Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

"We'll help too. If all else fails, we'll ask the old folks for help."

After three days in the mountains, he scratched his head, also looking somewhat troubled, and said...

"No, please don't. If we ask our family for help, then we'll really become insignificant tools. He's testing our abilities, not expecting us to rely on the family's power to accomplish this."

Besides, if word gets back home, there's no guarantee it won't be leaked. And if it is, all our efforts will be in vain.

Nara Suzaku took the potato chips, then shook his head.

"What should we do then? It's too difficult for just the three of us. Those seniors have such bad tempers that it won't be easy to get their help. Even if we have Kirito-sama's promises, they won't be very effective. They're the kind of people who won't act until they see something."

After three days in the mountains, hearing that he couldn't rely on the family's resources to get things done, he felt a little panicked and his headache worsened.

The Jonin in the military camp are not people who are easy to talk to. Perhaps these people would be very obsequious and docile in front of their current boss, Kirito Tohsaka, but if it were just a few of them, the result would be completely different.

Unless you have the strength to crush these old guys, it's very difficult to impress them with just words and empty promises.

We need to offer something tangible.

In short, if you want these senior figures to help you, you must first show some sincerity.

Unfortunately, without their families' support, the three of them couldn't possibly offer such a small token of sincerity.

Their boss gave them a pie in the sky that seemed unattainable, without providing any initial capital.

It's all because of poverty.

"Yes, how come I didn't think of that?"

Suddenly, Suzaku Nara exclaimed, his face showing a look of sudden realization.

"What's wrong, Suzaku? Have you thought of a solution?"

Akimichi Tsukasa saw Nara Suzaku's expression and exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right, I've thought of a good idea."

Nara Suzaku said with a smile.

"What's a good idea?"

Three days later, he asked curiously from the mountains.

Upon hearing this, Suzaku Nara immediately turned cold and mimicked Chizuru's tone, saying, "The weak should obey the strong."

When Akimichi Tsukasa and Yamanaka Sanji saw this, the two looked at each other, unable to figure out what their friend was thinking.

This typical Uchiha rhetoric seems to have little market within the military; it's generally only accepted by those arrogant members of the Uchiha clan.

Upon realizing this, Akimichi Tsukasa and the three mountain dwellers immediately understood what Nara Suzaku had just been thinking.

"It seems you all thought of that."

Seeing his two friends' reactions, Nara Suzaku smiled and said...

That's right. The plan that Kirito asked them to make this time should be carried out by members of the Uchiha clan. Only ninjas who have a strong sense of obedience to the strong can effectively execute this plan.

However, the prerequisite is to subdue them. Only in this way will these proud Uchiha ninjas obey and happily accept the promises made by their leader, Kirito Tohsaka.

Furthermore, the Uchiha clan members are all skilled in genjutsu, making them ideal for turning the Sand Village's combat-oriented ninjas against their cause.

In fact, it was unrealistic for just a few people to turn those Sand Village martial arts ninjas against their side in a short time. The only way to complete the mission was to force ninjas with powerful genjutsu abilities to control them.

Furthermore, the Uchiha clan members are an ostracized group in the military and rarely contact others, making the possibility of leaks extremely small.

"I have thought of that, but the Uchiha are not easy to deal with. Even if we have the Enhancement Seal to temporarily boost our combat power, it will still be difficult to defeat them. Defeating those Chunin-level Uchiha ninjas might not be difficult, but it's hard to say about Jonin-level Uchiha ninjas."

He smiled bitterly after three days in the mountains.

In Konoha, Uchiha clan ninjas have always been among the best of their rank, and only a very few elite ninjas can defeat Uchiha ninjas of the same rank.

After obtaining the enhanced curse seal, the three of them reached the level of Jonin, but they were still somewhat different from true Jonin. They needed some time to transform the temporarily acquired power into their own true power.

"What are you afraid of? The three of us are one. One-on-one fights are not our forte. Besides, didn't Kirito-sama say that we can mobilize all the resources at his disposal? Those lazy guys can come in handy. Maybe we won't even need to step in."

Nara Suzaku immediately reassured Yamanaka Santen, then, remembering Shiranui Takeshi and the others who had just left, he sneered.

When Akimichi Tsukasa and Yamanaka Santen heard Nara Suzaku say this, smiles gradually appeared on their faces. The three of them looked at each other, and their smiles gradually became distorted.

With a goal in mind, Nara Suzaku and his two companions got to work with great enthusiasm. They first discussed their options, then approached Uchiha Fu, and with his help, quickly began their work by contacting other Uchiha ninjas in the military camp.

Within two days, most of the Uchiha ninjas in the military camp had secretly made contact with Nara Suzaku and his group.

However, no matter how discreetly and secretly Nara Suzaku and his group contacted the Uchiha clan, they still attracted the attention of some people in the military camp.

In a room filled with biological instruments in an underground building of the Oasis military camp, Orochimaru was staring fascinated at an experimental subject whose body was covered with incantations.

The test subject was a Sand Village ninja. He was screaming in pain as the cursed seal eroded his body, and his whole body was trembling violently as he struggled violently, making the chains binding him clang loudly.

Unfortunately, no matter how loudly he shouted and how hard he struggled, no one would come to his rescue, and he could not escape from Orochimaru's sight.

A few minutes later, the subject's shouts gradually subsided until they disappeared.

The experimental subject died.

"It failed again, but this time the test subject lasted 12 seconds longer. So it seems that my research direction is correct."

Orochimaru ignored the life or death of the test subject, and looked at the timer in his hand, saying with some excitement.

Ever since he discovered the existence of the enhanced cursed seal on Hyuga Karen and found that the cursed seal involved natural energy and even more advanced energy sage chakra, he began to secretly research the enhanced cursed seal.

By secretly collecting the residual chakra left over from each time Hua Lian activated the enhanced curse seal, and combining it with his own mastery of curse seal techniques, he finally created an enhanced curse seal of his own after many failures.

However, the enhanced seal he developed is currently only an incomplete product.

Once activated, it cannot be stopped and is extremely dangerous, severely depleting the life force of the test subject. Although it does indeed grant the test subject immense power in a short period, this immature enhancement spell is simply unusable.

Orochimaru was not discouraged by this, because he had vaguely grasped the core of this enhanced cursed seal technique.

The reason why his enhanced cursed seal technique is so different from Kirito's is probably because he lacks a certain crucial medium. It is precisely because of this medium that natural energy and chakra can be successfully fused together.

"I really want to dissect a ninja with an enhanced cursed seal to see what's inside that seal."

Orochimaru's heart stirred with excitement at the thought that the Enhanced Curse Seal Technique might hold the key to unlocking Sage Mode.

The best way to thoroughly analyze Kirito's Enhancement Seal Technique is to start with those who possess it. He is confident that if he has some time to study these people, even if he cannot perfectly replicate Kirito's Enhancement Seal Technique, he will still achieve a major breakthrough.

Unfortunately, he could only think about it for the time being, because he discovered that Kirito's soul power was hidden in the curse seal of everyone who possessed the Enhancement Curse Seal Technique. If he were to attack the curse seals on these people, it would immediately alert Kirito.

Orochimaru doesn't want to break with Kirito yet, nor does he want to be hunted down by Kirito, so for the time being he can only patiently continue his research as a last resort.

In fact, he had an even better way to obtain Kirito's enhanced curse seal technique: to humbly ask Kirito for guidance.

But he didn't choose to do that because he felt it wasn't interesting enough. Rather than simply reaching out to Kirito and taking it, he preferred to use his own strength to replicate it from Kirito and then improve it to make it even more powerful.

Only in this way did he find it interesting.

Orochimaru wouldn't waste his time on anything that wasn't challenging.

Orochimaru quickly regained his senses. He skillfully used Fire Release to dispose of the corpse, and then carefully cleaned all the experimental tools.

As he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed someone had broken into his laboratory. He immediately stared into a shadowy spot in the laboratory with his golden vertical pupils, which glowed slightly red in the dim light.

The next moment, a member of the Konoha Anbu wearing a monkey mask slowly emerged from the shadows.

"I think I've said this before: you can't come in here without my permission."

Orochimaru stared at the Konoha Anbu members in front of him and said coldly.

As soon as he finished speaking, several long snakes shot out from his left-hand clothing, trapping the Konoha Anbu members. Several snake heads stared at the Anbu ninjas with deep malice.

If any ANBU ninja dares to make a move, they will immediately pierce the skin with poisoned daggers and inject deadly venom into the victim's body.

"I am very sorry, Lord Orochimaru, please forgive my rashness, but the matter is urgent, and you have not come out of the laboratory for the past two days. I have no choice but to take this tactic. Kirito Tohsaka's subordinates have made some unusual moves."

The ANBU ninja ignored the several ferocious snake heads in front of him and explained in a cold tone.

Orochimaru, upon hearing this, had a sudden thought and asked, "Where is he?"

"Kirito Tohsaka has been focused on his training and hasn't made any unusual moves, but his subordinates have been secretly contacting the Uchiha ninjas here recently. I suspect they are preparing to sabotage the peace talks."

The ANBU ninja answered truthfully.

"The Uchiha clan? Besides them, didn't his subordinates look for anyone else? Also, do you know what they said?"

Orochimaru said in surprise.

"In the past two days, Suzaku Nara and his group have only met secretly with members of the Uchiha clan. As for the content of their conversations, we do not know yet. We only know that they are fighting in a remote place, and there are winners and losers on both sides."

The ANBU ninja continued to provide further explanation.

"You're only looking for members of the Uchiha clan, and you've put them on a big list. It seems like you have something very important for these Uchiha clan members to do. So, are you planning to have all these Uchiha ninjas apply to go on missions?"

Orochimaru, having received an explanation, narrowed his eyes slightly, licked his lips with his long tongue with a hint of excitement, and sneered.

"Lord Orochimaru is absolutely right. These Uchiha ninjas who have been in contact with Nara Suzaku and the others in secret have recently taken on missions and gone out one after another. Our people have tried to follow them secretly, but most of them have been lost, and some have even lost contact."

Upon hearing this, the ANBU ninja was startled and replied with a hint of respect.

"As expected, this kid is no ordinary person. Go and inform the people in Sunagakure so they can prepare in advance."

Orochimaru continued.

As he spoke, he withdrew the long snake that had been binding the ANBU ninja.

When the ANBU ninja heard Orochimaru say this, they did not move immediately, but continued to watch Orochimaru.

"What? Do you have a problem with my orders, or do you want to do something else?"

When Orochimaru saw that the ANBU ninja did not immediately obey his orders, his eyes quickly turned cold, revealing a chilling killing intent.

He had already heard about the Konoha Anbu from the Third Hokage, so he knew that the Anbu ninja in front of him was outwardly obeying the Third Hokage's orders, but in reality, he was loyal to his teacher's good son.

Clearly, this ANBU ninja was very dissatisfied with the order he had just given.

To be precise, it was Sarutobi Takashi, the ANBU ninja behind him, who was dissatisfied with his orders.

But who is Orochimaru? How could he willingly be schemed against and used by a weakling?

Should we have him personally deal with Kirito?

Don't even think about it.

Out of respect for the old man, he would at most give Sunagakure a reminder.

"Ha~"

Seeing that Orochimaru's attitude was very firm and he did not intend to give any more orders, the ANBU ninja had no choice but to obey and then used the Body Flicker Technique to disappear from the spot.