Tricking Orochimaru

At that moment, Uzumaki Menma stood outside the crater, his face beneath the mask looking like a "subway old man staring at a phone."

He had only wanted to fool Orochimaru, yet based on his own understanding, Orochimaru had somehow concluded that "Asura" came from the future.

That made Menma realize that Orochimaru had not yet undergone Living Corpse Reincarnation.

Menma vaguely remembered that Orochimaru had performed Living Corpse Reincarnation at least five times. By the time of the Chunin Exams, he had already done it at least twice.

That woman's body had been highly compatible with Orochimaru's soul, allowing him to unleash his full strength. Even after Hiruzen Sarutobi sealed his hands, Orochimaru had been reluctant to part with that body.

"I was a little too hasty myself." After sorting through his memories, Menma decided to continue using the speculation Orochimaru had proposed and let him fill in the blanks himself.

"Oh? Then tell me, why wouldn't I kill you?" Menma asked with amused interest.

Orochimaru felt that he had seen through his opponent's secret. His pupils contracted slightly, but a cold curve formed at the corner of his mouth.

He slowly straightened up. Though the churning blood in his chest made his breathing somewhat unsteady, he gave a soft grunt and hissed like a venomous snake.

"You know about Living Corpse Reincarnation, so you must also know about my contract with Ryūchi Cave and my Cursed Seal Jutsu. You know that ordinary means can hardly kill me!"

"Mm. Go on." Menma did not stop walking.

"Cough, cough..." Because of his injuries, Orochimaru could feel his vitality rapidly draining away.

"You are familiar with my abilities and know my research even better. Then there must be something in my research that you need—or rather, some research that must have borne fruit in the future!" Thinking of his own experiments, Orochimaru became increasingly fervent. Perhaps one of them touched upon the ultimate secret of immortality.

"Tch..." A soft click came from beneath Menma's mask.

"You guessed some of it right, but some of it wrong." Menma stopped and looked down at Orochimaru in the crater. "Still, it is no easy feat to have guessed this much."

"Then let us cooperate!" Orochimaru lightly licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, his tone growing increasingly fervent.

"I know your ambitions must be great, but with strength like this alone, it will be difficult to make me work for you." Orochimaru regained his confidence, raising his head and letting his hair fall across his face.

"Cooperate?" Menma raised an eyebrow beneath his mask, pretending to consider it.

"A person like you can travel back from the future. What danger could you possibly fear?" Orochimaru laughed instead.

Whether his opponent had returned through time to change something or to rule the Shinobi World, Orochimaru did not care. What he cared about was the "future intelligence" in his opponent's possession. If he could obtain it, his research direction would become much more precise, and his progress would speed up considerably.

"Whatever you want from me, or whatever you want me to research, I can provide it. Of course, the premise is an equal exchange." Orochimaru knew that his advantage lay in his research into forbidden techniques, so he believed he had already gained the upper hand in these negotiations.

Little did he know, that was exactly what Menma wanted.

Since he could not make Orochimaru pledge loyalty to him, cooperation was another way to make use of him.

However, he could not let Orochimaru think he had the upper hand.

"Heh heh, do you think you hold the advantage in this transaction?" Menma's frivolous voice drifted into Orochimaru's ears. "Living Corpse Reincarnation may allow you to remain young, but your strength will forever stop there. In some areas, you will even be greatly weakened."

Hearing his opponent describe the flaws of the "Living Corpse Reincarnation Technique," Orochimaru's pupils suddenly shrank, and his expression turned serious.

Although he had not yet performed Living Corpse Reincarnation, the technique indeed had possible flaws—and quite a few of them. Orochimaru had currently identified two.

One was that the target body had to be extremely compatible with his soul. The other was that, after casting it, he might be unable to use it again for several years.

Then...

"Is it related to the soul?" Based solely on Asura's description, Orochimaru guessed the technique's most serious flaw.

"You are very smart, Orochimaru." Menma did not deny it.

So what if he told him? Would Orochimaru refuse to perform Living Corpse Reincarnation for that reason?

With Orochimaru's current injuries and a body already in his forties, he would begin declining in a few years. If he did not seek out a younger body to replace it, he would only grow older and older.

For Orochimaru, who pursued immortality, watching his body age was the greatest torment!

"Then you must know how to solve it!" Orochimaru paused as soon as he said it, for he realized that he had already fallen into the disadvantage in this deal.

He felt that his opponent had toyed with him for the third time, but this time Orochimaru was not so angry. Instead, he laughed.

"You took the Hashirama Cells, but you may not be able to research Wood Release on your own. Why not let me research it for you?" Orochimaru proposed a form of cooperation. "Just like my cooperation with Danzo."

When he mentioned "Danzo," Orochimaru emphasized the name.

"Not enough," Menma said softly.

Orochimaru frowned slightly. "Then what do you want? Or rather, what price must I pay?"

His opponent possessed "future intelligence," especially intelligence regarding his research. It made Orochimaru itch with anticipation, but he was no match for his opponent and could only obtain that "future intelligence" through trade.

And his opponent held the power to set the price of the goods in this transaction.

Orochimaru greatly disliked this feeling of being at a disadvantage.

But Asura then said the one thing Orochimaru found hardest to accept.

"As you are now, you have no value to me whatsoever."

Whether it was cloning technology, genetic modification technology, Sharingan transplantation technology, cell transplantation technology, or other techniques, the current Orochimaru had not yet fully mastered any of them.

For instance, Shin Uchiha and that batch of clones should have been gathered and researched after Orochimaru defected from the Akatsuki, during the period when he established Otogakure in the Land of Rice Fields.

And most importantly, the Hashirama Cells were already in Menma's hands.

Orochimaru froze in place, his pupils trembling slightly as he recalled the Hashirama Cells Asura had robbed from him before.

"Tsk tsk, it seems I really should not have given you the Hashirama Cells so easily back then..." Orochimaru's gaze turned sinister, and he could not help feeling some regret.

Now, Orochimaru was completely at a disadvantage in this cooperation.

"What... happened here..." As Menma and Orochimaru were "amicably conversing" and "discussing cooperation," Yukimi slowly walked in. Looking at the huge crater smashed into the ground, she trembled all over.

"Yukimi!" Kakashi and Yamato had followed Yukimi's trail and arrived at this underground cavern of the Iburi Clan.

When he saw the mysterious masked man and Orochimaru in the crater, Kakashi became extremely tense and drew a kunai.

"Orochimaru!" Yamato recognized him as well and stepped in front of Yukimi protectively.

As for the mission Danzo had assigned him, he had already tossed it to the back of his mind.

"Tsk tsk, Kakashi... and... Kinoe!" Orochimaru climbed out of the crater, his eyes showing growing satisfaction as he looked at Yamato.

This was his creation!

Unfortunately, Danzo had snatched it away first!