What the hell is making games in the Ninja World?

What kind of person is Orochimaru at the age of thirty?

The answer is: He's someone a bit cold, but not yet showing the evil, sinister feeling of the future. 

Instead, he's a promising young talent from Konoha, full of potential, with many followers and supporters. He is also widely regarded as the strongest of the three legendary ninjas.

After the Second Great Ninja War, Orochimaru took on a few ninja missions here and there, but mostly spent his time conducting research in Konoha, with the support of the higher-ups. 

Although he hasn't taken on the student, Anko, he has mentored many students from the ninja academy, earning a lot of respect in Konoha.

During this period, Orochimaru is cold and scholarly, with a calm and elegant demeanor. When he smiles, he doesn't do anything strange like stick out his tongue in a creepy way. He gives off a feeling similar to the future "Aunt Snake" from the Boruto era.

This vibe likely comes from the fact that the Third Great Ninja War hasn't started yet, and Orochimaru hasn't joined the Root organization under Danzo's influence, using the First Hokage's cells as bait.

As a rising star of the Hokage faction, his aura is definitely impressive.

This was the impression Uchiha Kai had after meeting Orochimaru.

The two sat across from each other at the coffee table in Orochimaru's living room, kneeling as they locked eyes. 

Orochimaru, with a smile, poured tea for them both. His actions were graceful and calm, making it hard to imagine that in a few years, he would turn into a creepy, snake-like pervert.

At the moment, Uchiha Kai took a sip of tea. The taste was quite good, so it seemed that Orochimaru was skilled at making tea.

He wasn't worried about Orochimaru drugging the tea. Not to mention that the Uchiha Guard was outside the house, but even if Orochimaru had really done something crazy and poisoned it, Kai had items in his system that could instantly neutralize negative effects.

After all, in the simple and direct world of modern business warfare, poison in the modern world can be lethal in just a few seconds.

In such a straightforward environment, the system also provides targeted items.

One of the rewards from completing the beginner's task was three treasure chests, and from those, Uchiha Kai got an antidote. 

The antidote could instantly neutralize any poison or debuff, offering a simple and straightforward solution.

The three chests, platinum, gold, and silver, each gave a gold, purple, and blue item. The antidote was a gold item, and it could be used thirty times in total.

In a way, it was like having thirty lives.

By the way, there's a little inside joke with this golden item—its description includes a special line of text: "Up, down, left, right, left, right, BABA."

At that moment, Uchiha Kai felt like he saw the tears of the era.

This secret technique had saved Uchiha Kai countless times in the past, and now, in the ninja world, it once again gave him thirty chances to save his life.

So touching.

Orochimaru, seeing Uchiha Kai drinking tea, smiled slightly before also taking a sip. Then, he set down his teacup and said, "Kai-kun, the changes you've brought to Konoha recently are truly astonishing. I've been in the lab for a while, completely unaware of what's happening in the outside world. When I realized it, it felt like so many years had passed."

As he spoke, he didn't hide his admiration for Uchiha Kai.

Uchiha Kai smiled and replied, "Orochimaru-san, you're too kind. I've just brought a bit of a different breeze to Konoha."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru's eyes flickered slightly, and his smile became more sincere.

After all, the phrase "bringing a different breeze" really resonated with him. 

Although Konoha hadn't yet reached the decay it would suffer ten years later, it already had a heavy, gloomy atmosphere, which didn't sit well with Orochimaru.

However, Orochimaru hadn't yet reached the extreme of wanting to bring a different breeze to Konoha while simultaneously plotting its downfall.

Yes, exactly. 

Uchiha Kai said this on purpose, because he knew exactly what kind of person Orochimaru was. As someone who had crossed over and perfectly integrated into the ninja world, he understood him very well.

Soon after, Orochimaru and Uchiha Kai continued their friendly conversation, mostly just exchanging compliments.

However, their compliments weren't empty words. 

Uchiha Kai, being a time traveler, knew Orochimaru wasn't just talking when he claimed to master core technology. 

Orochimaru was truly impressive. 

In a place like the ninja world, he had taken research and development to an extraordinary level—he was a top-tier scientist.

Orochimaru also genuinely thought Uchiha Kai was remarkable. He had developed the Genjutsu game and, by incorporating the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, made it accessible to the masses. He turned Genjutsu games into popular products.

Such development and marketization abilities were truly impressive.

On top of that, while doing all this, Uchiha Kai had brought the entire Uchiha clan along, forming beneficial alliances with all the major ninja clans in Konoha.

This gave the Uchiha clan a whole new set of allies, completely transforming the Uchiha clan's reputation in the village as if turning decay into something miraculous.

Orochimaru may not have studied political science, but with his intelligence, there were some things that he could understand just by observing.

And it was because of his understanding that he deeply admired Uchiha Kai.

This kind of skill in power struggles and manipulation, as well as the top-tier intelligence, reminded Orochimaru of his idol, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.

Unfortunately, Uchiha Kai's abilities as a ninja were too weak, and among a group of geniuses, he could only be considered "average." 

Otherwise, he might even have competed for the position of Hokage in the future.

So, with both of them appreciating each other, the atmosphere was naturally quite good.

After a while, Uchiha Kai felt the atmosphere was right, and spoke up: "Orochimaru-san, I know that, compared to being a ninja, you're more like a scientist, a seeker of truth, and you truly have the ability to be one."

"Then, do you wish to understand the truth of the world, to truly know why this world exists? Do you know the lifespan of the sun? Do you know the way life exists?"

"And, do you know the differences between biology, physics, and chemistry?"

"Orochimaru-san, as a seeker of truth, don't you feel ashamed that you don't understand any of this?"

Upon hearing these words, Orochimaru's breath slightly paused, and his golden serpent-like eyes locked onto Uchiha Kai's eyes, intrigued, and asked: "Oh? Kai-kun, are you suggesting that this knowledge, which is still unknown in the ninja world, is something you are aware of?"

Uchiha Kai nodded and then shook his head: "I do know some related knowledge, but to say I completely understand it would be an insult to the meaning of 'knowledge'."

"Orochimaru-san, as a seeker of the truth, you should have already felt this, right? The more you learn about knowledge, the more you realize how insignificant you are, and how much less you know."

"Continuously exploring, continuously understanding more secrets of knowledge, the more we realize that we are in a small ball. The exploration of knowledge is like expanding the surface area of this small ball. But the larger the surface area of the ball grows, the more unknowns arise."

"Because, the area outside the ball is all unknown. The expansion of the ball represents the constant extension of its contact with the unknown."

After hearing this description and metaphor about knowledge, Orochimaru's eyes brightened, and his smile grew even wider. 

This was the feeling he had— the more he delved into various knowledge and unknowns, the more unknowns he discovered. 

It was as if the more he explored the ocean of knowledge, the deeper and more boundless it seemed.

But this concept was something almost no one in Konoha understood. Orochimaru walked this path alone, as he had no one who understood him or accompanied him.

However, now it seemed that there was someone who understood and could walk this path with him.

For a moment, Orochimaru looked at Uchiha Kai with a burning gaze.

This intense look made Uchiha Kai feel uncomfortable and a bit awkward. After all, Orochimaru was still a man, and being stared at by another man, especially someone like Orochimaru, could lead to a physical reaction.

So, Uchiha Kai continued, "Orochimaru-san, in the ocean of knowledge, every explorer and seeker has their own chosen path. My ninja way is in the realm of Genjutsu techniques. I will continue forward on this path."

"At the same time, I hope other seekers will keep advancing along their own paths to achieve their ideals and life values."

"So…"

As he spoke, Uchiha Kai's Sharingan with two tomoe suddenly activated.

"Orochimaru-san, will you join me in entering the highest realm of Genjutsu, to explore that grand library containing endless knowledge?"

**********

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