Trading with Orochimaru

"Transaction?"

Orochimaru's golden slit pupils narrowed further. "What kind of transaction could a brat like you, an Uchiha, possibly make with me?"

"Could it be that you're willing to offer up your own body to become my Vessel?"

Orochimaru licked his lips, eyeing Yao with a hint of greed.

Even in his current predicament, Orochimaru still couldn't stop coveting Uchiha Yao's body.

"I'm quite satisfied with my current body for now. I have no plans to swap it out!"

Yao shook his head. "I have a way to heal both your arms!"

"You can heal my hands? Little Uchiha brat, do you even know the source of this injury?"

Orochimaru let out a sneer, his tone laced with icy mockery.

Yao was unsurprised by his reaction, his voice remaining steady:

"Your hands had their souls sealed away by the Third Hokage using the Reaper Death Seal!"

"Conventional medical ninjutsu can't even touch the soul level. There's only one way to get them back."

"Oh?"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow.

"Perform the Reaper Death Seal again, cut open the Death God's belly, and all the sealed souls will be released!"

Yao said. "At that point, your hands will naturally be restored to their original state."

"Reaper Death Seal... cut open the Death God's belly..."

Orochimaru's pupils contracted as he murmured the words under his breath.

He instantly began deducing the feasibility of this method in his mind.

Logically...

It actually seemed possible!

The Reaper Death Seal seals the target's soul inside the caster's body, where it's devoured by the Death God along with the caster's own soul.

If you could reverse the process...

But there was still a problem here!

Orochimaru hissed, "The price of performing the Reaper Death Seal is sacrificing the caster's soul!"

"Are you trying to lure me into using this technique so my soul will be obliterated?"

"Lure you? Orochimaru, you overestimate yourself. If I wanted to kill you, would I need to lure you?"

Yao scoffed. "The Reaper Death Seal doesn't necessarily require sacrificing a soul!"

"As long as you wear the Uzumaki Clan's secret Death God Mask, you can convert the offering from a soul into a physical body."

"Abandoning a carefully cultivated flesh-and-blood body shouldn't be a big deal for you, Orochimaru... should it?"

"After all, you've long since grown accustomed to swapping bodies, haven't you?"

Orochimaru fell silent, his tongue licking his cracked lips.

This information went beyond the scope of his research on the Reaper Death Seal.

His understanding of the technique was still shallow, limited to knowing of its existence and its general principles.

Thus, Orochimaru couldn't judge the truth of Yao's words.

But he had to admit that Yao's proposal struck at the heart of the matter, both in logic and in his understanding of Orochimaru himself.

Abandon a physical body?

That was indeed the price he was most "skilled" at paying.

"How do you prove your words?" Orochimaru hissed.

"Orochimaru, you really are a... cautious and suspicious fellow!"

Yao shook his head, reached into his robes, and pulled out an ancient scroll, tossing it over casually.

Yakushi Kabuto quickly caught it.

"This was dug up from the Root Base. It's about the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques. See for yourself!"

Yao said flatly.

Kabuto looked to Orochimaru for guidance. Seeing the latter give a slight nod, he carefully unrolled the scroll and scanned it rapidly.

The more he read, the more astonishment spread across Kabuto's face.

The scroll indeed recorded the existence of the "Death God Mask."

And it mentioned the mask's potential to alter the form of the sacrifice, enough to corroborate that Yao wasn't completely fabricating his claims.

"Orochimaru-sama..."

Kabuto lowered his voice, rapidly relaying the key information to Orochimaru.

After hearing it, a fierce gleam of curiosity and greed flared in Orochimaru's eyes.

"Interesting... I'll verify the records there myself."

"Then..."

"Tell me, Uchiha Yao. You went through all this trouble to find me, offered up such intelligence and methods. What do you want... from me in return?"

A transaction required give and take!

Orochimaru didn't believe for a second that Uchiha Yao was helping him out of goodwill.

Meeting Orochimaru's gaze, Yao laid out his terms:

"Two things!"

"First, the summoning contract scroll for Ryūchi Cave."

"Second, the complete formula for the improved Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, along with all your research notes."

The Root Base also had the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, but it was still the crude version developed by the Second Hokage.

Yao didn't need that—he wanted Orochimaru's improved version!

"The summoning scroll for Ryūchi Cave?"

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "Uchiha brat, you want to obtain the snake summons of Ryūchi Cave?"

"With the strength you showed when suppressing Shukaku... do you really need the power of a summoning animal?"

"Summoning animal?"

Yao shook his head. "No! What I want is the sage art of Ryūchi Cave."

Sage Mode!

That was Yao's true goal.

The boost Sage Mode gave to one's strength was unparalleled.

If he added the enhancement of Sage Mode to his current Wood Release, just how powerful would his combat ability become?

He wouldn't dare claim to rival the First Hokage in his prime, but he could definitely come infinitely close—solidly at the Super Kage level.

Moreover.

Sage Chakra was one of the few forces capable of effectively damaging beings on the level of the Ten-Tails, or even the Six Paths Level.

For that reason alone, Sage Mode... he had to learn it!

Orochimaru's pupils suddenly contracted as he stared intently at Yao.

After a long moment, a low, hoarse laugh escaped his throat:

"Heh heh... Uchiha brat, your ambition... is indeed far greater than I imagined!"

He licked his lips, his tone complex. "But sage art... isn't something so easy to master!"

"The violence of Natural Energy far exceeds your imagination."

"What's more!"

"Ryūchi Cave itself isn't a place just anyone can find, and the trials there are extremely perilous."

"Still, since you want to go yourself, I won't stop you!"

"I can hand over the summoning contract scroll for Ryūchi Cave."

"As for whether you'll get what you want... that's up to you!"

Orochimaru agreed readily.

Because giving the summoning contract didn't guarantee learning sage art, nor did it mean Ryūchi Cave would accept him.

It was more of an opportunity!

For Orochimaru, there was no real loss, and he was even happy to see it happen.

"The Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu..."

This time, Orochimaru hesitated.

This forbidden jutsu wasn't something he absolutely couldn't teach—what made him pause was another layer: resource competition.

The number of famous, powerful ninjas from history with special bloodlines or abilities, the dead, was limited.

The materials and sacrifices for Impure World Reincarnation weren't infinite either.

Every additional person who mastered the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu meant one more potential "competitor" in the future, vying for these limited "strongman resources."

Every time someone else successfully reincarnated a powerful ninja, it meant one less usable "pawn" for Orochimaru.

This was practically cultivating a rival for himself—how could he possibly agree to something that harmed his own interests?