"Wait here for a moment, all of you!"
"Kushina will be here later. Tell her not to wander off. I'll be back soon."
Orochimaru instructed his three disciples, then used Body Flicker Technique to rush towards the location from which he sensed two powerful chakra fluctuations.
"Yo, Orochimaru Number One, you sensed this old man's return from so far away and even rushed over to welcome me? Quite polite of you!"
The Nine-Tails stood on its hind legs beside Kongchen, who was waiting for his main body to arrive. It crossed its arms, looking smug as it watched the approaching Orochimaru.
Orochimaru twitched the corners of his mouth at the teasing from Nine-Tails Number One and Number Two, then ignored the increasingly boisterous creature. His gaze, filled with surprise, fell upon Kongchen, who was entirely enveloped in Sage Mode chakra.
"This is..."
"Sage Mode from Ryūchidō!"
"You guys..."
Kongchen smiled and nodded.
"That's right. I've been using Sage Mode all the way back here from the Dragon Vein."
"Kurama in this form is even slower than I am now."
The Nine-Tails immediately rolled its eyes and began muttering curses.
"Damn it, I'm only like this because I'm afraid of exposing my true form and causing you trouble. If I were to revert to my true form, one leap from me would have you chasing me for half a day, believe it or not?"
Orochimaru had no time to listen to the Nine-Tails' complaints. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he extended his palm towards Kongchen.
"Let me feel it. In less than two months, to what extent has this body grown."
Kongchen nodded gently, reached out, and touched his main body. He transformed into a stream of light and merged into Orochimaru's body.
"Mmm..."
Orochimaru's body trembled, and he closed his eyes with a solemn expression.
"Kurama, keep an eye on the surroundings for me. I need some time to adapt to the fusion of the two bodies."
He casually instructed, and without regard for the Nine-Tails' displeased expression, Orochimaru delved into his own consciousness, carefully experiencing the changes after the fusion of the two bodies and the various intelligence brought back by the clone.
"Sand Village's One-Tails Jinchuriki, Bunpuku, Shukaku..."
"So this is Magnet Release..."
Strands of iron sand rose from the ground. Although the iron sand in the Konoha forest was not as abundant as in the deserts of the Land of Wind, there was still some.
In a short while, black iron sand gathered around Orochimaru, forming a solid barrier. At Orochimaru's will, it continuously changed shape.
"The Dragon Vein of Loulan..."
"I'm truly remarkable to have thought of exploring the Dragon Vein to find a way to resolve the White Snake Sage."
"Although I didn't find a method to peel the earth's vein power from the White Snake Sage, with the help of the Dragon Vein energy, I achieved perfect Sage Mode. This is a tremendous surprise."
"If I continue to cultivate, achieving dragon transformation might not be impossible!"
The iron sand swirling around him slowly gained a layer of cyan light. The abundant natural energy in the Konoha forest rapidly converged towards Orochimaru's body. In the blink of an eye, he entered Sage Mode.
Orochimaru clenched his fist, feeling the chakra and senjutsu energy within him more than double. A sudden urge to unleash a full-powered punch surged through him.
"No!"
He secretly shook his head, ultimately discarding this wild idea.
"Unleashing my full power here would likely destroy the barrier outside Konoha with its residual effects alone."
"If there's an opportunity, I'll let the clone try it outside!"
He shook his head with regret and slowly dispersed the senjutsu chakra on his body. He opened his eyes, gathered the iron sand in front of him, and slowly transformed it into a set of hard shuriken and kunai.
"The first weapons made with Magnet Release, they hold significant commemorative value!"
"Why not give them as New Year's gifts to the children!"
The Nine-Tails immediately looked disdainful.
"Why have you become so stingy? Giving your disciples such things as gifts is truly embarrassing!"
Orochimaru chuckled and gave the Nine-Tails a meaningful look.
"There's more, of course!"
"Let's go! Those children must be getting impatient. Come with me to see them!"
"Kushina is also here!"
The Nine-Tails, which had been reluctant to go, suddenly perked up and excitedly darted towards where the children were training.
"Haha, this old man can't wait to see the envious looks on my half-body's face."
"Orochimaru, I'll go ahead!"
...
"Kurama, you're back!"
"It's been almost two months since I last saw you. Where did you go?"
Nono was taught a lot by the Nine-Tails. The moment she saw the Nine-Tails rushing out of the forest, she threw down Nawaki and ran over with a joyful cry.
Kurama was hugged and patted all over by her. Finally, getting annoyed, he gently pushed the little girl away.
"Let go, let go! So many people are watching!"
"Of course, this old man went to do great things!"
"You brats, it's better not to ask!"
After fending off the clingy Nono, the Nine-Tails grinned sinisterly and walked up to Kushina, extending one front leg towards her while staring intently at her abdomen.
"Hehehehe..."
"Girl, give this old man a fist bump."
Kushina was one of the few among her friends who knew the Nine-Tails' true identity. She was stunned for a moment but obediently extended her small fist.
"Kurama, you have to be careful."
"I finally managed to sneak out. If they find out, they'll send me back."
The Nine-Tails nodded nonchalantly.
"Don't worry!"
"With this old man and Orochimaru here, no one will dare to bother you!"
Kushina looked at the Nine-Tails skeptically. It was Orochimaru-sensei himself who had given the order to send her to Grand Elder Tsunade!
However, with Kurama's personal guarantee, she should be able to play outside all day today, right?
Just as this thought crossed Kushina's mind, the Nine-Tails chakra within her suddenly surged, and an enraged roar echoed from within her seal.
"Bastard, you damn half-body!"
This sentence, upon hearing it, was clearly spoken by the Yin Nine-Tails, who hadn't mastered many vulgar words yet.
"Hey, hey, my half-body, don't get so agitated!"
"Look, it's quite good to stay inside the little girl all the time, unlike me..."
"Following that Orochimaru guy all over the ninja world, I can't even get a decent meal. I think I've gotten thinner recently!"
"Tsk, tsk, this old man is truly pathetic!"
This sarcastic, humblebragging remark clearly indicated it was the Yin Nine-Tails, the worldly fox, speaking.
Kushina listened to the lively conversation within her seal, her expression growing odd.
"Kurama, how did he start talking so interestingly after being with Orochimaru-sensei?"
"It's so magical!"
Minato Namikaze, seeing Kushina's constantly changing expression, came closer with a worried look.
"Kushina, are you alright?"
Kushina shook her head and was about to say she was fine when she suddenly yelped and clutched her stomach.
"Kurama, what are you doing?"
The two Nine-Tails broke off their video conference via physical contact due to Kushina's clutching her stomach. The Nine-Tails let out a regretful smack of its lips and grinned at Kushina, baring its teeth.
"It's nothing. To thank you for fulfilling this old man's request just now, I suddenly want to give you some pointers."
"Do you want to learn how to use power from this old man?"
Kushina's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously.
"Mhm, mhm!"
Once she learned, no one would stop her from coming out to play with her friends anymore, right?
After graduating next year, would she be able to become a genin with everyone and run around everywhere... no, complete missions?
"Kurama, I didn't expect you to actually help me guide a disciple. That's quite rare!"
Orochimaru's figure slowly appeared beside the children, raising an eyebrow at the Nine-Tails and teasing him casually.
"Hmph, this old man is in a good mood today."
Orochimaru smiled and nodded.
"That's perfect. While you're at it, help me guide this child, Minato."
"His combat experience is sufficient, but he still lacks a powerful finishing ninjutsu."
Minato Namikaze and the Nine-Tails were both stunned and looked at Orochimaru in unison.
"Orochimaru, you should know this old man doesn't know ninjutsu, right?"
"What am I supposed to teach this little guy with?"
Minato looked at Orochimaru, feeling that his teacher was somewhat different from before. As for the difference, it seemed... his presence was much weaker.
Just now, if Orochimaru hadn't spoken, perhaps no one would have noticed when he appeared.
"Is it an illusion?"
Orochimaru sensed Minato's doubt and couldn't help but give him an appreciative glance.
"Minato, your observation is quite keen."
"Maintain this level of observation, and the technique Kurama will unleash next might allow you to gain more insight."
Minato nodded seriously and looked at the Nine-Tails with a solemn expression.
The Nine-Tails looked at Minato, who was staring at him intently, with confusion and asked hesitantly:
"Orochimaru, how do you want me to teach him?"
"Give him some power? Or...?"
Orochimaru gently shook his head.
"Minato's talent is such that he can reach the pinnacle of ordinary ninjas without any external power."
"When his strength reaches a limit where it cannot be improved, I will find a way to provide him with some external assistance. It won't be too late then."
"For now, let him think and grow on his own, lest his talent be wasted."
The Nine-Tails pouted, somewhat disagreeing with Orochimaru's view.
"Hmph, in the end, it's still about who has more power. What difference does it make whether it's sooner or later?"
"If you come begging for power from this old man later, I might not even give it to you!"
Orochimaru shook his head and chuckled.
"It's different..."
"A ninja ultimately relies on their own strength. External power is never truly their own."
"Except for Kushina, none of my disciples will walk that path."
The Nine-Tails waved his hand dismissively.
"How you teach your disciples is your business. Who cares!"
"Tell me! How do you want me to teach him?"
Orochimaru's lips curved into a slight smile, and he spoke softly, yet his voice resonated like thunder in everyone's hearts.
"In front of Minato, unleash a Tailed Beast Bomb once!"