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After completing the trial of Izanami, Tsunade returned to the presence of Katsuyu-sama.
With one look into Tsunade's eyes… the great slug sage understood her state of mind had transformed.
"Congratulations, Tsunade!"
Tsunade knelt on one knee. "All thanks to you!"
"You are ready for the empowerment ritual at the sacred pool. Someone has already gone ahead."
Tsunade felt a flicker of surprise, her mind already forming a guess.
When she first opened her eyes, she had seen Jiraiya and Orochimaru, but the other person who had arrived here… was nowhere to be seen.
She went to the sacred pool. Sure enough, there she was. The woman with blue hair, dressed in a white yukata, sat cross-legged on a floating stone beneath the waterfall's mist.
Just as I thought… it's Konan.
Konan opened her eyes. "Lady Tsunade. You've come."
Katsuyu, in her humanoid form, glided forward.
"This child, Konan. Her natural, tranquil disposition resonates deeply with the serene nature of our Shikkotsu Forest Senjutsu. So, I granted her an opportunity. I used the empowerment ritual to channel a portion of sage chakra into her… It seems she has mastered it quite successfully."
It was well known that Sage Mode placed extreme demands on physical energy. Of the three great sage arts, the Shikkotsu Forest's path, which emphasized spiritual energy, had the lowest physical threshold. The fact that Itachi had achieved a 'Half-Sage Mode' while terminally ill proved this. But Konan had no special lineage. Reaching this half-sage state was her absolute limit.
Even so, if she could wield this half-sage power effectively, her combat strength would skyrocket.
Konan looked at the complicated expression on Tsunade's face and spoke. "I am Master Jiraiya's disciple. So, Katsuyu-sama did not take me as a direct student. Therefore, matters of seniority… you need not concern yourself with them at all…"
"No. Such things are utterly unimportant."
A genuine, warm smile spread across Tsunade's face.
"I am truly happy for you, Konan. To have strayed down a misguided path, only to return to the right one… and to even have the fortune of coming to a sacred land to learn Sage Arts. This power, used for the right purpose, will surely shine brilliantly!"
She settled onto a floating stone opposite Konan.
"As for seniority… that's just empty reputation. I never cared much for the title of 'Sannin.' And I certainly don't care now that, while I was lost in Izanami, you progressed ahead of me in sage training. In this art, you are my senior. You've more than earned being called 'elder sister.'"
Konan nodded, a soft admiration in her eyes. "Lady Tsunade, you truly possess a magnanimous heart. With your capacity, you will undoubtedly master the perfect Serene Sage Art!"
"Let us begin…"
Katsuyu floated upward. Her small hand aimed at the crown of Tsunade's head.
Then—pure, potent Shikkotsu Forest sage chakra poured down in a torrential cascade!
Tsunade closed her eyes. She immersed herself completely, her entire being focused on the baptism of this ancient power.
The reunion of old comrades was nearing its end.
The two walked side by side, deep in conversation.
"Orochimaru. Preparing to return?"
"Indeed. My business here is concluded. It is time to return to Sasuke-kun's side. By my calculations… his eyes should have awakened by now. In another two weeks, his 'Ayahoshi' will flare up. I must go and add a little… 'fuse' for him."
Jiraiya's gaze turned distant.
"The shinobi world… currently has two major sources of instability on the surface. Naruto, who's been led astray by Black Zetsu. And Obito, still lurking in the shadows, itching to enact the Infinite Tsukuyomi. You can… handle them, right?"
Orochimaru offered a faint smile. "It should not be a significant problem. However, to say those two are the only surface-level threats would be… inaccurate."
Jiraiya stopped walking. "How so?"
Orochimaru raised a slender finger, pointing upwards.
Even through the misty veil of the Shikkotsu Forest's sky, the faint, pale outline of the moon was visible.
The moon… Kaguya?
A realization dawned on Jiraiya. "Ah… You mean that fellow, Ōtsutsuki Toneri?"
Orochimaru nodded. "Precisely. Though Toneri is sightless, he can observe the movements of our world through the Tenseigan within the Hamura Temple. If he perceives the great changes happening below… his reaction remains an unknown variable."
"What if… Toneri decides to act early?"
"That would be most convenient!"
Orochimaru explained. "To help Sasuke-kun adapt to Ōtsutsuki combat styles in advance, I encoded the 'Byakugan' into the White Cursed Seal's Stage Four. But the true objective… was to lay the foundation for the Tenseigan!"
Jiraiya sighed. "Your schemes run deep. But be careful. Taking on too much at once isn't always wise…"
Orochimaru's smile widened slightly. "Do not worry. Sasuke-kun always knows his place. He is the master who wields power, never the one bound by it."
Jiraiya recalled every battle of Sasuke's he had witnessed so far. Wood Release, Byakugan, bloodline limits… yet the core remained.
"You're right… He's still Uchiha Sasuke."
They continued walking. Orochimaru glanced at his old friend.
"Speaking of which, Jiraiya… you are pushing yourself too hard. Is it truly necessary to engage with Kara so soon? Compared to a minor player like Toneri, Isshiki is one of the few existences I have categorized as 'not to be engaged with' before Sasuke awakens his Rinnegan."
"You could simply wait. Let us quell the three visible forces first. Then you could pursue your current investigation."
His tone, though clinical, couldn't quite hide the unspoken plea: Don't go. It's too dangerous for you.
Jiraiya clenched his fist.
"We don't have that much time. Thirty years may seem long, but it passes in the blink of an eye! We must seize the initiative at every moment!"
"And do you know why I'm so urgent about uncovering Kara's movements? It's not because of Isshiki!"
You know this. "That individual… is potentially even more dangerous than Isshiki!"
Orochimaru's gaze darkened.
"You're referring to… Ada."
Jiraiya's voice grew tense. "The Clairvoyance ability. It's said to be the prototype of a Shinjutsu, correct? The power to freely view any event that has ever occurred in this world, ignoring all distance! It's a joke… an ability like that!"
Orochimaru was calm. "Ada has not been born yet. As a synthetic human, she entered the shinobi world's awareness at the age of sixteen. That means, in our previous timeline, she would be born one year after the conclusion of the Fourth Shinobi World War."
Jiraiya pressed. "That's just over three years from now! It's already urgent! And more troublesome than Clairvoyance… is the 'Charm' derived from the Shinjutsu 'Omnipotence'! The very power that turned Naruto's son, Boruto, against the entire world! If we don't strangle this threat in its cradle, the next one pitted against the world… could be Sasuke!"
"…Very well. Since you put it that way."
Orochimaru stopped. He looked deeply into Jiraiya's face.
—"Then I will overcome my own reluctance and speak with complete frankness. Jiraiya. I… understand perfectly the potential threat Kara poses. I understand perfectly that the sooner we uncover their movements, the more advantageous our position becomes."
He took a breath, the words foreign yet necessary on his tongue.
"But… it is too dangerous. I am… deeply concerned for you."
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