A copper incense burner sat nearby, a thin wisp of blue smoke curling upward.
Motomu sat cross-legged across the table from Orochimaru.
"Master, that is the gist of the matter."
After listening to his disciple's explanation regarding the Land of Sand affair, Orochimaru—who had been forced back to the village by four consecutive orders from the Third Hokage—nodded in understanding.
"In that case, we must see how the Third Kazekage handles the aftermath."
"Sarutobi lacks long-term ambition; he is no hero."
"He suppresses information, hoping to simply wait for internal strife within the Sand Ninja."
"At most, he will do nothing more than station me and your uncles at the front lines. He has no drive for conquest."
"That old devil Danzo, however, possesses the ambition of a true conqueror."
"He actually wants to deploy the entire Uchiha clan to launch a surprise raid during the chaos."
Motomu, listening with his head bowed, felt his eyes flicker.
Danzo's intentions were clear to everyone.
He wanted the Uchiha clan on the battlefield.
This was a blatant attempt to keep a close watch and reap the rewards of their sacrifice.
Fortunately, the one truly in charge of Konoha was the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and his policy of appeasement.
Sending the entire clan wasn't realistic; such a massive move would contradict the overall direction set by the supreme leader, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
However, replacing several rotations of frontline ninja with Uchiha members was a distinct possibility.
This news was actually good for him.
With Danzo's focus shifting, Motomu, who had recently stood out, could fade back into the background.
While breathing a sigh of relief, Motomu's thoughts turned to Sasori and the One-Tail.
He wouldn't have the chance to receive notice when Sasori launched his plan.
But he had another way to monitor Sasori's movements.
Garaga of Ryuchi Cave was the Third Kazekage's summoned beast. If the Kazekage was killed by Sasori before betraying Garaga, the summoning contract would expire. Losing his Trainer meant Motomu could check his status through the system.
Although the situation had veered quite a bit off course, it ultimately returned to his expectations.
With that matter settled.
Motomu thought of a new question and asked Orochimaru.
"Master, how does one maintain a Reverse Summoning for a longer duration?"
"Recently, my summoning techniques have improved, but my summoned beast isn't very cooperative."
*Reverse Summoning.*
*Has my disciple been visiting the monster dens of Ryuchi Cave?*
*His strength previously allowed him to hold his own against Root ninja. After this period of training, he should have improved quite a bit.*
Orochimaru's interest was piqued, and he replied calmly.
"I have many methods for breaking in monsters."
"But I am weighed down by trivial matters and likely won't have time to teach you."
*Heh.*
*Does he want me to do some work for him?*
Motomu immediately caught Orochimaru's subtext.
It was simply that the old man Sarutobi had forced Orochimaru back, leaving some task half-finished that he wanted Motomu to take over.
"I am willing to ease my Master's burdens!"
"Excellent!"
"My good disciple, I have already set preparations for the Tenbin clan; there is no rush there."
"However, the 'Dao Body' of the Hozuki clan in the Land of Water is quite intriguing..."
*Is the Tenbin clan related to Jugo?*
*The Hozuki Dao Body must refer to the Hydrification Technique.*
*That technique is truly remarkable.*
*Turning a person into water... isn't that just like the elemental transformation of Logia fruits in 'One Piece'?*
*If all the organs, even the brain, turn to water, how does the person stay alive?*
Motomu was also quite curious about this.
Coincidentally, the Three-Tails of the Mist Ninja was also one of his targets.
Agreeing to Orochimaru's request would also provide a convenient cover for his own private business.
"I am willing to serve you with everything I have, Master."
Orochimaru nodded with satisfaction and handed a booklet to Motomu.
"Just do your best."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries and saying his goodbyes, Motomu's mind began to race as he walked home.
According to Orochimaru.
Before he headed to the front lines.
He would post a C-rank escort mission to the Land of Water at the mission desk.
And once his Genin squad was fully replenished.
He would take the mission and set out for the Land of Water.
Upon reaching the Land of Water, per Orochimaru's instructions, his primary objective was to gather intelligence on the Hozuki clan. Ideally, he would even capture one and throw them into the Reverse Summoning area.
Gathering information was simple enough.
As for capturing someone, Motomu felt he would just let nature take its course.
He wasn't actually going there just to complete Orochimaru's mission; the Three-Tails was his top priority.
He wondered if the Three-Tails was currently wild or sealed.
Regardless, he had to go see for himself first.
Even if there was no immediate opportunity, he could still plant a hidden hand, just like he had with Sasori of the Red Sand.
After having dinner at his grandma's house.
Motomu returned to his small courtyard.
His hands formed seals.
Cobra was summoned once again.
The Cobra, who was currently using its tail to mimic the motion of turning pages in mid-air, suddenly froze.
*Hiss!*
"What do you want? Do you want to go to Ryuchi Cave again?"
"I'm going to charge the same fee as last time."
With a thud, the blue-covered booklet Orochimaru had just given Motomu was tossed in front of the Cobra.
The Cobra adjusted its glasses, glancing at Motomu and then at the booklet.
"Are you suggesting an exchange of knowledge? That is certainly to my taste."
"However, I've studied the market. I can't lower the standards for Ryuchi Cave summonings; that would lead to a downgrade in consumption value."
Despite its words, the Cobra's movements weren't slow.
The tip of its tail had already quietly flipped open the booklet.
"'One Hundred Ways to Prepare a Summoned Beast.'"
"Hmm, that title is quite interesting."
"..."
"..."
"Wait, something's wrong!"
A brilliant smile spread across Motomu's face.
Invisibly, half a ton of Psychokinesis gently stroked the snake's scales from its head down.
The Cobra's body gave a violent shudder.
"I... I won't say any more nonsense."
"I... I'm! Not! Scared!"
Chakra surged within the Cobra, right as it was about to release the Summoning Jutsu.
*Gack!*
An invisible giant hand tightened its grip.
Under the immense pressure on its neck, the Cobra looked just like one of those snakes from an educational TV channel in Motomu's past life.
Its mouth gaped wide, its tongue flicked out stiffly, and its eyes bulged.
Pinched hard by Motomu, its chakra flow was instantly disrupted.
He loosened his grip slightly.
Tears welled up in the Cobra's eyes as it squeezed a few words out of its windpipe.
"Bro... brother... a fight's a fight, but give me some air."
"Surrendered?"
"Let... let go first. We can negotiate the business slowly."
Motomu shook his head.
"What if you run away the moment I let go and stop responding to the summoning?"
The Cobra's tongue flickered as it continued to force words from its throat.
"I am... an honest snake. Don't you have the map to my home?"
"Be... besides, I'm not the only one in Ryuchi Cave who knows Reverse Summoning."
Motomu nodded, controlling the giant hand of Psychokinesis to gradually release its grip.
The Cobra gulped in lungfuls of fresh air.
Once it caught its breath, the first thing it did was swallow the blue-covered booklet on the ground in one gulp.
"Hey, Motomu, where did you get such an evil thing?"
"It's so cruel to snakes!"
"Male snakes are one thing, but for the females to be treated that way... they'd definitely be broken!"
"Oh, it's from my Master."
"That's just the simple and easy-to-remember stuff. He didn't give me the difficult methods because he was afraid I wouldn't remember them."