Konoha's Tatsuya

"Ryuchi Cave? What's that place?"

Hearing Orochimaru's words, Tatsuya understood internally, but outwardly, he displayed an appropriate expression of bewilderment and continued to question.

"Ryuchi Cave is one of the three great sage regions of the ninja world, on par with Mount Myoboku and Shikkotsu Forest. It's inhabited by many powerful snake-type summoning animals. It's the perfect place for your ninja snake to develop," Orochimaru explained patiently, seeing Tatsuya's reaction. He neither felt it was strange or harbored any suspicions.

After all, who could imagine that Tatsuya was a transmigrator from another world, one who was thoroughly familiar with the Naruto storyline? In Orochimaru's perception, Tatsuya was just an ordinary member of the Akimichi clan; it was perfectly normal for him to be unaware of the three great sage regions.

"On par with Mount Myoboku? You mean the legendary Mount Myoboku where sages who know Sage Mode live?" Tatsuya feigned a look of shock, followed by one of ecstatic joy.

In Konoha, as the fame of the Sannin spread, the fact that Jiraiya had trained in Sage Mode at Mount Myoboku was no longer a secret.

"That's correct! Mount Myoboku. Ryuchi Cave also has a sage, known as the White Snake Sage," Orochimaru confirmed with a nod.

"Then... then can Seiryu learn Sage Mode if he goes there?" Tatsuya asked, his voice filled with barely concealed anticipation.

"Your ninja snake already possesses the ability to absorb natural energy, but I can only send him to Ryuchi Cave. Whether or not he can master Sage Mode is up to his own destiny," Orochimaru replied, shaking his head slightly.

"He can't learn Sage Mode?" Tatsuya lowered his head, his voice tinged with disappointment.

"Then, Lord Orochimaru, do you know Sage Mode?" Tatsuya then raised his head, looking at Orochimaru with a hopeful expression.

"Although I don't practice Sage Mode myself, I know the method of cultivating it. Do you want it?" Orochimaru said, a confident smile playing on his lips.

"Sage Mode is so powerful. If you know how to cultivate it, why don't you practice it yourself?" Tatsuya pouted, his expression clearly disbelieving.

Orochimaru's confident smile immediately stiffened.

Tatsuya's words had struck a nerve.

Among the Third Hokage's three students, Tsunade was the princess of Konoha, born with a halo. Orochimaru was the true prodigy, mastering any ninjutsu with ease. Jiraiya, on the other hand, was the true underdog, lacking in everything.

Yet, it was Jiraiya, the underdog, who, after accidentally arriving at Mount Myoboku and learning Sage Mode, became the strongest of the three.

Naturally, Orochimaru had coveted such a powerful ability as Sage Mode.

However, despite Jiraiya, the underdog, being able to learn Sage Mode, Orochimaru had stopped his training after learning to sense natural energy through external means.

This was because training in Sage Mode carried risks, especially in the initial stages.

Sage Mode involved using ninjutsu powered by Sage Mode chakra. Sage Mode chakra was created by blending the user's own chakra with natural energy.

However, natural energy was not easy to control. Therefore, a Sage Mode user could easily experience bodily mutations, potentially turning into stone and never reverting.

Orochimaru was unwilling to take this risk.

Thus, without the hands-on guidance of someone like the Two Great Sage Toads of Mount Myoboku, Orochimaru naturally gave up on cultivating Sage Mode.

Later, when he found Ryuchi Cave, even after passing the White Snake Sage's three trials, Orochimaru still chose to forgo Sage Mode, for the same reasons.

However, abandoning the cultivation of Sage Mode didn't mean Orochimaru had given up on this powerful force. He had been secretly researching Sage Mode, and the Cursed Seal was a variation of Sage Mode that he had developed.

"Tatsuya-kun, the reason I don't cultivate Sage Mode isn't because I can't, but because I'm unwilling to risk my life to do so. Sage Mode is a powerful force, but it also carries great risks. Not everyone can cultivate it. Are you sure you want it, Tatsuya-kun?" Orochimaru's eyes glinted coldly, his words slow and deliberate.

"I want it," Tatsuya replied, his heart tightening. He dared not continue to provoke this dangerous individual and nodded obediently.

Tatsuya was well aware of the difficulty of cultivating Sage Mode. But without researching and trying it himself, how could he willingly miss out on such a powerful force?

"Heh, here you go." Orochimaru seemed to have anticipated Tatsuya's response. He smiled slyly and tossed a scroll to Tatsuya.

Tatsuya quickly caught it and immediately, impatiently, opened it to examine its contents. He needed to verify the scroll's authenticity first.

"Lord Orochimaru, this is what you wanted."

Soon, Tatsuya finished reading and closed the scroll. He then produced another scroll and handed it to Orochimaru.

He had just examined the contents of the scroll. It contained the genuine method of cultivating Sage Mode, even including the cultivation methods for powerful Sage Mode techniques like Sage Art: Inorganic Reanimation and Sage Art: White Rage Technique.

Apart from the Cursed Seal, Orochimaru had given Tatsuya everything he knew about Sage Mode.

He was so forthcoming partly to express his sincerity and partly because he didn't believe Tatsuya could master Sage Mode with this alone.

Seeing Orochimaru's forthrightness, Tatsuya didn't delay any further.

The scroll contained the incomplete Fujinhoin from earlier.

Of course, to prevent Orochimaru from mass-producing large numbers of powerful ninja beasts and thereby influencing the development of the entire ninja world, the core formula recorded in the scroll Tatsuya handed over was incomplete.

Tatsuya was confident that Orochimaru wouldn't come looking for trouble after receiving this scroll. Using the formula recorded in the scroll, it was possible to achieve some of the effects of the Fujinhoin, but the efficiency was much lower, and it was extremely unstable.

Tatsuya also couldn't guarantee whether Orochimaru, with just the contents of this scroll, could deduce the complete Fujinhoin or develop other monstrous new techniques.

That was beyond Tatsuya's control.

However, it was essentially impossible for Orochimaru to replicate another Seiryu with this.

Seiryu's growth path was an anomaly, and Tatsuya himself couldn't replicate it. The mere fact that he could absorb and utilize natural energy was something that most ninja beasts couldn't achieve.

Given these unique circumstances, it was normal for Orochimaru to be unable to achieve any significant results from his research.

Tatsuya didn't think Orochimaru would make things difficult for him because of this.

"Tatsuya-kun, you truly haven't disappointed me." Orochimaru accepted the scroll from Tatsuya, gave him a satisfied smile, and then tucked the scroll into his pocket.

Orochimaru wasn't worried about Tatsuya playing any tricks regarding the authenticity of the scroll's contents.

"You flatter me, Lord Orochimaru." Tatsuya was also pleased, having obtained the scroll for cultivating Sage Mode.

Afterward, the two, having completed their transaction, confirmed the time for sending Seiryu to Ryuchi Cave and then parted ways.

Tatsuya didn't want to have too much private contact with Orochimaru, and Orochimaru was eager to return to his secret base to study the technique Tatsuya had given him.

In this transaction, both of them got what they needed, and both felt quite satisfied.