Chapter 84 - 84: Jiraiya's 2.5 Years Of Training

Orochimaru signed his name on a document, set it aside, and then said, "That idiot went out to scout the area. Recently, Amegakure ninjas have been constantly probing nearby." "Hmm!" Tsunade didn't think much of it. She was responsible for treating injured ninjas, and Orochimaru had to handle the paperwork. Naturally, Jiraiya would take care of those missions. "That child Kazuki wanted to come to the front line, but grandma stopped him." Tsunade continued after eating a pastry. "Kazuki? I haven't seen him in two years. Two years ago, he already had the strength of a Jonin. Now, his strength has probably advanced even further." As a genius, Orochimaru had his own arrogance, but when it came to Kazuki, even he felt inferior. The most crucial thing was that Kazuki didn't rely on a Kekkei Genkai like the Sharingan. Instead, he researched Ninjutsu himself and then learned the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique. According to Orochimaru's observations, even without the Sharingan, it wouldn't hinder Kazuki from becoming a strong individual. His greatest strengths were his Chakra control and learning ability. Orochimaru had never seen a monster with a learning ability like Kazuki's before. "Hmm, perhaps his strength is even greater than mine." Tsunade said, not knowing whether to be happy or sad at this point. Ultimately, Kazuki was her disciple, and being surpassed by a disciple felt a bit embarrassing for her as a teacher. However, a brilliant disciple was also a source of pride. When it came to teaching disciples, Jiraiya and Orochimaru were not as good as her, even though her grandmother taught this disciple most of the time. Sometimes, having an overly excellent disciple was also a happy problem. Tsunade's words startled Orochimaru. "His strength has surpassed yours?" Orochimaru prided himself on his strength not being much greater than Tsunade's. If Kazuki surpassed Tsunade, wouldn't he also surpass him? Kazuki was only ten years old! "Who knows? You know, the Flying Thunder God Technique is very tricky, and Kazuki also created the Rasengan to complement the Flying Thunder God Technique." "Just that one move is enough to render most Ninja helpless." Tsunade shrugged, "Anyway, I can't do anything to him." "Grandma specially sent him to Shikkotsu Forest to train in Sage Mode so he wouldn't go to the front line." "Sage Mode?" Orochimaru felt a bit wistful at the mention. "Yes, the three Sage regions all have Sage Mode. My grandfather defeated Madara and the Nine-Tails using Sage Mode and Wood Release." "I've also researched Sage Mode before, but it's too difficult and time-consuming, so I temporarily gave up." Tsunade sighed lightly, "If that kid really learns Sage Mode, even Sarutobi-sensei might not be Kazuki's match." "Is Sage Mode that powerful?" Orochimaru was thoroughly shocked. That idiot Jiraiya had been bragging about Sage Mode before, and even though he hadn't learned that so-called Sage Mode after two and a half years of practice, Orochimaru hadn't taken it seriously. But now that Tsunade said so, he was tempted. If Sage Mode was really that powerful, after the war ended, he might go to Ryūchi Cave to take a look. As one of the three Sage regions, Ryūchi Cave also had Sage Mode. However, it seemed that Sage Mode was very difficult to learn. Tsunade couldn't learn it, so what about him? "Of course it's powerful. Once learned, one's strength can be elevated by a whole level." "Moreover, I heard that the Sage of Six Paths also practiced Sage Mode back then." Tsunade said mysteriously. "Is it the Senju clan's inheritance?" Orochimaru instantly became interested. Even if it wasn't for increasing his strength, the matter of the Sage of Six Paths alone was enough to excite him. That was the Sage of Six Paths! It seemed the Senju clan had the most records of the Sage of Six Paths, and the Uchiha clan also had many. "No, Jiraiya said it. He said that the Sage of Six Paths learned Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku and then became the Sage of Six Paths." "Afterward, I went to ask Katsuyu, and Katsuyu didn't deny it. So it's probably true." Tsunade pulled out a bottle of soda from somewhere, opened it, and took a sip. "Too bad there's no sake, I can only drink soda." "Is that so?" Orochimaru nodded thoughtfully. The three Sage regions had existed for a very long time, so it was normal for them to know the secrets from a thousand years ago. He hadn't expected Mount Myōboku to be related to the Sage of Six Paths. What about Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode? After he learns Sage Mode, can he compare to the so-called Sages? "Do you think Kazuki can learn Sage Mode?" Following that, Orochimaru became curious. Orochimaru didn't have any ill feelings towards Kazuki, he felt that Kazuki was actually quite similar to him. Orochimaru wasn't thinking about the Hokage position for now. After all, Kazuki was much younger than him and was his junior. Even if Kazuki's strength surpassed his, the Hokage position couldn't possibly skip their generation and choose Kazuki's generation, could it? If that were the case, what would they be considered? Could it be that he, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, were that incompetent? Orochimaru believed Hiruzen wouldn't do such a thing. Kazuki would only ascend at least ten years after him, so there was no conflict between them. On the contrary, Orochimaru felt he could get along well with Kazuki. Kazuki's desire to go to the front line was probably not just for his reputation in Konoha, but more for his reputation within the Uchiha clan. If Kazuki's strength was truly great, and he cooperated with him, Kazuki would gain prestige, and he would gain political achievements. Wouldn't that be wonderful? As long as Kazuki was under his command, no matter how much credit Kazuki received, at least one-third would go to him as the commander. "If it were before, I wouldn't believe anyone could learn Sage Mode. After all, it's too difficult," Tsunade rubbed her cheek and said, "Anyway, I feel that even if I tried hard to learn Sage Mode, I probably wouldn't learn it in less than ten years." "But if it's that kid Kazuki, he might actually be able to learn it." "No one had learned the Flying Thunder God Technique before." "That's certainly interesting. I hope he can learn Sage Mode quickly. Then I can also observe Sage Mode." Orochimaru licked his lips excitedly. Just then, Jiraiya swaggered into the tent and said, "Sage Mode? Don't worry, this great Jiraiya will learn Sage Mode very soon. You, Orochimaru, prepare to be amazed! It will definitely exceed your imagination!"