."Well..."

Qi, who had slept for who knows how long, woke up. He woke up hungry...

"Where...is this..."

He only remembered that when Orochimaru moved his hand at the end, his vision went dark.

"You're awake..."

This voice made Qi wake up...

This is a room...

The hazy moonlight shines on the tatami through the cardboard door, giving people a unique and quiet feeling.

The person who spoke was kneeling and sitting aside. It seemed that he had been in this position for a long time...

"Who are you?"

Qi sat up and checked his whole body. So far, it seemed that there was nothing strange about him.

"There are countless young people in Konoha who hope to study under Lord Orochimaru, let alone become a disciple, but you seem to be a little resistant. It's really rare..."

The person who spoke finally appeared, showing his true appearance in front of Qi.

This is a man in his thirties, with a smile on his face, although there is no smile in his eyes.

"Want to eat something? It seems like you haven't had a good rest for a long time."

He was holding a square low-sided wooden plate in his hand, with a bowl of rice and several side dishes, both meat and vegetable.

After hesitating for a moment, Qi nodded.

He also somewhat realized that Orochimaru didn't seem to capture him to use as experimental material, otherwise there would be no need to do so.

Speaking of which, is this Orochimaru's residence in Konoha?

The large houses in Konoha seemed to be all in Japanese style, which he was not familiar with. Subconsciously, he looked at the cardboard door that let in the moonlight. Well, besides calling it a door, Qi didn't know what to call it.

"Oh, yes, the room is too dark. Now is the most comfortable time at night."

The man showed a somewhat stunned expression. He placed the wooden plate in his hand in front of Qi, then pushed open the cardboard door, revealing the courtyard outside the house.

Well, it's the same as what I saw in the anime before, a very Japanese-style small courtyard, and the place I am in should be the living room. It seems that the host usually entertains guests here?

A breeze blew, and Qi couldn't help but take a deep breath. The thing in this world that makes him feel most comfortable is the natural environment. Most of the things here are pure natural.

"Do you feel better? Then please eat first, and then I will have someone take you to take a bath."

Seeing Qi's expression of enjoyment, the man smiled, opened the other door completely, and walked out.

"It's not too late yet. You can still take a rest tonight. After all, you will go to the battlefield tomorrow."

"On the battlefield?"

After hearing the second half of the sentence, Qi turned his head in confusion. He didn't quite understand what it meant.

"Lord Orochimaru believes that your current foundation is not suitable for practicing in a stable environment. The battlefield is the best way to practice."

The man was very considerate and solved Qi's doubts.

"Oh...that's it...what about Master Ogata?"

"I don't know who the Ogata you are talking about is, so I can't answer you."

This time the man showed a very strange look, but it was also his last sentence,

"However, your current master is Lord Orochimaru. He is also the only person you can call 'master' from now on. I hope you will pay attention to this in the future!"

After saying that, the man's figure disappeared outside the door. It could be seen that he was no ordinary person...

"This person seems to be a ninja too..."

Qi was a little surprised. Apparently Orochimaru was not as lonely as he seemed in Konoha. At least, his power was not weak.

No wonder he can build a ninja village in the future...

Following the habits he had developed in this world, he quietly finished his meal while enjoying the breeze blowing from the courtyard.

And just after he finished eating, the man just now appeared again like a ghost.

"It's time for you to take a shower."

He made a gesture of invitation.

"..."

Nodding, Qi followed the man to the bathroom, and finished the bath as quickly as possible.

Since becoming a ninja, he has learned to do everything quickly.

"Are you going to your room to rest, or in the courtyard?"

The man seemed to notice that Qi enjoyed the environment of the courtyard and did not want to go to sleep.

"Let's go to the courtyard."

After thinking for a while, Qi replied.

He really liked that kind of environment, even if it was Orochimaru's residence.

The man nodded, took Qi back to the previous hall, took out a set of bedding, and spread it in the hall.

"Everything is ready for you. We have to leave very early tomorrow. I mind that you'd better take a rest. There are still 3 hours before departure time."

"I know, thank you."

He was treated like a guest, and Qi was embarrassed not even to say thank you.

"You're welcome. Since you are Lord Orochimaru's disciple, you deserve such treatment."

Hearing Qi's thanks, the man's lips curled into a smile.

"This is the first time Orochimaru-sama has brought someone back to the house. I hope you practice well and don't disappoint Sir's expectations."

After saying that, he disappeared again like a ghost...

He is indeed a ninja. Although Qi doesn't know how to do it, he still knows that this is the teleportation technique...

"The battlefield..."

Qi spread the quilt, then lay down, looking at the night scene outside the room, with an inexplicable light shining in his eyes,

"A ninja can only truly grow on the edge of life and death. No matter what, Orochimaru is the top ninja in Konoha. I finally have a shortcut to improve my strength!"

Strength is the most important thing, and he already fully understands this.

Soon, he closed his eyes. There were still 3 hours left, and he had to regain enough energy. He didn't know Orochimaru, but he was sure that Orochimaru would not take care of him like Ogata did.

After a while, he fell into a deep sleep. When he opened his eyes again, he found that it was already dark...

Without any hesitation, he immediately got up. Although no one came to call him yet, he believed that it would not be long before departure.

"Are you awake?"

Just as he folded the quilt, the man from last night appeared again, and he nodded slightly.

"Put this suit on."

He handed over a set of Konoha clothes and a ninja tool bag.

"After you get dressed, I will take you to see Lord Orochimaru."

Qi didn't say anything. He took these and changed directly. This set of clothes is actually only qualified to wear at the chuunin level. Obviously, it is a special consideration given to him.

This type of ninja clothing is specially designed to maximize the convenience of ninja combat, and genin are not qualified to wear it.

After three strokes, five divided by two, Qi had finished dressing up. At this time, he looked like a standard Konoha ninja, with a forehead protector, vest, and ninja bag.

Orochimaru likes to wear long sleeves, and this habit has actually been carried over to the clothes issued to Qi, which are almost a replica of Orochimaru's own outfit...the same black lining, long sleeves and long coat...

To be honest, this style is quite unique...

"This is like your disciple. I hope you won't embarrass yourself with this outfit."

The man showed an admiring look,

"Qi, you really look like an adult in this outfit..."

I xxoo...what kind of words are these!?

Qi finally restrained himself from swearing. Why did his words not sound like praise, even though he knew that the other person was praising him...

However, there was no longer enough time for him to complain. After he finished dressing up, the man couldn't wait to leave the house with Qi and walked all the way to the outer gate of Konoha.

I have to say that this outfit is very eye-catching. Almost everyone passing by is looking at Qi, which makes him very uncomfortable. For more than 10 years, he has been used to being ignored by others instead of paying attention...

Fortunately, this process did not last too long, because they finally arrived at the door.

At this time, Qi also saw Orochimaru, wearing an enlarged version of his own outfit, standing at the door, looking over here with a smile.

Orochimaru now didn't feel as cold as last night at all. Instead, he felt very comfortable.

More than 10 ninjas have gathered at the gate of Konoha, and people are still arriving one after another.
To be continued...