Chapter 090: The Reappearance of Orochimaru, the Mad Scientist Version

Deep in the forest, Naruto’s figure flashed through the air like a wraith, appearing and vanishing in rapid succession.

He was training tirelessly in the technique of Flying Thunder God. Though he had already mastered the jutsu, he still fell some way short of the level his father had reached: a realm where the moment his body appeared, he could launch a ruthless attack upon his enemy.

He knew, therefore, that he still needed far more practice to improve.

Suddenly, Naruto came to an abrupt halt and stood in the clearing, breathing slightly hard.

"What is it, kid? Tired?" came the deep voice of the Nine-Tails from within Naruto’s belly.

"No. My shadow clone just disappeared."

Naruto frowned and said helplessly, "That Sakura... honestly. I really should call her Sakura the Great."

He had received the information carried back by the shadow clone and could not help but shake his head, muttering to himself.

Of course, he still had the Nine-Tails beside him, keeping him company.

Within the sealed space, the Nine-Tails had taken the form of a small fox, sitting on a little stool and idly fiddling with a machine before him.

That machine was a carefully crafted spiritual-engine integrated differential engine, a device functionally similar to a computer, its performance approaching that of a household personal computer from the early twenty-first century on Earth.

On the spiritual-illusion screen of the differential engine, a tiny figure was leaping up and down, amusing to watch.

Indeed, the reason Naruto had placed this differential engine inside the sealed space was not for calculation at all, but to keep the Nine-Tails entertained.

At Naruto’s words, the Nine-Tails lifted its head and said, "That young girl, Sakura Haruno, I am not especially fond of her. She cares too much about how others see her and keeps herself suppressed far too tightly. She is like a giant bomb that could go off at any moment. Once she does explode, it would be enough to frighten the life out of people."

"That can’t really be helped," Naruto said with a sigh.

"She was bullied in school. The other students all mocked her for having a big forehead. In order to protect herself, she became that way, hiding her true nature away so thoroughly."

"Still, that’s not good. Although that Sasuke fellow doesn’t care whether his wife is gentle, he does insist that she hide nothing from him."

"Wasn’t you bullied too?" asked the Nine-Tails. Its gaze briefly left the screen and turned toward the place where Naruto’s consciousness resided.

"You kid, I really don’t know what to make of you. Are you deep and inscrutable, or simply heartless and carefree?"

"Besides, you once said that little Uchiha hates it when people keep things from him."

The Nine-Tails looked back to the screen and continued, "You’ve never told him that his Uchiha clan was not wiped out after all, that his parents are both in the Land of Rice Fields. So, when exactly do you plan to tell him? If you don’t tell him, aren’t you worried he won’t stay friends with you?"

Naruto rubbed his chin and said thoughtfully, "Actually, I suspect he’s already figured it out. He may just be pretending not to know for various reasons, acting as though he doesn’t know his clan members are still alive. Or perhaps he’s waiting for me to tell him, or for someone else to."

"Then when do you plan to tell him?" the Nine-Tails pressed.

"During the exam, I guess... I recently received a letter from the Fugaku couple. They said that when the Chunin Exams begin, they plan to come into the Hidden Leaf Village with a delegation from the Dragon Forge Association, and they want to make contact with Sasuke at that time..."

"Speaking of the Dragon Forge Association, I can sense it. That little brat Orochimaru should already be nearby. Haven’t you noticed the atmosphere feels a bit off?"

Naruto raised his head and looked around warily.

The atmosphere around them was indeed unusual. Moonlight, pale as water, spilled over the silent Leaf Village training ground, making it seem especially desolate. Even the insects that usually chirped nonstop were now quiet in a way that felt eerie.

"Is it Senior Orochimaru?" Naruto looked up and called out loudly. "Such a grand entrance before showing yourself—this must be Senior Orochimaru, right?"

"My, my, as expected of Naruto-kun. You really are quick on the uptake."

No sooner had Naruto spoken than Orochimaru’s distinctive voice rang out from all around them.

Immediately afterward, a disquieting aura spread subtly through the air, and a faint rustling broke the silence. In the darkness, Orochimaru’s gaunt figure emerged without a sound, like a ghost.

He wore a long black robe, and beneath the hood, a pair of golden vertical pupils shimmered with a crimson gleam. He looked like a demon crawling up from the abyss, chilling one to the bone.

He slowly stepped out from the shadows of the trees and into the moonlight, where his hoarse, sinister voice drifted out at an unhurried pace:

"Naruto-kun, what do you think of my entrance? Cool enough?"

Without waiting for Naruto’s opinion, Orochimaru gave his black robe a flourish and proudly displayed himself.

Beneath it, his trousers and top were covered in countless pockets, all stuffed with various mechanical parts.

And at his waist was fastened a mechanical belt from which countless tiny mechanical legs extended, their claws fitted with sound-dampening sponge.

No wonder only a faint rustle had accompanied his appearance.

"I specially researched this for my entrance. I took inspiration from Naruto-kun’s mechanical arm," Orochimaru said with undisguised pride.

"In order to achieve that eerie effect of appearing silently like a phantom, I spent quite a lot of effort to make this device."

"And these invisible contact lenses that make my eyes glow red took me a great deal of time as well."

As he spoke, Orochimaru removed the thing from his eye. Sure enough, it was a pair of contact lenses that reflected red under the moonlight.

"Well? I designed my own entrance scene. Pretty cool, right?" Orochimaru looked at Naruto expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"It is pretty cool," Naruto said. "But it’s hard to say whether the people around here will actually be able to appreciate your splendid performance. So I’d suggest making the scene bigger, more magnificent."

"As expected, Naruto-kun understands me best."

Orochimaru wore an excited expression, though whether he knew that, to others, his expression looked rather perverse was another matter entirely.

"Kimimaro always says I’m wasting resources and effort on useless nonsense, and Kabuto thinks the same. Only Naruto-kun encourages me to make it even more splendid."

"By the way, how is Kimimaro’s illness? He should be at that age now, shouldn’t you be finding him a few more wives?"

Naruto changed the subject.

"The bloodline disease? Fine! He eats well and sleeps well; there’s no sign at all that his body has any problem."

Orochimaru shrugged. "You don’t know this, but that brat Kimimaro is a repressed type. He always says he doesn’t want a wife, but once he actually has one, he becomes more enthusiastic than anyone."

"Speaking of which, since you’ve come back to the Hidden Leaf Village with so many Dragon Forge Association ninja and are making such a high-profile entrance, are you preparing to stage your performance?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. My performance will be staged at the Chunin Exams."

Orochimaru spoke at a leisurely pace. Though his tone was casual, to the uninformed, every word from him seemed laced with a bone-deep chill.

He lifted his head slightly and looked toward the Hokage Tower. In that gaze there was no greed or malice, only profound nostalgia and a bitter sense of regret.

"You know how many years I’ve been planning it. I only hope this performance will satisfy him."

"It will," Naruto said. "The old man just told me so. He has one obsession: he wants to die in a blaze of glory. You’ve come back at exactly the right time. He’ll be very pleased."