In the dimly lit laboratory, Orochimaru, still maintaining his white snake form, coiled himself in front of the unconscious White Zetsu. His snake-like pupils flickered with an uncertain glow.
He didn't care about the position of Hokage. After all, the only reason he ever wanted that position was because he believed no one else deserved it more than he did!
Now that Kei had displayed strength surpassing his own, what did it matter if he withdrew from the battle for Hokage? Likewise, he didn't care that he had been defeated.
Defeat was never something to be feared—no one could win forever. Even someone as powerful as Hashirama had suffered losses at the hands of the Uchiha clan in his youth.
What truly intrigued him was the secret behind Kei.
A single person had limits—it was impossible for one to know everything, to master everything. Yet he displayed extraordinary chakra control, an unfathomable amount of chakra...
Genjutsu that were impossible to guard against, casually executed clan techniques, mastery of Water Release as indicated by past intelligence, the long-hidden Flying Thunder God Technique, and even Wood Release—something he had never revealed before... And now, there was also the strange humanoid creature he had just summoned, clearly possessing an abundant stockpile of similar bizarre creations.
Moreover, the information leaked from that creature... Madara had been alive until recently. Not only that, but beyond his Mangekyō Sharingan, he had somehow also obtained the power of Wood Release!
And the one who had killed Madara... looked exactly like the Second Hokage?
Heh~ How many people in the shinobi world could actually use the Flying Thunder God Technique? And on top of that, had the power to rival Madara, along with profound mastery of Water Release?
Did he even need to guess?
Using only the Flying Thunder God and Water Release, he defeated and killed Madara—never once relying on Wood Release. He was certain that was more than enough to take down an aging, weakened Madara. But the real question was... What had Kei obtained from that battle?
Could it be that the guy was actually a once-in-a-millennium genius? That just by seeing Wood Release with his own eyes, he had instantly learned it?
He's not even worried about me discovering his secrets... What an arrogant guy… Hehehe~ Orochimaru let out a deep, hoarse chuckle.
The strong dictate the fate of the weak. But the roles of the strong and the weak are never fixed! Understand him, surpass him, defeat him, control him!
Even if it wouldn't be easy, the more challenging the task, the more exciting it was—wasn't it?
---
Earth Release: Fist Rock Technique!
Earth Release: Added-Weight Rock Technique!
Water Release: Great Water Arm Technique!
Bam! Bam! Smack! Bam! Bam! Smack!
"I won't dare anymore! I swear, I'll never respond to Orochimaru's summoning again—I'd rather be a toad!" Manda curled up into a ball, shrieking as he shamelessly begged for mercy.
The crimson-scaled snake, Shinya, was drawn to the commotion caused by Manda's screams. Overwhelmed by hatred for Kei, it instinctively launched an attack.
But, as expected, it soon joined the ranks of those getting beaten.
Unlike Manda—who had surrendered completely and curled into a submissive ball—Shinya, despite being in immense pain, continued to struggle, trying to fight back. It certainly had some backbone!
Bam! Bam! Smack! Bam! Bam! Smack!
Thirty minutes later...
"From now on, if you need anything, just say the word! I am the most loyal!" Shinya, its scales half-shattered, grinned submissively, even as its two venomous fangs were completely broken.
"Call me if you need help! I have tons of battle experience—definitely stronger than Shinya!" Manda licked his lips, playing the role of a simple-minded and dependable follower.
"Shut your damn mouth! I used to roll with the Third Kazekage—I've fought in more battles than you, you idiot!"
"And what good did that do you? If you were actually useful, the Third Kazekage wouldn't have abandoned you!"
"Manda! If I weren't hurting all over, I'd kill you right now!"
"Shinya! Don't act so high and mighty! I'm in better shape than you right now!"
Manda and Shinya let out furious hissing sounds, glaring at each other as if they were ready to start fighting at any moment.
"Shut up! Take me to the White Snake Sage!"
Kei looked coldly at the two overly dramatic giant snakes, unwilling to waste any more words on them.
"I'll take you there!"
"No, me! My head is wider—more comfortable to sit on!"
Manda and Shinya exchanged glances, then butted their heads together, once again looking like they were about to throw down.
"Enough! If you two keep talking nonsense, I'll smack you both with Wood Release!"
A moment later, the two giant snakes had their heads squeezed tightly together, their bodies twisted like a rope.
With identical ingratiating smiles on their snake faces, they awkwardly slithered forward through the vast, labyrinthine cave.
Kei sat speechlessly on the platform they had forcibly squeezed together with their heads, letting them carry him forward.
Meanwhile, he pondered the results of his recent experiment on the effect of [Graveyard Healer].
Manda and Shinya's venom was potent, but both were roughly equal in toxicity. This type of poison, rich in natural energy, had an extremely corrosive effect. For mild poisoning, a single full-strength punch from Tsunade would be enough to completely neutralize it. For moderate poisoning, it would take two to three punches. Severe poisoning? At least five punches or more.
Any worse than that… Well, if it got any worse, the victim would probably just drop dead on the spot—what's the point of curing a corpse?
"I still need to apply the cure gradually to spread out the damage. Otherwise, the poison won't even get neutralized before the patient is beaten to death!" Kei muttered to himself.
Overall, he was quite satisfied with [Graveyard Healer]—it could detoxify any poison, no exceptions. Just that alone made it ridiculously overpowered!
He glanced at the reward he had received from the system after altering Orochimaru's fate. Along with the blue-tier luck energy he had gained from [Fate Weaver].
He smirked. As expected, if he wanted to earn big, he had to target characters with major roles in the original story.
System, use all my trait draws.
---
[Obtained:
- Food Fetish (White)
- Bandit's Excite Fist (Green)
- Borrowed Account Login (Purple)]
[Food Fetish (White):
You think it's a love story, but it's actually a death sentence. The trait holder will fall in love with beings they perceive as food. The longer the exposure, the stronger the hunger, and the deeper the affection. However, they will not harm the target… unless the "food" attempts to escape or resist. At that point, love turns to hatred, and the craving becomes uncontrollable.]
[Bandit's Excite Fist (Green):
Your movements become more graceful and captivating as your taijutsu skills improve. Slight enhancements to taijutsu proficiency, physical strength, flexibility, agility, and charisma. Also slightly increases the speed of physical growth and taijutsu learning.]
[Borrowed Account Login (Purple):
Establishes a connection with a deceased soul in the Pure Land, allowing the trait holder to temporarily "log in" and use their peak strength. After borrowing power, a small portion of the residual energy is permanently absorbed to enhance the user's own abilities.
Note: The maximum borrowing potential is limited by the user's physical strength. This ability also consumes a significant amount of stamina—if the user lacks sufficient stamina, it cannot be activated.]
---
I… fall in love with a cow? Kei thought about how much he loved eating beef, and his mind filled with question marks.
No way. That shouldn't be possible… Forget it. I can always gift it to someone else. I just need to figure out who deserves this "blessing" the most.
[Bandit's Excite Fist]… The effect wasn't bad, but the part about body curves becoming more "graceful" with increased taijutsu skill… that was kind of a scam.
Kei definitely wouldn't use it himself.
His Sage Body already provided overwhelming vitality—he just needed to refine his Lightning Chakra Mode and Eight Gates. That was more than enough. Seriously, more than enough!
Still, this trait would be perfectly paired with [Seductive Acrobatics]… If it landed on, say… a certain male character… What a beautiful sight that would be!
Kei shook his head, clearing his thoughts of nonsense, and turned his attention to the final purple-tier trait. It had been so long since he last got a purple!
[Borrowed Account Login]… With my Sage Physique, I could experience Hashirama's peak form firsthand—activate Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands—basically a full-scale Wood Release trial run, right?
Wait a second. Given my life-and-death bond with Madara, do you think he'd be willing to lend me his account?
Hmm… I wonder if I can dual-log… Susanoo-armored Buddha—bringing dreams to reality!