Orochimaru looked at Keigo Uchiha, now an Elite Jonin, and sighed with emotion. "Having such a powerful disciple really is a blessing!"
If not for Keigo Uchiha and Hyuga Ruri,
hunting a Tailed Beast would certainly not have been so simple.
It might even have ended in failure. But now that he had the Sharingan and Byakugan, he was sure to succeed!
Keigo Uchiha's mouth twitched slightly. He glanced at Orochimaru. "Teacher, do you finally see the benefits of having me as your disciple?"
At the beginning,
Orochimaru hadn't wanted to take them on as disciples at all.
He'd acted as though he was completely unwilling.
But now that he'd recognized Keigo's knowledge and strength, as well as Hyuga Ruri's talent, the man had become a completely different person!
"Of course."
Orochimaru immediately understood what Keigo Uchiha meant. Smiling warmly, he said, "Keigo-kun is the disciple I cherish and love most. If not for you, I might have needed more than ten years to uncover so many secrets."
Keigo Uchiha gave a couple of perfunctory laughs in agreement.
The two of them looked like the perfect picture of a loving teacher and filial student.
"Give me a break. Just let me know when you're heading out, teacher. And give me a Summoning Scroll for Ryūchi Cave. I need to set up some ways to protect myself before we go to Kumogakure."
Keigo Uchiha held out his hand without the slightest hesitation.
If you wanted him to do the work, you had to offer him something first, right?
He acted as though it were only natural.
Orochimaru's mouth twitched. With a helpless look, he summoned a Summoning Scroll. "Do you really need ways to protect yourself? Once you activate your Storm Release Armor, even I would have trouble catching up to you. There aren't many people in the entire Shinobi World who can match your speed."
"If you want to swindle a Summoning Scroll out of me, just say so. And don't give the contract scroll to anyone else."
Orochimaru cautioned him, "Ryūchi Cave said that each summoner can choose no more than three summons. So you can't just hand it to someone else. Also... Ryūchi Cave is extremely dangerous. If you want to train in Senjutsu, don't go there alone!"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Caution showed in his amber pupils.
When he'd first signed the contract, he'd seen the White Snake Sage once. Her cold, sinister aura had been pure, chilling malice!
And beside Ryūchi Cave lay an endless pile of bones!
According to Ryūchi Cave, they all belonged to people who'd failed to master Senjutsu.
Orochimaru's voice turned solemn. He spoke each word carefully. "Those who fail get eaten by the sages of Ryūchi Cave! They have no chance to fight back!"
"That's one of the reasons I'm so cautious about learning Senjutsu. Ryūchi Cave's method is incredibly dangerous—hundreds of times more dangerous than Mount Myoboku's, and there's no turning back!"
The way of training at Ryūchi Cave
was a one-way road.
"Snakes that eat people, huh?"
Keigo Uchiha narrowed his eyes. He thought of the White Snake Sage from Naruto, radiating a chilling aura, and the three "guides," always ready to eat anyone who came along.
There was no mercy at Ryūchi Cave.
Even those who'd signed the contract would be eaten without hesitation if they failed!
"I understand. I'll be careful about it. Besides... I won't fail!"
Keigo Uchiha's lips curled into a confident smile.
He still had a Perfect Card on him. Whatever ninjutsu he tried to learn, it wasn't a matter of whether he could master it—only whether he wanted to!
"Then, teacher, let me know when you need me."
After Keigo Uchiha finished speaking,
he saw that Orochimaru looked eager to get back to his research, so he left at once.
Orochimaru hadn't discovered anything useful yet.
There was no point in hanging around.
Orochimaru waved him away and went back to his research.
"What an obsessive workaholic. No wonder Orochimaru achieved so much in Boruto. White Snake Sage, you wouldn't teach me Senjutsu? Fine, I'll just give it a makeover for you!"
Keigo Uchiha shook his head, unable to help finding it amusing.
"In some ways, Orochimaru is a very stubborn person."
"The more you tell him not to do something, the more determined he is to do it—and to do it well. He really has strived to be strong his whole life."
Keigo Uchiha couldn't help but sigh.
Perhaps that was exactly why
Orochimaru had been able to modify Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode and bestow it on others, making it even more powerful. It had even shown signs of turning them into dragons!
After some time, Orochimaru stretched.
He covered the Sharingan and Byakugan behind him, rubbed his forehead, and turned to leave.
"Research takes time. If I want to become stronger, I should focus on what's in front of me. The Eight-Tails... is a good target."
Orochimaru walked out of the laboratory.
He was quite pleased with the progress he'd made in his research lately.
At the same time, a trace of coldness entered his eyes. "Why did Ryūchi Cave refuse to teach me Sage Mode? And... Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode is far too brutal. My goal is immortality, and learning every ninjutsu!"
"If training in Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode is too dangerous, then... I'll have to consider other ways to become stronger."
"Besides, it's only Sage Mode. There's no reason I can't figure it out myself!"
He snorted, his eyes full of pride!
He'd once coveted Sage Mode, but now Keigo had given him a new way to think about it. He had other paths to power, so he no longer needed to rely on Sage Mode alone!
And once Keigo learned it, Orochimaru could learn it from him, couldn't he?
After all, that fellow Keigo had even more talent than he did!
"Lord Orochimaru!"
A rush of wind sounded.
An Anbu Ninja appeared beside Orochimaru. "Lord Hokage requests your presence. Please go to the Hokage Building."
With that,
the Anbu Ninja vanished just as quickly.
"The old man? What difficult matter does he need me to handle now?"
Orochimaru paused.
A helpless expression crossed his pale face.
"Honestly, Jiraiya's been acting strange lately too. He actually believes that he's the mentor of the Child of Prophecy, and that his purpose in life is to find the Child of Prophecy. He leaves the village every few days. He's completely lost it."
Because Jiraiya kept leaving the village,
a lot of missions had piled up on Orochimaru.
As for Tsunade, she'd been listless lately. Dan Katō had died more than six months ago, and she hadn't taken a single mission since. Humans... really were such insignificant creatures.
Orochimaru sighed softly, but the resolve in his eyes only grew stronger!
Before long, he arrived at the Hokage Building.
The Hokage's office.
"What is it, old man? What do you need me to do this time?"
When he looked up, he saw the stern expression on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath and slammed his hand down on the desk, his gaze fierce!
A cold glint flashed in his eyes!
At once,
Orochimaru's heart sank!
Could it be... his experiments had been discovered?
Human experimentation... was forbidden!
Before you continue