"The theory lesson ends here. Ten-minute break."
"I can finally rest." Shin-chan flopped backward onto the wooden post. "Class is so tiring."
Orochimaru glanced at him but said nothing, taking a scroll from his ninja tool pouch.
The scroll was densely packed with writing, and every so often, there was a simple diagram of the body's meridians. Orochimaru's gaze fell on one section of text, and his brows furrowed slightly.
About two minutes passed.
"Teacher Orochimaru."
Orochimaru did not lift his head. "Your break is only ten minutes."
"What are you doing?" Shin-chan leaned half his body out from the wooden post, stretching his neck long.
"Reading some theory."
"Theory?" Shin-chan immediately shrank back. "Isn't that the same as class?"
"Not for me."
"How is it different?"
"This is rest."
Shin-chan shook his head. "Now is break time. Break time is for resting."
"For me, reading scrolls is resting." Orochimaru's gaze did not leave the scroll.
First, confusion appeared on Shin-chan's face. Then suspicion. Finally, he looked at Orochimaru with pity.
"Teacher Orochimaru, do you know what resting means?"
"I know."
Shin-chan jumped down from the wooden post and walked up to Orochimaru. "But you're clearly reading words. Reading words is work, and work isn't rest."
"Everyone relaxes in different ways."
Shin-chan's face was full of disbelief.
Orochimaru sighed. "My dream is to learn every ninjutsu in the entire ninja world."
Under normal circumstances, he would not explain to anyone what he was doing. But he also knew that if he didn't say anything, the child in front of him would keep asking.
"Every ninjutsu?" Shin-chan's mouth opened wide. "How many would that be?"
"A lot."
"More than the dango in the dango shop?"
Orochimaru's movements paused, then he nodded. "Much more than the dango in the dango shop."
"Then how many have you learned?"
"A single hair from nine oxen."
Shin-chan tilted his head. "How much is a single hair from nine oxen?"
"It means one hair from the bodies of nine cows."
"That's not much." Shin-chan thought about it. "A cow has so much hair. What does one hair count for?"
"That is why it means very little."
"Then you're learning a little slowly."
Orochimaru lifted his head and looked at him.
Shin-chan added, "But it's okay. If you learn slowly, you'll finish eventually."
Orochimaru did not reply.
"What if there are secret techniques that people won't teach you, so you can't learn them?" Shin-chan thought of a new question. "Senior Inuzuka's secret technique from before also said it wasn't passed to outsiders."
"There will always be a way."
"What way?"
Orochimaru did not answer. His gaze returned to the scroll in his hand, his finger slowly tracing the lines of the meridian diagram.
Shin-chan waited a few seconds. After confirming that Orochimaru would not answer, he asked a new question.
"Then do you know the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
Orochimaru's finger stopped on the scroll.
"No."
"Why not?"
Orochimaru was silent for a while before speaking. "Perhaps my talent is insufficient."
"It's okay. I can teach you." Shin-chan thought about it, then added, "But you'll have to wait a bit. I don't learn things very fast. I still have classes, and I have to eat snacks, and I have to sleep. There isn't enough time."
The training ground suddenly became quiet.
Orochimaru looked at the five-year-old child in front of him and said nothing.
He remembered the last time he had mentioned this dream. Jiraiya had slapped the table and laughed loudly, pointing at him and saying that it was impossible for a person to learn every ninjutsu.
At that time, he had not refuted him, because in his heart, he also felt that Jiraiya was right.
Learning every ninjutsu was something that, rather than a dream, was more like the mad ramblings of someone who had locked himself inside a laboratory.
But today, a five-year-old child stood in front of him and said, "I can teach you."
As if it were that simple.
What Orochimaru couldn't learn, Shin-chan would learn first and then teach him.
Orochimaru looked at Shin-chan, and something in his eyes slowly began to change.
"Why would you teach me?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to learn every ninjutsu?" Shin-chan scratched his head. "If I teach you, it should be a little faster, right?"
An indescribable expression appeared on Orochimaru's face.
It had been a long time since he had felt this way.
When was the last time someone had shown approval for his dream?
He could no longer remember.
Orochimaru lowered his head and looked at the scroll in his hand. "There is one minute left of break time."
"Huh? That fast?"
"Mm."
"But I haven't rested enough yet."
"If you really intend to teach me," Orochimaru said, though even he didn't know why he was saying such things, "then you may not have any break time in the future."
"No break time..." Shin-chan's expression turned grave. "Does that mean I won't be able to space out?"
Orochimaru did not speak.
"And I won't be able to look at clouds either?"
Orochimaru's gaze was still fixed on the scroll.
"This is hard to choose." Shin-chan sank into deep thought.
Soon, one minute passed.
"Break time is over." Orochimaru closed the scroll. "Time for class."
Shin-chan's expression was still very solemn, as if he were making a very important decision.
"Teacher Orochimaru."
"Mm."
"It's okay even without breaks," Shin-chan said. "But..."
Orochimaru looked at him.
"If I teach you the Flying Thunder God Technique, can you reward me with one box of chocolate sticks?"
Orochimaru froze. "One box of chocolate sticks?"
"Mm." Shin-chan nodded, then thought about it again. "Two boxes would be even better."
Orochimaru looked at the two fingers he had raised. The corner of his mouth unconsciously curved upward, but he quickly suppressed it.
"For the remaining time today, we will switch from theory to practical basics."
...
By the time class ended, the sun had already tilted west.
"That's all for today." Orochimaru turned and walked toward the side of the field. "We continue tomorrow."
"We still have to come tomorrow?"
"You have only practiced for one day."
"But I'm so tired."
Orochimaru did not turn back. "Don't be late tomorrow."
"Got it," Shin-chan's voice came from behind him.
Orochimaru's footsteps paused.
For some reason, he suddenly had a strange feeling that Shin-chan would still be late tomorrow.
But he said nothing. With a Body Flicker Technique, he left.
Shin-chan scratched his head and was also preparing to head home. But before he could leave the training ground, a figure came walking over upside down on his hands.
"Guy?"
"Shin-chan, why are you here?" Guy pushed off with both hands, flipping himself out of the handstand. His legs landed steadily on the ground.
"Teacher Orochimaru was giving me lessons here just now."
Guy's eyes widened even more. "Teacher Orochimaru?"
"Mm." Shin-chan nodded. "It was so tiring."
"This is youth!" Guy began to burn with passion. "You have already walked to the very forefront of youth, but I will not give up. I will use my youth to catch up to your footsteps!"
Guy suddenly raised his voice. "Have a youthful contest with me!"
"Compete in what?"
"Anything is fine." Guy clenched his fist. "I will use this contest to test my youth!"
~~~
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