Orochimaru's Shock, Rewards

The shinobi of the ninja world firmly believed in one saying.

That was... a shinobi's battle was a battle of information!

Gojo Yoru thought the same, on the premise that there was no Super Kage Level combat power.

Below Super Kage, even the Third Raikage—who stood at the pinnacle of the Five Kage, possessed the Strongest Shield and the Strongest Spear, and could fight the Eight-Tails to a draw without losing—could still be worn down and killed by a human wave tactic.

Only those who surpassed the Five Kage could not be defeated through information; only Super Kage Level experts could deal with Super Kage Level experts.

Tokiya, clearly, did not have such overpowered strength.

But Gojo Yoru did possess overpowered abilities.

Taking advantage of the fact that the opponent didn't yet know his ability was actually the Space-Time Power that could merge into space itself, Gojo Yoru used just a small trick to cut Tokiya into pieces.

This was also the first time Gojo Yoru had used the "Black Blade" to cut someone.

Even gems and the earth were as brittle as thin paper, and the human body was no exception.

Gojo Yoru's swing met no resistance. With the blessing of the Phantom Body Flicker Technique, the blade's speed was as fast as a paintbrush, trailing black lines.

Anything within the area of those black lines would be mercilessly severed.

Unfortunately, the power of the Black Blade couldn't yet tear space; otherwise, this slash would have been a true Dimensional Slash.

Even so, Gojo Yoru still named this move Dimensional Slash, holding high hopes for its potential.

"You... what did you just do?"

Having successfully slain a powerful enemy, Gojo Yoru didn't dwell on the power of Dimensional Slash but instead wanted to further destroy the evidence.

Just then, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears.

Gojo Yoru was startled, almost thinking there was an ambush.

Following the direction of the voice, Gojo Yoru's eyes widened: "Teacher Orochimaru..."

Not far away, on a huge rock, stood Orochimaru, looking at Gojo Yoru with an incredulous gaze.

From his expression, it was clear that Orochimaru had witnessed everything—Gojo Yoru killing Tokiya.

He might even have been there from the start.

Gojo Yoru instantly understood, and his eyes toward Orochimaru were filled with resentment: "Teacher Orochimaru, that's too much."

"I just wanted to see how much you've grown lately. After all, the Survival Exercise is just an exercise after all."

Orochimaru leaped down from the rock, walked up to Gojo Yoru, and stared at the Chakra Blade in his hand, continuing his earlier question, his voice even trembling slightly: "That blade of yours—what happened just now?"

He didn't ask about the Rasengan, nor about the hidden chakra of the Phantom Body Flicker Technique, but kept pressing about Dimensional Slash.

This showed how shaken Orochimaru was by the sight of Gojo Yoru cutting Tokiya into pieces.

Because Orochimaru knew very well that the blade in Gojo Yoru's hand was not a divine weapon—just a Chakra Blade forged with some material mixed in, making it easier to draw chakra out of the body for Nature Transformation.

Let alone such a junk Chakra Blade, even the Second Hokage's Thunder God Sword or the famous divine weapons of the ninja world, coated with the sharpest Wind Style Nature Transformation, couldn't cut an adult into a pile of minced meat in just a few seconds.

Clearly, the problem wasn't the blade—it was this disciple, Gojo Yoru.

Seeing Orochimaru's expression, Gojo Yoru knew he couldn't hide it anymore.

It would come out eventually anyway, and there was no need to hurt their master-disciple bond over such a small matter.

So Gojo Yoru grinned, showing a proud smile: "It's not the blade's problem, Teacher Orochimaru. This is my ability—my strongest trump card."

Hearing Gojo Yoru admit it, Orochimaru's breathing suddenly quickened, and his voice trembled even more: "Is... is it a Space-Time Ninjutsu ability?"

Not thinking in that direction was fine, but once he did, many previous doubts were instantly resolved.

And it became even more terrifying to think about.

The reason Gojo Yoru's Phantom Body Flicker Technique couldn't be sensed for chakra, the reason it was so special, was that... both the real body and the phantom were merged into space.

Only then would his Phantom Clone not dissipate upon being hit, and only then could his real body hide its chakra aura, only revealing it when attacking.

But... this was too unbelievable.

Could anyone in this world really use Space-Time Ninjutsu to this extent?

Even the Flying Thunder God Technique alone had stumped countless geniuses.

So Orochimaru stared intently into Gojo Yoru's eyes, wanting an answer.

The next second, Gojo Yoru smiled and nodded: "It's Space-Time Ninjutsu, and it's not a Secret Technique. This is my... Kekkei Genkai."

Orochimaru's pupils suddenly contracted, and he exclaimed: "It's actually a Kekkei Genkai?!"

A storm raged in his heart. The more Orochimaru knew, the greater his shock.

He had thought that Gojo Yoru's ability to use Space-Time Power was a Secret Technique no one in the Gojo Family had ever understood, or like the Second Hokage, a sudden blessing of space-time talent due to genius.

But it turned out... it was innate, a Kekkei Genkai that could even be passed down to descendants?!

Didn't that mean Gojo Yoru could use the power of space-time as easily as using a Nature Transformation, and could even develop other types of Space-Time Ninjutsu?

Did such a Kekkei Genkai really exist?

If that's the case, then the legendary Wood Style is nothing but a fart, isn't it?

Probably only the Sage's Eye, which legend says created the moon, could compare to it, right?!

Seeing Orochimaru stunned just as he'd imagined, Gojo Yoru smiled, then spoke with a serious expression: "I was six years old when I suddenly discovered I had awakened the Space-Time Power. This power is very hard to control—so far I've only developed the Phantom Body Flicker Technique and the Dimensional Slash from earlier, and it consumes an enormous amount of Chakra. Until my Chakra reserves increase, I ask that Teacher Orochimaru keep this secret for me."

Hearing this, Orochimaru snapped back to reality.

Looking at this disciple whose body and mind were both so precociously mature, Orochimaru's eyes held nothing but endless admiration and satisfaction.

"You did the right thing. A power like this—before you have the strength to back it up, you should hide it even from your closest family." Orochimaru promised with a serious expression. "Since you're willing to tell me this secret, then as your teacher, I can't let this student down. From now on, unless you actively reveal this ability, I won't breathe a word of it—not even to my own teacher, the Third Hokage."

Gojo Yoru's face lit up with joy, and he bowed deeply to Orochimaru: "Thank you, Teacher Orochimaru."

Seeing Gojo Yoru wield such immense power while still respecting his teacher and valuing the way, Orochimaru's fondness for him surged instantly.

In that moment, in Orochimaru's eyes, Gojo Yoru was no longer just the future Ace Combat Strength.

Nor was he the future Five Kage—he was the future New God of Shinobi!

Someone who could wield Space-Time Power like a mere jutsu—Gojo Yoru already had the potential to break the rules.

And such a being was his student.

Thinking this, the sense of achievement in Orochimaru's heart made him feel that the position of Hokage was, after all, nothing much.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Orochimaru broke into a smile: "You've completed this 'mission' excellently. I'll give you your reward early."

"I originally planned to give it to you as a birthday gift, but back then I thought your Chakra wasn't sufficient and you shouldn't be distracted learning other things, so I dropped the idea."

"Now it seems I did a good thing with bad intentions, holding back your growth."

As he finished speaking, a small white snake slithered out from Orochimaru's sleeve, opening its mouth to spit out a scroll far too large for its size—just like the Nature Transformation scroll he'd given years ago.