WARNING: Some foul language.

Chapter - 4: Shedding skin

Aunty Liu's white buns are as legendary as ever, their taste transcending through time, or even, worlds. The loud sounds of eating coupled with a child greedily stuffing his face with food made it evident.

Now the sight would've brought a fond look on Li Jing's face, if only the kiddo hadn't been literally inhaling the buns while making food particles and saliva fly in all directions. Not that etiquette mattered much when you're starving to the point of collapsing, but that didn't mean it created a pleasant sight to those around.

However, Li Jing decided not to bother him about it now. Rather, she painfully stretched her now smaller limbs, joints popping and aching from the movement. She winced as her fingers traced Kashikoi's - now her - bony limbs. Not even in her last life had she been this much malnourished. And here just six months of hardships and these kids already looked like perfect models for an international level poster showing the horrors of famine.

Li Jing was annoyed. At the horrible management of this village and their way of taking care of these war orphans. Oh wait, was there even anyone assigned to a job like that? Not that Li Jing cared anyways. She wouldn't be depending on hopes of getting help from people, who most likely don't have either time or patience for it.

Sending a side glance at Oro, who was now focused on inhaling his second white bun, Li Jing swiftly waved her hand and grabbed another white bun from an open box from the cube. Secretly, she shoved her hand holding the bun inside the sack beside her which she had told him contained 'supplies' that had been donated to her by a kind rich lady near the teahouse the day before. Oro bought the lie, why would he suspect anyways? Kindness wasn't unheard of and food was food, it didn't matter how it got to them. What mattered was that it tasted delicious, was harmless and was doing a nice job filling their hungry bellies.

Quite eagerly, Li Jing munched on the white bun. Her now frail body relaxing as the flavours exploded in her mouth, making her almost drool while she sighed in pleasure. As she slowly chewed, savouring every bit of it, her mind aimlessly wandered around her predecessor's memories.

She knew all she needed to know about Kashikoi and her struggles as a war orphan raising her little brother all alone. Li Jing pitied the girl very much, although it probably won't even reach Kashikoi anymore.

But as she delved deeper and deeper in the memories, an alarm started ringing in her head. Until it was no longer just an alarm, but a full blown siren blaring.

Kashikoi's family was the remains of a long dead clan, named Kuromiya. But that's not it. It's the fact that her parents were involved in a job called 'shinobi'. The fact that her mother was a poison mistress and her father was a Tokubetsu Jōnin. The fact that they lived in the village Hidden in the Leaves, in the Land of Fire. And the fact that the first shinobi war was raging on, the war that had taken away her parents.

Li Jing almost choked on her food, almost. With great difficulty, she somehow swallowed it, its taste suddenly no longer appealing to her. Hell, the fact that she hadn't already thrown up all of it was a miracle. And it wasn't even because the food suddenly tasted bad. Oh no, it was for a much much worse reason.

With a bitter taste in her mouth and her hand squashing the white bun in a death grip, Li Jing sat still like a statue, as if ice had been poured in her veins and frozen her core.

The only movable part of her body, her eyes, slowly slid towards the other living occupant in the room. Slinted golden eyes, deathly pale skin, long black hair and finally the village Hidden in the Leaves. Coupled with her previous sense of familiarity with him, it all clicked in. Li Jing knew that she should either be cursing out loud or be terrified. But instead, she chose to be calm. The calmest she has ever been in her whole life.

"Oro?" She rasped out, her voice even.

The boy looked up as he finished swallowing the last bit of his bun and wiped his hands on his robes.

"Yes, nee-san?"

"Can you get me some water to drink? I'm thirsty."

Oro beamed. "Yes! I'll be right back!"

With that, he ran out of the room, light legs pitter-pattering on the ground.

As soon as he left, Li Jing quickly took out two boxes of white buns -including the already opened one-, two pieces of soaps, some shampoos and swiftly shoved them all in the sack. When he returned, she was already sitting all composed and innocent, the sack smoothened out to make sure the chibi didn't get suspicious.

"Thank you, otouto." She gave him a small smile as she took the cup of water and downed it in one go. The cold liquid felt soothing against her dry throat.

After she finished, she once again started eating the bun, as quickly as possible, all while completely ignoring the lingering presence of the pale midget on her bedside.

She was quite screwed. Or most likely, very very screwed. Oh but that's no problem, the actual shit will take a little more than two decades to start hitting the fan. So she should be ok for now, right? Wrong.

Li Jing knew that her life would take a supernatural turn the moment she had discovered the cube for the first time. And she had been prepared, or so she thought. She had tried her best to be prepared to face it calmly. She did do good preparation, just that those measly things won't be worth much to keep her head attached to her neck in this world.

While growing up in the little village, the only source of entertainment in that dingy orphanage for them was the small TV in the hallroom. It wasn't high quality or anything, but it showed cartoons, anime's and enough kid friendly stuff to keep them entertained.

On that TV an animated show, named 'Naruto' aired every evening at 6 p.m. except for Sundays. Those were the times when most of the boys and even some girls, herself included, would sit down to watch the show. Li Jing had watched the entirety of Naruto the original series and half of shippuden, the part two of it. Later, as she grew up, she lost interest in it. But from the discussions of the other viewers aside from her, she had quite a good idea as to what happened in the end. As the ending was already spoiled for her, she never really tried to get back into it.

Is this a cruel joke of fate? Pushing her in the fictional world of that series, years before canon even started? She was in the middle of the first war! First! She would have to survive through three more world wars to live peacefully, ah! What sin did she commit in her past life to be sent here and that too with this identity?!

Would any of the Naruto fans from her world believe her, if she told them that this steamed bun-faced malnourished three-year-old beside her was going to be one of the greatest villains of the series? She could hardly believe it herself.

This pale chibi beside her was many things that naruto fans from her world would say with many colourful words. And apparently, her predecessor is that snake sannin's older sister. Fantastic.

Li Jing sobbed in her mind as she furiously chewed on the bun, mercilessly murdering the poor thing.

Orochimaru observed carefully as his nee-san furiously chewed and swallowed the large bun. He was ready for the moment to bolt back and fetch water, in case food got stuck in her throat.

Li Jing ignored those golden orbs drilling holes on the side of her head. She quickly finished up and wiped her hands on her robe as she burped, loudly. She didn't care enough at the moment to be embarrassed.

Upon finishing, she took in a deep breath, and counted to five until letting it out.

What should she do now? Run away? And where? Konoha is the best place for her right now, her foreknowledge doesn't spands to other villages. Besides, those places are way worse than Konoha. Tell someone about her future knowledge? That'll just get her mindfucked by some Yamanaka. Or worse, locked up in T .

Li Jing refused to believe that some divine being would transmigrate her here for no real purpose.

There has to be a reason, right? Maybe she has to change Orochimaru's fate? Well, changing him would diverge the story by... alot. But none of it starts now! Li Jing tried her best to console herself. None of it starts now! If he's three years old now, and the sannin's were young adults by the second war, then… she might just have a shot at changing him! Well change him without completely diverging his goals, he still needs to be a super genius scientist. But he can be a good scientist! Right? Yes!

For the first time since her awakening, Li Jing felt hope. This might not be as bad as she had thought, after all no matter how horrible he is in canon, right now he's a child. An innocent child. It'll be unfair for her to judge him based on things that he hasn't even done in this lifetime. Well not yet. She can try to make him turn out as a better person. It's worth a shot at least!

Making up her mind, Li Jing jumped out of the bed, startling the chibi sannin. Looking down she observed the pale chibi, then looked back at her robes and grimaced.

Changing fates can be done later, for now both of them are in desperate need of a good bath.

"Hey, what do you say we take a bath, eh?"

XX--XX

Following Kashikoi's memories, it didn't take her much time to find the bathroom. But it did take her more time in reaching said destination.

'Ninjas and their paranoia.' She cursed internally as she jumped over another trap and finally reached the bathroom. The amount of times she had to put her steps in the right places in order to not to get impaled by poison laced weapons by the various traps all over the house was truly frightening. If she didn't have Kashikoi's memories about these traps, she would've already been foaming at her mouth, dying horribly.

"Do you need help, nee-san?" Sweet little Oro, always so concerned about his nee-san.

"It's ok. A bit weak from the fever, but that's all." She assured the chibi sannin.

He nodded in understanding. "If you say so."

Walking into the bathroom, Li Jing took a good look around. It was… well, a bathroom. A primitive version of the ones she was used to seeing. There's a large stone tub kinda thing in the middle, holding water. Two wooden buckets, two wooden jugs, a soap stand, a small wooden tub in the corner and a towel hanger.

According to Kashikoi's memories, she needs to collect water in the buckets from the stone tub. There's no bathtub for anyone.

Li Jing sighed to herself as she unwrapped the soap pieces and put them on the soap stand. Then dragged one of the buckets near the stone tub and started filling it with water in it with a jug.

While doing so she spoke to Orochimaru behind her. "Otouto, get me and yourself the cleanest pairs of clothes you can find. And leave those towels on the hanger."

"Yes, nee-san." The boy complied as he hung the towels on the hanger and left.

Filling water in a bucket should be an easy job, but her new body's frail arms struggled, much to her annoyance. Yet she gritted her teeth and carried on doing so. After some time, once the bucket was filled to the brims with water, she slowly dragged it back in the middle of the room. Then she collected the wooden tub and started filling it with water.

As her hands touched the water, Li Jing discovered that it had a bearable hot temperature. Surprised, she looked over at the stone tub. There's no way this world has electric heaters now, does it?

But then, an information surfaced in her mind. Heat seals. Fuinjutsu.

She looked over carefully again, and sure enough, there were some kanji scattered on the stones. Li Jing stared in awe. The power of chakra, ah! Who needs modern electronics when you can do the job by writing down some words and using chakra? It was so cool!

But then she winced a bit when she remembered how much monstrous strength some people hold here due to chakra. And here she is, being baffled by a simple heating seal. She has a very long way to go, ah.

Small legs pitter-pattered on the ground as Oro returned, the upper half of his body hidden behind a pile of clothes held in his hands.

"Nee-san, I found these, all the other ones are dirtier."

Li Jing put down the jug as she looked over at him. Sure enough, the clothes looked cleaner than what they were wearing.

"That'll be enough. Just put them in the dry bucket and get over here."

Oro complied. Once he got closer, Li Jing gave him a complicated look. In her mind she wanted to laugh out loud at her situation. Hell, who wouldn't, if they see that they're about to give THE Orochimaru a bath? 'Let's not think about that now.' she told herself as she sat down on the stone floor.

She smiled at him, as tenderly as possible, and touched his nose as she said, "Let's take your clothes off now, k?"

Orochimaru felt that the nee-san in front of him was acting a bit strange since she woke up from the fever. She hadn't been so tender to him in these past six months, had barely smiled and neither had she given him a bath.

But he liked it when she smiled; nee-san looked so pretty when she smiled.

Orochimaru obediently took off his clothes, and as he stepped out of it, Li Jing bit the inside of her cheeks and strictly forced herself to not to look down. Gah! This is so weird!

Shaking her head she threw all the ridiculous thoughts in the back of her mind and cautiously hooked her hands under his armpits and easily held him up. The kiddo was much lighter than she had thought. Then, with even more cautiousness, she put him inside the water filled tub.

Growing up in an orphanage with kids of different ages, there were many times when she and other older kids had to lend a hand in taking care of the younger ones. Bathing them included. Li Jing was used to bathing mischievous fussy children, the quiet and docile chibi sannin was a complete opposite of that.

Indeed, he was very cooperative with her. Li Jing sighed in relief at that.

He was only three years old, and his skin was soft and tender. As much as Li Jing tried her best to use minimal force, by the time she had scrubbed his front side clean, the tender skin there was already red, making him look like a cooked lobster.

Orochimaru curiously poked his now red and slightly bulging stomach, and said, "Nee-san?"

Li Jing, who was now busy scrubbing his back side with the scrubber, paused slightly in response. "Hmm? What is it?"

The chibi sannin pointed at his red stomach. "I'm red."

Li Jing quirked a brow in amusement as she resumed her work. "Yep, you're very much red. Like a cooked lobster."

"What's a lobster?"

Li Jing paused again as she quickly went through Kashikoi's memories. Sure enough, this kiddo has never had the luxury to enjoy seafood. A pity.

"Well, a lobster is a sea creature. It has a long body and five pairs of legs, with three pairs of them having claws. Once cooked it looks red. But it tastes amazing. You look like that hehe." She chuckled lightly.

Orochimaru nodded as he absorbed the information. But then again, kids his age are very curious, so he ended up asking again.

"Does that mean I'm tasty too?"

Li Jing almost choked on her spit but controlled herself. God, Kami whoever was out there, she was sure they were rolling on the ground laughing at her. Hell, she was having a hard time not laughing. But she kept a calm face and spun him around, now that his backside was also scrubbed clean.

He had already been scrubbed clean of all the dirt and grease, his long hair up in a clumsy bun which she planned on shampooing soon. Few stray strands of dark hair framed his face. His pale face was pinkish from the steam and his eyes were large. His irises, golden like molten gold, spanned most of his eyes. His eyelashes were long, thick and slightly curled upwards. His nose was small as were his pinkish lips. Aside from the skinniness, he looked like a doll displayed in the windows of a shop.

Li Jing barely managed to suppress the strong urge to scream like an old aunty. Gaah!!! How can this cute chibi and that creepy snake pedo be the same person?! Li Jing always knew that Orochimaru was very pretty as a kid, but a few minutes of scenes on TV and seeing it in real life had a sky and earth difference.

The chibi was still looking up at her with his large orbs of molten gold. Li Jing smiled tenderly as she pinched his left cheek, in response he scrunched up his nose cutely.

Then she made a motion of taking a chunk of invisible food and putting it in her mouth. As she chewed on the imaginary food, she hummed thoughtfully.

"Hmm. Perfect mixture of sweet and sour, yet pretty juicy and definitely well cooked. Yep, you're for sure tasty, Oro-kun." She said with the attitude of a Micheline star chef.

Oro seemed very happy knowing that he's tasty. As soon as Li Jing leaned away from him, he quickly leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. Cheeks slightly red with a blush, he smiled with all the innocence of a child. "Nee-san is tasty too. And also very pretty."

With the lingering feeling of a pair of soft lips on her cheek, Li Jing melted. Once again, HOW come this bundle of cuteness became a creepy snake pedo?!? Li Jing felt a great annoyance towards Kishimoto. Bah, as much as smart you are for creating Naruto, you surely are cold hearted, hmph! Killing off all the precious people of a child and later on turning him into a monster, how could you?!

Huffing mentally, Li Jing flashed him a bashful smile. "Otouto is so nice, ba! Complementing his nee-san. How sweet, hehe." Although she doubted that her current appearance was anything but pretty, but hey, who doesn't like to be complimented, eh?

With all the lovely moments aside, Li Jing decided to wash his hair and dry him quickly, or else he might catch a cold. Humming a tune from her old world, she poured a generous amount of shampoo in her hands and started running her fingers through the tangly mess. Oro relaxed noticeably as his sister's hands gently massaged his scalp. It reminded him of his haha-ue.

Remembering his mother, who also used to hum a tune while shampooing his head, tears gathered in his eyes. But he stubbornly refused to let them fall and blinked them away. Orochimaru refused to cry today. Nee-san seemed so happy, the happiest he has seen her in these six months. He didn't want to remind her of chichi and haha again. At least not today. Nee-san is the sweetest when she's happy. Happiness and smiles suit her the best.

So he sat there being docile as she hummed an unknown tune under her breath and her fingers worked magic on his scalp. Oro sighed in content as he leaned against the walls of the tub, towards his sister.

Within the next moments of peace, Li Jing finished detangling his hair and washed off the foam and grease. Once washed, it looked smooth and shiny. She could only imagine the softness once it dried up.

She then took him out of the murky water of the tub and started wiping off the water from his body. Once he was well dried, she wrung the water out of his hair, wrapped the towel around his head and tied it in a bun. Then she grabbed one of the smaller robes he had brought with him, a light blue yukata with a navy blue obi. They were clean at least. Within no time the chibi sannin was dressed in the yukata, and Li Jing suppressed another urge to scream like an old aunty. Good lord, who knew that the fearsome snake sage was once such a cute kid? Li Jing could already imagine the looks on her fellow Naruto fans from the orphanage, they would've gone and washed their eyes to double check this sight hahaha!

After taking a 360 degree look at him, she mentally patted herself on the back. Within less than an hour, the chibi had a complete glow up from a street rat to a noble young master. All he needed now was to gain a healthy amount of weight. She couldn't wait to see how he'll look then.

Li Jing had been sitting down for nearly half an hour. Her legs and back muscles were stiff as she painfully stood up and stretched her limbs.

Looking down at the boy - who's almost a head shorter than her current self - she said, "Why don't you go back and get some sleep? I don't think you slept well last night. And it's gonna get dark soon. I'll be back after I bathe myself, you go ahead and take a rest, k?"

Oro yawned in response, sleep already clinging to his eyelids. "Ok, nee-san. Good night."

Li Jing patted his towel wrapped head. "Good night, otouto."

The chibi sannin took off to their shared bedroom, the same room she woke up in.

There was a high wire-netted window on one of the bathroom walls, through which rays of sunlight softly illuminated the walls. Li Jing walked back to the tub, threw away the dirty water, washed it and left it on one corner.

Then she refilled the empty bucket with hot water and dragged it back.

She sighed loudly. Since there's no bathtub here, she would have to continuously pour water on herself as she washed herself using the jug. A primitive form of taking a shower, but oh well, she cared more about getting rid of this dirty stinky self she was in.

Cracking her fingers, Li Jing got to work.

XX--XX

Author's Rambling: Penny for your thoughts?