Coming to Deceive

"Orochimaru!"

Faced with Orochimaru's sudden erratic behavior, Jiraiya and Tsunade immediately called out to stop him. Was he attacking a fellow villager? Or someone who had brought back crucial intelligence?

Even if they wanted to test or spar, this wasn't the place. They were still within the borders of the Land of Grass, a battlefield where Konoha ninja could encounter enemies at any moment.

Regardless, Orochimaru's actions were too bizarre for his two teammates to accept.

Did Orochimaru mistake him for a spy?

They were all Konoha ninja and had to adhere to the principle of not harming each other.

Jiraiya tried to restrain Orochimaru, but at the same time, his gaze was fixed on Yuzuru, who was bound by the Shadow Snake Hand. Intuitively, he felt that the Natural Energy within Yuzuru was nearing its limit.

However, Yuzuru didn't allow the Natural Energy within him to reach saturation. Doing so would force him to "transform." For now, he had no need to voluntarily expose one of his most important secrets. So, after absorbing some Natural Energy, he let it leak out again.

The snakes wrapped around him, sensing this Natural Energy, immediately broke free from Orochimaru's control. As if they had touched something they shouldn't have, they instantly released Yuzuru.

"Huh? He broke free just like that?"

While Jiraiya had a general understanding of what Yuzuru had done, Tsunade was bewildered. Orochimaru's eyes flashed with disbelief; he had never seen this method of breaking a technique before.

"Lord Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade, I understand what Lord Orochimaru means. He wants to ask me why I can summon communication snakes like him... We can talk as we walk." Yuzuru remained calm, showing no intention of retaliating. He even reminded the team that they should start moving.

Orochimaru's face was stern and expressionless, but the slight furrow of his brow made his dangerous snake-like pupils lengthen even further.

Perhaps it was Yuzuru's reaction, or perhaps it was because Jiraiya had already placed a hand on him, but in any case, Orochimaru didn't make any further unnecessary moves.

"It's not safe here. Let's talk as we go," Jiraiya said.

With Jiraiya's little story about Mount Myōboku as an example, Yuzuru naturally knew how to spin a tale.

However, before getting to the main point, the "story" needed some setup.

"Sirs, some strange things have indeed happened to me... I was originally just a regular Genin, and my own Chakra was insignificant. But after arriving on the battlefield, for some reason, my strength suddenly grew considerably at a bizarre rate."

"Although I can't compare to true powerhouses, compared to my former self, I seem to be somewhat abnormal now."

"These inexplicable occurrences make me feel somewhat apprehensive. I suspect something has changed within my body."

The team moved towards the southeast at a normal pace. The three listened quietly to Yuzuru's story, not urging him on.

Jiraiya kindly offered comfort, "War promotes a ninja's growth. You don't need to worry too much about things like this. There are many examples like yours... This is essentially what's called a ninja's talent."

In his heart, he thought that Yuzuru's growth might be related to Natural Energy. The way Yuzuru used Natural Energy was clearly different from the style of Mount Myōboku.

He began to suspect Yuzuru was a natural-born Senju.

Toads needed to remain still to absorb Natural Energy, but Yuzuru absorbed it as naturally as breathing... Of course, there was no inherent superiority or inferiority between these two methods; they simply focused on different aspects.

When it came to synthesizing Sage Chakra and the subsequent process of entering Sage Mode, the still-absorption method of Mount Myōboku was more conducive to refined control over Natural Energy. In other words, from a "teaching" perspective, the method of the Mount Myōboku toads was more logical.

"Returning to the matter of summoning, I previously participated in the operation in the Land of Grass under Captain Chōji. However, during the subsequent chaotic battle, I unfortunately got separated from my squad. Faced with an encirclement by Iwagakure ninja, I was forced into the Land of Rain."

"In a state of isolation and facing overwhelming odds, to escape, I risked trying the only space-time Ninjutsu I knew... the Summoning Technique. Under those circumstances, I would have accepted either outcome, being summoned or summoning."

Hearing Yuzuru say this, Jiraiya suddenly laughed heartily. To those who didn't know the inside story, his emotional change seemed quite eccentric. When Jiraiya was young, it was precisely because he recklessly used the Summoning Technique that he ended up on Mount Myōboku, thus changing his destiny as a ninja.

"So, were you summoned away?" Jiraiya asked.

"Obviously not. I was still in the Land of Rain. Fortunately, the Summoning Technique I activated actually succeeded. I summoned a white snake without a contract... It was very powerful, and it was because of this white snake that I survived the enemy encirclement."

Yuzuru's story differed from Jiraiya's experience. In fact, apart from the parts he concealed, everything Yuzuru said was the truth.

The difference was that the summoned snake was called out under circumstances where he had a relatively high degree of certainty, not by chance. After appearing, the snake dealt with Amegakure ninja rather than Iwagakure ninja.

"Upon seeing the summoned snake, I immediately guessed that I might have used the same Ninjutsu as Lord Orochimaru. That's why I later thought of using the summoned snake to transmit messages."

"After a few attempts, I seem to have succeeded."

With that, Yuzuru's story was mostly complete. The rest depended on how much these three could infer.

"I see... The story is quite plausible."

Jiraiya's tone was filled with emotion, causing Tsunade and Orochimaru to glance at him. Plausible? Plausible where? Did he think everyone was like him, able to get lucky and end up on Mount Myōboku when using the Summoning Technique?

"What about the contract?" Orochimaru, who had remained silent, finally spoke.

"What?"

"Did you sign a summoning contract... with Ryūchi Cave, with that white snake?"

"I didn't sign a contract, but I do have the ability to summon communication snakes, even now."

"..."

This was too strange.

"Contractless summoning is impossible. The only plausible explanation is that you signed a contract, but it was in a very special form that you didn't realize."

As expected of Jiraiya, he guessed correctly.

Regarding certain matters, Jiraiya understood more than Orochimaru and Tsunade at this point, so he was the one most capable of making inferences here.

"Jiraiya, what exactly do you mean? Explain it in detail." Tsunade was starting to get agitated. If Jiraiya continued to be cryptic, he would soon face her iron fist.

"Orochimaru, Tsunade, you should have some understanding of Natural Energy and Sage Mode, right?"

Due to his grandfather, Tsunade knew some information about this. However, Orochimaru was different; he was a bit confused at this moment.

"Sensing and calling upon Natural Energy is the foundation for activating Sage Mode. All three Great Sage Regions have related inheritances. We summoners are beings chosen by the Sage Regions who possess the aptitude to learn Sage Mode... Yuzuru, you are the same as us in this regard."

"Aren't you surprised by your own growth rate? This might be related to your ability to use Natural Energy," Jiraiya revealed the secret.

Yuzuru's expression was naturally more bewildered than Orochimaru's. He was supposed to know nothing about Natural Energy.

Jiraiya sensed the changes in the Natural Energy within Yuzuru's body. At this moment, he felt the concentration of the Natural Energy slowly decreasing...

"Is it like the tides, Natural Energy mobilized unconsciously by emotions? It gathers upon sensing Orochimaru's hostility, and dissipates after the danger is gone?" Jiraiya guessed inwardly.

Such talent was truly enviable.

Jiraiya thought about his own process of learning to sense Natural Energy and immediately felt like he had lived his life in vain.