Although Isobu's way of addressing him made Hii Kōri almost lose his composure, he currently had no mind for complaining.
Before the deep, resonant voice had even faded, Isobu's massive body tilted upward slightly. Without even opening the mouth hidden beneath his spiky underbite jaw, the furious tailed beast chakra began to gather in front of his mouth.
Yin and Yang chakra, mixed in a specific ratio, compressed and emitted a heart-stopping fluctuation. The surrounding sea surface was pressed down by the invisible pressure, and even the light seemed to twist around it.
The next moment, a pitch-black beam of destruction shot through the air!
"Hooh... so that's how it is?"
Hii Kōri narrowed his eyes, feeling the formation process of this Tailed Beast Ball. He had his answer.
Compared to the pseudo-Tailed Beast Ball he had once performed using a small portion of Shukaku's chakra while in a semi-tailed beast transformation, Isobu's attack was the genuine article.
Both the quality of the chakra and the scale of the Tailed Beast Ball were far superior.
If he had fired a Tailed Beast Ball of this chakra quality at Gamabunta back then even though this was just a standard technique for tailed beasts it would have been enough to reduce that toad to less than ashes.
More importantly, Hii Kōri did detect a slight difference from Shukaku's Tailed Beast Ball a slightly moist sensation, distinct from the dry heat and fury of the scorching desert wind.
This wasn't the same as the differences in regular ninjutsu nature transformations. The essence of a Tailed Beast Ball was a pure energy cannon formed by mixing and compressing Yin and Yang tailed beast chakra in a 2:8 ratio, without incorporating any regular chakra natures.
But tailed beasts, as living beings created from chakra extracted from the Ten-Tails, originated from energy that was a mixture of the Divine Tree's own energy and the life force extracted from this planet.
It was like people's Innate Domains as mental landscapes, or the origins of life in a certain mushroom-themed world or, more closely, the innate nature affinities of ninjas.
Tailed beasts, taking various forms and even possessing what resembled kekkei genkai natures, naturally had chakra tendencies that matched their individual forms.
And because their origin as energy-based life forms was so pure, even without converting their tailed beast chakra into nature-transformed chakra, this tendency still persisted.
"The control experiment is done—"
Seeing the black-purple Tailed Beast Ball bearing down on him, Hii Kōri revealed a delighted smile. His hands rapidly formed hand seals, showing no intention of retreating.
One layer. Ten layers. Dozens of layers... Countless barriers of various types unfolded around the Tailed Beast Ball like blooming petals, layers upon layers, their luster flowing.
Dense runes also spread across the barriers. Then the overlapping barriers gradually contracted, as if trying to annihilate this violent assault.
But Hii Kōri wasn't that wasteful.
Cursed Technique: Palm Hatching, activate!
By using the numerous barriers to create an environment that simulates a mental landscape, the technique, which normally requires direct hand contact, could be activated remotely.
The destructive twilight star, which had been mixed into a stable energy mass, was continuously reversed, re-decomposed into dispersed Yin and Yang attribute tailed beast chakra.
As the barriers contracted, that chakra was seamlessly absorbed into Hii Kōri's body and promptly sealed away.
Three-Tails chakra: GET.
"Thank you very much. I've obtained some very valuable data and inspiration."
The entire process took no more than three to five seconds. By the time Hii Kōri landed back on the sea surface, the waves stirred up by Isobu's Tailed Beast Ball release had yet to subside.
"No problem. It was just a small effort."
Isobu tucked his chin beneath the sea surface, blowing bubbles. His muffled voice became even more hazy.
From the sealing technique Hii Kōri had just used to handle his Tailed Beast Ball, and his current completely untired state, Isobu was even more certain that the human before him could capture him if he wanted to—it wasn't impossible or even particularly difficult.
This gave Isobu a greater favor toward Hii Kōri.
See? Back when he first met Master Bunpuku, Hii Kōri had said that communicating with tailed beasts and building harmonious relationships was actually quite simple.
The Art of Communicating with Non-Human Sapient Beings, by Hii Kōri.
"But what kind of inspiration can you get from a Tailed Beast Ball?"
"That... it's a bit hard to explain with words alone. I'll show you."
Hii Kōri raised his hand and stroked his chin. The slightly coarse texture reminded him it was time to shave.
After a moment's thought and some adjustment to his internal chakra circulation, he reached out and lightly tapped the air in front of him, releasing a ball of Water Release chakra.
Then, that chakra ball slowly moved to the side, leaving enough space. Hii Kōri then released chakra balls of Earth Release, Wind Release, Lightning Release, and Fire Release, one after another.
"Not as fuel for 'techniques,' but directly creating aggregate crystallizations of corresponding natures... you could also call them 'Elemental Spirits.'"
As Hii Kōri spoke, the five strange chakra balls slowly rotating around him sped up, spinning faster and faster. Under the influence of the Yin and Yang chakra he released, they gradually merged into a brilliant and stable ring.
The tangible crystallizations of the five natures intermingled and transformed into one another, forming a chaotic vortex that seemed to contain every possible color.
"This is?!"
Feeling the fluctuations emanating from that strange vortex—very different from conventional ninjutsu—Isobu's single eye filled with curiosity.
"Hmm... although I'd already worked out the plan for the Five Elements Cycle, this is my first time actually trying it. After all, if I mixed this stuff inside my body, I always felt like I'd blow myself to bits."
Hii Kōri's speech was very fast, with a distinctly noticeable excitement.
The formation of those five chakra balls was based on the energy structure of the Tailed Beast Ball. Compared to his own self-made monkey version, seeing the genuine article once would be far more conducive to understanding.
"As for what it's for—"
He carefully manipulated the chaotic vortex around him, moving it into the distance. Then he casually exhaled a massive fireball toward the sky above.
Great Fireball Technique—a C-rank ninjutsu—he no longer needed hand seals for.
But the moment the fireball left his mouth, before it could even fully expand, it was like a leaf caught in a whirlpool—instantly pulled, twisted, and sucked into that chaotic vortex.
Immediately after, the vortex emitted an unstable whine. The balance within it suddenly collapsed. The chaotic colors extended outward and then vanished. With a soft sound, the entire vortex dissipated into the air, leaving behind only some traces of turbulent chakra.
"Ah... it collapsed."
Although the five natures appeared to have mixed together, the fact that the influx of a single nature caused it to lose stability proved that the vortex was merely maintaining a cycle, not true fusion.
Hii Kōri wasn't disappointed, though. It was his first actual attempt; the fact that it had formed successfully at all was the best possible outcome.
"Well, anyway, it's something like this. If I had to give it a name..."
"The name of this technique is: 'Rasengan'!"
Unlike Jiraiya's classic middle-aged single-apartment-style old residence, Orochimaru's home—which had only recently gained a bit of a lived-in feel—had a separate courtyard.
Sunlight filtered through the sparse leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground.
Jiraiya stood in the center of the yard. His white, medium-length hair, usually tied in small braids, had grown much longer over these past days, hanging loosely behind his back, giving him a somewhat untamed look.
His face, which always wore either a carefree or a "lecherous" smile, now held an expression of unusual concentration—even taut.
He raised his left arm, his palm loosely clenched before him. A blue chakra sphere about the size of a fist, spinning at high speed, hovered above his palm.
"Watch closely!"
Jiraiya barked lowly, his voice carrying suppressed excitement and something deeper. He pushed off slightly with his feet, thrusting his left arm forward. The azure chakra sphere was pressed fiercely into a large rock target placed in a corner of the yard.
A muffled cracking sound—as if originating from within the rock itself—came from the target.
The spot where the solid rock target had been struck was covered with radial cracks. The entire back of the target had been reduced to countless small fragments and dust, scattering into the distance in the autumn wind.
"Hooh... a seal-less ninjutsu?"
Orochimaru, who hadn't been particularly interested and had been about to go back to reading an old book he'd recently acquired, now perked up. He walked with interest to the target to observe the damage.
"Pure chakra form manipulation. Compressing an irregular chakra flow into a sphere, then releasing it upon contact... a technique that requires high manipulation precision."
Orochimaru circled to the back of the target, reached out and pinched a bit of stone powder, and analyzed in his characteristic hoarse, steady voice. "To develop a technique with this level of completion in such a short time... seems you haven't just been writing novels these past few months."
"Ah... it's nothing special, ahahahaha."
Hearing such unfamiliar praise from Orochimaru, Jiraiya awkwardly hid his left hand—its fingertips also bloodied from the blast—behind his back, his eyes shifting slightly.
High level of completion? If it were that high, he wouldn't have injured his own hand.
Orochimaru paid no attention to his small movements. He silently let his gaze fall on Jiraiya's right hand.
Although ninjas trained both hands for dexterity to deal with various situations, the right hand was still the dominant hand for the vast majority.
And three of the main fingers on Jiraiya's right hand had been cut off by Hii Kōri, leaving only his ring and little fingers—he could no longer form hand seals smoothly.
Under these circumstances, it was only natural that Jiraiya would consider developing seal-less ninjutsu.
Orochimaru himself knew quite a few seal-less techniques, like shedding his skin, spitting snakes from his mouth, hiding swords inside snakes... hmm, should those be classified as taijutsu?
"Given that your injury was the starting point, this progress is astonishingly fast for just a few months."
"Surprised?"
Jiraiya wiped the blood from his fingertips behind his back, then noticed Orochimaru's gaze. He casually raised his right hand, using his remaining two fingers to beckon at him. The excitement on his face faded somewhat, replaced by a complex sadness.
"...If this could be called 'a blessing in disguise' in any sense, even I'd be bitter about it."
Having been forcibly disconnected from the Two-Beings Technique while maintaining a Sage Chakra cycle, Jiraiya's entire chakra pathway system had sustained severe damage.
To properly repair his pathway system, after returning from Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya had maintained high-intensity rehabilitation.
Enduring the piercing pain throughout his body, he continuously circulated chakra through every minute pathway. In this process, his manipulation precision of chakra had undergone a qualitative leap.
And after witnessing Hii Kōri unleash an incomplete Tailed Beast Ball that nearly blew Gamabunta to death, the impression of that technique was etched in Jiraiya's mind.
This Rasengan was a technique he had created based on the Tailed Beast Ball.
"It's not just this seal-less Rasengan. I can now release many other ninjutsu without hand seals too."
Draining a cup of tea that had been sitting out for a while, Jiraiya proudly shook his head at Orochimaru.
"Hooh... then I have to admit you're ahead of me in this regard."
Orochimaru walked to the table, snapped his fingers, and raised a small flame around the teapot to reheat the cooled tea. He then took Jiraiya's bloodied left hand, applying medical ninjutsu to treat it, while changing the subject: "But you don't need to be in such a rush."
"New funding has come in recently. Research on the First Hokage's cells can restart. Give me a little time, and I can probably make you three new fingers."
"Ah... prosthetics. Sounds great."
Jiraiya clicked his tongue, his smile unchanged, but his gaze drifted to the sky above the courtyard—fragmented by the branches and leaves. "Orochimaru, I've always trusted your skills. When you've got them, I'll definitely be the first to try them out."
"Right now, I'm just doing rehabilitation. The old man became Hokage and spends his days approving documents. His skills have declined. But my decline has certainly been worse."
He raised his right hand, now only half there, curling his two remaining fingers as if making a fist. "I can't beat Hii Kōri with just this level of technique. No one knows that better than me."
"I just want to recover as much as possible to my state before the injury—not in terms of strength, but the state of my chakra pathway system, my body... and my mind."
"Hey, Orochimaru. You should be able to understand, right? That feeling of being unable to do anything."
Jiraiya turned to look at Orochimaru. For an instant, he wore an expression that seemed to be both a smile and a cry oddly reminding Orochimaru of Nawaki.
The next moment, that sorrowful expression dissipated like an illusion. Jiraiya's smile seemed no different from the past.
But the unamused, deep darkness in his eyes was fully captured by Orochimaru.
"Ah. I understand."
Of course I understand...
That's why I won't walk the same path as you, Jiraiya.
Thinking this, Orochimaru picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea.
Tea reheated using the little trick he'd learned from Hii Kōri.