Jiraiya's Shock

Sound Ninja Village, Ninja World.

This was a small village founded personally by Orochimaru, located in the Land of Fields, north of the Land of Fire.

Because the Land of Fields was small and weak, wedged between the five great nations, and the village was newly established, Orochimaru had been focusing his primary energy on the Main God Space. Consequently, the Sound Ninja Village actually consisted of only a few dozen ninja and some civilians.

Yet, today, this weak little village welcomed a mysterious visitor.

At a high vantage point outside the Sound Ninja Village, a middle-aged man with long white hair was secretly lurking and observing. This man was none other than Jiraiya, one of the Sannin of Konoha Village.

Jiraiya surveyed the Sound Ninja Village with a complex expression; he could not understand why Orochimaru would defect from the village to establish a place like this.

In his view, the Sound Ninja Village was merely a temporary gathering place for rogue ninja, even housing quite a few children. The civilians who depended on these ninja were not living particularly happy lives, as they had to labor to provide for them.

Although he could not comprehend it, he could not watch his old friend go down the wrong path! He had been investigating Orochimaru's tracks in secret for a long time, and now he had finally caught a lead, following it all the way here.

After waiting for a long time, Jiraiya finally saw a ninja sneak out of the village.

He immediately followed, subdued the man, and transformed into his likeness, preparing to bluff his way into the Sound Ninja Village.

However, no sooner had he infiltrated than he was notified that Lord Orochimaru requested his presence.

Heaven helps me!

Jiraiya felt a surge of joy. He followed a ninja through a building that looked like a prison and arrived at an experimental base within the village.

When he saw the person in charge, he was shocked to discover that the man before him was not Orochimaru, but a handsome stranger!

"Interesting. Who are you, to dare sneak in here?"

The one who summoned Jiraiya was Orochimaru's clone, Kinomata Orochi. From the moment he saw Jiraiya, his Sharingan detected that something was wrong with his subordinate.

Although this subordinate was the temporary person-in-charge of the village, he did not possess the powerful Chakra of the man before him.

Jiraiya stared at the body of "Orochimaru" in equal shock.

"This is... the Sharingan!" The three-tomoe Sharingan in the eyes of the Orochimaru clone shocked Jiraiya, but he quickly decided to capture this person directly to extract information.

"Barrier: Toad Mouth Bind!"

As Jiraiya formed hand seals, a massive toad appeared in the room, filling the entire space.

The moment the toad appeared, it swiftly spat out a long, slender tongue, swallowing the Sound ninja before him whole.

The summoned toad was a Gourd Toad from Mount Myoboku, which contained an independent barrier space within its stomach capable of isolating all sensory perception.

Inside the Toad Mouth Bind, countless stone pillars rose above a vast lake of acidic gastric juices.

"This way, dealing with you here won't alert the outside world."

Exhaling a long breath, Jiraiya said with a grave expression, "It seems you aren't from the Uchiha clan. Tell me your origins and Orochimaru's whereabouts, or I'm afraid you'll have to suffer a bit."

Although this body of Orochimaru was a part of his soul split off from the main, its memories and cognition were identical, and it possessed autonomous thinking capabilities; thus, this body was just as familiar with Jiraiya as the original.

"Heh, Jiraiya, you are as foolish as ever."

Hearing that familiar tone, Jiraiya's pupils dilated instantly. He looked closely at the person before him again:

The disdain and mockery in those eyes felt as if he had returned to that summer many years ago, after he had shown off a newly learned ninjutsu in front of Tsunade and Orochimaru, only to fail and make a fool of himself.

Back then, Orochimaru had used that same tone of disdain to say: "Idiot!"

The face of Orochimaru in his memories seemed to overlap with the face of the stranger before him, and Jiraiya couldn't help but exclaim:

"Orochimaru!"

"Long time no see. You've made some progress."

Seeing the other party admit it, Jiraiya felt a flash of joy, followed by a heavy heart.

He asked in a deep voice: "You actually harmed your comrades and defected from Konoha! Come back with me and face your mistakes!"

"Tch~ I don't consider them comrades, just tools. Besides, being able to provide some residual value for my research is better than dying on a meaningless battlefield."

Hearing Orochimaru's cold and heartless words, a nameless anger surged in Jiraiya's heart.

"You're always like this, always so self-righteous. You think everyone else is wrong and only you are right, and that even the lives of your village comrades aren't as important as your research! Orochimaru, I will bring you back today, even if I have to break your arms and legs!"

"Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"

Jiraiya's long white hair grew wildly in an instant, forming the shape of a lion's head that completely bound the Orochimaru clone. Yet, the clone stood there blankly, allowing Jiraiya's hair to wrap around his body.

"No, it's a substitution!"

The moment the hair bound the body, Jiraiya realized that this was no Orochimaru body; it was clearly just a wooden substitute!

"When? No, this isn't a normal clone. What is this?"

Jiraiya's elongated hair tightened around the "Orochimaru," and with just a slight exertion, the figure was twisted into a pile of wood shards.

Before he could think further, the ground beneath his feet shattered, and several thick wooden stakes, like giant pythons, coiled toward him.

Fortunately, Jiraiya had sensed something was wrong and dodged the sudden attack with a backflip.

However, the giant wooden stakes that had appeared out of thin air did not continue to attack after missing; instead, they stopped and began to grow slowly. Soon, a human figure emerged from the wood—it was Orochimaru's clone, Kinomata Orochi.

Watching this scene, countless questions flashed through Jiraiya's mind. He spoke directly:

"This is Wood Release, isn't it! Orochimaru, have you desecrated the remains of the First Hokage?"

It is common knowledge that Wood Release is the unique kekkei genkai of the First Hokage of Konoha Village, Hashirama Senju. Since Hashirama Senju, no one in the Senju clan has awakened Wood Release.

Therefore, if Orochimaru had been conducting research on ordinary members of the Senju clan, it would have been difficult to develop Wood Release, which was the reason for his question.

"What is 'desecration'? It is merely defined by men; what is the point of saying such things? However, our beloved First Hokage is indeed of great research value!"

"Orochimaru!"

Jiraiya was truly enraged. The First Hokage, whom he respected and who had single-handedly founded Konoha, was being held in such contempt by his former comrade!

He did not understand what had gone wrong. He had only left the village to travel and gather inspiration, yet he had received news of his disciples dying in battle and his close friend defecting one after another.

Now, with his friend right before his eyes, he could only watch helplessly as he walked down a different path.

"Even if I have to break your limbs, I will take you back to atone for your crimes! Summoning Technique!"

A massive, purplish-red toad was summoned. It held a diamond-shaped harpoon and carried a pot-lid-style shield on its back; it was Gamaken, one of the toads from Mount Myoboku contracted to Jiraiya.

The towering Gamaken was summoned specifically to stall the Orochimaru before him.

"Gamaken, I'm counting on you!"

Gamaken was a man of few words and ruthless action. He leaped directly, brandishing his ten-meter-long harpoon to smash the stone pillar upon which Kinomata Orochi stood, the scattered debris falling into the lake and being corroded into slag.

Kinomata Orochi, the clone, relied on his lifelike Wood Substitutions and Wood Clones to dodge with agility. Although Gamaken was nimble and his attacks fierce, he could not even touch the hem of Kinomata Orochi's garment.

By this time, Jiraiya had successfully summoned the two Toad Sages. The red oil paint on his face became more vivid, his pupils turned into those of a frog, and small bumps emerged on his face—this was Jiraiya's Sage Mode.

"I'll have to trouble you two, my lords."

Jiraiya said to the Toad Sages, Fukasaku and Shima, on his shoulders.

"Little Jiraiya, leave it to us."

"Sage Art: Needle Jizo!"

Jiraiya's hair instantly became as hard as iron, rapidly firing a sheet of tiny needles that struck Kinomata Orochi.

"Clang!"

Countless needles struck Kinomata Orochi's body in rapid succession, but they were all deflected by a pale green protective barrier on his skin.

"So-called Sage Mode is merely the utilization of natural energy, yet you presumptuously call yourselves sages—how ignorant!"

Kinomata Orochi's protective light withstood Jiraiya's attack. Feeling the spiritual energy within his body—not abundant after his transition to the path of immortality—he was intoxicated by the vibrant vitality it contained.

"Jiraiya, perhaps one day you will understand how narrow-minded you are! If a so-called sage cannot achieve longevity, what kind of sage are they? I am currently walking the path to becoming an immortal! Let me show you the power of the Immortal civilization!"

"Giant Sword Technique!"

A pale green magic circle appeared in the void in front of Kinomata Orochi. A spiritual sword several meters long emerged, absorbing the scarce natural energy in the air within the barrier, and its size rapidly expanded to several dozen meters.

The energy fluctuations surrounding it made cold sweat bead on Jiraiya's forehead.

"What kind of ninjutsu is this, to be able to draw upon natural energy for an attack!"

"Little Jiraiya, we cannot take this head-on!" Sage Fukasaku on his shoulder said with a grave expression.

Jiraiya gave a bitter smile. "I know that, of course, but I feel like I've been locked onto by an invisible intent; there's no dodging this."

"Let's attack with everything we have, Little Jiraiya!"

"Sage Art: Goemon!"

The two Toad Sages, Fukasaku and Shima, on his shoulders used Wind Release and Fire Release respectively, while Jiraiya spat out a massive volume of oil. The three ninjutsu—wind, fire, and oil—merged into one, forming a scorching sea of fire that engulfed the incoming giant sword!

"Did we block it?"

Surely such a large-scale combination ninjutsu would be enough to stop it?

However, the next moment, a massive explosion wave carrying chaotic energy fluctuations spread out like a halo.

This immense collision also caused the Gourd Toad to suffer heavy damage, forcing it to spit the two of them out of its body.

"Pfft~"

Jiraiya's figure was sent flying backward, crashing through several buildings.

Although Jiraiya's perception was extraordinary in Sage Mode, he had failed to predict this explosion, especially within the confines of the sealed barrier.

The massive commotion drew other ninjas from the Sound Ninja Village, and over a dozen ninjas wearing forehead protectors with musical note symbols rushed to the scene.

Seeing Kinomata Orochi standing in mid-air, the pale green protective light on his body nearly shattered, yet he appeared uninjured, the arriving ninjas quickly spread out to stand guard.

Although Kinomata Orochi had consumed most of his internal spiritual energy and his protective light was nearly broken, the power of this Giant Sword Technique exceeded his expectations.

And this was merely a low-level spell, yet its power had reached the third-tier level.

In reality, this was a coincidence of many factors; a normal Giant Sword Technique only possessed second-tier strength.

This body of Orochimaru possessed the cells of Hashirama Senju and the Sharingan, as well as Orochimaru's own genes. Among them, the cells of Hashirama Senju were the most domineering, manifesting externally as top-tier Wood-style talent.

Therefore, when this basic Giant Sword Technique was cast using this body, combined with the spiritual energy converted from a vast amount of chakra, the talent and energy intensity were maxed out, resulting in such power.

For anyone else just beginning their cultivation, achieving such results would likely be impossible.

After all, the Evergreen Technique Orochimaru exchanged for this body was merely a foundational wood-element cultivation method.

[Cultivation Method: Evergreen Technique

Rating: Tier 2, Low Grade

Description: A foundational cultivation method from the Immortal Dao civilization, which has specific requirements for the practitioner's constitution.

Price: C-Rank side quest *1, 2000 points]

As a foundational wood-element method of the Immortal Dao, it is already Tier 2, Low Grade. Most Tier 1 methods focus on cultivating True Qi; only upon reaching Tier 2 does True Qi transform into Spiritual Power, marking the first stage of refining essence into energy and the true beginning of the path to immortality.

According to Orochimaru's understanding, while this is just a foundational method, its destructive power—though far inferior to Tier 3 enhancements—possesses many exquisite techniques that most Tier 3 abilities lack.

Its only drawbacks are the Immortal Dao civilization's high requirements for cultivation talent, environmental conditions, magical treasures, and medicinal pills, as well as its long growth cycle.

For an ordinary person, it would take years or even decades of bitter toil just to enter the threshold, with the time required increasing exponentially thereafter.

However, the versatility and combat power of the Immortal Dao civilization are essentially at the top tier among those of the same rank!

It seems necessary to continue researching the integration of Daoist arts and Ninjutsu!

Orochimaru secretly set his research plan in his mind.

At this moment, a chorus of frog croaks suddenly erupted from where Jiraiya had vanished. Everyone who heard it fell into a genjutsu and lost consciousness, save for Kinomata Orochi.

Although Kinomata Orochi's Chakra had already been converted into Spiritual Power, his soul was merely a fragment, leaving him with low resistance to genjutsu. He could only expend his Spiritual Power to reinforce his protective light shield and use his consciousness to resist the illusion.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya, hidden in the shadows, remained motionless, allowing the two Toad Sages on his shoulders to chant the genjutsu.

Once this technique was unleashed, he himself could not move, so he had no choice but to remain hidden.

Seeing now that the genjutsu seemed ineffective against Kinomata Orochi—as he had not dropped his shield and collapsed—Jiraiya prepared to stake everything on one final gamble. Just then, Kinomata Orochi's voice rang out.

"Jiraiya, for Minato's sake, I will not hold this against you today. Tell him this settles the favor he owes me from last time."

"What did you say? Minato?"

Jiraiya was caught off guard and jumped out of his hiding spot in a state of agitation, forcing the Toad Chorus to stop.

Jiraiya seemed to have forgotten he was in the middle of a battle, but Kinomata Orochi continued.

"It seems you didn't know Minato is still alive. No matter; you would have found out sooner or later. It doesn't matter who tells you."

Jiraiya suppressed the shock in his heart and asked in a deep voice:

"Orochimaru, are you saying Minato didn't die?"

Kinomata Orochi sneered.

"Not only is he alive, he's doing quite well—and his strength has already far surpassed you, his teacher!"

Jiraiya frowned, recalling recent secret intelligence from the Ninja World suggesting the Fourth Hokage of Konoha was alive. He had assumed it was a smokescreen set by the village, but it appeared to be true.

A surge of joy welled up in his heart, but as he looked at his former friend who had become a stranger, a sense of desolation inexplicably took hold.

Why was he always just a little bit short in everything he did? A little short of becoming Hokage, a little short of successfully confessing to Tsunade, and now, a little short of saving his comrade...

However, since he had declared he would bring him back, he had to keep his word! That was the Ninja Way of Master Jiraiya, the Gallant!

With this thought, Jiraiya's mind cleared, and his fighting spirit surged!

Kinomata Orochi frowned. He had hoped to dismiss Jiraiya with a few words, but he hadn't expected him to grow more courageous the longer they fought.

His own body was only just beginning to cultivate Daoist arts, and his Spiritual Power was already running low. Facing a Tier 3 Mid-Grade opponent like Jiraiya was truly a headache.

Of course, it's not that I can't beat him; I just don't want to tangle with this idiot! Kinomata Orochi consoled himself.

"Then I have no choice but to send you away!"

Having made up his mind, Kinomata Orochi used his remaining Spiritual Power to drive a wood-element technique to entangle Jiraiya, then used a blinding technique to appear behind him.

A miniature scroll appeared, a sudden spatial fluctuation flashed, and Jiraiya vanished.