Motoya Tako looked at her mother and said, "That's exactly why I say he's mysterious. Before we were assigned to teams, I didn't even know he existed—and it seems no one else noticed him either."
Senju Mei asked, "You said he's strong. How can you tell?"
Although she wasn't a shinobi herself, Mei came from the Senju Clan and understood enough about ninjutsu and chakra to judge talent.
Tako thought back to the day's test.
"After the team assignments, our instructor tested us. It was some kind of mental ninjutsu. Jumoku and I nearly broke—we almost lost ourselves in it."
"But Orion… he barely seemed affected."
"The instructor even said the main force of the technique was directed at Orion, and we only felt the aftermath."
"Even so, Orion didn't seem to feel any pressure at all. Our teacher was shocked, and when we told Asuma Sarutobi about it, he was surprised too."
Mei's expression grew serious.
"If what you say is true, then that child's mental strength is far beyond ordinary people."
"Your instructor is an Anbu-trained jōnin. Shinobi from Anbu usually possess extremely strong mental fortitude. If even he couldn't break the boy's composure…"
She paused.
"That means the boy's mental power is extraordinary. And people with that kind of mental strength usually have both exceptional chakra control and enormous chakra reserves."
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"This is no small matter."
Though Mei wasn't a ninja, she had access to much of the Senju clan's knowledge and knew that strong mental power was often linked to powerful chakra. To resist an Anbu-level genjutsu, one needed not only precise chakra control but also enough chakra to sustain that resistance.
Otherwise, even someone like Sakura Haruno—who had excellent chakra control—could still fall victim to genjutsu if her chakra reserves were overwhelmed.
"Someone with such precise control and such reserves shouldn't have been unknown for six years. It's too strange. For a child to hide like that… he's not ordinary."
Tako was stunned. "Mom… does that mean Orion is really that strong?"
Mei nodded slowly. "I can't be certain yet, but if nothing goes wrong, he won't be ordinary in the future."
"Even the best graduates can't stay calm under an Anbu jōnin's mental pressure."
She added seriously, "Until we learn more about him, keep some distance. Don't get too close yet."
Tako wasn't happy to hear that, but she knew her mother meant well.
Meanwhile, Orion had no idea that his performance during the test had caused the mother and daughter to begin keeping their guard up.
But even if he knew, he wouldn't have cared. After all, he had been prepared to reveal some of his ability.
Back home, Orion didn't immediately train like usual. Instead, he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his consciousness sinking into his inner world.
"You have idled for one day. Chakra doubled. Physical attributes doubled."
"You have gained Exceptional Learning Ability: As long as your body and chakra can handle it, you can learn any jutsu at the speed of a top-tier prodigy."
A surge of tingling warmth swept through his body. The sensation was so comfortable he almost cried out.
His mind felt clearer than ever. Knowledge that had once seemed confusing now felt simple and clear.
He felt that if someone demonstrated a technique just once, he could learn it as quickly as someone like Itachi Uchiha.
When he opened his eyes, he stared blankly at the ceiling.
He could feel the chakra coursing through his body, dense enough to almost manifest physically.
"My chakra's doubled… I'm probably around elite jōnin level now."
"My physical strength should be around mid-level taijutsu chūnin."
The improvement was frighteningly fast.
Few shinobi specialized in taijutsu, and even fewer reached such physical ability.
"But it's still awkward… I don't know any real jutsu."
Knowing only the Three Basic Techniques was hardly enough for real combat.
In the real world of shinobi, survival meant using every trick—dirty or otherwise. Relying on only the basics would be suicide.
He didn't feel arrogant enough to believe he could challenge jōnin yet. Even against a chūnin, he wasn't confident he'd win.
"Still, this gain is huge. With this learning ability, I should be able to pick up basic techniques quickly."
"After tomorrow's mission, I'll check the training grounds. Maybe I can watch others practice."
"I need at least a few offensive techniques. I don't want to rely purely on taijutsu."
The Eight Gates were powerful, but he wasn't interested in them. The consequences were terrifying, and besides, that was Might Guy's specialty.
Few had ever mastered the technique—only Guy, Kakashi Hatake, and Rock Lee had ever truly learned it.
Kakashi was Guy's lifelong rival and friend. Lee was Guy's personal student.
And Orion?
He had no intention of learning it at all.