"What should we do? At this time of day, where can we even find animals?" Nawaki (Rope Tree) grumbled, clearly frustrated.
He had assumed this would be a simple mission, so he packed a bunch of ration pills and dried food. He never expected none of it would be used.
More importantly—he had never hunted wild animals before.
"Alright. Let's split up. The three of us will search separately for now. We'll regroup later if needed."
Uchiha Tatsumi narrowed his eyes in thought before making the suggestion.
"Okay." Mikoto paused, then nodded seriously.
Two votes to one—Nawaki had no choice but to comply.
The trio then split off in different directions, disappearing into the forest.
After running for a while, Uchiha Tatsumi stopped beneath a tall tree.
He carefully surveyed his surroundings. Dusk was settling in, the sun low in the western sky. With thick foliage overhead, the forest was already dim. Visibility was poor.
Tatsumi grew more alert. This kind of setting was perfect for ambushes or traps.
In truth, he'd already been suspicious when Orochimaru personally assigned them this mission.
The Third Hokage had said it was a field assignment—but Tatsumi suspected the real goal was to test their survival skills.
Normally, a standard jonin team introduction would involve gathering at the training grounds. There'd be some bonding—discussing dreams, hobbies, maybe even a team meal of yakiniku or ramen.
And of course, the classic "bell test."
That was the usual format.
Before a mission, assessing the team's cohesion and individual strengths was standard procedure.
But Orochimaru hadn't followed that pattern. There was no bell test. No team meal. Just a quiet march to the mission site.
Even more telling, he deliberately kept the pace slow enough for both Mikoto and Nawaki to keep up.
That alone might not mean much. Perhaps they were just in a hurry.
But Orochimaru also forbade them from eating ration pills or dried food. He wanted them to hunt for food themselves in the forest.
If Uchiha Tatsumi hadn't stayed cautious in the face of all these red flags, he'd be ashamed to call himself a reincarnator.
Seriously, Time Patrol—come pick him up already.
Clearly, Orochimaru was testing them in his own way. The true goal of this mission was to develop their battlefield survival instincts.
And this was the perfect setup for that.
That's why Tatsumi had suggested they split up—only by acting independently could they fully exercise their awareness and caution.
Tatsumi wasn't worried about Mikoto. She'd already trained under Orochimaru three years ago.
In fact, she was the first to catch on earlier.
The only one still clueless was that idiot, Nawaki.
After a moment's hesitation, Tatsumi bit his thumb.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a burst of smoke, a white snake about a meter long slithered into view.
This was the result of signing Orochimaru's summoning contract the night before. The snake had excellent perception and scouting abilities.
But Tatsumi still hesitated—this summon had a personality issue.
The white snake coiled up Tatsumi's leg and wrapped around his neck.
Cool and smooth. Could double as an ice pack someday, Tatsumi mused.
"Xiao Tatsumi~ I didn't see you all night. You missed me, didn't you?" The snake hissed flirtatiously, flicking her tongue and licking Tatsumi's neck.
"..."
This snake was far too weird. Tatsumi was confident in his looks, sure—but he didn't want to attract reptiles.
He wasn't the reincarnation of Xu Xian.
Just thinking about it made him shudder.
He quickly shook off the thought.
"Da Bai, help me scout. If anything's unusual nearby—or if you find an animal—let me know."
"Nothing to say to me today?" Da Bai teased again, licking his ear.
"Go already! I'll introduce you to a new boyfriend tonight."
"I have a good friend named Nawaki. Very charming, great personality. Pale skin, curvy in all the right places, grandson of the First Hokage. Totally your type."
"Ugh. Men." The snake rolled her eyes, but began to focus.
"Okay. There's a paper bomb under your right foot."
Tatsumi immediately leapt to the side.
"Wait—stop. Under the haystack to your left, there's a trap. A kunai launcher, aimed right at you."
"And up ahead…"
"And behind you…"
Tatsumi: "…"
"Hahaha, Orochimaru-sensei, you really went all out." Tatsumi forced an awkward smile.
Rope Tree… good luck. Tatsumi silently offered a prayer. After all, it had been his idea to split up.
Whether Nawaki survives this… well, that's the real test.
BOOM!
A massive explosion echoed in the distance.
"YOU'RE DEAD, OROCHIMARU! YOU HEAR ME? YOU BASTARD!!" Nawaki's furious scream rang out from somewhere far away.
...
About thirty minutes later, Uchiha Tatsumi returned dragging a large wild boar behind him.
Mikoto arrived shortly after, holding a plump wild chicken.
As for Nawaki… he was nowhere in sight. Probably blown sky-high by a paper bomb.
Well, such is his fate.
As Tatsumi approached the camp, he noticed something dark and lumpy crouched near the fire.
What the hell is that?!
Startled, he almost dropped the boar.
It was hard to see in the dim light—but upon closer inspection, the blackened lump turned out to be Nawaki.
His entire body was covered in soot, his clothes shredded and singed.
"Ugh." Tatsumi grimaced.
Orochimaru sat calmly by the fire, golden eyes gazing into the flames.
"If this had been a battlefield," he said coolly, "you would have died from that trap, Nawaki."
"A ninja's strength isn't just about jutsu or chakra. That matters, yes—but above all, you need the ability to survive."
He looked up at the three genin.
"I might not teach you many techniques or genjutsu. But I will give you the tools to stay alive—on missions, and in war. That's the kind of power you'll need most."
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