At exactly 8 a.m., the crowd bidding farewell gradually separated. Uchiha Ryun joined the combat unit and waved to Kushina one last time.
Kushina had already burst into tears. She wanted to follow him but was stopped by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Unable to do anything else, she could only shout loudly:
"You must come back alive!"
"Okay!"
Ryun's voice was firm and reassuring.
Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled with satisfaction.
This was the bond that could never be severed. The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki could not lack such bonds, and a genius like Ryun also needed such bonds to willingly serve Konoha.
Sarutobi Hiruzen believed that Ryun restrained Kushina, while Kushina in turn restrained Ryun. With this bond, neither of them would ever betray the village!
Only those with love in their hearts could be used by him, the Third Hokage. Otherwise, no matter how clean one's background or how monstrous their talent, they would at most be sent to the "Root." They would never catch his eye.
"Move out!"
Following the order of a leading jōnin, the small combat unit marched toward the Rain Country battlefield in an orderly manner.
A day later, the 48 Konoha-nin entered Rain Country without incident and soon merged into the main military camp stationed on the battlefield.
Ryun found Orochimaru's tent in the camp and met Orochimaru himself.
"Hahaha! Ryun-kun! You've finally arrived..." The moment he saw Ryun, Orochimaru appeared extremely pleased. He even stood up and walked toward him.
"Orochimaru-sensei, it's been over half a year, but you've gotten thinner..." Ryun greeted with a smile.
Orochimaru had visibly lost weight, and his face was pale, giving off a somewhat sickly impression. Compared to their last meeting, the difference was clear.
Another thing was that Ryun felt Orochimaru seemed even more enthusiastic toward him, though he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination...
"Kukuku... After fighting for over half a year and enduring constant rain, losing some weight is only natural." Orochimaru chuckled hoarsely.
Snakes did like damp and watery places, but they actually preferred sunny environments. After all, this place was far too cold and gloomy...
"That's true... This endlessly rainy country is probably only suitable for Rain-nin. No one else would want to stay here for long..."
Looking at the drizzling rain, Ryun couldn't help but sigh.
Orochimaru nodded in agreement before skipping the topic and directly asking about Ryun's ninjutsu progress:
"How is the 'Chidori Current' you asked me about last time? Did you succeed?"
Ninjutsu (including forbidden techniques) were his greatest passion in life. Whenever this topic came up, he became visibly excited.
Instead of answering immediately, Ryun smiled mysteriously.
Then, he stretched out his hand toward Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was momentarily stunned before realizing Ryun's intention.
"Go ahead and use whatever ability you've mastered. Just hit me directly, and don't hold back..."
Orochimaru licked his lips with a perverse grin.
He boldly extended his own hand, but before their palms could even touch, a flash of blue lightning erupted from Ryun's body.
'Chidori Current!'
A brilliant blue light suddenly burst from Ryun's body, and a bolt of lightning shot toward Orochimaru at blinding speed!
The speed of lightning was already incredibly fast, and since this technique required no hand seals, it became even more unpredictable!
"Ah—!"
Orochimaru had assumed the attack would only land upon contact. But before they could even shake hands, the lightning struck his chest, sending him flying out of the tent.
"Sorry, sorry, Orochimaru-sensei. Actually, I was just warning you to be careful when I reached out. It was just a subconscious movement before attacking..." Ryun smirked mischievously.
He helped Orochimaru up from the ground, then activated medical ninjutsu, healing the charred wound on Orochimaru's chest with green light.
"You even learned medical ninjutsu..." Orochimaru looked astonished. He didn't blame Ryun for injuring him but was instead amazed by the various abilities he displayed.
"More skills mean more opportunities," Ryun replied casually.
"I like that saying!" Orochimaru laughed.
"Still, this technique of yours is quite impressive..."
"The power is a bit lacking, but its activation speed is incredibly fast. Plus... it's both offensive and defensive! It's an excellent technique!"
With a single remark, Orochimaru pinpointed the strengths of the Chidori Current, showcasing his sharp insight.
"This technique must be derived from 'Lightning Release: Chidori,' right? The lightning seemed to originate from the palm first."
Ryun broke into a sweat before helplessly nodding.
"Nothing escapes Orochimaru-sensei. This technique is indeed derived from Chidori. I named it 'Chidori Current'!"
As he spoke, Ryun withdrew his hand from Orochimaru's chest. The minor injury had already been fully healed.
"Good, good! You truly have a talent for ninjutsu!!!" Orochimaru smiled in satisfaction.
In truth, he had always believed Ryun's ninjutsu talent far surpassed Nawaki's. If he ever had to choose a successor, Ryun would undoubtedly be his first choice!
He felt Ryun's interests aligned with his own. As a child, he had also loved tinkering with and researching new techniques. Unfortunately, his abilities back then couldn't compare to Ryun's current level.
"It's all thanks to Orochimaru-sensei's guidance. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to develop Chidori." Ryun flattered him with a smile.
"Hahaha, no need to be modest. Your success comes from your own skill. My advice merely accelerated it, nothing more." Orochimaru stated frankly.
"What's got you laughing so happily, Orochimaru...?" Jiraiya walked over at that moment.
"Huh? Why are you here, kid? Did you graduate early from the academy???"
The moment he saw Ryun, Jiraiya looked shocked, especially since the kid was dressed in full combat gear and wearing a forehead protector—clearly here to participate in the war.
"Yes, Lord Jiraiya!" Ryun greeted with a smile.
"Don't tell me your Orochimaru-sensei made you come here?" Jiraiya frowned subconsciously.
In his eyes, Ryun was still just a child. With Nawaki's tragic example, he no longer believed the battlefield was a place to temper children.
No matter how talented a child was, the chances of dying on the battlefield were far too high. Even Orochimaru, who had tried his best to protect Nawaki, couldn't stop the explosive tags hidden underground...
"No, I came here on my own. It has little to do with Orochimaru-sensei..."
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