Natural Energy Affinity Affix

Orochimaru cast a glance at Team Minato with his snake-like eyes.

He didn't pay much attention to Kakashi; as the son of the White Fang, and someone who barely qualified as high-level, he was well aware of his intelligence.

However, what was going on with that Uchiha?

It was common knowledge that chakra was a combination of spiritual and physical energy.

At this moment, within his incredibly keen sensory system—honed after his own modifications—the spiritual energy of that Uchiha brat was...

Powerful, and excessively active.

It was completely mismatched with his physical energy.

He had to keep in mind that he had seen plenty of Uchiha with Three Tomoe, and even those who awakened their Sharingan on the spot.

Yet, he had never encountered a phenomenon like this brat.

He licked his lips. "That Uchiha brat... interesting."

"To think someone could actually catch your eye?!" Jiraiya was taken aback, casting a glance over. "Hm? Which Uchiha is it?"

"The handsome one, right... Orochimaru." Tsunade's voice drifted over, and she raised an eyebrow.

She wouldn't have noticed if Orochimaru hadn't mentioned it, but as a Senju of the Forest, her sensory abilities, even if not on par with the Second Hokage, were certainly not to be underestimated.

At this moment, she also sensed that the brat's Yin Style energy seemed far too active.

She continued with a look of intrigue:

"Let's go, we'll know what's going on once we take a look."

As qualified ninja.

Even if they were just Genin!

They still possessed the basic fundamentals.

Even after Obito and Rin had cheered and jumped for joy for a moment, they began to settle down.

Focusing on the mission.

At this moment, they were all carefully checking their own ninja tools and supplies one by one.

"Is everyone ready?" Namikaze Minato asked with a beaming smile.

"All ready!"

"No problem."

"Everything is set, Minato-sensei."

Hearing the spirited responses of his students, Namikaze Minato felt a surge of excitement; as a team leader, leading his students on a mission outside the village was a first in his life!

"Then everyone... let's move out!"

"Oh~!"

Following that, the group trailed behind Namikaze Minato, intending to leave the training ground.

Just then—

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Three figures appeared on the scene.

"Yo~ Minato, today is your first time as a team leader, so we came to give you our blessings. You won't blame us for showing up unannounced, will you?"

Namikaze Minato looked at the speaker, his brow filled with pleasant surprise.

"Not at all, not at all. Having Jiraiya-sensei come to give his blessing couldn't be better... after all, this is a blessing from a Sage!"

Hearing this, the corners of Jiraiya's mouth curled up uncontrollably.

"Hahahaha, that's right! This Sage's blessing is just that good."

As he spoke, Jiraiya turned his head with a lecherous expression.

He said to the beautiful Tsunade:

"Look, even a disciple as handsome as mine needs my blessing. Tsunade, do you... need one too?"

The words sounded harmless enough; anyone could give a blessing.

But seeing the lecherous look on Jiraiya's face, it was clear his blessing certainly wasn't that 'simple.'

A vein throbbed on Tsunade's temple.

She raised her fist and lowered her gaze.

She warned Jiraiya in a low voice:

"Do you really want to give me a blessing~ Jiraiya~!"

"Ah?! Hahaha, just kidding, I'm just kidding!" At this moment, Jiraiya's face was beaded with cold sweat.

He was suddenly reminded of the fear he had lived under since childhood, dominated by Princess Tsunade's violent fists!

After hurriedly laughing it off, he turned to the members of Team Minato and said:

"So you are Minato's students, right? Not bad, not bad, you all have plenty of spirit."

Yuzhen and the others dared not act arrogant.

The three people standing before them were, in Konoha—no, in the entire Ninja World—names that commanded thunderous respect!

The group replied in unison:

"Greetings, Lord Jiraiya!"

They then continued, addressing the two standing beside him:

"And greetings, Lady Tsunade, Lord Orochimaru!"

Seeing their greeting, Orochimaru gave a calm nod in response.

Princess Tsunade, however, nodded with a look of mild boredom.

"No need to be so formal!" Jiraiya hurriedly chimed in. "I am Minato's teacher, and you are Minato's students; we're practically family."

With those words, the atmosphere on the scene instantly became more lively.

Jiraiya then continued:

"As Minato's students, this is your first mission outside the village as a team."

"I, Jiraiya, wish you all the best. May you complete your mission smoothly and return safely to Konoha."

Hearing this blessing, they all bowed in response:

"Thank you for your blessing, Lord Jiraiya!"

At this moment, Orochimaru asked Yuzhen:

"What is your name?"

Hearing this, Yuzhen pointed at himself in surprise.

Seeing that Orochimaru's gaze remained unmoved, he realized he was truly being asked.

"My name is Uchiha Yuzhen, Lord Orochimaru."

Orochimaru stared at Yuzhen with a look of keen interest.

He slowly opened his mouth to offer an invitation:

"Not bad. Once you are promoted to Chunin or Jonin, you may come to work in my department."

"Orochimaru!" Jiraiya shouted in a deep voice at this moment. "He is Minato's student; there will be arrangements for him later."

"Besides, the department you run isn't exactly a good place to be."

Orochimaru chuckled twice, took a step back, and said nothing more.

Jiraiya then stepped forward and patted Yuzhen on the shoulder.

He comforted him:

"Don't take his words too seriously, kid... If anything ever happens to you, as Minato's student and my grand-disciple, you can always come to me."

Seeing this, Uchiha Yuzhen remained calm and composed.

As Jiraiya patted his shoulder—

Swish—

Rays of rainbow-colored light from Affixes erupted before his eyes.

There were no gold or red ones.

But the blue and purple Affixes...

There were so many! Far more than the purple Affixes Namikaze Minato possessed.

Regarding this, he had his suspicions.

Jiraiya was a genius; there was no doubt about that.

But even among geniuses, there were gaps.

In the original story, he believed his own aptitude was poor and mediocre, but that was in comparison to...

Orochimaru, the super-genius who could use mortal strength to create the Cursed Seal of Immortality and reincarnation!

The Cursed Seal of Immortality was practically a low-end version of the Karma.

To explore the secrets of "gods" with mortal wisdom—

What a brilliant and peerless figure he was!

It was only because he compared himself to Orochimaru that he felt so self-deprecating.

Seeing this now, Jiraiya had red and gold Affixes, but none.

However, the sheer number of purple ones was enough to prove that the Toad Sage, who would become so formidable in later generations, was no mere reputation.

A flash of inspiration struck Uchiha Yuzhen's mind.

With a thought, he commanded, "System! Extract the Affix that best compensates for my shortcomings."

A flash of extraction light, visible only to Uchiha Yuzhen, swept past.

[Natural Energy Affinity (Blue)]:

This is the proof of one who has an affinity with nature; possessing this Affix allows you to absorb the power of nature.

Effect: Chakra capacity slightly increased, Natural Energy Affinity slightly increased.

At this moment, Uchiha Yuzhen was a bit bewildered.

Why did the system extract a blue Affix instead of a powerful purple one?

Wait!

Just now, in his heart, he had asked the system to extract...

The Affix that best compensated for his shortcomings.

In the system's judgment, was this the most suitable one for him?

That must be it!

For thousands of years, the Uchiha clan had never produced a ninja capable of practicing Sage Mode.

Not even a protagonist like Sasuke.

None at all!

Was it that the Uchiha lacked the aptitude for Sage Mode?

Did the system extract this Affix specifically to make up for that deficiency?

Hmm... that must be it!

Just then, Minato walked over and began to exchange pleasantries with his three elders.

A moment later, Namikaze Minato turned around and walked over to his students.

He spoke with high spirits:

"Let's head out and escort our client safely to the Land of Tea."

"Yes, Minato-sensei!"