"I don't know. He only learned Flying Thunder God a few days ago."
Orochimaru shook his head and told a small lie.
Learning Flying Thunder God on the very first day back in Konoha was simply too shocking.
It was fine to have space–time talent, but you couldn't show it too blatantly—otherwise anyone would sense something was off.
If it weren't for what came next—and the fact that the Crystal Ball Telescope Technique was hard to notice—Orochimaru wouldn't even have wanted to tell Sarutobi Hiruzen this early.
"So that child Yoru really does have space–time talent."
Hiruzen calmed down, sat back, lit his pipe, and happily blew smoke, smiling at Orochimaru. "Since he's mastered Flying Thunder God, don't waste its strategic deterrence. Take him out on more missions—let Flying Thunder God marks bloom everywhere."
"Once war breaks out, he'll be Konoha's surprise weapon."
"I know. That's what I'm thinking too," Orochimaru said. "But Yoru's weakness is also very obvious. His chakra nature doesn't include lightning. Next I plan to teach him Lightning Release nature transformation."
"You want to increase his resistance to genjutsu?"
As the "Professor of Ninjutsu," Hiruzen instantly understood Orochimaru's plan.
"Yes." Orochimaru nodded. "I want to request permission to borrow the Sword of the Thunder God."
Hiruzen's expression carried a hint of regret as he exhaled smoke. "The Rasengan that child developed is even better suited to Flying Thunder God than the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God Slash. But his chakra reserves can't compare to the Senju's, and he doesn't have a water affinity."
"Lightning Release can indeed strengthen resistance to genjutsu," Hiruzen continued, "but to deal with genjutsu users, you can't only defend. Sometimes, offense is the best defense."
"Sarutobi-sensei, you mean…" Orochimaru immediately caught the implication.
"Besides the Sword of the Thunder God, I'll allow you to copy a standalone scroll for the genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique," Hiruzen said, increasing his investment.
His favoritism was on full display.
As his most prized student's student, as the chain binding the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, and as Konoha's second person to master Flying Thunder God… Gojo Yoru now ranked far higher in Hiruzen's heart than canon Minato ever did.
If conditions allowed, Hiruzen would have loved to raise this white-haired boy—so reminiscent of Tobirama—into a new Senju Tobirama.
Unfortunately, Yoru wasn't Senju, didn't have vast chakra reserves, and lacked water affinity.
Otherwise, Hiruzen might even have wanted to pass Tobirama's Water Release legacy to him.
"Then I'll thank you on Yoru's behalf, Sarutobi-sensei."
With his guess confirmed, Orochimaru smiled in genuine delight.
Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness was a forbidden-level illusion. Even Orochimaru didn't know it.
Not because he couldn't learn it, but because he would need missions and merit points to exchange for it.
Yet Yoru, after just one S-rank mission, could obtain the training method for that technique.
As a teacher, Orochimaru benefited from his student's "light."
Once he copied a standalone scroll, it meant Orochimaru himself could learn Bringer-of-Darkness too.
"Orochimaru, train this child well. He will become your greatest support," Hiruzen said with a meaningful smile.
Orochimaru's expression tightened, and he nodded firmly. "Understood, Sarutobi-sensei."
…
Bzzzt-bzzzt…
Click-click…
"Hahahaha!"
The crackle of electricity, the camera shutter, and the girl's belly-laugh echoed through the abandoned training ground.
The one laughing her head off was, of course, Uzumaki Kushina.
No wonder she was laughing so hard—the scene in front of her was… image-destroying.
Gojo Yoru, who was usually so "cool," now had his short white hair—normally covering his ears—turned into a full-blown afro from static.
Though his body, wrapped in electric current, wasn't charred black, and he was stubbornly refusing to show pain on his face—looking impressively determined—
That ridiculous afro hit Kushina's funny bone straight on.
This was absolutely a black-history moment that would follow Yoru his whole life. Kushina had to photograph it and treasure it forever.
Even when Yoru shot her a warning glare—suggesting he'd take revenge later—Kushina didn't care at all.
"Feel the current flowing through your meridians. Try to let your chakra assimilate with it," Orochimaru said, calmly instructing while using the Sword of the Thunder God to shock Yoru.
Yoru could only temporarily let Kushina off the hook, close his eyes, and do what Orochimaru said.
Even on his first attempt to draw lightning into his body, Yoru realized that as long as you found the right method, cultivating nature transformation later in life wasn't actually that difficult.
It was a higher level of chakra control.
Just like medical ninjutsu and sealing arts: you had to control attribute-less chakra and convert it into something else.
The difference was that medical ninjutsu and sealing arts required talent, while nature transformation—like tree climbing and water walking—could be achieved through correct method and hard training.
Of course, "achieving" it was only the start. To become a true expert in that element still required talent and long years of refinement.
The Third Raikage was the endpoint of that path—the absolute peak beneath the Ōtsutsuki.
"Alright. Take a break," Orochimaru said.
Because meridians couldn't withstand long electrical shocks, Orochimaru timed it precisely—stopping right at three minutes.
"Tomato-na, prepare to die!"
Yoru didn't sit down to rest or heal. He charged straight at Kushina.
Kushina didn't run. She put away the camera and slammed a charged jumping punch at him.
BOOM—!
The blast-like impact and violent tremor made Orochimaru's mouth twitch as he looked at Yoru with pure pity.
Yoru seemed to sense danger and dodged just in time.
Kushina's punch struck the ground dead-on.
Terrifying chakra erupted, blasting a huge crater into the earth. Cracks of all sizes spiderwebbed outward, kicking up dust in every direction.
That punch was unmistakably…
Monster Strength.
Just as the Rasengan was perfect for the Uzumaki and Senju, the Senju secret art of chakra-enhanced strength was also something "chakra monsters" could master quickly and bring out to maximum power.
"Tomato-na—are you trying to kill me?!" Yoru stared at the shattered ground, feeling a rare chill of fear.
"Heh-heh… scared now, huh?" Kushina raised her fist smugly. "If you make me mad again, I'll send you straight to the ER with one punch."
If he weren't still trying to keep his edge hidden, Yoru would've wanted to use intangibility and teach Kushina a proper lesson.
But inside, he also felt genuinely reassured.
While he was growing fast, she was fighting just as hard to become stronger.
Starting with Monster Strength, she was already breaking away from the path fate had laid out.
Once she awakened the Uzumaki clan's unique abilities and fully mastered sealing arts—and then added senjutsu and Rasenshuriken—Kushina would gain the power to face the Nine-Tails directly, seize its chakra, and enter a "golden body" mode.
~~~
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