"Your ambition is remarkable!"
After hearing Orochimaru's plan, Kagetsu couldn't help but glance at his teacher with some admiration.
To think he wanted to combine four types of Sage Arts into one.
Mastering even a single Sage Jutsu was an incredibly arduous task. Even among the legendary Sannin, only Jiraiya barely managed to grasp the Sage Mode of Mount Myōboku.
"Although I can't quite understand where your inexplicable sense of urgency comes from, your ambition is greater than mine, Kagetsu," Orochimaru replied calmly.
Having spent years together, Orochimaru, who had practically watched Kagetsu grow, believed he understood him better than anyone else in Konoha.
Kagetsu's growth was a complete deviation from the norm for the Nara clan. By their standards, his robust health and abundant chakra were almost unnatural.
Thanks to Kagetsu's development of a new body-strengthening serum, the Nara clan no longer had to rely on being perpetually frail and consuming supplements constantly.
"This world of shinobi is far too dangerous. You must have the ability to ensure your own safety! That's the lesson you taught me from a young age," Kagetsu said.
Orochimaru was momentarily stunned by those words.
Indeed, he had said that. He also believed it was the right lesson!
But wasn't Kagetsu's interpretation and execution a bit... overzealous?
Orochimaru was someone who maximized his survival skills, so he naturally assumed Kagetsu would have his own unique methods to stay alive.
Based on what Orochimaru knew of Kagetsu, the young man might even excel at survival more than he did.
Unless faced with opponents of the level of the First Hokage or Uchiha Madara, or ambushed by a team led by Kage-level shinobi, Orochimaru found it hard to imagine Kagetsu dying in battle or on the battlefield.
At the very least, the tragedy that befell Nawaki wouldn't happen to Kagetsu.
"You've already mastered the training methods for Ryūchi Cave's Sage Technique and the Hōgyoku Sage Mode. But how do you plan to acquire the Sage Techniques of Mount Myōboku and Shikkotsu Forest?
Also, are you even sure that Shikkotsu Forest has Sage Techniques?"
Without waiting for Orochimaru to break the silence, Kagetsu proactively shifted the topic.
"That, you'll have to ask Tsunade about," Orochimaru said, tactfully skipping over the previous topic.
"Then let's not worry about Shikkotsu Forest for now. Even if Jiraiya-san is willing to teach you the Sage Arts of Mount Myoboku, you still can't train without their assistance, can you?
You once mentioned that to learn the Sage Arts of Ryuchi Cave, one must venture deep into the cave to meet the White Snake Sage. Training can only proceed under their guidance and witness.
So, it's likely that Mount Myoboku's Sage Arts also require the supervision of one of their sages, right? Maybe even some unique resources from the Sage Region itself."
Kagetsu wisely avoided the questions without answers and instead focused on the key issue.
"That's true. While a summoning contract can be signed with multiple beasts, the Three Sage Region's summoning contract…"
Faced with the challenges ahead, Orochimaru appeared troubled. Was he really supposed to extract Mount Myoboku's spatial coordinates from that fool Jiraiya and sneak in?
Or should he have Jiraiya take him there instead?
Even if Mount Myoboku was dealt with, if Shikkotsu Forest also had Sage Arts, would he have to infiltrate that place too?
Not to mention, Tsunade wasn't as careless as Jiraiya. And if news of him seeking the Sage Arts from both Mount Myoboku and Shikkotsu Forest leaked, the White Snake Sage of Ryuchi Cave might eat him alive.
That entity wasn't exactly known for being gentle.
"Have you considered another way to acquire it?" Kagetsu suddenly asked, noticing Orochimaru's low spirits.
"Another way?" Orochimaru's eyes lit up as he turned his gaze to Kagetsu.
"Why do you have to learn it yourself? Sage Art training requires both talent and time. Someone suitable for Ryuchi Cave's Sage Arts might not be compatible with Mount Myoboku's, and vice versa with Shikkotsu Forest's.
If you aim to master the Sage Arts of all three Three Sage Regions, setting aside the difficulty, I think just the time required would span decades—assuming everything goes smoothly."
Kagetsu laid out the challenges one by one in a straightforward manner. Orochimaru nodded in agreement as he listened.
Even mastering just the Sage Arts of Ryuchi Cave already felt like an uphill battle. Based on his instincts, the Sage Arts of Ryuchi Cave were the most compatible with him out of the three Three Sage Regions.
However, the senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave was extremely dangerous. Orochimaru wasn't confident he could successfully master it. Would the senjutsu of the other two Three Sage Regions really be smooth sailing?
It wasn't that Orochimaru was someone who backed down in the face of challenges. He always found ways to achieve his goals, whether it was immortality, harnessing natural energy, or mastering Sage Mode.
But from what Kagetsu said, it seemed like he had an unconventional idea.
"What do you mean?" Orochimaru asked directly.
"Seize it!" Kagetsu answered just as straightforwardly.
"Seize it?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed instantly, his expression unreadable under the dim light. He hadn't expected such an unexpected answer from Kagetsu.
Could Sage Mode even be seized?
Orochimaru was puzzled.
From a conceptual perspective, the power of Sage Mode was a unique energy that combined natural energy with chakra. If one considered it purely as chakra, then the idea of seizing it wasn't entirely implausible.
After all, Orochimaru was aware of ninjutsu and ninja weapons in the ninja world that could steal chakra from others.
But those methods were always one-time and predatory in nature.
"What I mean is a complete seizure! To take everything—their power, experience, and abilities—all for yourself!"
Kagetsu clearly understood what was going through Orochimaru's mind. Before Orochimaru could speak, he proactively clarified his intentions in detail.
"A complete seizure?" Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with a peculiar light.
The Living Corpse Reincarnation?
Orochimaru thought of the forbidden technique he had developed and was currently refining! The essence of this technique was complete seizure.
Seizing everything from a person—their body, soul, talents, and even their Kekkei Genkai.
It was a total takeover.
****
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