Chapter 394: Seize the Present
"That fast?"
Tobitake Tonbo hadn't even had a chance to speak to Orochimaru before being stunned by his words. He then noticed that Kabuto wasn't in the lab at the moment. It made sense; at this hour, Kabuto should be tending to the orphanage. As the director, there were many things he had to do.
Orochimaru continued, "They are just some ideas. I can't guarantee they'll work, and the difficulty of implementation is... well, beyond the ordinary."
The ideas were there, but the probability of completion was much lower than anything else he had ever researched. After all, it was a completely unknown direction.
"Even so, it's incredible!" Tonbo was truly amazed. He had been pondering this for so long without a single clue.
Even having read countless web novels in his previous life, the only solution he could think of was the concept of collapsing all timelines to achieve a complete counter—or perhaps some bizarre Cthulhu-like abilities. But those things weren't even viable as references. There was simply no possibility of manifesting them in the Shinobi world.
He felt he had been absorbing all existing knowledge in the world to the best of his ability, yet he was still shocked by the sheer difficulty. Now Orochimaru was telling him there were a few methods worth trying; it was almost too much to believe.
"Tell me about your side first. How did things go at Mount Myoboku?" Orochimaru left him in suspense for a moment. Mount Myoboku, like Ryuchi Cave, was one of the Three Great Sage Regions and one of the most mysterious places in the Shinobi world, possessing unknown powers. Even now, Orochimaru hadn't fully grasped the depths of the Sage Regions.
However, he had gathered a wealth of information about them from ancient ruins and records left behind by those who had entered the Sage Regions in the past. Most of that intelligence had come from the White Snake Sage.
"It went okay, though a bit uneasy. Regarding the ability to foresee the future, I didn't find a direct solution. I just gathered a lot of information. I want to see if it can link up with your ideas to find a way forward."
Tonbo recounted his experiences at Mount Myoboku, focusing primarily on the intelligence revealed by the Great Toad Sage. There might be some inspiration within those details that could lead to a breakthrough.
Orochimaru didn't interrupt; he listened to Tonbo with a level of focus he had never shown before. Especially when he learned that the Three Great Sage Regions had been guiding the direction of the Shinobi world since ancient times, he showed a look of 'so that's how it is'.
It seemed there were quite a few people or forces guiding the world's path. The person he had discovered previously who was guiding history and modifying it wasn't from the Sage Regions, but that fellow called Black Zetsu. He knew that now. He wondered if there were any others like that in the Shinobi world.
Probably not. This tiny Shinobi world couldn't take much more of that kind of meddling.
"So, the so-called 'Millennial Cataclysm' is just Mount Myoboku's terminology, and they can't even get accurate information on it. The fact that someone in the future can block the Great Toad Sage's precognition means the enemy's power is not to be underestimated," Orochimaru said, his eyes gleaming. "The methods we're looking for have only just started to provide a general direction, yet the opponent already has the ability to shield themselves from future sight."
He hadn't expected the Shinobi world to still hold so many secrets unknown to him. How interesting.
He pondered the Sage's words—that Jiraiya would be the one to guide the future Child of Destiny. Jiraiya's death in the Land of Rain wasn't because he couldn't escape, but because he didn't want to. Even if the Great Toad Sage predicted that this was the path with the highest probability of resolving the future crisis...
Jiraiya, oh Jiraiya. Your whole life was spent on the road to saving the world. This world truly owes you.
"Mm. So, based on your guess, how much power do the Three Great Sage Regions actually have? I'm afraid they won't be able to solve the future crisis either. Do you have any good ideas?"
What Tonbo had to face wasn't just those who could see the future, but also Shibai Otsutsuki—who had died in the Shinobi world and was being studied. Although he didn't know much about Shibai, he knew that a man named Amado Sanzu had researched him and developed many clones. That alone spoke to Shibai's power. And if such a man was dead and being dissected... who knew what else was hidden in this world?
Orochimaru looked at him. "Why don't we do what needs to be done now before considering the future? Don't you think you're overthinking it? The matters at hand are more important than the future. Perhaps it's just your imagination?"
"Or perhaps the Sasuke who traveled back is from a parallel world? Or maybe they are all clones created by a future enemy? Or perhaps the future enemy isn't as strong as we imagine, and the setbacks won't be as many as we fear?"
"Everything is based on the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, the Sasuke from the future, and this Otsutsuki experimental subject. Even the newly discovered Otsutsuki ruins across the world don't explicitly prove how powerful they are. I feel that with your current strength, you might be able to solve all the Otsutsuki yourself."
As a researcher, Orochimaru was wary of groundless speculation. Yet, he also loved it. Research, after all, starts with a hypothesis before moving to practical study to develop that guess. He found Tonbo's crisis a bit amusing. With Tonbo's current strength, he could handle incredibly powerful enemies. According to his deductions, even if Kaguya escaped her seal right now, Tonbo would have a way to seal her back up.
It's fine to worry about the future, but don't go overboard...
Tonbo was stunned by Orochimaru's words. It was true; his mental state lately had been a bit problematic. It seemed that with the end of the canonical war and the loss of his spoiler knowledge, he had become uneasy, constantly overthinking and imagining enemies that were too powerful. He was effectively just piling pressure on himself.
There was no need for it. Even if he died, so what? It wasn't like he hadn't died before. Death is but a momentary thing. As long as he did his best, it was enough.
"Thank you. As expected of the Sannin, Orochimaru. You've snapped me out of it. I have indeed been a bit anxious lately. I'll make sure to adjust myself," Tonbo said gratefully.
Orochimaru smiled. "I didn't do it for you. It's just that if you're in this state, it's no good for our plans, is it?"
True. An anxious, rushed person is not a good collaborator.
"You're right. From now on, I'll just do my best. Whether it can be done, or whether I've over-prepared—that's a problem for the future."
Tonbo felt enlightened. But preparation still had to be made; if he could avoid dying, he would. Who wants to cut their life short? He was just thinking more clearly now, and his heart felt much lighter. He realized he had been neglecting Ayame and the others lately, having not enjoyed a peaceful life in quite a while.
Kakashi's way of releasing pressure was reading Make-Out Paradise. Might Guy's way was training. And his way of decompressing was enjoying life with his family and finding joy in the everyday. How could he have forgotten?
What did he do in the early years? He lived his life, trained Naruto, Kiba, and Hana. He taught the kids at the Ninja Academy and experienced their vitality.
"It's good that you've cleared your head. Now, let's talk about the ideas for sealing the future."
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