The Learning Process

It had to be said that Orochimaru, that old schemer, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but the associated benefits were also quite good. No wonder he could be the boss of Otogakure.

It wasn't that I lacked strength. Josuke estimated that his position here with Orochimaru was probably that of a high-ranking official.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to come and go freely in Orochimaru's Ninjutsu collection room. Of course, even if Josuke wanted to come in, no one could stop him.

Speaking of which, the only reason I wanted to learn Sealing Techniques was a momentary impulse, but that wasn't entirely true either. After Josuke inexplicably awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Josuke felt a sense of loss and gain. The Mangekyo was much easier to use, but his eyes needed to be replaced.

Eternal Mangekyo?

That's a joke. Could I possibly get it? Whose eyes would they be? Shisui's? By then, his eyes would probably be burnt out.

* * *

I would probably be stuck at this point for the rest of my life, with the Mangekyo Sharingan.

As for that eternal light?

Josuke didn't dare to hope for so much. In fact, Josuke's goal from the beginning wasn't the Mangekyo, but to transplant Hashirama Cells and develop them to the extreme.

To become the next Hashirama!!!

The thought was beautiful, and reality was even more beautiful. Cough, cough, cough, pfft, reality is harsh.

But if I went blind later, maybe Six Paths Naruto could donate two eyes, and that wouldn't be a bad thing. Although I would lose the Mangekyo, I could still walk sideways in the ninja world with Wood Release.

With that, Josuke became optimistic again and continued to search for Sealing Technique scrolls.

What Josuke didn't know was that his closest loved ones had already given him the eternal light with their own hands, and all it needed was an opportunity to bloom.

The topic has strayed.

Why did Josuke want to learn Sealing Techniques?

Although Josuke wasn't a very ambitious person, he had always had a goal since he was a child. The goal wasn't big, just you, me, and him. A grand goal might be to oppose the ninja world.

To protect the loved ones around him, in the name of Uchiha.

So Josuke needed power, the power of the Tailed Beasts. This was also why Josuke defected. Staying in that crappy Konoha really offered no development.

I wasn't the Crown Prince who could awaken and level up fighting monsters all the way.

I'm just an Uchiha brat. I'd be satisfied if I wasn't openly discriminated against in the village. If the villagers invited me for drinks, I'd definitely sit at the same table as Naruto.

As for which Tailed Beast, how to capture it, and how to capture it, Josuke didn't know anything. Josuke himself had some Tailed Beast Chakra within him, although not much.

But his strength had indeed increased.

That's why Josuke wanted to capture a Tailed Beast and become a Jinchuriki.

Of course, all of this was just Josuke's fantasy. However, learning Sealing Techniques wasn't a bad thing; it could even expand his moveset.

So, he might as well learn a few just in case.

Sealing scrolls, sealing scrolls...

After some thought, Josuke finally found a thick scroll containing various Sealing Techniques, both large and small.

Some could only seal small ninja tools, while others could seal half a bridge. Of course, the main event, sealing and subduing Tailed Beasts, was also here.

Most importantly, most of these Sealing Techniques were left by Konoha's forbidden Jutsu master, Tobirama Senju!!!

Damn it.

The tears of that year still haven't dried~

Pfft.

Why is the background music playing again?

This isn't the point. The point is the content. One of them was very suitable for Josuke: a solo Tailed Beast Sealing Technique that could disconnect at any time, without pain or backlash, with obvious and immediate effects.

Cough, cough, cough.

In short, there was a Sealing Technique that was very suitable for Josuke. It was called Sealing Heavenly World.

(I made this up myself, it has no other meaning. It's taken from the Japanese mythology of Takamagahara. The first time I heard of Takamagahara was when I played Honkai: Star Rail. How do you know I have 0+1 Yelan? Pfft, I'm getting sidetracked. Anyway, that's how it is.)

A terrifying technique. Josuke gasped. How could that bastard Orochimaru have such a scroll? Did he dig up the Second Hokage's grave?

It seemed he really did dig it up, so it made sense. Heavenly World had only two simple requirements for the caster: first, to withstand the power of a Tailed Beast; second, it could only be used once per Tailed Beast in a lifetime.

Josuke didn't know the specific reason. Could the Second Hokage have lied to himself?

But was the Second Hokage a Jinchuriki? It seemed a bit unreliable to be researching Sealing Techniques to capture Tailed Beasts there. Josuke thought again, *forget it, since I'm here, I can't leave empty-handed. I might as well see it through and learn Sealing Heavenly World.

The learning process was very tedious, so we'll skip directly to today, when he had achieved mastery.

Today was also the day Orochimaru returned, and Sasuke returned with him. Both of them looked disheveled and battered.

Their miserable state naturally attracted Josuke's attention.

"What's wrong? You look so battered?"

Orochimaru's expression was grim, and his hatred for those treacherous individuals grew.

Neither of them spoke. Kabuto appeared behind them and said to Josuke.

"Originally, we had a shipment of goods being transported back to base. It had always been very discreet, but today, it was intercepted midway by Ibiki and his people. The group included elite Jonin from Konoha, and even Lord Orochimaru was injured."

"Is that so?"

Josuke pondered for a moment. How could the Konoha ninjas have gotten their intelligence, let alone intelligence about their supply transport? Regarding procurement, Josuke remembered.

Orochimaru himself usually kept a very tight lid on it.

Therefore, two possibilities existed: an inside informant or a double-cross. As for who the double-crosser was, Josuke didn't need to say it; the handsome Tomato Man readers and beautiful Tomato Miss readers would already know.

It was none other than our great, fifth-and-a-half Hokage!

A loyalist who carried the Will of Fire to the very end.

"Did you find out who it was?"

After a moment of thought, Josuke asked.

Orochimaru shook his head. He currently had no leads. Furthermore, the time for his Living Corpse Reincarnation was drawing near, and he felt groggy every day.

He urgently needed a new vessel.

As he spoke, his eyes fell on Sasuke.

"I can confirm our people are not the problem, but I suspect our partners might be!"

Orochimaru's voice was so cold, Josuke felt like he didn't need air conditioning.

If you dared to provoke Orochimaru, you might not dare to retaliate on the spot, but there were plenty of examples of him exacting a hundredfold revenge later.

So Orochimaru commanded:

"..."