What kind of man was Orochimaru at thirty?
The answer: someone a little cold, but far from the sinister and eerie figure he would become. At this stage, he was a promising young elite of the Hidden Leaf, shouldering a bright future, with many followers and admirers. Among the Legendary Sannin, he was widely acknowledged as the foremost.
After the Second Great Ninja War, Orochimaru spent most of his time conducting research in the Hidden Leaf, occasionally taking on missions. Though he had not yet taken in Anko as his student, he had mentored many Academy pupils and held considerable prestige.
This version of Orochimaru exuded scholarly refinement. When he smiled, he didn't grotesquely lick his lips like in the future. Instead, he had a calm, intellectual air—more reminiscent of the composed 'Aunt Snake' seen during the Boruto era.
Such demeanor was likely because the Third Great Ninja War had yet to begin, and he hadn't been lured by Danzo Shimura with First Hokage cells to join Root.
Being of pure-blooded Hokage lineage, his bearing was naturally dignified.
This—was the impression Orochimaru gave Uchiha Kei.
The two sat across from each other, kneeling at the tea table in Orochimaru's sitting room. Orochimaru poured tea for them with an elegant, calm air—it was hard to imagine that this man would one day become an unhinged, serpentine freak.
Kei took a sip of tea—it was good. Clearly, Orochimaru had a talent for brewing.
He wasn't worried about being poisoned. Not only were his Uchiha bodyguards waiting outside, but even if Orochimaru had done something foolish, Kei had system-drawn tools that could instantly dispel negative effects.
After all, modern Earth business warfare was brutally straightforward, and poisons existed that could kill in seconds.
In such a cutthroat commercial world, the system's tools naturally included counters.
When Kei completed his beginner quests, he opened three reward chests: Platinum, Gold, and Silver. From these, he obtained items of gold, purple, and blue quality. The gold item was a detox serum capable of instantly removing any poison or debuff, with a total of thirty uses.
In other words, thirty free revivals.
Fun fact—the gold item's description cheekily included: "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, B, A."
At that moment, Kei felt a wave of nostalgia.
This code had saved him countless times before—and now, in the shinobi world, it had once again gifted him thirty chances at survival.
Orochimaru smiled slightly as Kei drank, then sipped his own tea and set the cup down. "Kei-kun, the changes you've brought to the Hidden Leaf lately have been astounding. I've been buried in my lab for a while, completely out of touch with current events. When I finally caught up, it felt like years had passed."
He made no effort to hide his admiration.
Kei responded with a smile, "You're too kind, Orochimaru-senpai. I merely brought a new breeze to the village."
Orochimaru's eyes flickered slightly, and his smile grew more genuine.
That line—bringing a new breeze—truly struck a chord with him. The village wasn't yet as decayed as it would be a decade later, but it was still stifled and stale, something that always unsettled Orochimaru.
At this point, however, he had yet to reach the future state where he would preach about change while plotting Konoha's collapse.
Yes—Kei had said it deliberately. As someone who merged the knowledge of a transmigrator with that of a native, he understood exactly what kind of man Orochimaru was. Follow current novᴇls on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⚫𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⚫𝕟𝕖𝕥
They continued chatting pleasantly, offering mutual praise.
But their compliments weren't empty. Kei, as a transmigrator, genuinely admired Orochimaru's scientific prowess. In a world , achieving such heights in research was no small feat.
Orochimaru, in turn, was sincerely impressed. Kei had developed a genjutsu-based game and, with Uzumaki secret arts, popularized it across the village. It was a groundbreaking blend of development and commercialization.
Even more impressive, he brought the Uchiha Clan along, forging alliances with other major clans in the village—turning their reputation around from feared isolationists to trusted partners.
Orochimaru may not have studied political theory, but with his intellect, he understood the implications clearly.
And because he understood—he respected Kei all the more.
This sort of political mastery and strategic brilliance… he had only ever seen it before in his idol, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
If only Kei were more talented as a ninja. Among geniuses, he was merely average—otherwise, he might have even contended for the position of Hokage in the future.
With mutual admiration in the air, the atmosphere between them remained warm.
Eventually, Kei felt the timing was right and spoke: "Orochimaru-senpai, I know you're more a scientist than a shinobi. A seeker of truth. And you truly have the talent for it."
"Then, don't you long to understand the truths of this world? Do you know the lifespan of the sun? The structure of life itself?"
"Do you understand the differences between biology, physics, and chemistry?"
"Orochimaru-senpai, as a seeker of truth, can you really accept not knowing any of these?"
Orochimaru's breath hitched. His golden serpent-like eyes locked onto Kei's, intrigued. "Oh? For you to ask me that—does this mean you know things that are a complete blank in the current shinobi world?"
Kei nodded, then shook his head. "I know a little—but to claim I understand it all would be an insult to the concept of 'knowledge.'"
"Orochimaru-senpai, as a true seeker, you must've felt it too. The more knowledge you gain, the smaller you feel. The more you learn, the less you feel you know."
"To explore and learn more is to realize we're all inside a small sphere. Seeking knowledge is to expand that sphere's surface. But the bigger it grows, the greater the surface exposed to the unknown."
"Because everything outside the sphere is, by definition, unknown. And growing it means confronting more of that unknown."
Orochimaru's eyes lit up. His smile deepened.
This was exactly how he felt. The deeper he delved into knowledge and the unknown, the more mysteries surfaced—like the ocean, vast and endless.
Yet in the Hidden Leaf, almost no one understood this. Orochimaru walked a lonely path, with no companions—no one who understood.
He looked at Kei with a spark of passion in his eyes.
Which… made Kei extremely uncomfortable.
It was awkward. Orochimaru was still fully male. Being stared at by a man—*this* man—with such intensity made Kei's whole body tense up.
So he quickly continued, "Orochimaru-senpai, every seeker in this ocean of knowledge chooses their own path. Mine is the genjutsu game. I'll keep advancing down it."
"At the same time, I hope all seekers pursue their own paths—realizing their ideals and true worth."
At that moment, Kei's two-tomoe Sharingan suddenly activated.
"Orochimaru-senpai, will you walk with me into the supreme domain of genjutsu—to explore the vast library of infinite knowledge?"