Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

Although a week is a very short time, under Orochimaru's targeted instruction, Ye Zi and his teammates experienced a significant boost in their abilities. Each of them learned several useful jutsu. This achievement was not only due to their solid foundation but also thanks to Orochimaru's teaching. This is the greatest value of a mentor—his presence allows freshly graduated students to grow at the fastest possible pace. Of course, it also depends on individual talent.

Yoru, who was more introverted by nature but had an inner drive, trained as much as Kushina during this week. However, his progress was far behind Kushina's, not to mention Ye Zi, who had trained even harder than both of them.

The world is inherently unfair. Most people are destined from birth, and the notion that hard work can compensate for talent is often just empty talk. Some people are simply exceptionally talented, and one can only envy and be jealous, never surpassing them.

So seeing Ye Zi and Kushina surpass him, Yoru felt disheartened. The gap that existed at the ninja academy had only widened under Orochimaru's guidance, making it even more apparent and saddening.

Why did he train so hard yet still fall short compared to them?

With such doubts, Yoru was very unwilling to accept his situation. Fortunately, he did not let this affect his training and completed Orochimaru's tasks diligently. Otherwise, he might have been excluded from the first mission.

Kushina, despite being a female ninja, possessed exceptional talent rivaling that of male ninjas. She had the meticulousness of a woman, good chakra control, and the physical strength of a man. Undoubtedly, she was a genius and, barring accidents, was expected to become an existence comparable to the future Three Sannin. Orochimaru had clearly recognized this within the week.

However…

While Kushina's performance surprised Orochimaru, Ye Zi's performance astonished him.

When Ye Zi demonstrated stable chakra control, Orochimaru promptly began teaching him jutsu. Before that, he tested his chakra attributes, which were lightning, wind, and fire.

He possessing three chakra attributes was not what amazed Orochimaru. What astonished him was that after just watching Orochimaru's demonstration of hand seals, he could perform the jutsu on his own. Although his initial attempts were clumsy and weak, mastering the jutsu after a single demonstration showed that further consolidation would be straightforward.

Realizing his talent, Orochimaru maintained his indifferent facade but was internally satisfied with his earlier decision.

On that rainy day, Orochimaru had seen the boy's potential and had predicted that the boy would one day become a towering figure.

On the last night of their special training.

Ye Zi, engaged in high-intensity training, was pushing his body to its limits. His training volume was beyond what Kushina and Yoru could imagine. Yoru might have seen his impressive points but had overlooked Ye Zi's immense effort, which was no less than anyone else's.

In the deep of night, in the courtyard where the old tree stood, a boy was lifting a massive and heavy stone barbell with mechanical repetition. Under the bright moonlight, only the sound of heavy breathing was heard, accompanied by silence.

"The first mission starts tomorrow. You should conserve your strength and adjust your condition." A cold and hoarse voice suddenly came from the corridor connecting the house and the garden.

Ye Zi abruptly stopped the barbell he was lifting, exhaled deeply, and slowly lowered the heavy weight. He turned his head to look at the corridor where a tall, slender man stood.

"I am very aware of my physical condition." His act of setting down the barbell was not due to Orochimaru's advice but rather as a sign of respect before speaking with him.

Orochimaru looked at him and, considering the boy's unique physical traits, a glint of interest flashed in his eyes. He said coldly, "That's best."

With that, he turned and walked towards his bedroom.

Watching Orochimaru disappear from view, he turned back and continued his monotonous, mechanical training.

Since learning that food energy could quickly alleviate physical fatigue, Ye Zi trained his body like a madman, not worrying about potential injuries from high-intensity training.

Few people in Konoha were aware of his physical traits, not including the Akimichi clan. Although the energy from food did not convert into chakra, it helped recover his physical state. This might spark many ideas within the Akimichi clan, whether good or bad, but the Third Hokage had no intention of letting them know.

Is the special trait of the body merely recovery from food?

No.

He didn't believe it was just that. As time passed, he felt his coordination was improving, and he vaguely sensed something. Although he could not directly grasp the answer, he had a premonition that the body he occupied in this world possessed extraordinary advantages.

After completing his monotonous training, Ye Zi cleaned up and ate a considerable amount of food before going to bed.

In the morning, he woke up, quickly got out of bed, stretched his limbs, and satisfiedly twisted his neck.

The intense daily training had not harmed his body. Every time he woke up, he felt full of energy, and his limbs were brimming with vitality.

"What's the first mission?"

Prepared, he did not wait for Orochimaru and went directly to the designated meeting place before the appointed time.

Arriving at the original assembly point, with the morning mist still lingering, he didn't mind the dew on the wooden pillar and leaned against it, waiting for the others to arrive.

"Ye Zi, good morning."

After a while, the second person to arrive was Yoru, who greeted Ye Zi as soon as he saw him.

"Good morning."

He lifted his eyelids and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Yoru glanced around, noting that Orochimaru and Kushina had not yet arrived, and squatted down next to Ye Zi.

Soon, Kushina hurriedly arrived, followed by Orochimaru.

True to his efficient style, once Orochimaru saw that all three had assembled at the training ground, he immediately said, "The mission we have taken is a C-rank task. The objective is to eliminate bandits. Details will be explained on the way. Follow me now."

Without waiting for the three to react, he turned and walked towards the village gate.

Eliminate bandits…

This means the mission will involve killing.

With these thoughts, he followed Orochimaru, leaving Konoha Village under the watchful eyes of the gatekeepers.

Having been in Konoha Village for over three years, this was his first time leaving. It might be hard to imagine someone staying in Konoha for three years without stepping out, but it was quite normal due to the lack of safety outside, which he had known for a long time.

The departure from Konoha after so many years did not bring him much novelty. He attentively listened to Orochimaru's explanation of the mission details.

The task of eliminating bandits was commissioned by a village located by a river more than two hundred miles from Konoha. The village, dependent on the river, was populated by ordinary people. Since the Land of Fire was not a battlefield, enemy ninjas would not bother attacking a village of ordinary people. However, recently a small group of bandits had appeared, using a nearby mountain as their base. They frequently raided the village, committing plunder and murder as if treating the villagers like livestock. Unable to endure any longer, the villagers sent a young man to Konoha to request the task.

Orochimaru took on this mission. The reason was simple: for a ninja, killing was routine. Every mission had to start somewhere, and for Ye Zi and his teammates, this mission marked the beginning and the first taste of blood in their ninja careers.