Before his duel with Itachi, Moriyue had spent some time studying under Naruto at Mount Myōboku. He did not think there was much more he could learn by staying there.
He understood all the principles, but putting them into practice was dangerous. After all, there were clearly far more wrong paths than correct ones. Trying to cultivate Sage Mode without knowing its secrets would inevitably cause a series of problems.
But Moriyue did not need to worry about the cost of trial and error. He had countless chances to fail. In theory, given enough time, he could uncover every truth in the world.
Still, he had not chosen the path of lying low until everyone else was dead. He had a faint premonition that, somewhere beyond his notice, a terrifying danger aimed at him was still lurking.
He did not know whether that feeling was right or wrong, but he had always believed it was better to be safe than sorry. Therefore, he needed to grow stronger within the shortest possible time.
He had not gained much useful information at Mount Myōboku. That Great Toad was like some kind of mystic charlatan. Although Moriyue knew its words carried some credibility, the more carefully he considered them, the less he understood.
Jiraiya was not at Mount Myōboku. After probing Naruto for information, Moriyue came to a conclusion: Jiraiya had most likely gone to carry out a mission assigned by Konoha.
"Hm? Something from Orochimaru..."
As Moriyue stared blankly at the massive lotus leaf on Mount Myōboku, he suddenly sensed something strange. That feeling reached him through the little black snake Orochimaru had given him earlier. Moriyue knew the time had come.
But he was currently at Mount Myōboku, while Orochimaru was somewhere far away. How was he supposed to teleport such