Motomu saw that Orochimaru seemed to have accepted his explanation.
He struck while the iron was hot, pulling another scroll from his ninja tool bag and handing it over respectfully.
"Master."
"These are some things your disciple collected at the risk of his life in Loulan."
"The chakra of the Dragon Vein is very special; it contains natural energy and has a high affinity with fire."
"Unfortunately, in this eruption, the Dragon Vein was completely exhausted and no longer exists."
"Otherwise, if Master had obtained it, you would surely be able to restore the glory of the Immortal Way."
Hearing Motomu's flattery.
Orochimaru smiled, neither confirming nor denying.
He simply reached out a hand, took it, and flipped through a few pages.
He let out a light hum.
Orochimaru's expression shifted from casual to focused.
"Fire-natured natural energy, Five Elements Qi?"
He murmured, the light of wisdom flashing in his golden snake-like pupils.
"This indeed fits well with your body tempering technique, my disciple."
Motomu nodded.
His previous ability to turn into a fire-man using the Body Tempering Manual.
It was indeed brought by the mysterious little technique Orochimaru had given him.
But in reality.
The true function of that technique was merely to grant him fire resistance.
Now that his heart was soaking in magma, the technique was no longer that important to him.
Motomu's thoughts raced, but he responded to Orochimaru.
"I suspect that natural energy isn't limited to just one type of senjutsu."
"Fire, water, the earth... everything in nature contains different natural energies."
"If we can find the corresponding refining methods, perhaps we can develop senjutsu with different attributes."
Orochimaru was busy making edits in his notebook, not even looking back.
"Disciple, you are smarter and more sensible than I imagined."
"I will handle the matter in Loulan for you."
"As for Danzo, he won't be coming to look for you in the short term."
Motomu breathed a sigh of relief.
He hadn't expected this card he played to be so useful.
Once war broke out over the Loulan incident, he would surely draw more attention from the higher-ups.
It was for the best if Orochimaru could help him distance himself from it.
"Thank you, Master."
"You may go."
Motomu bowed and was about to take his leave when Orochimaru spoke again.
"Your eye... what happened to it?"
Motomu's heart tightened.
That Mangekyo in his right eye—even though he had deactivated it.
The side effects of overuse were still there.
His vision blurred occasionally, and the Big Eyeball would blink involuntarily.
Seeing that Orochimaru seemed to have asked casually.
Motomu replied with an equally casual tone.
"Eye strain."
"I used the Sharingan a bit too much."
Orochimaru waved his hand, not pressing further.
"Make sure to rest."
"The power of the Sharingan is but a collection of parlor tricks; there is no benefit in overusing it."
"Yes."
When Motomu walked out of the base, the sky was completely dark.
Night birds and unknown strange cries echoed through the Forest of Death.
Standing at the cave entrance, Motomu took a deep breath.
He had passed.
Orochimaru believed his words, at least on the surface.
Whether he believed him deep down was another story.
He couldn't fully trust what the man said; he still needed at least one backup plan to deal with any investigations.
Thinking about things all the way back.
When he arrived home.
The black-haired girl was curled up on the sofa watching TV.
She had changed into new clothes—a white T-shirt with a cartoon Cobra printed on it—and her hair was pinned back with a clip. If not for her blue snake pupils, she looked no different from an ordinary girl.
"Back already?"
The Cobra didn't even look back, weakly waving a hand.
"There's food in the kitchen; Anko made it."
Motomu walked into the kitchen, where dishes were being kept warm on the stove.
There was braised pork and stir-fried greens, recipes he had taught her.
There was also a bowl of miso soup with a slice of lemon tucked into the edge of the porcelain bowl.
Though Motomu didn't know why Anko had added lemon.
But he could see the effort she had put in.
Carrying the bowl back to the living room, Motomu sat down on the green sofa.
An old black-and-white variety show was playing on the TV.
The Cobra was watching intently, letting out a laugh every now and then.
Seeing Motomu sit next to her, the Cobra pulled in her feet and asked.
"The matter with the White Snake Sage... is it settled?"
"No, the target fled."
"Probably."
Motomu was a bit unsure.
The White Snake Sage had protected him and was directly hit by the One-Tail's Tailed Beast Bomb.
He didn't know if she was alive or dead, and since the system hadn't made a judgment, it likely counted as the One-Tail's victory even if she was defeated.
"Did those two Snake Himes come looking for you again?"
The Cobra shook her head.
"No."
"Not a sound from them."
Hearing this, Motomu silently calculated.
The White Snake Sage had temporarily retreated, and the Snake Himes didn't dare enter Konoha.
This matter was settled for the time being.
He would go to Ryuchi Cave later to settle the score.
Next, he needed time to digest his gains.
Big Eyeball needed to test the effects of "Hide-and-Seek".
The Kidney needed training.
The Heart was easier; it was leveling up on its own in the magma.
"Oh, right."
"Anko said the Ninja Academy is going on break in a few days, and she wants to go out and play."
"Where to?"
"I don't know. She said she wants to see the ocean."
Motomu thought for a moment.
To the seaside?
Once the Sand Ninja started the war, the Mist Ninja would follow suit and declare war as well.
If they didn't go soon, they wouldn't be able to go for a long time.
"We'll see. We'll set off after a few days of preparation."
Motomu stood up, washed the dishes that the Cobra didn't want to wash, and then.
He turned to head upstairs.
Meanwhile, the Cobra had already switched channels.
On the screen was a travel program showing a group of people in a hot spring.
"Human, what does a hot spring feel like?"
"It's hot."
"Oh, it really seems that way."
Motomu ignored the enlightened Cobra.
After showering.
He returned to the room he hadn't lived in yet, walked to the window, and pushed it open.
The night breeze carried the fragrance of greenery, and in the distance were the scattered lights of the Uchiha district.
Hide-and-Seek.
As long as the Big Eyeball stayed hidden long enough, it would gain experience.
He didn't know the exact mechanism.
With curiosity and excitement.
Motomu released the Big Eyeball.
With blood vessels and nerves fluttering, the Big Eyeball licked its lips, seemingly sensing its master's mood.
It swayed as it flew out.
The shrunken Big Eyeball didn't fly high.
It skimmed over the treetops and through the woods.
Through the shared vision, Motomu saw the green sea of tree canopies rustling in the night wind.
No one should notice a weird object flying overhead if they didn't look up.
It flew for less than three minutes.
Returning once more to Training Ground 17.
He had used Dream Eater here before to devour life force.
Coming back now.
The animals that had become listless from the loss of life force had clearly recovered.
To avoid adding variables, Motomu didn't use Dream Eater on them again.
He aimed randomly at a stone.
Hide-and-Seek, activate.
[SYSTEM: YOU HAVE TRIGGERED THE HIDE-AND-SEEK GAME]
Following the system prompt.
Motomu's perspective rose from the Big Eyeball, shifting to a third-person view.
In the third-person perspective.
He saw the Big Eyeball, which had shrunk to the size of a normal eye.
Amidst a flurry of colorful lights, it began to twist and deform like kneaded dough.
A few seconds later.
An ordinary grey-brown stone appeared on the ground.
Mixed in with the surrounding scattered rocks.
There was no sense of discord.
"Is it starting?"
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