Chapter 34: Mission Complete
Outside the Iwagakure outpost, Gōenji sat quietly, playing with the chakra chessboard in his hands.
From time to time, he manipulated his chakra and experimented with his Mathematical Chakra Form, testing simple applications of the lever principle.
The chessboard had become his experimental field.
Chakra was different from matter and followed its own rules, meaning that the constants governing it were not necessarily identical to the laws of physics he had known in his previous life.
That was simply the nature of chakra.
It was one of the immutable principles of the shinobi world, and he had to take it into account.
Fortunately, the Uchiha clan and Konoha had conducted extensive research in this field, allowing Gōenji to make full use of the knowledge they had accumulated.
His hands continuously manipulated the chakra, reshaping it into different forms and configurations.
"Hmm... This is... Shape Transformation. Is he conducting some kind of experiment?"
A figure appeared not far from Gōenji.
The person had originally intended to walk out, but stopped upon seeing what Gōenji was doing. He silently watched as Gōenji manipulated his chakra.
Snake-like pupils appeared beneath his eyelids.
It was Orochimaru.
At this moment, he was watching Gōenji's chakra with considerable interest, observing how the young man repeatedly changed its form.
Orochimaru had originally intended to tell Gōenji that the mission was complete and that he could return to Danzō.
He hadn't expected to encounter this scene.
A strong sense of curiosity immediately welled within him.
He had just witnessed a completely new approach to chakra manipulation.
Using the mathematical principle of a lever, combined with extremely precise chakra control, to create a lever-like structure within chakra itself and amplify force... What a marvelous idea.
The difficulty, however, was extraordinary.
Could he really accomplish it?
Orochimaru stared at the constantly changing shapes of chakra in Gōenji's hands. His own knowledge rapidly interacted with what he was seeing, allowing him to gradually understand what the young man was attempting.
Interesting.
Far too interesting.
How did I never think of this?
It really was a fascinating concept.
Orochimaru hadn't considered it deeply before. He simply found Gōenji's idea intriguing.
After all, according to his calculations, even someone with chakra control on the level of a medical ninja like Tsunade would have difficulty applying the lever principle in this manner.
It wasn't merely a matter of mathematical knowledge.
It also required an extraordinary ability to visualize three-dimensional forms.
The forms chakra could take within a ninjutsu were limited.
Creating a lever structure within those limited forms was extraordinarily difficult.
If the person standing before him could truly turn this concept into a practical technique, then he might possess even greater potential than Minato Namikaze.
I wonder if that old man knows just how talented this boy is.
Orochimaru fell into thought.
The corners of his mouth curled upward.
Things were becoming more and more interesting.
Then he noticed that Gōenji had stopped moving.
The young man turned his head and looked directly toward him.
"Oh? He noticed me?"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow.
His perception was impressive as well.
To detect his presence in such a short amount of time...
Orochimaru slowly stepped out of hiding.
"Your vigilance is excellent, and your ability to detect others is quite impressive. No wonder Danzō entrusted you with this mission."
"Orochimaru-sama is too kind. May I ask why you've come this time?"
Gōenji didn't ask whether Orochimaru had seen his previous experiments.
There was no point.
What he had been doing was merely an experiment—a small test of his abilities.
Unless he eventually developed a ninjutsu that could incorporate the lever principle into actual combat through hand seals, there was nothing worth worrying about.
That was his ultimate goal.
Once he achieved it, even if someone witnessed the technique, they would be able to reproduce and utilize it.
They wouldn't need to undergo specialized training in chakra control or Shape Transformation.
Gōenji's thoughts turned to another matter.
Has Orochimaru completed Danzō's mission?
More than twenty days had already passed.
Danzō had given him half a month.
The deadline had long since been exceeded, yet Orochimaru had only just returned.
Gōenji had no idea whether the mission had actually been completed.
He sincerely hoped it had.
Otherwise, Danzō might consider him incompetent.
And if that happened, there might even be a pursuit operation.
He could end up becoming a missing-nin.
Then, just like the protagonists in countless novels from his previous world, he'd become the kind of protagonist everyone wanted to beat up.
What a miserable fate.
"The mission is complete. You can return."
Orochimaru chuckled.
"Oh, and I hope you don't die on the battlefield. I'm quite interested in you."
He then reached behind himself and handed Gōenji a scroll.
"This contains the procedure for reporting the completion of the mission. Take a look, then simply report that you've completed it. You don't need to mention me."
He paused.
"Even though the mission has been completed, that old man Danzō won't simply forget that you delayed it."
Snap!
Gōenji accepted the scroll, his expression filled with surprise.
Was Orochimaru really this considerate?
This was Orochimaru before his defection.
Once again, Gōenji felt that peculiar charisma that had made Orochimaru one of his favorite characters.
If Gōenji hadn't possessed a mind of his own, he suspected he might have been completely drawn under Orochimaru's influence.
The man's charisma was simply ridiculous.
And he was genuinely considerate.
Gōenji nodded gratefully.
"Thank you, Orochimaru-sama. I won't die on the battlefield. One day, I'll surpass you, Orochimaru-sama. When that day comes, I hope you won't hesitate to continue teaching me."
His gratitude was completely sincere.
At this point, he had practically secured the perfect outcome.
Not only had Danzō's mission been completed, freeing him from having to infiltrate Iwagakure and undertake such a dangerous operation, but he had also gained plenty of free time to study his own ninjutsu and other techniques.
This felt fantastic.
"Life is fragile. Don't become too confident."
Orochimaru's eyes carried a trace of nostalgia.
"I've seen too many confident people fall on the battlefield... My comrades. My students..."
Gōenji figured he was probably thinking about people such as Dan Katō and Nawaki.
After all, the Orochimaru of this era had actually been a fairly decent person.
"That's enough for now."
Orochimaru turned away.
"Be careful of that man named Danzō."
With those meaningful words, Orochimaru left.
Gōenji scratched his head.
Orochimaru was terrifyingly capable. Gōenji had no idea what he would do if Orochimaru eventually defected from Konoha.
"Forget it. I'll just hide and let Orochimaru do whatever he wants. It's not like I can beat him anyway."
Gōenji remembered the killing intent Orochimaru had displayed earlier and compared it with the man's current attitude toward him—helping him complete the mission, giving him the reporting procedure, and even allowing him to return.
He shook his head.
Those were problems for the future.
As long as his strength was sufficient by then, he could do whatever he wanted.
For now, the most important thing was finishing his part of the mission.
He could return and report what had happened. After that, it was probably time to return to the village or head to another battlefield to provide support.
Wait.
Gōenji suddenly remembered something.
"I forgot to ask... What's the latest situation on the battlefield?"
It had suddenly occurred to him that he had gone more than twenty days without contacting anyone.
After encountering Orochimaru, he hadn't dared use Danzō's coded communication methods to contact the others.
As a result, he had completely lost his source of information.
Gōenji's expression turned strange.