Have You Ever Seen Shenron? Reckless Skill Development and Wishful Thinking

Two weeks later, in the Hokage's office.

A middle-aged ninja with a cold demeanor and deathly pale skin stood before the desk and said, "Teacher, the Raikage's attitude is extremely firm. He threatened that if we do not hand over the culprit, they will certainly retaliate in kind."

Hiruzen rubbed his brow and sighed. "As expected, trying to reason with those barbarians is not a wise choice."

After pondering for a moment, Hiruzen asked, "Orochimaru, what was your impression of Hidden Cloud Village during this diplomatic mission?"

Orochimaru answered without hesitation, "They are overflowing with martial spirit. Everyone is eager for war, and the entire village is permeated by the scent of gunpowder."

Hiruzen continued, "I heard that the Third Raikage has already had his son inherit the title of 'A,' making him a candidate for Raikage. Have the Hidden Cloud Village ninja raised any objections?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "That young man is very strong. He has perfectly inherited the Third Raikage's power and prestige, and the Hidden Cloud Village ninja are all convinced by him."

Hiruzen sighed. He felt somewhat envious. Though both his sons were decent enough, neither could inherit his prestige.

Orochimaru added, "I noticed that the Eight-Tails jinchuriki of Hidden Cloud Village seems to have developed a void in his heart. Their ninja are not sensitive enough; no one has yet noticed the problem with him."

"Oh? Blue B?" Hiruzen's eyes lit up. "I previously heard from intelligence reports that he excels in ninjutsu, lineage, ability, and character. He was considered a ninja who might become a perfect jinchuriki."

Orochimaru smiled. "People change, especially after becoming jinchuriki. Most people's attitudes toward them change as well. Without something to fill that emptiness in their hearts, even the finest ninja will fade."

The Third Hokage's expression turned cold. "If Hidden Cloud Village truly dares to retaliate in kind, find an opportunity to infiltrate them and undo the Iron Armor Seal on Blue B. Let the Eight-Tails go berserk."

Orochimaru first nodded, then looked somewhat puzzled. "Isn't this sort of matter usually entrusted to Elder Danzo?"

Hiruzen's expression was complicated. "I am beginning to doubt his loyalty."

Orochimaru was greatly surprised. No matter how outrageous Elder Danzo's actions had been in the past, his teacher had always shielded him. Why had he suddenly become suspicious? What had happened while Orochimaru was away from Konoha on his mission to Hidden Cloud Village?

Though he desperately wanted to uncover the answer, Hiruzen clearly did not wish to say more on the matter. He changed the subject instead. "After the Wood Release human experiments ended back then, did you ever secretly restart them?"

Even Orochimaru's heartbeat slowed for a moment, but his face remained calm. "Of course not. Why would you ask that, Teacher?"

Hiruzen said gravely, "Danzo told me that among the volunteers sacrificed back then, he found an unborn child. That child successfully fused with Wood Release. I cannot shake the feeling that something is wrong."

Wood Release! It was the experiment he and I conducted in secret! Orochimaru was shocked, but also puzzled. Danzo had even told the Third Hokage about the Wood Release matter. Wasn't that quite loyal of him?

Suppressing the shock in his heart, Orochimaru asked, "Teacher, is that Wood Release ninja named Senju Setsuna?"

Now it was Hiruzen's turn to be puzzled. "Why are you suddenly asking about Setsuna? Also, his name is not Senju Setsuna. It is Chiaki Setsuna."

Orochimaru smiled. "Jiraiya told me. On my way to the Land of Lightning, I ran into him in the Hidden Hot Springs Village."

Hiruzen did not know whether to laugh or cry. The Hidden Hot Springs Village was famous for its hot springs, so it was indeed unsurprising to encounter Jiraiya there.

Orochimaru continued, "His face was bruised at the time. I asked whether Tsunade had beaten him, and he said that while Tsunade had not beaten him, he had been beaten by someone suspected to be Tsunade's illegitimate son. He also told me that the little ninja named Senju Setsuna was even more talented than I was."

Hiruzen was speechless. Jiraiya even dared to spread rumors about Tsunade. Did he no longer want to return to Konoha alive?

Hiruzen shook his head helplessly. "Do not let him provoke you. That bastard means no good. He suffered a setback at Setsuna's hands, so he wants you to end up covered in dust as well."

Orochimaru was slightly surprised. From his teacher's words, it seemed Hiruzen truly believed he might suffer a setback. But if it was not Wood Release, he found it hard to imagine that a Genin could possess such strength.

"That Chiaki Setsuna..." Just as Orochimaru was about to continue questioning him, a child's voice came from outside the door. "Don't stop me! I want to see the old man!"

Hearing this, Hiruzen smiled bitterly and sighed. "Orochimaru, go back and rest first."

"Yes."

At Training Ground Three, Setsuna looked at Might Guy with slight surprise. "You learned the Leaf Dragon God? You really are a taijutsu genius."

He was not surprised that Might Guy had received recognition. At this stage, Teacher Chen had not yet experienced the pain of losing a disciple, so he was presumably still willing to pass on taijutsu.

What surprised him was that Might Guy had mastered this supreme taijutsu secret technique in less than two weeks. He truly was a genius of hard work.

"Mm-hm!" Might Guy nodded repeatedly in excitement, but then said shyly, "Teacher Chen's Leaf Dragon God is just too powerful. At most, I can only use twenty or thirty percent of its true level."

"That is still not bad. How about we give it a try?" Setsuna invited him, the urge to secretly learn the technique rising in his heart again.

He had encountered Shenron at close range before. If he modified the Leaf Dragon God into the Konoha Shenron, perhaps its power would be even greater.

"Sure, sure!" Might Guy naturally did not refuse Setsuna's suggestion. He assumed an attacking stance. "Big Brother Setsuna, I'm coming!"

As soon as the words fell, Might Guy spun and kicked. A violent gale erupted around him, forming a green tornado more than ten meters tall. Riding the gale, Might Guy charged toward Setsuna as though to devour him.

"So this is the Leaf Dragon God?" Setsuna calmly watched the gale that had begun to take the shape of a dragon, understanding dawning on him. Just as I thought. This is a kicking technique similar to Rankyaku from One Piece, and it is also a large-area attack. No wonder Rock Lee would break it in the future. The single-target damage of an area attack naturally cannot compare to that of a single-target technique.

Though this move was not as powerful as he had imagined, it was precisely what Setsuna wanted. Taijutsu inherently lacked large-scale group techniques. While he had a powerful area-destruction move like the Tri-Beam, his qi was not enough to support repeated use. A pure taijutsu technique like the Leaf Dragon God had far fewer limitations.

"Let me experience it for myself." Instead of retreating, Setsuna advanced and charged straight into the body of the "Dragon God."

"Big Brother Setsuna!" Worried, Might Guy was about to stop the battle when he saw Setsuna strolling leisurely through the raging cyclone. Every step he took landed in a vacuum zone within the tornado.

Setsuna was naturally not seeking a beating. The initial stage of qi cultivation involved sensing the subtle changes in air currents around him and using them to catch an enemy's aura and movements. The tornado kicked up by Might Guy was far too crude; Setsuna had precisely detected every node of its airflow.

"As long as I understand the internal structure of the 'Dragon God,' recreating this move will not be difficult." Standing within the dragon's eye, Setsuna kicked out. A "Shenron" several times larger than Might Guy's Leaf "Dragon God" shot into the sky and instantly swallowed it.