when a belief they've held their entire life suddenly crumbles before them.

It was like how ancient people believed the earth was flat, only to later be told it was round. The collapse of such a belief would feel like the ground falling out from under their feet.

And now, both Jiraiya and Tsunade were feeling that same collapse. Their deeply rooted belief that strength could only be earned through hard work was being questioned.

Could it be possible that there really was another way to gain power?

Would their entire understanding of the ninja world be turned upside down?

"Monster? Heh," Orochimaru chuckled softly, noticing the troubled expressions on their faces. "This isn't that big of a deal. Besides, don't think of it as unfair. The world was never fair to begin with."

"For example, Tsunade your abilities already surpassed others the moment you were born. And as time passes, that gap only widens. Is that fair to the other ninjas?"

"That… is indeed unfair," Jiraiya mumbled, almost in a daze.

"Alright, alright. You win," Tsunade said with a sigh, admitting defeat. "But does this research of yours really have that great of an effect? Can it really change a person's physique and increase their chakra reserves? And what about side effects?"

At the mention of side effects, Jiraiya also grew more skeptical.

It was well-known that every powerful medicine came with equally powerful side effects. Could this new invention really be safe?

Orochimaru answered calmly, "I'll explain everything to you later."

"Huh? Why later?" Tsunade asked, confused.

"Because we have company…" Orochimaru said, his eyes narrowing as he sensed an approaching presence.