198 The Sannin Skirmish (12)

*Poof!*

The giant wriggling stomach summoned in the pit vanishes in a plume of smoke, spilling out terrifyingly hot flames in the process that sticks to the ground and rubble around 'them' and continues to burn away!

Jiraiya... is safe. Well, aside from his clothes which are almost burned away safe for his loincloth... something even Jiraiya would spend Senjutsu Chakra on protecting. After all... going on a nude streak against an eccentric Jinchuriki is less than effective.

As the dust and smoke settle, Jiraiya eventually feels the last bit of his Senjutsu fade out of his body, which he uses to sense his opponent and the result made the Hermit Sage Grimace.

'Talk about being disgustingly durable... Jinchurikis are wild!'

While Sage Mode requires a large chakra reserve, a condition that Jiraiya fulfills, Sage Mode itself is not entirely broken. For him, at least.

For instance, the moment his chakra reserve turns into Senjutsu Chakra, it will start to diffuse into nature itself. Now, Jiraiya has some theories on how to stop this but the natural act of diffusion of Senjutsu Chakra is a reflexive act of the body so that his body does not petrify eventually. Senjutsu Chakra for humans is unnatural. But if it can be achieved, Jiraiya believes that there are ways to manipulate this Mode to endure it longer. Just Orochimaru's act of molding and isolating a tiny portion of Senjutsu Chakra confirmed his suspicions.

'So... do I need to refine my already sage-like Chakra Control even further,' Jiraiya smirks to himself and jumps out of the crater. Without needing to look in Orochimaru's direction, he announces, "He should be 'fatally' injured now. Healing from Senjutsus is entirely different... I hope the same is the case for Jinchuriki.

Flickering and appearing beside Jiraiya, Orochimaru tosses him a look. A rather... measuring look, he notes as he puffs out his chest a bit reflexively and grins, "Like what you see? Heh, too bad! You just lost the—"

"Nothing like that, and I have seen you naked many times when we used to bathe, remember? I just thought you would have started wearing the more recent lines of undergarments for men. Boxers, I think... that's what they're called."

Jiraiya sputters and moans, "Oh, please! Those aren't manly enough for the great Hermit Sage of Mount Myoboku! But... should you waste time like this?"

He casts a dubious glance at the crater.

"He isn't a human," Orochimaru informs, "As you've already noticed. So... trying to battle with him further without understanding his skills or how he is healing so quickly is unadvisable but..." flicking the tip of her tongue across her bottom lip, she whispers, "Interesting nonetheless."

"For your sake of interest," a cool cackle echoes, "Would you like me to explain how my Jutsu really works? Getting a taste of the legendary Sage Mode... is certainly a worthy trade."

The soft sound of sandals tapping on the cold ground and crushing any small rubble echoes through the thin layer of smoke as Su walks out of the crater with a smile. His hair is as glossy as ever. His skin feels smoother than ever and his clothes... they aren't singed at all much less burned to a crisp!

"Now that would not be fun. Getting answers handed down to me? If I didn't know any better, I would assume you're insulting me," Orochimaru smiles and tosses Jiraiya a look that makes him focus on his recovery.

"Wait... that feels oddly wrong," Su crosses his arms, "You don't know about my Jutsu? Seriously? Then why did you seal my Passion Puppet?"

"Best course of action," Orochimaru replies casually and Su's furrow deepens.

"So... only we were informed about some things to note for Sage Mode... but you guys really did come here blind. Talk about making things unfair yet ironically fair in the world of shinobi."

His words make Orochimaru recall that Su already knew all about their mission. An unrecorded mission to be precise. Even if Jiraiya and Hiruzen suspect Danzo, Orochimaru cannot help but feel that something greater is at play here... and against them no less.

"What do you mean?" Jiraiya loses his calm for a moment. Sage Mode's information was released? By whom? To Who... or What other Villages?!

The image of Danzo flickers at the back of his mind as Su extends his hand to gesture to Jiraiya to stop.

"I won't answer anything I don't want to, dude! Come on. We're supposed to be drinking buddies in the future. If you survive, of course."

Orochimaru glances at Jiraiya who puckers his lips in an odd whistle and looks away just suspicious enough to get a good hearing from Hiruzen— Just refuting enough to have deniability.

"Hmm, so we can assume that there is a third party trying to force us against each other," Orochimaru smiles, "We should stop here and focus on that, no?"

"No," Su narrows his eyes, "Konoha doesn't get to back away after getting caught red-handed but... I still can't believe you of all people aren't aware of the things going on. Your Hokage must like shelving everything away from you, huh." Smiling mischievously, Su adds, "Or should I say your Sensei doesn't have enough trust in you to reveal the things going on."

While they could argue all about trust or let Su's words affect their 'game', Orochimaru smirks widely and points out, "Be that as it may, let's refocus back on your Kinjutsu. A skill that has completely transformed your body into threads. Threads that are more durable than most materials used in the weapon and have a deceptive texture of skin... fabric, or anything you might like. Was that it?"

Su stops for a moment and stares at Orochimaru, "You could not have perceived all that just from my Passion Puppet..."

"Ah, yes, that... abomination. It's a mass of revolting chakra that mimics the biology of living creatures through chakra alone... a failure, to be exact. But your Jutsu is easy to peer through. Fake invincibility. You can even replicate destroyed Organs with these threads and limbs, meaning that your body is artificial. A product of your chakra rather than the other way around."

Su's eyes brighten and he nods. He involuntarily begins to clap his hands slowly, "Exactly. My body is made of threads entirely. It has its disadvantage... at times I just like to make my threads mimic liquid like blood and piss to just enjoy life. But yep, that's it. That's why your task of fatally wounding me is... 'hard', to say the least!"

He grins brightly, "I spent years completing and perfecting the Kinjutsu known as Earth Grudge Fear! I call it Heaven Liberating Passion. A little on the nose, yes, but it is what it is."

Jiraiya's expression is stiff at this point.

Just what are they REALLY facing?

A Jinchuriki or an unkillable monster WITH a Tailed-Beast?!

"Perfect? Incomplete?" Orochimaru smiles, "Oh, dear. Did you not get the notice?" She is still on the cautious side of things. After all, for all she knows, Su can be misleading them with some true and false statements.

"Notice?" Su frowns, finally noticing that the purple pigments around Orochimaru's eyes are more prominent at this point.

*Tchk*

An earthen spike rises and stabs into Su's face without any warning as blood and brain matter splatter out only to slowly wriggle and turn into pure white silky thread.

"No Jutsu is perfect," Orochimaru punctuates her words with an odd moment of glee taking over her expression as she looks at Jiraiya, "I did notice some issues with your Senjutsu so we'll workshop it once we get over this childish fool, and..." lowering her voice, she whispers, "Keep a look around. Even if it is Danzo or anyone else... things are spiraling out of control."

Jiraiya glances at the Earth 'Jutsu'. There is some level of understanding in his gaze but he holds back his questions and shuffles away to provide support whenever necessary and recover as quickly as possible.

His task was to finish Su as quickly as possible. Something he achieved only for a moment. But this also works. He has provided enough information on the enemy for Orochimaru to successfully deduce the opponent's Kinjutsu. All that is left is to find its weakness.

After all, it's the most elementary concept— No Jutsu is perfect, i.e., without a weakness.

---

Different Sage Modes have slight variations including Sage Transformations. From what Orochimaru has observed, Jiraiya's sage mode grants him a wide scope of mental sense that seems to be shared with all the other Sage Modes and Transformations alongside the ability to manipulate Nature Energy itself using Senjutsu Chakra.

This allows him to create not only invisible forms around him but also these forms that are simply undetectable unless the other opponent is also using Sage Mode. These formations of Nature Energy are almost impenetrable and work as a good defensive coat, something Jiraiya used to save himself from his own Jutsus.

'Meanwhile, Mitsuki's sage transformation allows him to turn into a snake that can shift his size and even turn invisible— another manipulation of Nature Energy using Senjutsu Chakra.'

'Kai's Sage Transformation grants him superb control over his body, too, and out of all the Sage Transformation experiments, he is the truly successful result. His body can be likened to the Dragon's Gate that allowed my Serpentine Senjutsu Chakra to leap through it and become a true dragon— a form that 'Ryuchi' desires. Aside from disgusting physical defense, Kai has heightened senses that can cover Konoha... but he plays his cards closely. Ascertaining the true depths of his Senjutsu mastery is only possible when I 'test' him personally.'

'And my Sage Mode allows me the manipulation of nature itself instead of Nature Energy. No, to be precise, my Senjutsu chakra reflexively interacts with Nature Energy present in the physical aspects of Nature such as ground, gusts of wind, fire, and water, and manipulates them freely— the most independent expression of elemental ninjutsu! I have tested before. I can even manipulate Ice, Ores, and other materials found in nature.'

'But this is all the most 'basic' premise of Senjutsu. Just like different elemental natures can be trained— various uses of Senjutsu Chakra can be trained, too. I'd have to thank Jiraiya for that realization. After all, I, too, suffered from the diffusion of Senjutsu Chakra back when I attained this mode but I have trained myself to overcome this. If he is still in that stage... this means, he did not train. This logically means that other aspects of Sage Mode and Transformation known to others instinctively can be trained by another Sage...'

'Like... the theory of elemental kekkei genkai Kai and I share with Tsunade. Much like Healing Chakra requires a specific ratio of Yin and Yang... other elemental kekkei genkai be trained through external means... I... I need to find Tsunade after Kai and I complete Chimera Cursed Seal. Theoretically, we can implant First Kage's cell that way and practice Mokuton!'

{A/N: Who's gonna tell her?}

"You can't kill me!" Su snickers and pulls back as strings bundle up in the center of the hole between his face and reform into his face right from the brain itself!

"My strings have the property of the hardest material you can find alongside the texture of my body including the organs!"

Orochimaru's gaze sharpens as she is already upon him but stops 'midair' as if stepping on the air itself and flips around him, evading the sharp threads that slice apart the spot where she was a moment ago and the earthen spike that no longer had any spot of blood on its surface!

Three kunais tagged with paper bombs accurately lodge themselves into Su's back and explode but this time showing the flexibility of his body, only strings balloon apart comedically before reforming into his torn torso.

Su's head turns 180° like an owl as he grins and forms a seal in front of his chest. No... behind his chest?

But already sensing the chakra nature brewing in his body, Orochimaru attacks preemptively!

'Zero Block!' Her gaze glimmers as the water-release jutsu freeze in Su's 'throat' while the atmosphere around him undulates and turns into a block of ice— reaching the level of absolute cold!

"Seal him!" Jiraiya suddenly gasps but Orochimaru shakes her head. Sealing him and taking him away is similar to attracting all the trouble to Konoha and with her recent understanding of Sage Mode, she needs peace to study many things... and as reluctant as she might as act, peace is needed to raise Mitsuki, too...

Not to mention her seals cannot hold a rampaging Jinchuruki— a possibility not beyond Su.

*Crack*

A thin crack spreads on the block of ice but Orochimaru doesn't make a move... physically, at least.

There are times when acting 'cheerily' to demonstrate the effects of one's Jutsu and demoralize the opponent may blow up in their faces. After all, the last thing Orochimaru is afraid of is challenges of any kind.

Su... is a challenge to her intellect and problem-solving ability. She needs to dismantle him...

No...

Well aware of her desires as her serpentine pupils glow with a sardonic glimmer, she affirms her goals and desires.

'I WANT to dismantle him. If I can't do that much with my Sage Mode... then what use is all this strength?'

***

Alternate Title: Bungee Gum Has Properties of— Fuck, Wrong Fanfic!; Doflamingo and Hisoka's Love Child; The Force of Forbidden Nature; Orochimaru Still Doesn't Know... *Tsunade and Kai*— Laughing and Drinking Somarasa; When You Challenge the Sadistic Researcher; My Threads Have the Property of—! *Hisoka* Hnnnngghhh~! *Aggressively Moaning*

***

A/N: I did not think of Hisoka and Doflamingo until this chapter. But these two are great inspirations to complete and 'perfect' Earth Grudge Fear. I did this because Tsunade is facing the old technique alone and Orochi and Jiraiya get to face the 'modernized' one alone. But despite it being called a 'perfect' variation, I have planned Tsunade's final battle in a manner that will reveal that Jutsu truly isn't perfect. It is how the Shinobi wields it.