In a small tavern in Konoha Village, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade were sitting together. Orochimaru had been back in Konoha for nearly a month, and during that time, he had been settled into the village quite comfortably. Besides a select few like Jiraiya, no one knew Orochimaru's true identity. Orochimaru had been assigned to the Konoha Research Department, a position he was quite satisfied with. Backed by the vast resources of Konoha, he could conduct all sorts of experiments, and he began to see the benefits of staying in the village again.
Moreover, with free time on his hands, Orochimaru occasionally met up with Jiraiya and Tsunade for a drink. After the upheaval in Konoha, Orochimaru found that life in the village was indeed better than the days of wandering outside. Of course, if he could obtain the body of a Uchiha prodigy for his next reincarnation, that would be the best outcome.
As they gathered for a rare reunion and drank a bit, the three Sannin found themselves reminiscing more and more. They chatted about past events, with Jiraiya's antics being the most frequent topic. Occasionally, they talked about Nawaki Senju, Tsunade's younger brother. Back then, Nawaki had been Orochimaru's favorite disciple. Orochimaru hadn't yet turned to the dark side at that time, and Nawaki's death had deeply saddened him. This event had likely further motivated Orochimaru to delve into the study of the forbidden Reanimation Jutsu, driven by his reflections on the fragility of life.
Naturally, their thoughts turned to the Third Hokage as they spoke of Nawaki. The atmosphere became more somber. Despite everything, the three Sannin still had some lingering feelings of respect and affection for their old teacher. However, the actions of the Third Hokage and the Konoha leadership had greatly disappointed them, which ultimately led to their departures from the village.
"By the way, Orochimaru, didn't that kid Akira say he wanted to train in Sage Mode? How's his progress?" Jiraiya asked, trying to lighten the mood by changing the subject.
"Akira? It seems he's already aware of the dangers of training in Sage Mode, so he hasn't gone to Ryūchi Cave these past few days," Orochimaru replied with a smile.
"Yeah, training in Sage Mode is indeed dangerous," Jiraiya nodded in agreement. Having mastered Sage Mode himself, Jiraiya understood well how difficult and perilous the training could be. The dangers weren't just theoretical; one's life was genuinely at risk. Even with the toads of Mount Myōboku assisting, many who failed in their training had turned into stone statues, a clear indication of the level of danger involved.
"The Sage Mode of Ryūchi Cave is even more dangerous—nearly impossible to succeed in," Orochimaru added after a moment of silence, glancing at Jiraiya.
That this fool had managed to learn Sage Mode while he, Orochimaru, had not, was something he could hardly accept. So, Orochimaru went on to explain the severe risks involved in training for Sage Mode at Ryūchi Cave.
"What? Even if someone passes the tests of the Three Great Snake Princesses, the White Snake Sage only injects natural energy into them once, and success depends on that single attempt?" Jiraiya exclaimed in disbelief.
"That's right," Orochimaru confirmed with a nod.
"The chances of success are really one in ten thousand!" Even Tsunade, who had already had a few drinks, commented upon hearing this.
Yes, with just one attempt and such high difficulty, the odds of success were indeed minuscule. It's like throwing ten thousand people who can't swim into a river and expecting even one to swim to safety on their first try—practically impossible.
"I can't let this go. I have to warn that kid Akira!" Jiraiya said, unable to sit still. He stood up and left the tavern immediately. Although nearly a month had passed and Akira Uchiha hadn't gone to Ryūchi Cave, likely aware of the danger, Jiraiya felt it was still his duty to warn him personally.
"Oh? That guy has a good relationship with Akira Uchiha?" Tsunade asked curiously as she watched Jiraiya leave. Wasn't Naruto, the son of the Fourth Hokage, supposed to be training with Jiraiya? To an outsider, it might seem like Akira was the one being trained by Jiraiya.
"Previously, Jiraiya even suggested that Akira Uchiha could sign a summoning contract with Mount Myōboku," Orochimaru explained simply.
Tsunade immediately understood how much Akira meant to Jiraiya upon hearing that he was willing to let Akira sign the Mount Myōboku contract.
"If Jiraiya values Akira Uchiha that much, why do you seem so indifferent about it?" Tsunade asked, now directing a curious gaze at Orochimaru.
Indeed, wasn't Akira Uchiha contracted with Ryūchi Cave? Shouldn't Orochimaru be the one who's more concerned?
Orochimaru simply smiled and said nothing in response to Tsunade's question.
Yes, Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode was extremely dangerous, and Orochimaru had long given up on mastering it. But was he worried about Akira? Not at all. Twice he had tried to ambush Akira, and twice Akira had managed to foresee and thwart his attempts. For someone with the ability to predict the future, what was there to worry about?
Given that Akira had signed the Ryūchi Cave contract but hadn't gone there yet, it was clear that he had likely foreseen the danger that awaited him. So why should Orochimaru be concerned?
"Strange guy!" Tsunade muttered as she saw Orochimaru's smile. Not wanting to stay alone with Orochimaru, she stood up and walked out as well. With Jiraiya gone, Tsunade felt uneasy being alone with him.
With both Tsunade and Jiraiya leaving, Orochimaru no longer had any interest in drinking by himself. After paying the tab, he also left the tavern. It wasn't surprising that Jiraiya, an impoverished author, couldn't afford to pay. But Tsunade, the princess of the Senju clan, not paying? Orochimaru silently criticized her.
Then again, considering Tsunade's gambling addiction, it wasn't entirely surprising. She might indeed be broke.
Meanwhile, back at the Uchiha residence, Akira Uchiha was overjoyed to have finally mastered Sage Mode. As he looked at the three options in front of him, he hesitated.
Firstly, since his Sharingan hadn't yet evolved into the Mangekyō, he ruled out that option. As for the chakra boost, it offered a 30% increase. With his current chakra reserves, that 30% would be equivalent to about a "kakashi," a standard unit of chakra. In other words, 30% of Akira's chakra was now equivalent to Kakashi's entire chakra reserve!
But since he had already succeeded in mastering Sage Mode after twenty-two attempts, how should he choose?
Naturally, his first instinct was to choose Sage Mode. By selecting it, he could instantly master Sage Mode, right? But based on the Life Simulator, if he went to Ryūchi Cave now, he should be able to master Sage Mode on his own. That means the chakra boost might be wasted if he didn't choose it.
From the perspective of maximizing his benefits, Akira reasoned that he should choose the chakra boost, then go to Ryūchi Cave to master Sage Mode on his own. The simulation had already confirmed his success; there was no reason he should fail in real life. By training again, he could gain an extra "kakashi" worth of chakra—why not?
But after weighing his options, Akira ultimately chose Sage Mode.
Better to play it safe, he decided. It's only a matter of another 1 million ryo for another simulation anyway—no need to take unnecessary risks.
As the knowledge, skills, and experience were extracted, Akira immediately gained mastery over Sage Mode, and he was already quite proficient at it!
Why? Because in the Life Simulator, after learning Sage Mode, Akira had spent several years honing it before his final battle with Pain. So, not only had he mastered Sage Mode, but he had also become quite adept at it—he was far from a beginner.
"Let's see how Sage Mode works in practice!"
Although the Life Simulator had given him years of experience, it was still just text on a screen. It was like learning a powerful skill in an online game—he couldn't resist testing it out.
Taking a deep breath, Akira focused his mind and began to sense the natural energy around him. He slowly absorbed it into his body, allowing it to merge with his chakra. The process wasn't quick, but after four or five minutes, Akira had entered Sage Mode!
As Sage Mode activated, Akira felt a massive surge in his chakra. His body was enveloped in a blue-green flame-like aura, and his eyes transformed into vertical snake-like pupils. In this state, his body even emitted a blue-green light, somewhat reminiscent of Naruto's Nine-Tails Mode, which radiated a golden glow.
"Hmm, as expected of Sage Mode—this is indeed powerful!"
"And it looks pretty cool too!"
"Not bad at all!"
"Unfortunately, just like Jiraiya's Sage Mode, the preparation time is pretty long. It takes about four or five minutes to get ready!"
Akira was pleased with the power boost from Sage Mode but had some concerns about the preparation time. After fully experiencing the power, he deactivated Sage Mode and decided to go out and buy some eggs.
Although in the Life Simulator he had been swallowed by the snakes of Ryūchi Cave countless times, this was his first time in reality. Buying some eggs seemed like a good idea, since snakes apparently liked them. Plus, meeting the snakes of Ryūchi Cave and getting familiar with them could be useful for future summoning.
Resolving to take this step, Akira made a quick adjustment and stepped out of his house.
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>Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 186 at patreon.com/Emik01.>
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