Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make
Chapter 164: Rejection
The Rinnegan is a very special set of eyes, and the only known individuals to have naturally awakened it in the entire Naruto series are Hagoromo Otsutsuki and Uchiha Madara, while Uchiha Sasuke activated it with Hagoromo's help.
However, even with such powerful eyes, Madara could not defeat the entire shinobi world with his weakened body. He awakened the Rinnegan when he was very old, but he didn't immediately attack others because he knew his body was too frail. He couldn't fully harness the true power of the Rinnegan in his old body; he needed a younger, stronger body to do so.
This is why, during this time, Madara was restless. He was growing older, and over time, his strength diminished. But he had no other option—he had to wait.
---Rejection---
"Setsuna-sama," greeted Hebimaru, Orochimaru's father.
"Hebimaru, you brought Orochimaru too," replied Setsuna with a smile. "Do you have something to ask me?"
"Good morning, sensei," greeted Orochimaru.
Today, Hebimaru seemed different from usual, and he had brought Orochimaru along, so Setsuna assumed there was something on his mind.
"Orochimaru wants to become a ninja," Hebimaru said.
Hearing this, Setsuna could only sigh.
"Sensei, I want you to teach me how to become a shinobi," Orochimaru said. "My father has taught me a few simple jutsus, but I know you're the strongest in the entire village, so please teach me to become a ninja."
Setsuna looked at Orochimaru, who was pleading with him. He let the boy finish before responding.
"Orochimaru, your request today is one I must reject," Setsuna replied.
Orochimaru was shocked, and even Hebimaru, who had expected the answer, was surprised.
"But why, sensei? You teach me about science and all those subjects, but not ninjutsu," Orochimaru said, frustrated.
'I don't want you to kill me and betray the village,' thought Setsuna, though he didn't voice it aloud.
"Why do you want to become a ninja?" Setsuna asked.
"Because being a ninja looks cool, and they protect the village. I want to be strong like you," Orochimaru replied.
"So you want to be like me?" Setsuna asked again.
"Yes, I want to be like you."
"Orochimaru, I'm the strongest ninja in the village. But it's not just me—there are many ninjas stronger than your father. The profession of a ninja is already demanding enough," Setsuna explained. "Secondly, if you want to be like me, I'm an expert in science. By mastering those subjects, you can be like me."
"But—" Orochimaru hated this. His teacher's reasoning was solid, leaving him no room to argue.
"Do you know that I lost my parents? My brother died in front of me," Setsuna said.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Orochimaru said, stunned.
"Yes, the life of a ninja isn't about being 'cool.' It's about protecting everyone, even at the cost of your life. My family paid the ultimate price to protect me, and unlike you, Orochimaru, you have a choice," Setsuna continued.
"A choice?" Orochimaru repeated.
"Yes, I didn't have the luxury of choosing another profession when I was your age. I had to become a ninja to protect my clan. But you can choose. You can become a ninja or pursue a better career with higher pay, so you can live happily with your parents and family," said Setsuna.
"But you aren't giving me the choice to become a ninja," Orochimaru argued.
"No, you do have a choice. But if you decide to become a ninja, I won't be the one to teach you. You can learn from your parents," Setsuna replied.
"It's not the same," Orochimaru protested.
"Sorry, Orochimaru, but this is my decision," Setsuna said firmly.
"But sensei, can we replace science with shinobi lessons?" Orochimaru pleaded one last time.
"Do you want to stop learning science?" Setsuna asked.
"Yes, please sensei, I really want to learn jutsu from you," Orochimaru said.
Hearing this, Setsuna's face darkened. Orochimaru was like a ticking time bomb he had to avoid, he didn't want to end up like Hiruzen.
It was better to end the conversation and leave Orochimaru alone. If the boy wanted to stop learning science, Setsuna would let him. There were plenty of others who had become his students and studied science with him. Orochimaru wasn't indispensable.
"Alright, if you want to stop learning from me, you don't need to attend my class anymore. From now on, you're no longer my student," said Setsuna, then he left a shocked Orochimaru behind.
Both father and son were stunned. A moment later, Hebimaru called out to Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, if you really want to become a shinobi, you can learn from me," Hebimaru said.
"Father, did sensei really reject me?" asked Orochimaru.
"I told you before, never threaten your teacher. What you did was exactly that," Hebimaru replied.
"How? I didn't threaten Setsuna sensei," Orochimaru said, confused.
"By saying you wanted to stop learning science just to replace it with ninjutsu lessons, you indirectly threatened him," Hebimaru explained.
Looking at his son, Hebimaru knew that Orochimaru had crossed the line. The boy may have been frustrated, but threatening a teacher was serious—and the one he had threatened was the strongest man in the village.
---Saiken Kyuubi---
Under the sponsorship of the Daimyo, Kumogakure village had prospered, and there were now more ninja compared to before.
In just a few years, they had trained many people, and over 30 had become elite jonin.
One of the advantages of the ninja from Kumogakure was their lightning affinity. With lightning, their movements were incredibly fast, allowing them to kill opponents easily.
However, today, something catastrophic happened to Kumogakure—Saiken, the Six-Tails, managed to escape and caused massive destruction in the village.
The Third Raikage, who was in his office at the time, minimized casualties by confronting Saiken head-on.
Though Saiken was weaker than Gyuki, he managed to launch a Tailed Beast Bomb on the village, resulting in many deaths.
However, with the Third Raikage, who possessed both the strongest spear and the strongest defense, the threat of Saiken was quickly quelled. The Six-Tails was sealed inside a boy named Killer Bee, and the Third Raikage adopted him as his own son.
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