"Weak, oh so weak, now you know who's the boss, Orochimaru."

"Ah, more, more~"

"Look at this Orochimaru, already drunk after just a few drinks. He's really pathetic."

"Amazing! This Orochimaru is such a lightweight."

"Jiraiya-sama, from the way you're talking, you must be a good drinker, huh?" Gojo Kaigetsu raised his glass and took a large gulp. Both he and Orochimaru remained unfazed, showing no signs of intoxication.

The latter was immune to all poisons. As for the former… Infinity-activate!

Only Jiraiya was swaying unsteadily, barely conscious.

"Please, of course! After all, after drinking, I still need to… hic~ wash my feet!"

"Let me tell you guys, that foot massage parlor in the new commercial district, the girls there are amazing at massages, very skilled. They have great figures too, even I, one of the Sannin…"

-Thud-

The invincible Jiraiya finally collapsed onto the table.

Gojo Kaigetsu smiled without saying a word.

It was hard to imagine that Jiraiya dragging Orochimaru out for a meal was simply to express gratitude and… gather intel.

Gratitude for his assistance in supporting Minato, leading Konoha to prosperity, and for his "understanding" of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

As for the intel… it was naturally about the hidden literary genius in Konoha, the one who penned the awe-inspiring "Foot Massage Bible" that had captivated Jiraiya.

"Apologies, Gojo-san, for making a fool of myself."

Orochimaru, in his usual state, appeared approachable, lacking the arrogance typical of a Sannin.

However, once the topic shifted to ninjas or experiments, he would switch personalities, becoming sinister and scary.

Don't be fooled by Orochimaru's harmless appearance. It stemmed from his belief that Gojo Kaigetsu remained unaware of his secret, gruesome human experiments.

Otherwise… who knows.

"Jiraiya-sama is truly a man of passion."

Gojo Kaigetsu gave a thumbs-up, simultaneously slipping a pre-prepared slip of paper covered in incantations into a brocade pouch with his other hand.

After completing this, he placed the pouch on the table.

Orochimaru's gaze was drawn to it. "Oh? Gojo-san, what's this?"

"Consider it a small token of my appreciation, a little gift."

"Perhaps it might aid Orochimaru-sama in your ninjutsu training."

Ninjutsu? Training?

Orochimaru was slightly surprised. It wasn't that he looked down on Gojo Kaigetsu, but he believed…

He could take down Jonin with a single slap, let alone Chunin. In his eyes, all Chunin were trash, nothing more than slightly higher-grade lab rats.

What use could a Chunin's gift possibly have in ninjutsu training?

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Well, it was the thought that counted.

Orochimaru offered a natural and polite smile. "Is that so… I'm delighted to receive a gift from Gojo-san."

"How delighted?"

Orochimaru: "-.-?"

"Aha, just kidding. Please, Orochimaru-sama, only open it when you encounter difficulties in your training~"

"Perhaps it might actually be effective~"

"Damn… another failed experiment?"

After escorting the drunken Jiraiya back to his residence, Orochimaru returned to his secret human laboratory alone.

Frowning, he swiftly ended the life of the wailing test subject on the operating table.

The jutsu he was currently attempting to master was-Edo Tensei!

Edo Tensei was an S-rank forbidden jutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

This jutsu could resurrect the dead and control them. During his lifetime, Tobirama had specifically developed the "Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags" to be used in conjunction with Edo Tensei.

Its primary application was for Tobirama to summon the deceased using Edo Tensei and then cover them in explosive tags with the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, turning them into human bombs to attack opponents.

However, after stealing this forbidden jutsu, Orochimaru had analyzed a different application.

That is-

To replicate the full power of the summoned deceased and control them like puppets, similar to the puppeteers of Sunagakure, making them fight for him.

The idea was sound, but Orochimaru had hit a bottleneck.

The summoned deceased were limited by the strength of their vessel; they were also limited by the user's own power and the power of the summoned individual. If the target was too strong, even Orochimaru himself couldn't control them.

These were the two most troublesome aspects.

"I've tried countless times, but I can't seem to solve these two issues."

Orochimaru's face darkened.

Based on his research experience, if repeated attempts failed to yield a solution, it meant… this problem wasn't meant for him to solve.

Perhaps he could only wait for someone with greater talent in the future, someone who could conduct more in-depth research on Edo Tensei, to further develop it.

Having come to this realization, Orochimaru entered a state of profound contemplation, listlessly returning to his chair.

The moment he sat down, he noticed an unfamiliar object in his pocket.

"Oh, it's the brocade pouch from that Gojo Kaigetsu kid."

Orochimaru apathetically retrieved it, took out the slip of paper inside, and tossed the pouch aside without a second thought.

"Let's see how a mere Chunin intends to guide my training…"

His cold snake eyes slowly scanned the paper, and Orochimaru's expression froze-

[To Orochimaru-sama, this is a secret ninjutsu mantra I developed myself. I've personally verified that silently chanting it while training ninjutsu has miraculous effects.]

[Below-]

[Return, Hashirama Hokage, my proudest belief!]

[Vivid memories of Wood Release, tears inexplicably flow!]

[Faintly recall the Rashomon, and the mighty Hokage's hand]

[Repel all enemies, annihilate all rogue ninja]

Orochimaru: "."

His snake pupils involuntarily dilated, a strange sensation of his brain being reset washing over him.

As one of the most educated ninjas in the shinobi world, Orochimaru recognized every character on the slip. However, when combined into this mantra…

Orochimaru felt his sanity being tainted, twisted.

"This… mantra?" Orochimaru murmured, a cruel smile creeping onto his lips.

He understood.

Gojo Kaigetsu was clearly mocking him, ridiculing his incompetence in research. Orochimaru silently added Gojo Kaigetsu's name to his mental hit list.

Perhaps when he initiated his "Konoha Crush" plan in the future, he would eliminate Gojo Kaigetsu along the way.

But for now…

"Patience."

Orochimaru chanted silently, about to discard the slip of paper, but his gaze inexplicably lingered on "Hokage Hashirama."

"Could this be fate?"

As a twisted ninja obsessed with immortality, Orochimaru was more receptive to notions of fate and destiny than most ninjas.

In simpler terms, he was rather… superstitious.

At this precise moment, in this precise location, encountering a mantra related to the First Hokage, could this be a sign from the heaven?

"Should I… try it?"

Orochimaru convinced himself, approaching the operating table. With the corpse he had just killed, he initiated Edo Tensei and began chanting:

"Return, Hokage Hashirama, my proudest belief…"

As the mantra concluded, only the awkward yet polite sound of the wind filled the air.

For the first time, Orochimaru's face flushed red. Enraged, he roared in the dimly lit chamber:

"Was this also part of your plan, Gojo Kaigetsu…"