No Talent? Then Cheat!

September 13th, afternoon.

After nearly a month, Gojo Yoru finally returned to Konoha.

Along the way, neither he nor Orochimaru encountered any assassination attempts.

This meant that when Gojo Yoru killed Tokiya, there had been no White Zetsu clones nearby spying on them. That was good news for him.

Upon entering the village, Orochimaru said to Gojo Yoru, "You've worked hard during this time. Go back and rest well. Meet at the usual place in a week, and I'll give you the mission reward then."

"Alright, I'll head back first, Teacher Orochimaru."

Gojo Yoru nodded, then parted ways with Orochimaru.

"...Come in."

Orochimaru arrived alone at the Hokage Office and knocked on the door.

As soon as he heard Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice, he immediately pushed the door open and entered.

Seeing his most prized disciple return, Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and asked, "How did it go?"

"I suggest strengthening the border defenses," Orochimaru said gravely. "Unless something unexpected happens, the friction between the smaller countries and the great countries will intensify again. The Land of Fire will certainly be dragged into it like before."

"What did you find?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen had just been about to light his pipe when Orochimaru's next words made his expression change drastically.

"Hanzō has made a move against the Land of Iron!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression turned solemn. "Amegakure has gone to war with the Land of Iron?"

"If that were the case, the news would have spread throughout the Ninja World long ago," Orochimaru said. "According to intelligence from our informants, Hanzō went to the Land of Iron alone. I verified this after entering Amegakure. That important figure is indeed no longer in the village."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said nothing. He silently lit his pipe and took a puff.

His gaze beneath the smoke was deep, and no one knew what he was thinking.

After a long while, he slowly spoke. "Orochimaru, are you worried that Amegakure and the Land of Iron will join forces?"

"That possibility cannot be ruled out. After all, that man's strength is enough for him to take on an entire country alone, and he makes no effort to hide his ambition," Orochimaru said, his expression somewhat grim. "If the Land of Rain and the Land of Iron form an alliance, I fear that other small countries will follow suit and use it to resist us great countries.

After all, over the years, those great countries have exploited them a little too harshly.

Once those small countries form an alliance, a war on a greater scale than the First Shinobi World War will inevitably break out."

Seeing Orochimaru lay out the severity of the matter so precisely, a trace of approval flashed through Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes. He slowly said, "Your concerns are valid, but things have not reached that point yet. Those small countries are too far apart. Forming an alliance would be nearly impossible."

"The only ones worth fearing now are the Land of Rain and the Land of Iron. If those two countries join forces, that region will no longer be where three great countries meet. A fourth great country will be born there."

"I will report all the intelligence and suggestions you gathered to the daimyo. I'll have him increase military spending and strengthen the border defenses, while also warning the other two great countries. At the very least, we cannot make the first move."

After saying that, Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped discussing the matter and instead asked Orochimaru with a smile, "You completed this S-Rank mission very well. How did that child Yoru perform?"

At this, Orochimaru could not help but let the corners of his mouth rise. He smiled and said, "Perfect would be the only way to describe it."

"Such a high evaluation?" Sarutobi Hiruzen was somewhat surprised, then smiled. "It seems the two of you experienced quite a lot during this time."

Orochimaru merely smiled without saying anything.

He was not someone who liked to show off. If it had been Jiraiya, even if he had promised to keep Gojo Yoru's secret, his microexpressions would surely have given plenty away.

But Orochimaru was someone who could keep a secret. He believed that even if Teacher Sarutobi found out later, he would not blame him.

After all, the Space-Time Bloodline was simply too shocking.

Once it matured, its strategic deterrence would be even greater than that of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Naturally, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no idea that his most obedient disciple was concealing such a tremendous secret from him.

Seeing that Orochimaru was extremely satisfied with Gojo Yoru's performance, he could not help asking, "Did you give him the Flying Thunder God Technique scroll?"

"Yes, I already gave it to him." Orochimaru nodded.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes immediately filled with anticipation. "Well? Does he have the talent for it?"

"I don't know yet. He hasn't looked at it," Orochimaru said, shaking his head, though a faint smile remained on his face.

If even Gojo Yoru lacked that talent, then there truly would not be a second person in the entire Ninja World capable of learning the Flying Thunder God Technique.

By the time he returned, dusk was near.

After Gojo Yoru ate, showered, and washed away the fatigue covering his body, night had already fallen outside.

Sitting cross-legged on his long-missed soft bed, Gojo Yoru finally took out the separate Flying Thunder God Technique scroll again and slowly opened it.

Though the scroll was small, it contained no small amount of information.

At the very beginning was the Flying Thunder God Seal that had stumped countless geniuses.

The Flying Thunder God Seal carried the flavor of Fuinjutsu, but it had no offensive power.

Like the principle behind a Storage Scroll, it used sealing formulas to manipulate invisible Space-Time Power and create a special pocket dimension.

The Flying Thunder God Seal similarly used sealing formulas to transform Space-Time Power into a mark that could be attached to people or objects.

Because it was the product of the unreasonable fusion between Fuinjutsu and Space-Time Power, the mark of the Flying Thunder God Seal could not be erased through ordinary means.

Even if the caster died, all the seals he left behind during his life would not disappear.

Once one successfully condensed a Flying Thunder God Seal, it meant one could sense the invisible Space-Time Power and had the qualifications to cultivate the Flying Thunder God Technique.

It was this very first step that barred countless geniuses from the door.

Besides the Flying Thunder God Seal, there were also the Flying Thunder God Slash and Flying Thunder God Lightning, both annotated by Senju Tobirama.

Just from the written descriptions alone, Gojo Yoru could sense the power of this Super S-Rank Jutsu and Senju Tobirama's peerless talent.

"Heh, we're completely not on the same level." Gojo Yoru could not help laughing.

Over the years, Gojo Yoru had been researching and developing teleportation and ultra-long-range teleportation.

Yet not to mention ultra-long-range teleportation, he had not even found the slightest clue for short-range teleportation.

Meanwhile, Senju Tobirama, who lacked the Space-Time Bloodline, had mastered this kind of ultra-long-range teleportation through talent alone. The difference in their talents was like heaven and earth.

"With my current talent, I can't learn this technique at all."

Though he said that, the smile on Gojo Yoru's face did not diminish in the slightest.

The talent enhanced through his first evolution truly could not learn this Super S-Rank Jutsu.

Using ordinary Chakra for Fuinjutsu, then sensing invisible Space-Time Power and perfectly merging the two into a mark—what the hell was this? His eyes and brain understood it, but his hands did not.

But Gojo Yoru lacked neither talent in Fuinjutsu nor Space-Time Power.

His Space-Time Chakra could directly skip every single step.

No talent? Then cheat!