"Orochimaru, I hope that pain taught you to remember this: from now on, you'd better show respect and reverence toward me—or, rather, toward the Tenseigan."
Seeing that Orochimaru had taken the full force of his repulsive attack and seemed none the worse for it, Neji deliberately acted as though he had only been testing the waters, then lowered his hand.
Orochimaru licked his lips. "Neji, what do you want with me?"
"I'm very interested in your research. I also have several research projects I'd like to collaborate with you on."
Neji got straight to the point and told Orochimaru why he had come.
At Neji's words, even Orochimaru couldn't stop his eyebrows from lifting slightly.
In Orochimaru's view, there were very few shinobi in the entire Shinobi World who valued research.
Even his teacher had forbidden Wood Release research after too many lives had been lost in the experiments.
How narrow-minded.
How could anyone achieve great research results without making sacrifices?
Orochimaru's research mainly covered four areas: human modification, cloning, Wood Release transplants, and the Cursed Seal.
They were the work of his entire life.
He wasn't about to hand them over just because Neji asked.
"Not many shinobi in the Shinobi World value research these days."
Orochimaru looked at Neji and asked tentatively, "Neji, you want my research? What do I get in return?"
"I can provide you with a steady supply of funding and research subjects. You should understand that, given my standing in Kumogakure, that would be easy for me."
"And besides—"
Neji paused, stroking the skin around his eyes. "Don't you want to know how my Tenseigan evolved?"
As he looked at the increasingly mysterious Neji, Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked his face, silently weighing the pros and cons.
Funding and materials were the