Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

As soon as Ye Zi returned to the residence, he headed straight to Orochimaru's room. Moments later, after enduring one of Orochimaru's icy stares, he was unceremoniously thrown out of the room.

Ye Zi, thrown out of the room, obediently returned to his own room. The cold, serpentine gaze had left him feeling icy all over. It seemed that even the slightest provocation might result in dire consequences. This realization made it clear that avoiding rash actions was now a rule to remember.

That evening, mealtime came around again, and as usual, it was a table set with proper food, and silence prevailed.

Orochimaru ate his meal with his usual indifference, as though the previous disturbance had never occurred, though at the time he had seemed like a predator ready to pounce.

He, not daring to even sneak a glance at Orochimaru, focused solely on eating. During their first meal together, he had been too cautious to eat much, but now he resolved to restore his health and ate heartily.

Orochimaru noticed this but paid it no mind. After finishing his meal, he got up and headed towards the yard, leaving behind a cold remark.

"Clean up after you're done."

Ye Zi was taken aback by the remark and looked up at the door, only to find that Orochimaru was already gone.

"Okay."

Responding to the empty air, he finished off all the food on the table and then cleaned the dishes.

After tidying up, which took just about ten minutes, he suddenly felt the weakness in his body slowly dissipating.

"Hmm?"

He raised his arm, clenched his fist, and found that he could exert some strength. He wasn't as weak as before, which explained why he hadn't found cleaning up so difficult earlier.

Indeed… To recover quickly, eating more was necessary.

Ye Zi was unaware that his body had an exceptional ability to absorb energy. Every grain of rice, every drop of water provided energy, but the amount absorbed depended on the efficiency of his body's energy uptake. Just as a person can only absorb a limited amount of chakra, it can be increased over time but still has inherent limitations due to the body's nature.

With his physical condition improving even slightly from just one meal, he felt much better. With the decision he made today in mind, he gathered his courage and headed towards the yard.

When he reached the wooden corridor leading to the yard, he saw Orochimaru sitting quietly, his feet resting on an oval stone that served as a step.

Ye Zi hesitated for a moment, then gathered his courage and sat down next to Orochimaru. Orochimaru showed no reaction to his presence.

He was initially silent, trying to figure out how to start the conversation. The last rays of twilight cast a golden hue over the two of them.

"Soon, I will send you to the ninja academy." Orochimaru suddenly spoke, his slightly raspy voice as indifferent as ever.

"Ninja academy?" He was taken aback.

Orochimaru gazed at the old tree in the yard, his eyes deep and calm. "It will take you three years to graduate from the ninja academy."

Although he didn't know what the ninja academy was, he wasn't foolish. He could infer that it was a place where one could learn special abilities.

"If I enter the ninja academy, will I be able to learn powers similar to yours?" Ye Zi asked eagerly.

Orochimaru tilted his head slightly to look at him, nodding slightly. "That place only lays the foundation. To truly gain power, you will ultimately have to rely on yourself."

"I understand."

Ye Zi nodded earnestly, his small hands clenched into fists. The ninja academy was just the first step, but the time required was rather long.

"Within a year, no, within six months, I need to build a solid foundation."

He thought to himself, not knowing that the war had just ended, and Konoha Village did not need to rush new forces. To reduce the mortality rate of new recruits, everyone had to complete three years at the ninja academy.

In the days that followed, His appetite increased daily, while Orochimaru was either out early and back late or disappeared for several days.

Half a month later, Ye Zi's emaciated body gradually began to fill out, and the loose clothing now fit snugly.

One day, Orochimaru suddenly said, "Prepare yourself. Today I will take you to the ninja academy for enrollment."

Ye Zi was surprised but had been mentally prepared. He changed into suitable clothes for going out and followed Orochimaru as they headed toward the ninja academy.

At the end of June in the 29th year of Konoha, new students poured into the ninja academy. On this day, the future renowned Fourth Hokage was among the new students entering the academy. Apart from Minato Namikaze, there were no particularly outstanding ninjas in this batch, but now there was also Ye Zi…

On the way to the ninja academy, he saw many ninjas leading their children in the same direction.

Ye Zi kept pace with Orochimaru's slightly fast stride. Along the way, the ninjas he saw cast admiring looks at Orochimaru. Whenever Orochimaru passed them, he would hear the ninjas behind him quietly instructing their children, "You must work hard and become an excellent ninja like Lord Orochimaru in the future."

Aside from ninjas who offered timely guidance to their children, many others cast surreptitious glances at him and whispered among themselves.

"That child is the one Lord Orochimaru brought back from outside."

"I heard he is exceptionally talented."

"And he is being raised by Orochimaru. It's foreseeable that his future achievements will be high."

"Hey, even if his talent is not great, he will definitely become strong under Orochimaru's guidance. I wish my child could have Orochimaru as their teacher after graduation."

The journey from the residence to the ninja academy was quite long. Along the way, he realized that the man leading him was evidently a significant figure, as the center of discussion among the people was Orochimaru.

Listening to the murmurs and seeing the unmasked admiration in people's eyes, Ye Zi looked at Orochimaru's back and felt a growing desire to become as great as him. At that moment, what he was really thinking about was how to gain power from this person.

Upon arriving at the ninja academy, perhaps due to Orochimaru's status, the reception was not only warm but incredibly efficient. Ye Zi was quickly registered and officially became a new student of Konoha Village's ninja academy.

After handling all the necessary formalities, Orochimaru glanced at him and said nothing more than a brief statement before leaving.

"I'm leaving."

He was accustomed to Orochimaru's manner and merely nodded and watched as Orochimaru's figure disappeared from view before following the attending chunin to the classroom.

Had it not been for Orochimaru's identity, this chunin would never have taken the initiative to escort him to the classroom.

On the way, the chunin subtly observed Ye Zi, noting how he differed from other children his age. The most significant difference was his calm demeanor, lacking the typical excitement of a child.

"This is the classroom."

Stopping in front of a door, the chunin pointed and smiled.

"Thank you."

Ye Zi thanked him and opened the door, stepping inside.

The classroom was already filled with students. When the door opened, the noisy chatter abruptly ceased as every student turned to look at Ye Zi.

The gaze of the students lingered for only a moment before they returned to their own activities, except for one.

Minato's eyes brightened when he saw Ye Zi. As their eyes met, he offered a gentle smile and waved his hand.

The child sitting next to Minato looked surprised and wondered if Minato knew this unfamiliar person.

Before entering the academy, the children of the same age had seen each other frequently, but Ye Zi was a newcomer. None of the children in the classroom had seen him before.

He stood at the door, quietly observing Minato, with his golden hair and sapphire-blue eyes. This was one of the few people he had previously interacted with. He was considering whether to go over to Minato.

Minato seemed to notice Ye Zi's hesitation and a hint of helplessness crossed his eyes, as if he already anticipated that he might ignore him again.