The violent wind controlled by Guy dissipated, and he fell from mid-air.
Setsuna voluntarily canceled his technique and walked down from the air, standing in front of Guy and asking: "Guy, are you alright?"
Guy shook his head and asked dazedly: "Setsuna-san, was that the Konoha Ryujin you used just now? But it didn't seem quite the same?"
Setsuna nodded and said softly: "I improved it slightly. My version will be called Konoha Shinryu."
Guy's jaw dropped in shock, 'I learned Konoha Ryujin in two weeks, and Setsuna-san called me a Taijutsu genius. So what did it make Setsuna-san, who learned it at a glance and improved it?'
Fortunately, he was always optimistic and quickly recovered from the blow, asking excitedly: "Setsuna-san, how did you do it? Does your Konoha Shinryu not have the weakness at the center?"
Setsuna explained: "Your Konoha Ryujin requires constantly maintaining the whirlwind, so you yourself at the center, the dragon's eye, become the flaw. If you can 'shoot' the Konoha Ryujin out like a shuriken, naturally, there will be no weakness."
Guy nodded thoughtfully, then said: "But in that case, the launched Konoha Ryujin should become a bit weaker, right? Why did your Konoha Shinryu become stronger, Setsuna-san?"
"It's willpower. I incorporated willpower." Setsuna said seriously. "So the Konoha Shinryu I use is no longer just an empty shell, it has spirit now."
It was like the Spirit Ball and Destructo Disc in the Dragon Ball World. By incorporating willpower, they could be controlled remotely.
Setsuna's control was even above the Spirit Ball. He had been close to the Shenron and received a wish granted by it. A trace of his willpower integrated into it, giving this Taijutsu a true soul.
"Willpower?" Guy nodded, somewhat understanding, and muttered to himself: "Then my Konoha Ryujin should incorporate fiery youth. A Youthful Passion Version Konoha Ryujin."
The corner of Setsuna's mouth twitched slightly, 'Would Guy's Konoha Ryujin end up wearing a jumpsuit with the dragon horns turning into a bowl-cut shape?'
"So awesome!" Asuma watched in shock from the edge of the training ground. Coming to his senses, he jogged forward: "Senpai, Senpai!"
Seeing him out of breath, Setsuna asked: "Asuma, what's wrong?"
"I'm here to tattle." Asuma lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously. "I went to see the old man today, originally to ask him to assign me a higher-level mission. But guess who I ran into?"
Guy couldn't help but guess: "Was it the Sage of Six Paths?"
Asuma looked at Guy rather speechlessly, 'Should I say Guy has a rich imagination or a jumping train of thought?'
He sighed: "It was Orochimaru-san."
"Is meeting Orochimaru-sama really that strange?" Guy scratched his head, still feeling his own answer was creative.
"But when I entered, I happened to hear him asking about you, Setsuna-senpai." Asuma rubbed his smooth chin. "After he left, I asked the old man. The old man said he just returned from Kumogakure and met Jiraiya-san on the way. Jiraiya-san wanted to provoke Orochimaru-san into fighting you, Setsuna-senpai."
Hearing this, Setsuna understood, 'No wonder I haven't been able to wait for Orochimaru these days, so he went to Kumogakure.'
Asuma waved his fist and said: "Senpai, you have to win! Best to beat him up like a pig head, just like you did with Jiraiya!"
Guy was somewhat curious: "Do you have a grudge against Orochimaru-sama?"
Asuma snorted quite displeased: "It's all because the old man always uses his prized student as an example. Hmph! I'm decades younger than Orochimaru-san. When I reach his age, I might not be worse than him."
'Unfortunately, according to the original timeline, you won't even live to Orochimaru's current age.' Setsuna shook his head slightly, dismissing this rather hellish thought, and said, "Thanks for telling me. But they say Orochimaru-sama is the most steady among Hokage-sama's three disciples. Since he knows it's a provocation, this fight probably won't happen."
Asuma waved his hand: "It's fine. I just came to remind you, Senpai, to be careful and not get ambushed."
Setsuna nodded, but inwardly he was considering whether to actively seek out Orochimaru.
Setsuna always acted decisively. Once he had an idea, he soon put it into action.
During this period, although Orochimaru's demeanor was somewhat cold, his overall image was still very positive. Therefore, it wasn't difficult for Setsuna to find out his address.
Night fell.
After finishing his training, Setsuna bid farewell to Guy but did not head home. Instead, he traveled through the mountains and forests to the outskirts of Konoha Village.
Konoha Village covered a large area, but the residential area was only in the center. The rest was mostly forests, training grounds, and similar places.
Although Setsuna's house was on the edge of the residential area, it was at least still in a densely populated zone.
Orochimaru's base, however, was in the mountains and forests, far from human habitation.
While Setsuna was steadily advancing towards his target location, an uninvited guest arrived at Orochimaru's base.
"Elder Danzo, visiting so late at night, is there an urgent order?" Orochimaru looked at the visitor and asked with a smile.
"Orochimaru, the time has come for us to restart the Wood Release Experiment." Danzo got straight to the point.
"Restart Wood Release?" Orochimaru narrowed his snake-like eyes, their ghostly light intimidating. "Don't you already have a Wood Release user under your command?"
"You know? Did Hiruzen tell you?" Danzo snorted quite discontentedly. "He tells you everything, it seems."
Orochimaru smiled: "If I'm not mistaken, that Wood Release user should have been our shared result, right? By doing this, Elder Danzo, do you not trust me, or do you find me somewhat in your way?"
Danzo was silent for a moment, then said: "I did have some thoughts, but it doesn't matter now. That Wood Release is only a half-finished product."
Orochimaru asked: "A half-finished product?"
Danzo nodded: "It has the form of Wood Release but lacks the vitality of Wood Release. I originally wanted to stimulate that child's potential to see if he could exhibit the true power of Wood Release in the future. But now, I'm somewhat impatient."
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Because I found a better specimen. No talent for Ninjutsu, not interfered with by Wood Release, powerful physique, vigorous life force, capable of bearing the power of Wood Release..."
Danzo's eyes were blazing. If he had initially had doubts about whether Setsuna could bear Wood Release, after personally experiencing the other party's strength, those doubts had completely vanished from his heart.
Orochimaru's expression turned odd, 'Why does Danzo's description sound so familiar? Could it be the person Jiraiya mentioned?'
"The person you're talking about is..."
Just then, the door suddenly knocked.
In the quiet night, the sudden knocking sound was like an echo from a ghost, making one's hair stand on end, especially the voice that followed.
"Orochimaru-sama, are you there?"
Hearing this voice that had appeared multiple times in his nightmares, Danzo's hair stood on end. He looked at Orochimaru with a mixture of shock and anger: "Bastard! You dared to set me up!"