"Ryun-kun, are you heading home now? It's still early. Would you like to find a place to chat?"
Orochimaru's initiative in inviting him took Ryun by surprise, but in the end, he nodded and followed Orochimaru to a secluded spot with beautiful scenery.
"Ryun-kun, can you tell me why you're hiding your strength?"
Orochimaru got straight to the point, voicing the question on his mind.
"..."
"What do you mean by hiding strength?" Ryun looked at him with a 'confused' expression, as if he didn't understand the meaning of the words.
"..."
Orochimaru silently stared into his eyes, his snake-like pupils making Ryun feel uneasy.
"What are you afraid of? What are you worried about?"
Orochimaru asked again.
A young boy with a clean background, possessing strength far beyond his peers, yet always keeping a low profile, never showing off...
This unusual behavior successfully piqued Orochimaru's curiosity. He wanted to know why Ryun had such heavy guardedness.
"..."
Ryun very much wanted to say it was because of him... but then he reconsidered. At this point in time, Orochimaru still had a reputation for wisdom in Konoha. Being overly wary of him might be unnecessary.
Moreover, since his strength had already been exposed, pretending ignorance seemed pointless. He couldn't think of a good excuse to brush it off.
Who would have thought he'd run into Orochimaru in such a remote place?
"Alright... if Ryun-kun doesn't want to say, I won't force you."
Seeing that Ryun remained silent for a long time, Orochimaru offered him an out.
"Ryun-kun, have you been training in Lightning Release techniques recently?"
At these words, Ryun's pupils contracted slightly.
When practicing Chidori, he usually activated his Sharingan to better control his chakra. Had Orochimaru already discovered his secret?
'No, that can't be...'
Ryun subconsciously glanced at his right hand, which bore faint marks from electric burns...
'He deduced it from the scars on my hand...'
He hadn't expected Orochimaru to be so observant.
"Yes!"
After some careful thought, Ryun finally nodded in admission.
"Oh... can you tell me what Lightning Release technique you're learning?"
A Lightning Release technique that required direct contact with electricity—such techniques were rare in the shinobi world. Orochimaru's curiosity was piqued once again.
"I've been trying to develop a close-combat Lightning Release technique, but progress hasn't been smooth..." Ryun scratched his head with an awkward smile.
"You're trying to create a new technique!"
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, his snake-like pupils flickering with surprise.
"Just something to pass the time..." Ryun replied sheepishly.
"Hah... Ryun-kun, your thoughts are truly hard to grasp." Orochimaru suddenly licked his lips—a subconscious gesture when he was extremely excited.
For an average jonin, creating a new technique was already an immense challenge, requiring vast knowledge and experience. Yet here was a mere academy student boldly claiming to be developing one?
Not only was he attempting Lightning Release, but he was also trying to adapt a mid-to-long-range technique into close combat?
The only close-combat Lightning Release in the shinobi world was the "Lightning Release Armor" from the Land of Lightning.
If anyone else heard Ryun's bold claim, they might dismiss it as childish nonsense.
But Ryun was speaking to Orochimaru. Once he took an interest in someone, no matter how outrageous their words, his first reaction was never skepticism.
"Ryun-kun, could you explain your idea for this new Lightning Release technique? Perhaps I can help."
Orochimaru spoke sincerely.
Before his crushing defeat by Uchiha Itachi, Orochimaru's greatest passion was researching all kinds of jutsu, and his greatest ambition was to master every technique in existence.
Ryun's words had struck a chord with him.
"Of course! With Orochimaru-sama's guidance, I'm sure the difficulties will be resolved quickly!"
Ryun's face lit up with excitement. If Orochimaru was willing to mentor him now, it might truly be a good thing!
Originally, Ryun had intended to stay wary of Orochimaru. In the original story, countless children had been used as pawns by Orochimaru, and many more had been discarded like trash...
Not everyone could be like Sasuke, whom Orochimaru was willing to nurture without expecting anything in return.
Even with Uchiha Sasuke, Orochimaru had initially planned to use him as a vessel for reincarnation before devoting himself to his training.
Thus, Ryun believed it was necessary to remain cautious around Orochimaru.
Based on his understanding of Orochimaru from the original story, the man had an insatiable curiosity and a peculiar habit—he loved to lure and nurture talented children, especially those who intrigued him.
Right now, Ryun had captured his intense interest. The combination of jutsu research and a young genius had stacked two irresistible buffs. It was too late to avoid him...
In that case, it was better to accept the current, non-toxic version of Orochimaru.
At this point in time, Orochimaru was still mentally and emotionally stable. It was only after witnessing the deaths of his students, Nawaki and Dan Katō, that his mind would begin to twist and darken.
Currently, Orochimaru had no reason to harm him, so Ryun decided to lower his guard for now.
"I want to create a Lightning Release technique that gathers in the palm, combining it with high speed to achieve a close-range thrusting effect..."
As he spoke, Ryun formed hand seals, and soon, a dazzling current of electricity appeared in his palm.
As he increased his chakra output, the lightning grew stronger and more concentrated.
Orochimaru watched in astonishment. This situation exceeded his expectations—he hadn't imagined an academy student could possess such precise chakra control!
In theory, the Ninja Academy did teach such concepts, but the actual methods (tree-walking and water-walking) weren't easily imparted.
Children naturally had very little chakra, and most lacked the mental focus to manipulate it. Simply refining enough chakra was already a feat of strong willpower.
How had Ryun achieved this? Gathering lightning in his palm—what a bold idea, and he was actually doing it...
Just as the lightning grew blindingly bright, Ryun suddenly stopped his chakra output.
Holding up his scarred hand, Ryun earnestly asked for advice:
"Orochimaru-sama, how can I control enough lightning to pierce an enemy's body without injuring my own hand?"
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