Land of Grass.
The moon shone brightly in the night.
Moonlight spilled across the ground, revealing a pitch-black cave entrance. Dull explosions echoed continuously from within the mountain cave.
Crack!
The mountainside suddenly split apart!
Countless rocks flew in every direction, and the entire mountain seemed on the verge of collapse!
A long-haired man was blasted backward through the flying debris. His eyes remained fixed on the crumbling mountainside as his hands rapidly formed ninja hand seals.
"Summoning Technique!"
Smoke from the Summoning Technique spread through the air.
A massive brown python was summoned.
Before the giant snake could react, a nimble young figure suddenly leaped out of the mountainside and slammed a fist into its head!
That punch was powerful and forceful!
The giant python had been summoned for less than a few seconds before its head was smashed apart by the sudden blow. Gravely injured, it immediately dissolved into smoke and vanished.
Yet that brief moment...
Was enough for its summoner to land somewhere safe.
The long-haired man stood on the ground, utterly unconcerned about the Summoning Beast's fate. He merely looked up at the faintly glowing figure and ran his tongue across his lips.
"The greatest creation... has been born..."
The long-haired man's eyes were filled with greed, as though he were gazing through the smoke at the most precious treasure in the world. "Such astonishing chakra..."
In all of history...
This was a test subject capable of perfectly accommodating Hashirama Cells!
The smoke slowly dispersed.
A bare-chested black-haired youth landed on the ground.
He was exceptionally handsome. Perhaps most people would instinctively feel fondness for him at first sight, but the aura radiating from him was impossible to ignore.
That was...
What immense chakra!
There were only a handful of ninja in the entire shinobi world capable of such a thing!
The youth looked at the long-haired man before him and curiously tilted his head. His clear eyes held the innocent purity of a newborn infant.
"Who... are you?"
His voice was somewhat innocent.
The long-haired man possessed an eerie, handsome face. His eyes resembled a snake's vertical pupils, and a chilling, repulsive scent of snakes clung to him.
There was only one person in the shinobi world like this: Orochimaru, one of Konoha's Three Sannin!
"Hmm?"
Hearing the youth's question, Orochimaru could not help frowning. In a hoarse voice, he said, "It seems the experiment was still somewhat dangerous. Did something go wrong with his brain cells?"
"..."
The youth tilted his head, and the intimidating aura around him gradually faded.
"Akihara Kagura."
Orochimaru called the youth's name.
Yet that name seemed to instantly provoke the youth's vigilance!
The ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked. Using the instant acceleration from stomping off the ground, he reached one hand toward Orochimaru's head!
A wooden spike burst from the youth's palm!
The youth's sneak attack came far too suddenly!
In the space of a breath!
The wooden spike was about to pierce through Orochimaru's head!
Orochimaru hurriedly raised two fingers. Lines of black curse marks rapidly appeared over the youth's entire body, freezing him in place!
Curse Mark!
By planting curse marks inside a target's body beforehand, they could be activated at a critical moment, causing sealing formulas that restricted movement to appear across the target's body!
To avoid any possible accidents, Orochimaru had planted a Curse Mark within the youth beforehand. Even so, he still found what had just happened somewhat dangerous...
Now that Orochimaru had controlled the youth's movements, his mood finally began to calm. His eerie smile returned to his face.
"It seems it can still..."
Bang!
The next moment!
The youth's chakra surged again!
The violent eruption of chakra alone produced a terrifying pressure!
The curse formulas slowly dissolved beneath the impact of that immense chakra. The Curse Mark on the youth's body was gradually breaking down and disappearing...
Orochimaru rapidly retreated!
The youth used the eruption of his chakra to remove the curse mark. After glancing at the distance between himself and Orochimaru, the confusion in his eyes gradually faded.
"Lord Orochimaru?"
The youth seemed to have regained his senses. Unease and apology showed on his face. "I'm sorry, Lord Orochimaru. My body lost control just now, and I couldn't control my actions. Fortunately, you used the Curse Mark to restrain my body..."
"This is normal."
Sensing that the youth had returned to normal, Orochimaru slowly nodded. His smile returned as he explained, "Many subjects implanted with Hashirama Cells suffer from such aftereffects. At least you survived... How do you feel?"
"Better than ever."
The youth spread his arms, feeling the strength in his fists. "My stamina is incredibly strong, my chakra is abundant, and my sensory abilities have improved tremendously..."
"However..."
"My Kekkei Genkai is somewhat strange..."
The youth held out his palm, and a wooden spike emerged from it. "This power is very strong. I can use it without even needing to do anything..."
"This is merely an insignificant portion of your Kekkei Genkai's power."
Orochimaru looked at the wooden spike in the youth's palm, his smile growing broader. "I will have you learn more powerful Wood Style Ninjutsu."
"I still need to learn?"
The youth looked somewhat aggrieved and spoke softly. "Lord Orochimaru... I thought that after the experiment succeeded, you would use Living Corpse Reincarnation and make my body your new vessel."
"It is not yet time."
Orochimaru's expression was meaningful.
Living Corpse Reincarnation was an immortality technique Orochimaru had created himself.
By transferring his consciousness and seizing another person's body, he could achieve eternal life and immortality, even gaining the strength and knowledge of that person's body.
Orochimaru had already performed Living Corpse Reincarnation twice. The first time had been purely for experimentation, and he had chosen a reasonably compatible body.
The second reincarnation had been because the female body he currently used was highly compatible with his soul, allowing him to fully exert his power.
According to Orochimaru's calculations, this female body could still be used for several more years. Abandoning it now would be far too wasteful.
Compatible bodies like this were not easy to find.
Most importantly, Living Corpse Reincarnation required an interval of at least three years, and it had not been long since Orochimaru had taken over this female body.
Orochimaru also hoped the youth before him would learn more ninjutsu. That way, when he seized the youth's body in the future, Orochimaru could gain additional knowledge.
Compared to a half-finished product, Orochimaru preferred a finished one.
As for whether the youth before him would betray him after growing stronger, Orochimaru was not worried. He had watched the youth grow up from childhood.
This little fellow was named Akihara Kagura, and he was an orphan.
Orochimaru understood children abandoned by the world very well.
As long as they were given a little warmth, they would rush toward it like moths to a flame. Even if they were thrown into the fire, they would not choose to leave.
In theory, Young Akihara Kagura should have been the same.
Reality was rather absurd. Akihara Kagura was an exception, and a system notification sounded in his mind, reminding him that he was a transmigrator.
System Prompt: The task of assisting your superior Orochimaru with a human experiment has been completed. Reward obtained: Gene Modification Technology.
New author, new book—please add it to your collection!
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