"Grandpa, why did you hit me? Shouldn't you be punishing Hyūga Satori instead?" Hyūga Mori complained, sulking.
Though the Elder had always doted on his grandson, the more he looked at him now, the angrier he became.
How utterly shameful!
So many clan members were watching, and yet he had disgraced himself and brought dishonor to the family.
Orochimaru was still here too.
Now that Satori had become Orochimaru's apprentice, Mori still went out of his way to provoke him.
"What punishment? You're so much older than him, yet you couldn't even beat him. How shameful."
"And who told you to bring others to cause trouble for Hyūga Satori?"
"He's now under the guidance of an elite jōnin. Show him proper respect from now on."
With a stern face, the Elder scolded him harshly.
Hyūga Mori stood frozen in shock.
He hadn't expected the Clan Leader to not take his side—but even his own grandfather wouldn't help him, going as far as siding with an outsider to slap him down.
After all, he was his own flesh and blood—his real grandson.
And since when did that guy Satori become Orochimaru's apprentice?
Orochimaru was one of the legendary students of Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, a war hero from the Second Great Shinobi War.
Nowadays, within the village, the Sannin were like heroes.
In an instant,
A surge of resentment and jealousy welled up inside Mori.
Luckily, he kept his head low, hiding his emotions deeply.
Satori observed Mori's scolding with an indifferent gaze.
He felt no sympathy for someone like Mori.
If he hadn't been born into the Main House, things could've gone very differently—and not in his favor.
Branch House members carried the Caged Bird Seal—a cursed mark that rendered them powerless to resist control.
If he had been born into the Branch House, he probably would've already been subdued by the cursed seal, suffering until he lost all will to fight.
Eventually, he'd probably grow resentful enough to betray the clan and become a rogue ninja.
Thankfully, he'd been lucky in his reincarnation.
He became part of the Main House—no need to fight, no need to take dangerous missions, and always protected by Branch House members assigned by the clan.
Aside from severely restricted personal freedom, everything else was pretty good.
Hyūga Ten'yō stepped forward to Satori, his expression serious as he warned solemnly, "From today onward, you are Orochimaru's disciple. Study diligently under Jonin Orochimaru and master ninjutsu."
"This opportunity wasn't easy to come by. I hope you study well for the sake of the Hyūga Main House and uphold the honor of our clan."
"Yes, I understand," Satori responded respectfully.
Looks like the clan had given this serious consideration and agreed.
Not that this came as a surprise to him.
Orochimaru's current status was special—he was rising in fame. Becoming his apprentice was nothing but beneficial to the Hyūga Clan.
Besides, Orochimaru hadn't yet been exposed for his human experimentation and still remained a top candidate for the Fourth Hokage position.
Approaching Orochimaru's side, Satori bowed deeply. "Master, please guide me from now on."
Orochimaru gave a slight nod, his piercing gaze locking onto Satori with clear satisfaction.
The identity of the Hyūga Main House was no small thing. Taking him as a student also meant building ties with the Hyūga Clan—an advantage for himself.
If he had been from the Branch House, however, Orochimaru would've hesitated.
"Come find me tomorrow afternoon. I'll make time to personally train you."
Hyūga Satori nodded, mentally assessing Orochimaru's resources.
As one of the Sannin, Orochimaru's talent in ninjutsu was unquestionable. His research skills and intelligence were equally exceptional, specializing in human experimentation and the development of snake-based techniques.
Satori had little interest in those snake techniques, but he was deeply intrigued by the scientific knowledge Orochimaru possessed.
Snake-based techniques were undeniably powerful, but also disturbingly grotesque. As a member of the Hyūga Main House, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't even need to rely on ninjutsu in battle. If he ever did go to war, he already had the Byakugan and Gentle Fist techniques.
To Satori, mastering scientific knowledge meant unlocking deeper research into the Byakugan. Wouldn't evolving it into the Tenseigan surpass any snake-based technique?
Oh right—there was also Sage Mode.
Orochimaru's summons originated from Ryuchi Cave, one of the three great sacred sites. The White Snake Sage dwelled there, offering the chance to learn Sage Mode. However, Orochimaru himself lacked the potential to master sage arts.
In an instant, Satori—who saw through everything—had already determined his learning priorities.
First, scientific knowledge—essentially medical expertise.
Second, the Summoning Jutsu: forging a contract with Ryuchi Cave and attempting to master Sage Mode.
He only wondered if he himself possessed the potential for Sage Mode.
After becoming Orochimaru's disciple, others now looked at him differently.
Main House members regarded him with much more respect.
Members of the Branch House regarded him with even greater reverence.
Kushina and Minato Namikaze also wore envious expressions.
What an enviable title—"disciple of one of the Sannin."
Still, Minato believed he would excel during the graduation exam. At that time, perhaps one of the Sannin might take notice and accept him as a disciple.
As for Satori becoming Orochimaru's disciple, Minato didn't find it unbelievable. In his eyes, Satori had already invented the Iron Fist technique—he was already a true genius. Plus, he'd created the Feeding-Back Jutsu and had been practicing health maintenance from childhood.
A true prodigy—a rarity among geniuses.
It made perfect sense that one of the Sannin, Orochimaru, would take interest and accept him as a student.
I should work harder too, Minato silently resolved.
Meanwhile, Kushina casually patted Satori on the shoulder, loudly congratulating him.
"Congratulations! You've become a disciple of one of the Sannin—it sounds so impressive when you actually say it!"
"I should work hard too and aim to become Lady Tsunade's disciple someday."
Satori looked at her with mild pity.
Poor girl. As the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, simply graduating peacefully would already be considered fortunate.
He clearly remembered from the original series that Kushina had spent two or even three years in the academy before barely scraping through graduation.
To Hiruzen Sarutobi, keeping Kushina enrolled in the academy was the safest option.
And indeed, his approach hadn't been wrong.
While in the academy, Kushina had never been abducted.
But after graduation, due to her unique chakra nature, she had been targeted by ninja from the Cloud Village, who successfully tricked her into leaving the Hidden Leaf.
Had it not been for Minato noticing Kushina's red hair lying on the ground and rushing to rescue her…
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