Chapter 7: Researching Jūgo! Reverse Curse Seal!

Chapter 7: Researching Jūgo! Reverse Curse Seal!

If this had happened in a battle...

The thought sent a chill down Orochimaru's spine.

Narrowing his eyes, Orochimaru said, "I don't think I've seen this genjutsu before, Ishihara?"

Ishihara calmly replied, "It's a new genjutsu I developed."

Orochimaru's mouth twitched.

He had only been away for a short while, and Ishihara had already developed a new secret technique!

No matter how much of a genius you are, this is a bit too unbelievable.

Having become accustomed to his extraordinary comprehension, Ishihara didn't notice Orochimaru's reaction and curiously asked, "Who is he?"

Orochimaru briefly explained Jūgo's background.

"He'll be staying here for the time being. Don't provoke him… on second thought, just don't break him!"

Orochimaru wanted to warn Ishihara about Jūgo's danger.

But recalling the earlier scene, he felt his concern might be unnecessary.

He should probably worry more about Jūgo's safety instead.

If Ishihara really did mess up...

Orochimaru's heart skipped a beat. "Maybe I should move Jūgo to another base."

Ishihara became anxious immediately. Jūgo, with his natural energy, was the perfect material for his senjutsu research. He couldn't let him be taken away!

He quickly patted his chest and assured, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of him!"

Orochimaru hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded. Ishihara had never caused trouble before and was still trustworthy.

"I'll be conducting curse seal experiments in the deeper parts of the base for the next while. You can study whatever you want," Orochimaru instructed, though somewhat uneasily.

Ishihara's eyes lit up at his words. "Can I observe the curse seal experiments?"

Orochimaru frowned. The curse seal, being a crucial part of his Living Corpse Reincarnation technique, was his top secret. But considering that Ishihara had already completed the curse seal, there didn't seem to be any more secrets to keep.

He looked deeply at Ishihara, his eyes showing a hint of expectation. "You can, but be prepared for what you might see."

Ishihara raised an eyebrow and nodded calmly.

At that moment, Jūgo woke up, quickly got up, and then lowered his head in guilt.

"I'm sorry, Lord Orochimaru, I lost control again."

He glanced at Ishihara, seemingly worried that he had hurt someone.

Orochimaru patted his head and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Jūgo. Ishihara here stopped your rampage just now."

Jūgo's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Although Orochimaru could stop his rampages, he was often too busy to watch over him. If someone else could do it, he could move around freely as long as he followed that person.

Ishihara said calmly, "You can test it by losing control again."

Jūgo nodded heavily. "Alright!"

Since Orochimaru was there to stop him, he could rampage without worry.

Ishihara watched Jūgo expectantly. This special individual, naturally imbued with natural energy, intrigued him.

Roar!!!

With a low growl, Jūgo underwent another drastic transformation. His personality became wildly violent, and he laughed excitedly.

"Hahaha, who should I kill this time?!"

What a crude form of sage mode!

Ishihara frowned disdainfully and then activated his Genjutsu Space.

"Binding Technique!"

Buzz!!!

In an instant, Jūgo's body froze in place. He roared in anger, "Who dares bind me?! I'll kill you!"

"You stopped Jūgo's rampage with just genjutsu? Ishihara, you never cease to amaze me!" Orochimaru's pupils contracted sharply at the sight, his heart filled with shock.

The power of this genjutsu far surpassed ordinary ones!

Ishihara didn't respond but instead stepped forward and placed his hand on Jūgo's shoulder, beginning his examination.

He could clearly sense the natural energy within Jūgo.

Violent! Savage!

Like a bundle of dynamite rampaging through Jūgo's body!

He even wondered why Jūgo's body hadn't exploded yet.

"Interesting, truly fascinating!"

Ishihara's eyes shone with excitement as he continued his research.

In sage mode, his body acted as a reservoir for natural energy, which only fused with chakra and not with the body itself.

But Jūgo was different!

Natural energy had completely fused with his body, but it had become incredibly violent.

It seemed that fusing this energy with the body turned it into something forbidden!

"The cells' activity has explosively increased. If this state is maintained, lifespan would definitely be significantly extended!"

Ishihara was thrilled.

He firmly believed that the fusion of natural energy and the body was a path to sagehood.

The Toad Sage and the White Snake Sage from Ryuchi Cave were the best evidence!

After some research, Ishihara exhaled deeply.

This was not something that could be accomplished in a short time.

However, he had already gained some insights.

[You have studied the natural energy within Jūgo and deduced the Reverse Curse Seal!]

[Reverse Curse Seal: A special curse seal that can prevent the curse seal from functioning, blocking natural energy from entering the body!]

"What is it?" Orochimaru, who had been watching Ishihara the entire time, was eager to know what he was doing.

"I see the hope for immortality through Jūgo."

Ishihara did not hide his thoughts and spoke directly.

A gleam flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.

This aligned with his own ideas.

He was studying the curse seal using Jūgo because he had seen the White Snake Sage, who had lived for a thousand years, in Ryuchi Cave.

Now it seemed that Ishihara had the same idea as him.

"Unfortunately, the natural energy in Jūgo is too violent to be controlled!"

Orochimaru sighed.

Ishihara calmly said, "While it can't be controlled for now, I can stop natural energy from entering Jūgo's body."

"What?"

Orochimaru was taken aback and didn't quite understand.

"You can think of it as a counter-curse seal. I call it the Reverse Curse Seal!"

As Ishihara explained, he began to infuse his chakra into Jūgo's body.

The chakra was immediately repelled upon entering Jūgo's body.

Ishihara quickly controlled the chakra, rapidly fusing it with Jūgo's own chakra to form a new curse seal, the Reverse Curse Seal!

Buzz—

In an instant, a circular pattern composed of curse seals appeared on Jūgo's neck.

Then, under Orochimaru's astonished gaze, the violent aura around Jūgo began to dissipate, the natural energy gradually faded, and Jūgo's body quickly returned to its original state.