Uncle Snake

After the Summoning Contract was signed, the atmosphere became harmonious. The Great Shark's gaze towards Yichen also showed less fear.

Furthermore, due to the Summoning Contract, communication between Ishinose Kiyoshi and the Great Shark became much easier.

As Yichen listened to the Great Shark recount their tragic experiences to Ishinose Kiyoshi in a language he couldn't understand at all, while Ishinose Kiyoshi nodded frequently, looking thoughtful, Yichen, Uzumaki Riori, and Atsumi Akino bewildered glances.

After a long while, the man and the shark finished their conversation, Ishinose Kiyoshi began to relay the information to Yichen and the other two.

"Teacher Yichen, Yuko just told me about what they've been going through lately."

Yuko? Yichen looked at the enormous shark in front of him. Was this a female shark? But whether it was male or female, Yichen felt it didn't quite live up to its name.

"Yuko and her clan originally lived in the open sea," Ishinose Kiyoshi said, pointing in a direction far from the coast, "But recently the seawater in that area suddenly became highly toxic, and a large number of sharks died."

"Some sharks even stronger than Yuko went to investigate, but they all died. However, they also figured out the reason: there was a half-dead giant Ibuse near where Yuko and the others lived."

At this point, Ishinose Kiyoshi looked at Yichen with a strange expression. Uzumaki Riori didn't react; perhaps this girl had even forgotten what Ibuse was. Atsumi Akino's gaze towards Yichen was similar to Ishinose Kiyoshi's.

Half Ibuse? Could it be Hanzo's Summoning Beast? Hanzo's Summoning Beast was killed by Yichen's Light Release, and half of its body disappeared. The remaining half returned to the place before it was summoned not long after.

Yichen blinked, glancing guiltily at the shark named Yuko.

Ishinose Kiyoshi didn't pause for long before continuing, "Yuko and the others had nowhere to live, so they had no choice but to bring the remaining sharks here."

"Yuko told me that she hopes we can help them find a suitable habitat." Ishinose Kiyoshi said, looking at Yichen with hopeful eyes.

Yichen looked thoughtfully at the Shark Swarm, and suddenly an idea came to him.

"Kiyoshi, tell it that we have something to do right now. When we come back in a while, I will take them to another sea area. Once we get there, I will arrange a suitable place for them to live."

Ishinose Kiyoshi was overjoyed and was about to discuss it with his Yuko, Yichen added, "Kiyoshi, there's something you must tell them: from now on, they are forbidden from attacking humans unless we summon them to fight. Otherwise, I will be the first to not let them off the hook."

"Also, tell them that if they behave well, our Iwagakure will consider granting them Natural Energy."

Ishinose Kiyoshi wasn't very clear about the effects of Natural Energy, but when he relayed Yichen's words to the Great Shark, it almost jumped for joy.

After agreeing with the sharks to come back for them in a while, Yichen led his three disciples and flew towards the Land of Waves.

When Yichen and his group arrived in the Land of Waves, they were surprised to find that the caravan was waiting for them.

That's good, it saves Yichen a lot of trouble.

The journey from the Land of Waves to the Land of Whirlpools proceeded smoothly without any further incidents, and the group arrived in the Land of Whirlpools without any major problems.

After arriving in the Land of Land of Whirlpools, Yichen and his group did not rush on their way, but continued to leisurely make their way into the heart of the Land of Whirlpools.

Until, a wave of Chakra emanated from the ring on Yichen's hand that bore the character "North".

"Yes, Nagato has finally contacted me." Yichen knew that Iwagakure had almost no manpower in the Land of Whirlpools, so it was impossible for him to find Orochimaru's whereabouts on his own.

Therefore, Yichen never thought of looking for anyone from the beginning; he was waiting for Yichen 'Nagato message.

After briefly making contact with Nagato using the Phantasm Body Technique, Yichen finally confirmed the current situation.

Two days ago, Juzo Biwa and his two companions found Orochimaru's hiding place, but during the conflict with Orochimaru, the minor character besides Juzo Biwa and Sasori of the Red Sands was killed on the spot by Orochimaru.

Orochimaru then engaged in another major battle with the two, with Sasori of the Red Sands being the main force in this First Shinobi War, while Juzo Biwa only played a supporting role.

The result of the battle was that a large number of Sasori's puppets were destroyed, and Orochimaru was injured and fled.

Orochimaru's whereabouts have been located again, but Sasori of the Red Sands companion are no longer confident of victory.

Orochimaru is troublesome because he is indestructible. Two days have passed, and his injuries may have healed, but Sasori's puppets will not be repaired so quickly.

Therefore, Nagato used Yichen as his Trump Card.

"It seems that Nagato and Obito have made contact, or at least with White Zetsu. Otherwise, given Orochimaru's ability to hide, it would have been impossible for the Orochimaru, who were unfamiliar Akatsuki Organization the area, to find him so quickly twice in a row," Yichen concluded.

Yichen, along with his three disciples, first found a relatively secluded spot, and then began to set up Natural Energy Seal Barrier.

Half a day later, Yichen successfully entered Sage Mode.

This time, Yichen did not separate from his three disciples. Now that Yichen's strength has improved rapidly, he is capable of protecting his three disciples' safety, so this time he plans to take them directly to Orochimaru.

Yichen created a Shadow Clone, Shadow Clone used Porcelain Release to carry the three little ones, flying behind him. Soon, the four of them arrived at the location Nagato had mentioned.

Orochimaru's base was still underground, while Yichen's main battleground was in the air. He didn't want to get entangled with Orochimaru underground, so he used "Earth Release: Earth Style: Fissure Core".

Yichen used his Senjutsu to perform a B-rank Earth Release, and controlled the direction of the Earth Style: Fissure Core as far underground as possible.

Not long after Yichen finished his technique, Orochimaru emerged from underground.

Upon seeing Yichen, Orochimaru immediately recognized him. "Yichen, the Fox of Stone Yichen."

"Hehe, Orochimaru- senpai, we meet again." Yichen chuckled.

This wasn't the first time Yichen and Orochimaru had met; they had a brief encounter in Kirigakure. They also clashed again in the First Shinobi War to kill Jiraiya.

Looking at the lines on Yichen's face, Orochimaru sighed, "What an enviable talent." Compared to the last time he saw Yichen, the Sage Face Markings on Yichen's face had diminished considerably.

Orochimaru then swept his gaze over Yichen's three disciples and said, "I wonder what business you have with a Konoha Rogue Ninja like me, the Fourth Tsuchikage?"

Orochimaru knew that Yichen wasn't there to fight him to the death. First of all, there was no need. If he were going to fight, Yichen wouldn't have brought three Genin disciples with him. Besides, Yichen wasn't alone. As the Tsuchikage, surely he could muster a group of capable subordinates?

Yichen smiled slightly and said, "I've been asked by someone to invite Orochimaru- senpai to join an organization."

"Akatsuki?" Orochimaru was somewhat surprised this time.

Akatsuki Organization's Orochimaru of the Land of Rain, but he didn't take killing an elderly Hanzo seriously.

However, the Akatsuki Organization first dispatched Sasori of the Red Sands, and then invited the Fourth Tsuchikage to personally take action, which piqued Orochimaru's curiosity.

"It seems Sasori of the Red Sands didn't explain the Akatsuki Organization to Orochimaru in detail," Yichen said with a smile. "However, before that, as the Tsuchikage, I'd like to make a deal with Orochimaru."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru licked his lips with his long tongue and said, "I'm curious about what Tsuchikage wants in a deal with S-rank Rogue Ninja like me, but I'm even more curious about what the Tsuchikage is willing to give up."

"You wouldn't be offering me something from the Scroll of Seals in Iwagakure, Tsuchikage you?"

Yichen smiled and said, "Of course I won't harm the village's interests, but if Orochimaru- senpai can offer something sufficiently beneficial to our Iwagakure, I think the Ninjutsu in the Scroll of Seals isn't out of the question for trade."

Orochimaru's gaze sharpened. Sure enough, this Yichen was just like the intelligence reports; he was not one to follow the rules. It seemed that the rumors about the changes in Yichen Iwa ninja the years were not unfounded.

"Heh, this is getting more and more interesting." Orochimaru couldn't help but lick his lips again.

"What do you want?" Orochimaru stared at Yichen and slowly spoke.

Yichen smiled; Orochimaru had agreed to the exchange.

"The Flying Thunder God Technique, the Spirit Transformation Jutsu, the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, the Eight Gates Technique, the Mutual Distraction Explosion Tag Technique, the Sharingan Genjutsu Izanagi, and the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu are all available for trade," Yichen said.

Orochimaru thought for a moment and asked, "What will you use to exchange for it?"

Orochimaru wasn't surprised by what Yichen said. The Tsuchikage himself had come to him for a trade, so the trade couldn't possibly be just a Ninjutsu experience or an A-rank Ninjutsu.

Although Orochimaru valued the things Yichen proposed, he was prepared and not surprised. Instead, he calmly asked Yichen for his price.

"Information on the Sharingan and the Shikotsumyaku (Shikotsumyaku) is the most important bargaining chip I can offer."

"As for the others, our village has acquired a Byakugan. If Orochimaru- senpai needs the Byakugan's assistance in any research, we can discuss it."

"I also have a Sealing Jutsu that can evade the Byakugan's detection. Orochimaru- senpai, if you need it, we can trade it."

"Finally, if Orochimaru- senpai is truly interested in our Iwa ninja's Scroll of Seals, he may also make an offer."

After Yichen finished speaking, he waited quietly for Orochimaru's reply.

Among the list compiled by Yichen, the two pieces of information were indeed the most important. If it were anyone else, they might think Yichen was being deliberately mysterious. But the person opposite him was Orochimaru, the number one scientist in the Ninja World. Yichen believed that Orochimaru's interest in the ultimate secret of the Ninja World would definitely not be small.

Sure enough, Orochimaru spoke up shortly after, "If I want to exchange information about the Shikotsumyaku or the Sharingan, what do I need to pay?"

"Information about the Sharingan is originally the most valuable, but since more people know about it, the price is a bit cheaper. Orochimaru- senpai, you can give me any two of the Ninjutsu you just mentioned, or other Ninjutsu of the same level."

"The information about the Shikotsumyaku isn't actually more valuable than the information about the Sharingan, but it's more useful to Orochimaru- senpai, and there are fewer people who know this information; perhaps I'm the only one in the entire Ninja World who knows it."

"So, regarding the price, I'll choose two Ninjutsu myself."

After hearing Yichen's words, Orochimaru hesitated for a moment before saying, "Alright, I'll take these two pieces of information, but consider the Sealing Jutsu to isolate the Byakugan as a bonus."

Orochimaru agreed readily, without saying anything about how to ensure the accuracy of the information.

At this level, none of these things matter.

Without wasting any words, Yichen took out three scrolls.

Orochimaru was straightforward, saying, "The two Ninjutsu you want to exchange Sharingan information for are Mutual Distraction Explosion Tag and Izanagi. What do you want in exchange for the Shikotsumyaku information?"

"Flying Thunder God Technique, Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu," Yichen said.

"Okay." After saying that, Orochimaru bit his tongue and used Summoning Jutsu. After a puff of smoke, several small white snakes appeared, and then each of them spat out a scroll.

Yichen and Orochimaru simultaneously tossed the scroll to each other, and then examined it together on the spot.

After a long while, once he had confirmed that everything was alright, Yichen put the scroll away.