The Learning Process

You had to admit, Orochimaru was a born schemer, but the perks that came with him were pretty good too. No wonder he had become the big boss of the Sound Village.

It was not as if he lacked strength. Josuke figured that his own status under Orochimaru was probably something like a high-ranking member.

Otherwise, he would not have been able to come and go freely in Orochimaru's ninjutsu archive. Of course, even if Josuke wanted to enter, no one could stop him anyway.

Come to think of it, the only reason he wanted to learn sealing techniques was a momentary impulse. Well, not entirely. Ever since Josuke had inexplicably awakened his Mangekyō—

He had begun to feel a little anxious about gains and losses. The Mangekyō was useful, sure, but it also meant he would have to replace his eyes sooner or later.

Eternal Mangekyō?

What a joke. Could he even get it? And whose eyes would he use? Shisui's? By then, those eyes would probably have burned out already.

He would likely spend his entire life stuck at this stage: the Mangekyo Sharingan.

As for eternal light?

Josuke did not dare hope for that much. In truth, his original goal had never been the Mangekyō. It had been to transplant Hashirama Cells and develop them to their utmost limit.

To become the next Hashirama!!!

The idea was beautiful, and reality was even more beautiful—cough, cough, cough. Ptooey, ptooey. Reality was harsh.

But if he went blind later on, it seemed like he could just wait for Six Paths Naruto to donate two eyes. That would not be a bad deal. Even if he lost the Mangekyō, he could still dominate the ninja world with Wood Release.

With that, Josuke became optimistic again and continued searching for sealing technique scrolls.

What Josuke did not know was that his closest loved ones had long since personally given him eternal light. All he needed was an opportunity, waiting quietly for the flowers to bloom.

That was getting off topic.

Why did Josuke want to learn sealing techniques?

Although Josuke was not particularly ambitious, he had always had a goal since childhood. It was not a grand goal, merely one concerning you, me, and him. Yet if pursued to the end, it might mean becoming an enemy of the entire ninja world.

To protect the family and loved ones around him, in the name of Uchiha.

That was why Josuke needed power—the power of the tailed beasts. That was also why he had defected. There was truly no room for growth in that goddamn Hidden Leaf Village.

He was not some crown prince who could awaken powers, defeat monsters, and level up all the way through.

He was an Uchiha brat. In the Hidden Leaf Village, he would have been satisfied enough not to face open discrimination. If the villagers ever invited people out for drinks, he would absolutely be sitting at Naruto's table.

As for how many tails he wanted, how to capture one, or how exactly he would go about it, Josuke had no clue. There was already a trace amount of tailed beast chakra within his body, though it was not much.

But his strength had indeed improved.

That was why Josuke wanted to capture a tailed beast and become a jinchūriki.

Of course, all of that was merely Josuke's fantasy. Still, learning sealing techniques was not a bad thing. On the contrary, it could broaden his arsenal.

He might as well learn a few, just in case.

Sealing scrolls, sealing scrolls...

After some thought, Josuke finally found a thick scroll. It recorded all sorts of sealing techniques, large and small.

Some could only seal small ninja tools, while others could seal half a bridge. Naturally, the main attraction was there too: sealing techniques for subduing tailed beasts.

Most importantly, these sealing techniques had mostly been left behind by Tobirama Senju, Hidden Leaf Village's master of forbidden techniques!!!

Holy crap.

Tears still lingered from days gone by~

Ptooey.

Why was background music playing again?

That was not the important part. The important part was the content. One of the techniques inside was especially suitable for Josuke: a sealing technique for subduing a tailed beast alone. It could sever the connection at any time, caused no pain or backlash, and showed immediate, obvious results.

Cough, cough, cough.

In short, there was a sealing technique that suited Josuke perfectly. It was called Sealing Art: Takamagahara World.

(I made this one up myself. There's no deeper meaning to it; it was taken from Takamagahara in Japanese mythology. The first time I learned about Takamagahara was while playing Honkai: Star Rail. How did you know I had E0S1 Acheron? Ptooey, getting off topic again. Anyway, that's how it is.)

What a terrifying technique. Josuke sucked in a breath. How did Orochimaru have a scroll like this? Could he have dug up the Second Hokage's grave?

It did seem like he had dug it up. Then having this was perfectly normal. Takamagahara World only had two simple requirements for its user. First, they had to be able to withstand a tailed beast's power. Second, it could only be used once in a lifetime on any given tailed beast.

Josuke had no idea why exactly. The Second Hokage could not have been lying to himself, could he?

But had the Second Hokage even been a jinchūriki? Developing sealing techniques to subdue tailed beasts without being one himself seemed a little unreliable. Then again, Josuke thought, he was already here. He could not exactly leave empty-handed. He might as well see it through and learn Sealing Art: Takamagahara World.

The learning process was extremely dull, so let us skip straight to the present, when he had finally mastered it.

Today was also the day Orochimaru returned. Sasuke had returned with him as well, and both of them looked dusty, battered, and utterly disheveled.

Their bedraggled state naturally caught Josuke's attention.

"What happened? Why do you both look so miserable?"

Orochimaru's expression darkened, and his hatred for those slippery bastards deepened a little more.

Neither of them spoke. Then Kabuto appeared behind them and said to Josuke,

"We had a shipment of goods being transported back to the base. It had always been kept extremely secret, but today, Ibiki and his men intercepted it halfway through. There were quite a few elite Hidden Leaf jonin among them. Even Lord Orochimaru was injured."

Was that so?

Josuke thought for a while. How could the Hidden Leaf ninjas have obtained their intelligence, especially intelligence about their supply transport? As far as Josuke remembered, Orochimaru always kept a very close eye on procurement himself.

Then two possibilities remained: either there was a mole, or someone had robbed them. As for who had robbed them, Josuke did not need to say it. The handsome male Tomato readers and lovely Tomato ladies surely already knew.

It was their great Five-and-a-Halfth Hokage!!!

A loyalist who carried the Will of Fire through to the end.

"Have you found out who it was?"

After thinking for a moment, Josuke asked.

Orochimaru shook his head. He had no leads for the time being. Besides, the time for Living Corpse Reincarnation was approaching, and he had been dizzy and muddleheaded every day lately.

He desperately needed a new vessel.

As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Sasuke.

"I am certain there is no problem with our own people. But our partners... I think they could be responsible!"

Orochimaru's voice was icy, making Josuke feel as though there was no need to turn on the air conditioning.

If you provoked Orochimaru, he might not dare fight back when he was getting beaten up on the spot, but there were countless examples of him repaying it a hundredfold afterward.

So Orochimaru gave the order,

"..."