Orochimaru's Investment and Expectations

Gojo Yoru had long been mentally prepared for Orochimaru's question.

The moment Orochimaru saw the Rasengan, Gojo Yoru knew a test was unavoidable.

After organizing his thoughts, Gojo Yoru looked straight at Orochimaru. "A ninja's battles are battles of intelligence! I don't want anyone else to know my trump cards, and I don't want to graduate early for now. I still want to learn more at the academy."

Orochimaru was taken aback as he watched Gojo Yoru's serious expression.

Clearly, he had not expected such an answer from Gojo Yoru.

After recovering, Orochimaru looked at Gojo Yoru with eyes full of appreciation.

It seemed this child had not only developed physically ahead of schedule; his mind was exceptionally mature as well.

While other children were still playing ninja games, and even geniuses could not resist the temptation of graduating early to become ninja, he was hiding his strength and accumulating knowledge.

Then what had caused such a change in him and given him such thoughts?

Without a doubt, it had to be the news of the Gojo couple's deaths.

At that moment, Orochimaru seemed to see his own reflection in Gojo Yoru.

He, too, had undergone a tremendous change after losing both his parents.

Thus, Orochimaru could understand Gojo Yoru's desire to conceal his edge.

Only by hiding powerful trump cards could one create miracles in desperate situations and turn a dead end into a path to survival.

It was not that he feared becoming a ninja early and seeing blood. He wanted to become stronger and grasp more knowledge, so he could deal with accidents that might come at any moment and ensure that he and his companions would not follow in his parents' footsteps.

At that thought, Orochimaru's favorable impression of Gojo Yoru soared.

Outwardly, he gave him high praise. "An excellent idea. As expected of Sa and Mio's son. If they could see what you are like now from the Pure Land, they would surely be deeply comforted.

"I believe that one day, you will surpass them and become one of Konoha's ace combat strengths."

Before Gojo Yoru could modestly reply, Orochimaru continued, "Was that jutsu just now a gift Sou left you?"

"No. The Rasengan is a jutsu I developed myself." Gojo Yoru shook his head.

"Rasengan? A very good name."

The corners of Orochimaru's lips lifted slightly, as though it was exactly as he had expected.

Given that jutsu's power, if it had been developed by Gojo Sa or inherited from the Gojo Family, it would have long become famous throughout Konoha and the Ninja World.

At the same time, he could not help but click his tongue inwardly.

Developing a jutsu with at least B-Rank training difficulty at this age—what dazzling talent!

Yet outwardly, Orochimaru remained calm. "That jutsu is very powerful. Its Shape Transformation and Chakra control have both reached the highest level. And if I am not mistaken, it is also a No Attribute Ninjutsu without hand seals, correct? Were you trying to infuse it with Nature Transformation just now, only to fail?"

"As expected of Lord Orochimaru!"

Gojo Yoru widened his eyes and stared at Orochimaru with an "astonished" expression.

Then he looked at Orochimaru with feigned anticipation, his gaze burning hot.

The corners of Orochimaru's mouth curved upward slightly before he raised his right hand.

At some point, a small white snake had coiled itself around his wrist.

The little snake opened its mouth and spat out a red scroll completely disproportionate to its size.

Orochimaru tossed the scroll to Gojo Yoru. "This contains my understanding of Nature Transformation over the years. I have no use for it anymore, so I will give it to you."

Upon hearing that, the hand in which Gojo Yoru had just caught the scroll trembled slightly.

Then his eyes shifted, and he revealed an expression of wild delight. He gave Orochimaru a straight ninety-degree bow. "Thank you, Teacher Orochimaru!"

Orochimaru took in every change in his expression, yet he did not correct Gojo Yoru's form of address. He merely left him with a statement full of expectation.

"I hope that the next time we meet, your growth will leave me utterly astonished."

As soon as he finished speaking, Orochimaru turned into an afterimage and vanished.

Only more than ten seconds after Orochimaru had left did Gojo Yoru straighten up. Looking at the scroll in his hand, his eyes brimmed with joy.

This was truly an unexpected delight!

The delight was not the Nature Transformation scroll Orochimaru had given him, but the fact that Orochimaru had not rejected his presumptuous form of address.

Gojo Yoru had thought the first of the Sannin he would encounter would be Tsunade, whom he would meet through Uzumaki Kushina as part of his strategy, or Jiraiya, whom he would meet through Namikaze Minato.

Yet unexpectedly, the first Sannin he met and came into contact with was actually Orochimaru!

Moreover, this legendary ninja—whose talent and brilliance were second only to Senju Tobirama, who had lived from the youth arc of the Original Work all the way to Boruto without being phased out, and who still made his presence felt through technology—seemed to hold him in high regard and appreciate him greatly.

If that was the case, perhaps Gojo Yoru would not need to use Uzumaki Kushina to cling to Tsunade.

As long as he could cling to Orochimaru, he could not only gain Orochimaru's resources and connections, but also sign a contract with Ryūchi Cave and obtain Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode.

Once he mastered Sage Mode, Gojo Yoru's Space-Time Chakra would become Space-Time Sage Chakra.

At that point, Gojo Yoru did not dare imagine how powerful he would become!

With that thought, Gojo Yoru began considering and analyzing Orochimaru's gift and tacit approval.

Orochimaru had not rejected his presumptuous form of address because of his talent.

Before awakening Space-Time Ninjutsu, Gojo Yoru's original plan had been to use the Rasengan to shock Konoha, making the higher-ups tacitly approve of his friendship with Uzumaki Kushina and invest in him.

Developing an A-Rank Ninjutsu without hand seals at the age of nine was simply too terrifying.

No one could ignore talent like that.

Especially a powerhouse like Orochimaru!

With top-tier Chakra control and Shape Transformation, once he raised his Nature Transformation as well, Gojo Yoru's Rasengan could be perfected into a Forbidden Level S-Rank jutsu.

S-Rank jutsu were the highest-level jutsu in the Ninja World. No matter how much effort one put in, there was no guarantee of learning them; they were Forbidden Level techniques that even the Sharingan could not copy.

Even in the Five Great Shinobi Villages, jutsu of this kind would be listed in the Scroll of Sealing or stored in the Forbidden Jutsu Library as forbidden techniques and trump cards.

A ninja who mastered a jutsu of this level possessed strength capable of threatening a Kage.

Once their overall abilities improved, they would become ace combat strengths of the Five Great Shinobi Villages—commonly known as Elite Jonin.

Such jonin were also called Hokage candidates. In an emergency, they could assign A-Rank missions to any ninja in the village.

When the Five Kage died or stepped down, they were qualified to run for one of the Five Kage positions and vote.

Orochimaru was such a figure now!

Gojo Yoru had also displayed the potential to become such a figure in the future.

Orochimaru, whose dream was still to become the Fourth Hokage, needed to build his own faction and needed powerful subordinates he could trust.

Gojo Yoru's potential, identity, and current age all perfectly fit those requirements.

This scroll, along with his refusal to reject Gojo Yoru's form of address, was Orochimaru's investment in him and his expectations for him.

As long as Gojo Yoru continued displaying his potential, even if Orochimaru did not take him as a disciple, he would increase his investment and use the privileges of a Hokage's disciple to train him.

The backing Gojo Yoru had dreamed of ever since crossing over had finally been found!