As an early-stage villain, Orochimaru's gloomy, cold demeanor and ruthless, decisive personality once led people to believe he was the ultimate boss.
His various schemes in the early parts of the story were truly impressive, and his battle record was genuinely dazzling.
It was just that the further the story progressed, the more underwhelming he became—either being instantly defeated by Uchiha Itachi with a single glance, or being put in his place by Pain.
He might have had quite a few highlights, but compared to those geniuses and power-creeping juniors, Orochimaru capsized in the gutter more than once, and even Sasuke, whom he had personally mentored, could beat him to a pulp.
His few notable abilities included his capacity for learning; he could master A-rank Ninjutsu the moment he saw them, and his natural talent was slightly superior to both Tsunade and Jiraiya.
His ability to control all five elements of Chakra also allowed him to learn the vast majority of Ninjutsu. Taught by the Third Hokage, who was known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, it could be said that whatever the Third Hokage knew, Orochimaru knew as well, and even the forbidden techniques that the Third Hokage didn't know, Orochimaru had mastered.
Yet it was precisely because of this that Orochimaru realized it would be difficult to master so many Ninjutsu in a single lifetime. Coupled with witnessing life and death on the battlefield time and time again, he became acutely aware of the fragility of life, which set him on the path of seeking immortality.
Decades of relentless scientific research did yield results: he improved the Reanimation Jutsu, created the Living Corpse Reincarnation tailored to himself, and developed the Cursed Seal based on Senjutsu.
Later on, after witnessing the terrifying power of the Sharingan, he became obsessed with it, causing him to stray on his path of scientific research.
Well, you couldn't entirely call it straying—Orochimaru's research on the human body had already reached an unmatched level. By the era of Boruto, the "Karma" technology of the Kara organization was essentially old news that Orochimaru had already played around with.
Orochimaru dedicated his entire life to science, which was why his strength fell behind those overpowered protagonists in the later stages. Even Kakashi, who could also use a thousand kinds of Ninjutsu, managed to shine during the final battle by utilizing his Sharingan, whereas Orochimaru was relegated to a minor bystander.
By the time Naruto assumed the office of Hokage, he strongly supported Orochimaru's scientific research, which elevated Konoha's technology to a whole new level.
This led to a running joke among fans: if Orochimaru had become the Fourth Hokage, Konoha's technology by the time of Boruto would probably have been advanced enough to land on the moon and sail toward the sea of stars.
"Ah, if heaven had not produced Orochimaru, the scientific research of the Shinobi World would be a long, endless night."
Looking up and sighing once more, he digested the various past events of Orochimaru within his mind. Scene after scene of memories surfaced before his eyes, feeling as though he had experienced them firsthand.
From coming to Konoha with his parents in his childhood, his studies at the Ninja Academy, the guidance of the Third Hokage, to the scenes of fighting on the battlefield all these years, culminating in his rise to fame not long ago when he, along with Tsunade and Jiraiya, fought against Hanzo of the Salamander in the Land of Rain.
These familiar yet unfamiliar memories felt as if they were his own personal experiences. For a time-traveler like him who had replaced the soul in Orochimaru's body, there was not the slightest sense of friction or awkwardness.
Judging by these memories, Orochimaru's life before gaining fame had indeed been smooth sailing. From a young age, he displayed an exceptionally high aptitude for learning, and his academic performance at the Ninja Academy was also among the very best.
Even Princess Tsunade, who was showered with affection and resources, fell slightly short, not to mention the academy dropout Jiraiya.
Over the years on the battlefield, he had been invincible: over five hundred B-rank missions, over four hundred A-rank missions, and even S-rank missions numbering in the hundreds.
He had successfully completed all these missions, and such a combat record surpassed that of the vast majority of elite Jonin.
Had things continued along this trajectory, competing for the position of Hokage would not have been out of the question; his peers who could rival him were limited to Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Konoha's God of War, Hatake Sakumo.Yet divine providence defies human will. When the ultimate child of destiny—the one who called everyone his dad—appeared, Namikaze Minato, whose reputation and strength were by no means inferior to Orochimaru, successfully intercepted Orochimaru and seized the position of Hokage.
Ever since that moment, Orochimaru's journey had been a series of bitter defeats, with Pain, Itachi, the Third Hokage, and Sasuke taking turns teaching him harsh lessons.
It was only after enduring so many blows that he finally came to his senses. Only later did he align himself with Sasuke's faction, wanting to see how far the person in whom he had placed such high hopes could go.
Isn't this precisely like us in real life? Starting out as fearless calves not even afraid of tigers, only after suffering blow after blow and getting our heads bloodied do we finally realize that a plain and simple life is the true essence, letting things take their natural course.
Then comes supporting the next generation, placing one's hopes in someone favored—how remarkably similar!
Yet such helplessness and lingering regrets were things Orochimaru refused to experience again. At least, what happened to him must not be as deeply humiliating as it was in the original story.
With this thought, Orochimaru propped himself up against the head of the bed to sit, and guided by memory, skillfully formed a hand seal.
The next moment, a puff of white smoke rose, and Orochimaru's appearance transformed into that of a middle-aged man in his thirties.
"It really isn't an illusion!"
Surveying this new appearance, a wave of novelty and delight surged within Orochimaru's heart, gradually washing away the depression brought by the chaotic thoughts.
Immediately afterward, he continued transforming into the appearances of familiar friends from his past life's memories, which also gave him a preliminary understanding of this world's ninjutsu.
Just as Orochimaru was having a thoroughly good time playing around, a small white snake suddenly poked its head out from behind his neck.
Seeing this, Orochimaru nearly scared his soul right out of his body. In his past life, he had been poisoned to death by a venomous snake; once bitten by a snake, he feared well-ropes for ten years.Imagine how deeply traumatized his inner self must be; at this moment, he didn't even dare to twitch a muscle.
To his utter astonishment, however, this body instinctively reached out and grabbed Shiro, as if this action were a habit carved straight into his bones.
It wasn't until he brought Shiro right before his eyes that he snapped back to reality. Yet, seeing how entirely non-aggressive Shiro was, Orochimaru suppressed the urge to fling the little creature away, letting it casually coil around his palm.
Sensing its master's emotional fluctuations, Shiro slithered back and forth between his fingers, rubbing its little head affectionately against his palm with surprising intelligence.
Its well-behaved appearance made it impossible for Orochimaru to bring himself to do anything to it. As his guard dropped, both of his hands began tentatively petting Shiro.
Shiro offered not the slightest bit of resistance. Seeing its master playing along, it darted back and forth continuously between his hands, seemingly expressing its current excitement."In my past life, I died because of a snake; in this life, I live because of one. It seems both of my lives are inextricably bound to snakes!"
In his past life, as a biological researcher who spent year after year shut away in laboratories, a rare excursion out to collect specimens had cost him his life beneath a serpent's fangs.
The body he inhabited in this new life had been deeply connected to snakes since childhood: not only did he bear two snake-like marks at the corners of his eyes, but his tongue was far longer than an ordinary person's.
Many of his ninjutsu were snake-related, and his name truly suited the man.
While tending to his parents' graves on one occasion, he had accidentally discovered a white snakeskin lying right beside the tombstone.
The Third Hokage had told Orochimaru that in the past, white snakes were regarded as symbols of good fortune and rebirth, and finding one here was exceptionally lucky.
"I hope coming to this world turns out to be a stroke of good fortune!"