"But—"
Orochimaru whipped around, pointing his finger at the shivering group of researchers, his voice turning shrill with anger.
"I've already completed the core theoretical framework, and I've even sorted out the most difficult part regarding the soul..."
"Ha!"
Orochimaru let out a cold laugh.
"Yet these idiots—they can't even complete the most basic parts."
"Their minds are simply too rigid."
"They can't keep up with my train of thought at all, let alone understand what I'm saying."
"This is no longer a question of ability."
"This is pure, unadulterated stupidity!"
In truth, in a place with such low levels of education, very few people were even literate.
The researchers capable of working here were already the cream of the crop.
Out in the world, any one of them would be considered a one-in-a-hundred talent.
But unfortunately, Orochimaru needed a true, one-in-a-million genius.
For the Land of Snow, this was indeed a tall order.
Naruto didn't speak, merely staring quietly at the blackboard.
Standing behind him, Sakura's gaze was also involuntarily drawn to the blackboard.
She wanted to look away, as everything here terrified her.
But the things on that blackboard—they were far too familiar.
Orochimaru turned to look at Naruto, the frenzy in his eyes subsiding slightly, though a deep resentment remained.
"Naruto-kun, my time and energy are also limited."
"I cannot keep wasting my precious life correcting the low-level mistakes of these useless trash!"
Orochimaru reached out, as if trying to grasp something.
"Besides, having an assistant isn't enough!"
"The ninja world is so vast, yet are there no others who pursue the truth like I do?"
"We need top-tier scientists!"
"The more, the better!"
"Furthermore—we need to possess enough monster-level combat power, just like the Akatsuki organization!"
"Only monsters can support your grand new world!"
Along with Orochimaru's complaints, a series of crisp notification chimes rang out in Naruto's mind.
[Ding!]
[Suggestion recorded: Find an Assistant]
[Quest requirement: Find a sufficiently talented assistant for Orochimaru]
[Quest reward: C-Rank treasure chest]
[Ding!]
[Suggestion recorded: Recruit Talents]
[Quest requirement: Recruit at least three top scientists to build a complete scientific research system]
[Quest reward: A-Rank treasure chest]
[Ding!]
[Suggestion recorded: High-End Combat Power]
[Quest requirement: Have at least ten Kage-level powerhouses under your command to act as guardians of the new world]
[Quest reward: A-Rank treasure chest]
Hearing the notifications in his mind, Naruto did not find them annoying.
Instead, a pleased smile played on his lips.
This was exactly why he liked Orochimaru.
His greed and ambition were the very fuel that drove the organization to expand continuously.
"We'll talk about the long term later,"
Naruto spoke calmly, cutting off Orochimaru's endless complaints.
"First, find a way to solve your immediate problem."
"..."
"Talent is indeed a scarce resource, and I can't just conjure one out of thin air for you."
"We'll start by popularizing education in the Land of Snow, and then attract high-quality immigrants—"
"However—"
Before he could finish, a faint murmur came from beside him.
"This part... isn't right, is it?"
Orochimaru and Naruto turned their heads at the same time.
They saw Sakura, who had been silent all along, staring blankly at the blackboard covered in complex formulas.
Holding a piece of chalk, she stared at the formulas on the blackboard, seemingly lost in deep thought.
Then, she added a few strokes and modified a few parameters where errors had been crossed out.
"If we do this, then this part is solved..."
Her voice was very soft, but it was impossible for anyone present to ignore.
Orochimaru casually glanced at the blackboard, and his gloomy expression instantly changed.
Soon after, a look of utter disbelief appeared on his face.
With a flash of his body, he instantly appeared behind Sakura.
His voice was low and urgent, carrying a hint of irrepressible excitement.
"Perfect intuition."
"Little girl, your name is Sakura Haruno, right?"
Sakura snapped out of her daze.
Looking at Orochimaru, who had suddenly appeared behind her, cold as a venomous snake, she nodded somewhat timidly.
She knew who this person was.
One of the legendary Sannin, a terrifying existence on par with Jiraiya, who taught Sasuke, and Tsunade, who taught Karin.
Orochimaru bent down, bringing his eyes level with Sakura's.
His gaze seemed capable of peering right into her soul.
"It seems you are quite troubled."
"Despite having decent talent, you can never keep up with your teammates' pace, only able to watch their backs grow more and more distant, correct?"
Sakura was in disbelief.
How did he know?
"Do you often doubt yourself?"
"Deny yourself?"
"Do you feel that you are destined never to catch up to their footsteps?"
"But—haven't you realized?"
"You possess a precious treasure that none of them have."
His slender finger lightly tapped Sakura's forehead.
"You have an extremely intelligent mind with a sharp intuition."
Sakura froze.
Intelligent?
Since graduation, how long had it been since she last heard such pure praise?
In the presence of true geniuses, she was always the dead last chasing behind them and eating their dust.
"Do I... do I have talent?"
Sakura's voice trembled slightly.
"Of course."
"You are different, Sakura."
"You possess unparalleled talent."
Orochimaru's voice was like a devil's whisper, striking directly at the most vulnerable part of Sakura's heart.
"If you stay in Konoha, you will merely be a civilian ninja with no background, no bloodline, and not even a decent secret technique."
"I also came from a civilian ninja background."
"I know the hardships all too well."
Looking at Sakura, who had tears in her eyes and felt her sore spot being pricked, a confident smile appeared on the corner of Orochimaru's mouth.
"There, you can see the end of your life at a single glance."
"Perhaps you'll marry, or perhaps you'll die as cannon fodder in some mission."
"But here—"
Orochimaru spread his arms, gesturing to everything around them.
"I can lead you to touch the ultimate secrets of ninjutsu!"
Under Orochimaru's brainwashing, Sakura's breathing gradually quickened.
She once again stood at a crossroads in her life.
On one side were her parents and friends in Konoha, a peaceful daily life.
On the other side, this place was filled with coldness and the unknown, but it could allow her to shed the label of being a burden and realize her self-worth.
Here, she was needed.
Even if it was by a dangerous figure like Orochimaru.
This intense feeling of being valued was something she could not refuse.
"I—"
Sakura raised her head and glanced at Naruto, who was walking away with Sai and Shin.
In her mind flashed her parents' worried faces, Ino's boisterous smile, Kakashi-sensei's lazy yet reliable back, and even that awkward yet warm scene of Team 7's very first gathering.
But immediately following that were even clearer images:
Naruto's cold gaze looking down on all living things, Sasuke's back as he walked away without looking back, and Karin's confidence standing beside Tsunade.
"I... don't want to be left behind anymore!"
Sakura bit her lip, her voice so low it was almost inaudible, but her feet remained rooted to the spot as if they had grown there.
This time, she would do it for herself.
She didn't want to choose wrong again.
Seeing Sakura's expression, Orochimaru knew that his future assistant was secured.
[Ding!]
[Quest: Find an Assistant, completed]
[Obtained C-Rank treasure chest x1]
Ahead in the corridor, hearing the notification chime in his mind, Naruto also curled his lips into a smile.
"I really didn't expect this."
"Quite lucky."
He did not look back, nor did he stop.
He merely said calmly to the two behind him.
"Let's go."
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250 POWER STONE = BONUS CHAPTER
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