"As long as I get enough information, it'll be worth it."
"That's what you always say..."
Orochimaru gave a sly smile, narrowing his eyes as a glint of cunning flashed within them. He pointed to the scroll.
"Once the curse seal finishes eroding the soul fragment, I'll embed a one-time trigger spell into it—something that can delay the alarm."
"The chakra soul and the physical fragment inside the seal won't be able to do much, but they should be able to interfere with the normal functioning of the technique—just enough."
"In other words, if the spell gets disrupted, it will trigger a warning. That way, if the infiltration into the Pure Land fails, I'll know immediately—and I can summon the fragment back before it's lost."
Of course, there was still the risk: the Pure Land might immediately consume the soul body upon entry. But by Orochimaru's estimates, that outcome was unlikely.
Given how little was truly known about the Pure Land, this was the most secure strategy he could devise.
Djinn looked at him sideways. "You really are a crafty bastard."
Orochimaru chuckled, casually playing with the scroll. "Minimizing risk is just basic practice. If I couldn't do that, I'd have died a long time ago."
Djinn had asked a lot of questions—but clearly, he'd underestimated Orochimaru.
With that, Orochimaru pulled out some old research notes—records from ninjas who had once trained in the Spiritualization Technique. He began pouring through them, hoping to discover a new insight—some thread of inspiration that could make the technique easier to control.
Silence returned to the lab. The only sounds were the flickering of lamps, the rustling of paper, and Orochimaru's steady breath.
Time passed—minutes, maybe hours—until a soft sound broke the quiet.
Boom...
A puff of smoke rose from the corner of the room. From it, a one-eyed viper slithered into view, approaching Orochimaru and spitting out a black lacquered box.
Orochimaru didn't hesitate. He wiped away the saliva without care and opened the box.
Inside was a pair of beautifully crafted lenses.
"That was quick."
He inspected them with care, licking his lips in satisfaction.
"With these, I can start reconstructing Shisui's ocular power."
---
Meanwhile…
Deep in the Konoha forest, on a secluded training ground, the wind howled as a fierce sparring session unfolded.
Kakashi and Yamato—relying solely on taijutsu—launched a pincer assault on Guy, one on each side, moving with precise coordination.
Guy stood firm against their storm of strikes, his movements fluid and powerful. Spinning like a top, he countered every blow with ease, his hands and feet moving in a blur to intercept the attacks at just the right moment.
Even when Kakashi and Yamato began to repeat familiar patterns, showing signs of exhaustion, Guy only pressed harder—forcing them back with a renewed flurry.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The clash of fists and kicks echoed through the clearing as the three continued their relentless battle.
High above them, perched on a treetop, Orochimaru watched in silence.
To a casual observer, this looked like a brutal, high-level fight. But Orochimaru saw the truth—they weren't fighting at full power. They were holding back just enough to keep the battle going, using it as a form of endurance training.
It wasn't a real fight to the death—but even so, it was effective.
And for Orochimaru, it was the perfect vantage point to observe and plan what came next.
"Will, responsiveness, cardiopulmonary function... I've already explained the breathing technique training method to you."
Orochimaru turned his head slightly and asked, "But you still insist on training them this way. What's your reasoning?"
"It's actually more efficient to train each part of the body separately."
Jiraiya glanced at the three below, still sparring, before adding, "But there's one thing... This method isn't conducive to learning the Sage Arts."
Not every ninja who enters the "Inner Energy State" through breathing techniques can naturally learn the Sage Arts. For most, it requires the accumulation of time and passive usage of natural energy to improve physical fitness.
To truly learn the Sage Arts, one must first see themselves as a unified whole, in order to blend with and understand nature.
While it may seem straightforward to train separately and then combine the skills, it's a bit like the three-step process of "putting an elephant in a refrigerator"—you can only hear about it, but you can't truly grasp it until you try it.
"These kids have potential."
Jiraiya looked up at Orochimaru, a subtle smile on his face, with a hint of advice in his tone. "If you had pushed them harder earlier, you'd save a lot of effort down the road. Don't rush things."
Jiraiya had indeed been guiding the three recently, but with Guy and Yamato—one a disciple of Orochimaru, the other his subordinate—it was clear that Orochimaru's influence on them was significant.
Orochimaru licked his lips, didn't respond immediately, and instead asked, "When will you leave Konoha?"
The question caused Jiraiya's smile to falter. He couldn't help but think of the conversation he'd had with the old man that night.
A moment of hesitation passed across Jiraiya's face before he sighed, "The search for the Child of Destiny is on hold for now. According to the Great Toad Sage, he is destined to be my disciple, so there's no need to rush."
To be honest, Jiraiya was conflicted. He had spent most of his life chasing this goal, and now to suddenly stop—it felt unnatural. But the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage was ambiguous, and even the other sages, like Shenzuo and Zhima, had differing opinions on whether he should continue searching for the "Child of Destiny." It left Jiraiya feeling disoriented.
So, for now, he had decided to focus on improving his own strength.
Besides, he worried about whether he even had the ability to guide the Child of Destiny when the time came.
With the breathing technique Orochimaru had provided, he planned to first master it enough to enter Sage Mode on his own. Once he hit a bottleneck in his power, he would reassess his path, maybe visit the disciples he'd already taken under his wing, and make future plans.
---
During their conversation, the battle on the training ground began to wind down. The breathing technique, being a form of explosive energy, was draining, especially for someone like Yamato—who was the youngest and least physically developed. Eventually, Yamato couldn't keep up and was the first to withdraw from the sparring.
"Whoosh..."
The sound of rushing wind filled the air as Orochimaru descended from the treetops, landing beside the exhausted Yamato.
Kakashi and Guy noticed him immediately, but just as they were about to intervene, Orochimaru spoke.
"It's nothing to do with you. Keep practicing."
He gave Yamato a quick glance before walking into the depths of the forest. Yamato, still panting heavily, followed behind.
Jiraiya also seemed ready to follow, but Orochimaru stopped him with a look. Jiraiya hesitated and, with a sigh, stayed where he was, shaking his head helplessly.
---
A few moments later, Orochimaru stopped several dozen meters away from the training field.
He glanced back at Yamato, who had a serious expression on his face, then licked his lips and smiled.
"Don't be so nervous. Just relax. This time, I only want to borrow your body for a while."
Yamato froze, taking a couple of steps back. His expression grew even more somber, and his already dull face became even more clouded with unease.
But he couldn't bring himself to resist Orochimaru, so he just stood there, watching as Orochimaru stepped closer and placed his hand on his face.
'Please, lord Orochimaru...' Yamato cried out silently in his mind.
The next moment, Yamato felt a sharp pain in his right eye, and a tear of blood trickled down his cheek.
____________
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