Jiraiya: Snake Bro, Don't!

The process had hit a few snags. That old hag had taken him for a ride, and he'd nearly been caught with his pants down.

Still, the outcome wasn't bad.

Orochimaru had not only learned Sage Mode from Ryūchi Cave, but had also signed a Summoning Contract with the place.

Just like that, another month slipped by.

During that month, aside from completing two missions, Orochimaru had devoted most of his time to studying Senjutsu.

To enter Sage Mode, there were generally two steps.

First, sense Natural Energy.

This required the practitioner to bring mind and body into harmony with nature and enter a state of "stillness."

It sounded mysterious, but for Orochimaru, who had experience cultivating in the One Person world, it wasn't difficult.

He closed his eyes and focused slightly. Then he could clearly "see" the Natural Energy drifting through the air, present everywhere.

Second, absorb Natural Energy and fuse it with one's spiritual and physical energy—that is, Chakra—to achieve perfect balance.

In theory, once both steps were complete, Sage Mode was mastered.

But the problem was... combat.

Combining those two steps and reliably entering Sage Mode in the ever-changing chaos of battle was a whole different matter.

It was practically impossible.

At least, it was for him right now.

Every time he tried absorbing Natural Energy while moving or distracted, the result was the same—his body instantly fell out of balance, and he nearly turned to stone on the spot.

To figure out why, he had even made a special trip to Ryūchi Cave to ask the White Snake Sage, the one who had nearly led him to ruin.

But that old hag had played dumb. What had she said?

"Use Senjutsu in combat?"

"Why would you even need to think about that?"

"Doesn't Natural Energy just flow into your body on its own?"

"Why would you need to absorb it deliberately?"

Her matter-of-fact tone had nearly made Orochimaru laugh in anger.

Right.

He might as well not have asked.

Orochimaru had finally understood.

For a creature like the White Snake Sage, absorbing Natural Energy was as instinctive as breathing or drinking water. It was written into her genes.

Did an ordinary person need to think about how to walk or jump?

No.

But humans in this world were different.

Aside from people like Jugo, whose special constitution came with a natural "Natural Energy absorption" cheat, most people struggled even to sense Natural Energy.

Absorbing and controlling it was even harder.

Even Naruto Uzumaki, the protagonist, had needed Toad Oil from Mount Myoboku to help him get started.

Put simply,

compared with creatures like White Snakes and Toads, humans were like people born without legs.

If they wanted to learn to "walk"—to absorb Natural Energy—they had to start from scratch.

At first, they were bound to stumble and fall, scraping their knees along the way.

As for when they might be able to stride along like ordinary people?

Who knew?

At that thought, Orochimaru recalled a few details from the original story.

His "original self" had later taken the form of the Eight-Headed Serpent. Besides pursuing greater power and a twisted form of immortality, he had probably done so to study Senjutsu.

After all, both the extent to which he had developed the Cursed Seal and the method of injecting its power were remarkably similar to Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu.

Perhaps that was why Kabuto Yakushi had been able to master Sage Mode so quickly after inheriting his cells. It was probably tied to that "legacy."

But that result had taken a great deal of time and resources to produce. It had even required using a precious research subject like Jugo.

Right now, he had neither people nor time.

Recreating it?

It was basically impossible...

"So that means..."

"For the time being, Sage Mode is basically all show and no substance. It's not much use in actual combat."

Orochimaru rubbed his brow and reached a rather frustrating conclusion.

His Chakra reserves couldn't compare to Naruto's, that Chakra monster who could churn out hundreds of Shadow Clones and make Rasengan after Rasengan.

If he made Shadow Clones, each one wouldn't have enough Chakra to suppress the rampaging Natural Energy.

In other words, he couldn't use Shadow Clones to absorb Natural Energy...

He had also confirmed with the White Snake Sage that the snakes of Ryūchi Cave couldn't cooperate in activating Sage Mode the way Fukasaku and Shima did.

"But... with so many problems, it's all the more worth studying."

At the thought, Orochimaru smiled. That was precisely what made it worth studying.

The next day.

Orochimaru sought out Jiraiya.

Jiraiya had just finished his morning training. He was sprawled on a windowsill, grinning stupidly at the kunoichi sweating it out on the training ground, while scribbling in a notebook.

"Well, well, Orochimaru. This is a rare visit."

"What can I do for you?"

Jiraiya greeted him without turning around, the tip of his pen still dancing across the page.

"Nothing much. I've made a little progress, and I wanted to show you."

Orochimaru ignored his banter and walked over, speaking in a calm voice.

"Hm?"

Jiraiya paused. He knew his teammate was doing research.

But was there any need to show it to an amateur like him?

As soon as the words left Orochimaru's mouth,

WHUM!

A vast, pure energy surged from within him.

Strange purple markings appeared at the corners of his eyes. Fine white snake scales glimmered with a cold sheen across his exposed neck and the backs of his hands.

His entire presence suddenly grew far more powerful...

"Hmm?!!!!"

The pen in Jiraiya's hand clattered to the floor.

He whipped around, eyes wide, staring at Orochimaru in disbelief.

His expression was as if he'd seen a ghost in broad daylight.

"Sa... Sage Mode?!"

"You-you-you... how can you use Sage Mode?!"

Jiraiya's voice cracked.

He had spent months being put through the wringer by the old toads of Mount Myoboku just to learn this stuff, and he still hadn't even gotten his foot in the door.

But Orochimaru, that straight-laced bastard, had learned it without a word?

That made no sense!

Then Jiraiya noticed the features on Orochimaru's body. They weren't those of a Toad.

"You..."

Jiraiya was about to press him for answers when Orochimaru cut him off.

"It's not from Mount Myoboku. The Senjutsu I learned comes from Ryūchi Cave."

Orochimaru dispelled Sage Mode. The changes quickly faded, and he returned to normal.

He briefly explained the existence of Ryūchi Cave and how he had been "invited" there to learn Senjutsu.

"...I see. So there's a place called Ryūchi Cave, too."

"Then did you come here to show off?"

Jiraiya listened, wearing an enlightened expression, then grew curious.

He hadn't expected Orochimaru to have an experience so similar to his own...

"No. I wanted to invite you to study Senjutsu together."

Orochimaru nodded, then shifted the subject.

"Huh?"

Jiraiya blinked.

"Study it together?"

"That's right. We might be the only ones who can sense Natural Energy right now...

Since you're learning Senjutsu, we could share what we know and compare notes."

Orochimaru nodded. That was why he had come to Jiraiya.

"So that's it~"

Jiraiya rubbed his chin, thinking it over.

Orochimaru's offer was certainly tempting.

He was just as curious about and eager to learn Senjutsu.

Besides, he really wanted to know how Orochimaru had mastered Sage Mode in such a short time.

There had to be some trick to it!

"Fine!"

"I'm in!"

After a brief pause, Jiraiya nodded firmly.

"Come with me."

Orochimaru smiled without committing himself.

He turned and led Jiraiya toward the laboratory.

Jiraiya followed, curious.

When the lab doors opened, even Jiraiya, who had seen plenty in his life, was stunned by the sight.

The spacious, brightly lit room was filled with all kinds of machines that looked far too expensive to afford. Bubbles rose in glass containers, and a faint smell of disinfectant hung in the air.

"Wow, you've done well for yourself. Where'd you get all this fancy stuff?"

Like a country bumpkin in a big city, Jiraiya looked around in amazement.

"I just put a few things together."

"All right, stop looking."

"Take off your clothes and get up there."

Orochimaru walked over to a platform and pointed at it.

"Hm?"

Jiraiya's look of amazement froze at once.

He slowly turned to look at Orochimaru, his eyes turning suspicious.

Take... take off his clothes?

A million thoughts flashed through his mind.

Tsunade had a short temper and an average figure, but at least she had a pretty face, right?

And all these years, Orochimaru had never seemed interested in her.

So why now...

He wanted Jiraiya to take his clothes off right away?

This guy... couldn't be...

Holy crap!

Jiraiya instinctively took half a step back, hugged himself, and eyed Orochimaru warily.

"Orochimaru, what... what are you planning to do?!"