Konoha Village,
With the time for the Great Toads' request for aid drawing nearer, Jiraiya approached Orochimaru, hoping the two of them could head to Mount Myōboku ahead of schedule.
It wasn't just to prepare for any danger, but also to see if there was a chance to understand the source of this crisis.
Orochimaru agreed, but refused to go directly with Jiraiya. Since there was still plenty of time, he wanted to use this opportunity to test some other methods.
Inside the Sealing Building.
Orochimaru and the head of the sealing team descended in a direct elevator, and in no time arrived at the deepest research lab.
This place was nearly a hundred meters underground. Due to the thick layers of earth and stone insulation, no matter how dangerous the experiments conducted, they wouldn't affect the village. This was why some of the more fanatical members of the sealing team loved it.
"Orochimaru-sama, this is our newly improved 'Flying Thunder God Formation'..."
The head of the sealing team led Orochimaru to a raised platform covered in dark runes, his eyes showing a hint of eagerness.
"Although it can't be used anytime like Lord Fourth, its range and the number of people it can transport have been greatly improved..."
"But I heard that, up to now, this formation has never successfully transported a person."
Orochimaru looked around the platform and somehow found it a bit familiar. It bore a striking resemblance to the altar in Roran, and its function was the same.
"I heard that after the death row inmates arrived at the teleportation destination, none of them survived with their bodies intact."
"This might be related to the chakra sealed within them..."
The head of the sealing team looked a bit embarrassed, but quickly collected himself and said seriously,
"Furthermore, the information you received is incomplete. The day before yesterday, Genma's team, composed of the Fourth Hokage's personal guards, successfully replicated the 'Flying Thunder God Technique'. It's only lacking an experimental subject for the 'Flying Thunder God Formation' which is almost of the same origin."
The "Flying Thunder God Technique" and "Flying Thunder God Formation" differ by only one word, yet their application methods are vastly different.
The former is essentially still 'Flying Thunder God,' but with a lowered barrier to entry, shifting from one person to three; the latter only requires the formation to be etched, and what's missing is a chakra provider.
The latter is of great significance. If successful, there will be no need to demand the presence of the Fourth Hokage or Genma and the like, as the Flying Thunder God is very difficult for ninjas to learn. Even the incomplete version is something very few can master.
The head of the sealing team solemnly told Orochimaru, "Even if you hadn't come to find me this time, we would have applied to the village for test subjects again in a few days."
"There are certainly some risks involved, but for you, they have been minimized."
An elite-level ninja, let alone a master of ninjutsu like Orochimaru, actively volunteering as a test subject was something the head of the sealing team had never dared to imagine before.
Not only could a powerful ninja increase the success rate of the formation's activation, but Orochimaru was also a master of sealing jutsu. With him to describe the teleportation experience, the pace of improving the formation would greatly accelerate.
Large-scale, directed deployment of Chunin is a strategic technology. If used well, it can instantly change the tide of battle. The sealing team had been planning to research it for a long time, but the village previously deemed it too risky and didn't give it much attention.
It wasn't until later, after Uchiha Obito's abilities were exposed, that Orochimaru managed to secure a large budget from the village, allowing the experimental progress to advance significantly.
However, continually diverting funds from barrier research projects was not a sustainable solution. Now that an opportunity presented itself, the head of the sealing team wanted to seize this chance to gain Orochimaru's favor.
"The risk of the experiment is secondary itself..."
Orochimaru licked his lips. "Lord Fourth's Flying Thunder God relies on marked seals. What does your formation use to mark the destination?"
The head of the sealing team took a kunai from his sleeve and handed it over. "Please take a look. It's something similar, made to imitate Lord Fourth's sword of bonds."
Orochimaru didn't take it; a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes. "So, it can only teleport to areas that ninjas have set foot in?"
"Yes, currently, that's the case. After all, this technology is for the village's strategic considerations, not for exploration. However..."
The head of the sealing team noticed Orochimaru's disappointment and immediately changed his tone. "It's not that it can't be done, and we've discussed its feasibility, but... we lack the funding."
Orochimaru, however, wasn't fooled by such a tactic to get funding. He merely smiled upon hearing this, "Explain the specific method, and I'll evaluate it for you."
Due to time constraints, he couldn't personally handle every single thing, but with his insight, he could certainly offer an appraisal.
Upon hearing this, the head of the sealing team knew he couldn't easily trick Orochimaru. He immediately straightened himself and explained his ideas in detail.
The 'Flying Thunder God' is essentially a reverse Summoning Technique. Its steps can be simplified to just two: placing a seal at the destination and activating the seal to summon oneself over.
This sounds simple, but it's difficult to execute, primarily because the fundamental 'Summoning Technique' itself is not simple.
Putting aside the chakra required for giant summoning beasts, among all ninjutsu, Summoning Technique is even simpler than the lowest level 'Basic Three Techniques'. It has extremely low requirements for ninjas; even Guy could learn it.
Yet, such a simple ninjutsu allows summoning beasts or ninjas themselves to cross thousands of miles, which is quite incredible.
Setting aside other characteristics, the head of the sealing team tested it: the distance between the ninja and the summoning beast does not actually affect the chakra consumed to perform the Summoning Technique. What affects the chakra amount is only the difference between the summoning targets.
Among various speculations, the sealing team mostly supports one theory: the Summoning Technique is not a direct spatial transfer; there exists a special dimension as an intermediate as a transit point during its execution.
There is no spatial distance between the intermediate point and the caster and the summoning target. In other words, the summoning target merely goes through the actions of 'entering and exiting the dimension'.
This theory has real-world support. They once used the Yamanaka clan's mind transfer jutsu to share a location in Genma's team's minds, facilitating a 'Flying Thunder God Technique' teleportation to an unmarked location.
In other words, if one's mental strength is sufficiently powerful, it's possible to transfer to other unvisited locations from the special dimension.
Of course, this requires the ninja's mental strength to be sufficiently strong, otherwise, there's a risk of getting lost.
"Heh... Sufficiently powerful mental strength? Where will you find such a person?"
Orochimaru smirked playfully. "This project must have been shelved long ago, right?"
The head of the sealing team looked awkward. "This... But if Orochimaru-sama were to join, perhaps..."
"I don't have that kind of time," Orochimaru shook his head. "However, the idea of a special dimension is very interesting. I will invest funds to help you prove its existence and find a way to enter it. If conditions permit, I'll help out too."
While its immediate use isn't obvious, likely just helping him get to the moon for now, in the future, he would have to leave this planet. He wouldn't be flying then.
"I... Yes, I will definitely not let down Orochimaru-sama's expectations."
The head of the sealing team wanted to continue persuading him, but unexpectedly, Orochimaru agreed so readily. His eyes were filled with ecstatic joy.
"Alright, we can talk more later," Orochimaru cut him off and said calmly, "Let's begin the experiment."
"Yes!" The head of the sealing team responded and ordered his subordinates to prepare for the teleportation.
...
In the endless desert, where sandstorms swept across, within a continuous expanse of sand dunes and a crisscrossing labyrinth of earth and stone, a touch of fresh green dotted the landscape.
This was Mount Myōboku, the home of the toads, and almost the only region with life within a thousand-mile radius.
They had managed this place for a thousand years, and unless there was internal turmoil, there would be no danger.
External threats? Not only were the toads formidable, but the vast labyrinth outside also served as the best natural defense.
Even now, the Elder Sages Fukasaku and Shima were puzzled about what kind of being could threaten Mount Myōboku.
But the Great Toad Sage's prophecies had never been wrong, so they could only brace themselves.
"Little Jiraiya, is Orochimaru really as formidable as you say?"
Fukasaku Sage, transformed into human form, appeared as an old man with a furrowed brow and a serious expression. "Aren't you all the 'Konoha Sannin'? How could he surpass you so much?"
"Cough cough..." Jiraiya's face was a little embarrassed. "That was a title from when we were young. It's been over a decade now, Orochimaru... he's made great progress in recent years."
The time was probably after Minato's death, or perhaps even earlier. Orochimaru had achieved a leap in his strength through various surgeries. In these past few years, he had only become more proficient in using Sage Mode and had fully mastered it.
"Then when exactly will he arrive?"
Fukasaku Sage frowned. "There are only four days left until the time the Great Master mentioned..."
Jiraiya had arrived at Mount Myōboku three days ago, and he heard that Orochimaru was supposed to arrive with him.
"Oh, old man, what's the point of you rushing like this?"
Shima Sage knitted her brows and grumbled. "The danger the Great Master spoke of hasn't even shown itself yet. Even if he arrives, what will he do here?"
"I was just..." Shima Sage was about to retort when suddenly, a white mist rose before Jiraiya, and in the next moment, Orochimaru's younger form appeared from within.
During spatial transfer, the space would repeatedly compress and collide with the body. If it were altering 'Shape-Shifting' from the inside out, it would be fine, but ordinary transformation techniques couldn't maintain that.
However, Orochimaru reacted quickly and immediately reverted to his original appearance.
Shima Sage looked at Orochimaru curiously. "What was that just now..."
"Just a form of ninjutsu, not worth mentioning."
Orochimaru had no interest in explaining in detail and immediately changed the subject, smiling. "What were you all discussing here? Do you perhaps have any ideas about the source of the threat?"
The two sages exchanged glances, both looking a bit embarrassed, not only because of the topic they were discussing but also because they still had no idea about the threat.
"..." Seeing this, Orochimaru smiled and didn't pursue the topic further. Instead, he said, "Is the Great Toad Sage available now? I'd like to meet him and inquire about the specific situation. I'm very interested in the prophecy."
"Um... The Great Master is often asleep," Fukasaku Sage looked troubled. "We can't guarantee he'll be awake right now."
"It's alright, even if he's still asleep, it's fine. After all, I didn't have an appointment. However..."
Orochimaru curled his lips. "I believe that even if the Great Toad Sage is asleep, his sleep is probably very light, especially since the so-called 'trouble' is about to arrive."
The two sages' faces grew even more embarrassed. After a moment of silence, Fukasaku Sage said, "Then let's go take a look together."
The group passed through forests and rivers, arriving at the innermost area of Mount Myōboku. There stood a giant round building, which, if described by the toads' architectural hierarchy, was probably a palace.
"The Great Master is inside."
Fukasaku Sage reminded them before leading everyone through the threshold and into the innermost room.
As soon as he entered, Orochimaru saw a massive chair and the Blue Elder Toad slumped upon it.
And, just as he had said, this toad was not asleep. Even though his eyes were squinted so much that they were barely visible slits, Orochimaru could sense a gaze.
"This is truly rare, Great Master, you're actually awake..." Shima Sage exclaimed. "And right when someone's visiting."
"When distinguished guests arrive, it wouldn't be polite to remain asleep."
The Great Toad Sage stared at Orochimaru and sighed. "I didn't expect anyone in this era to have grown to such a level. This aura reminds me of the scene when I first met Hagoromo Hamura."
"If possible, please elaborate on those aspects," Orochimaru smiled upon hearing this. "I'm quite interested in information about the Sage of Six Paths."
At these words, the faces of the two sages and Jiraiya changed. The former were surprised that the Great Toad Sage had such a high opinion of Orochimaru, while the latter was surprised that the Great Toad Sage had met the actual Sage of Six Paths.
Although he had lived in Mount Myōboku for a long time, his closest contacts were the two sages and toads like Bunta. He hadn't interacted much with the Great Toad Sage, having only a few conversations, so he was unaware of some of the details.
In response to Orochimaru's question, the Great Toad Sage calmly said, "This old toad is getting old and doesn't have as much energy as young people. However, if you only want to hear trivial matters, that's fine too."
"Then let's ask a more valuable question."
Orochimaru smiled, but his eyes became a bit more serious. "To what extent can your prophecies be accurate? Can you predict specific individuals? Obtain related information?"
The Great Toad Sage opened his mouth. "You want to know about the Ōtsutsuki clan?"
"This question is truly unexpected," Orochimaru's expression flickered slightly, then he smiled, "But, yes, that's correct."
"I can try. I can't guarantee success."
The Great Toad Sage said slowly. "However, in exchange, please help my Mount Myōboku overcome this calamity."
"That is expected," Orochimaru smiled. "Even if you didn't say so, I would take it seriously."
The Great Toad Sage did not comment and instead seemed to fall asleep on his own.