Greed of the Great Serpent

In the Konoha forest, Guy and Kakashi raced one after the other, sprinting at high speed between the branches and trunks.

This time, their destination was not the depths of the forest, but Konoha Central Hospital.

Guy glanced at the wounded man on his back, worriedly saying, "Lord Orochimaru, he isn't going to kick the bucket, is he?"

It wasn't that he was being alarmist; Orochimaru's injuries were truly bizarre.

Despite Orochimaru appearing physically unscathed on the surface, his naturally pale skin was suffused with an unnatural pink hue, making one wonder how many capillaries had ruptured beneath his flesh.

Guy could even faintly smell the scent of blood coming from behind him.

Neither Guy nor Kakashi were medical ninjas, and the simple first-aid knowledge they had learned at the Ninja Academy was completely insufficient for this situation.

They even felt that even a medical ninja would be at a loss.

"I won't die."

Kakashi didn't respond, but a voice came from behind Guy, "But if you keep shaking me like this, I really will die. Put me down, quickly."

Guy was startled, his footsteps coming to an abrupt halt, "Lord Orochimaru, you're awake?"

"Pfft..."

After a flurry of chaotic movements, Orochimaru spat out a few mouthfuls of blood, and his injuries worsened slightly.

He leaned against a large tree, his gaze falling upon the two of them as he spoke slowly, "'Provide on-site aid, do not move the wounded'—did your teachers at the Ninja Academy not teach you that?"

Yes, we were taught that, but that situation doesn't apply to someone on the verge of death!

Kakashi and Guy muttered to themselves, but seeing that Orochimaru's condition had improved significantly after resting for a moment, they both shut their mouths.

Common sense did not apply to a ninja like Orochimaru.

"Hoo..."

Orochimaru inhaled and exhaled rhythmically, and the wounds to his heart and lungs began to heal visibly to the naked eye.

Genie poked his head out, looking quite pleased with himself, "How about that? The healing effect of the Breathing Technique is pretty good, right?"

Orochimaru glanced at the smiling Genie and did not reply.

The injuries on his body were caused by the very person who had provided this treatment method; he couldn't bring himself to be grateful.

"Don't be so cold. You should know that you successfully utilized Natural Energy this time."

Genie stretched his neck, tilting his head downward to face Orochimaru, and smiled, "From now on, you don't have to be so hung up on Jiraiya's Toad Sage Mode. You possess something better."

It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, but as soon as he did, Orochimaru's face turned cold, and he snapped, "That kind of natural power—I couldn't control it at all."

If Genie hadn't released it all at once at the final moment, his consciousness would have been directly annihilated under the pressure of the Natural Energy.

Genie nodded, "That was my oversight."

Success comes from the world, and failure comes from the world; the Natural Energy in the ninja world is active and easy to perceive, which also means that the spirit faces heavier pressure when touching nature.

Except for the Sage of Six Paths, who was gifted with extraordinary talent, no one's spiritual power could achieve that.

The Sage Mode developed by the Three Great Sage Regions was not without significance for ninjas.

However, The so-called Sage Mode was useless to Genie, and Toad Oil could not be brought out of the world; forcing a replication would only lead to the host's distortion and alienation.

He needed a more universal ability.

Genie looked at Orochimaru, a smile appearing on his face, "Pure Natural Energy is dangerous, but... will you give it up?"

Orochimaru leaned against the tree, saying nothing.

Having tasted the meat, how could he accept eating only vegetables? How could he possibly give it up, even if it meant risking his life?

It was just that Orochimaru was still somewhat annoyed—annoyed that Genie had seen through his greed completely.

It was like a plate of meat stuck with silver needles placed before him, with the other party wearing an expression that said, 'You will definitely eat it.'

Orochimaru didn't want to look at Genie's detestable face anymore. He struggled to stand up, his gaze falling on Guy and Kakashi with a sharp look, "Earlier, when I was training, were you two peeking from the side?"

The two of them looked embarrassed. Before Guy could offer the excuse he had already prepared, Orochimaru continued, "Do not tell anyone about this. In exchange, I will teach you the taijutsu I was practicing."

"This..."

Kakashi and Guy exchanged a glance, seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.

Not only were they not being punished, but they were also being rewarded?

"No problem, Lord Orochimaru. We won't tell anyone else," Guy immediately promised.

Kakashi also agreed.

Orochimaru nodded, "In a few days, I will pick a date and notify you."

This was his way of telling them to leave.

Kakashi understood what Orochimaru meant. He offered an apology and dragged Guy away, only to be pulled back by him.

Orochimaru frowned, "Is there something else?"

Guy looked expectant, "Lord Orochimaru, since you taught me taijutsu, does that mean I am your disciple from now on?"

Hearing this, Kakashi stopped in his tracks. While the title of being a disciple of the Sannin was prestigious, and Orochimaru's taijutsu was excellent, he had no intention of taking on another teacher.

Especially since his teacher, Minato, had just passed away.

"Guy, you may call me teacher." Orochimaru shifted his gaze to Kakashi, "But you cannot. I am merely teaching you a form of taijutsu; do not go around claiming to be my disciple."

"This... yes!"

Kakashi felt puzzled by Orochimaru's disdain, especially given that he had accepted Guy.

However, Orochimaru clearly had no intention of explaining, so Kakashi could only offer another apology and drag the excited Guy away.

Once the two disappeared into the dense forest, the Genie poked his head out and asked, "Your actions confuse me; Kakashi is quite the genius."

"But he is Minato's disciple."

Orochimaru let out a soft huff, "If I let him call me teacher, wouldn't that mean I'm a step below Jiraiya?"

"I thought you didn't care about anything other than eternal life."

"Forget it. Are you rested? We have urgent matters to attend to now."

"It's rare for you to be so heavily injured; it would be a shame not to make good use of it."

In the heart of Konoha, the core area where the Nine-Tails had rampaged the previous night, a large number of ninja and civilians were busy at work.

It was midday, and the sun was scorching, yet the atmosphere remained somber.

Beside rows of corpses covered in white sheets, the muffled sobs of children could be heard from time to time.

The ninja and civilians clearing the debris acted as if they didn't hear, focusing on their work, but their low spirits were visible to the naked eye.

Just then, a figure arrived from the distance. He was stumbling, clearly bearing severe injuries.

The ninja who were resting caught sight of this, and one of them set down his water bottle and leaped over in a hurry.

However, before he could reach him, the figure collapsed headlong.

The ninja quickened his pace and arrived at the figure's side to check his injuries, but upon seeing the man's face, his expression suddenly turned to one of terror.

"Lord... Lord Orochimaru?"

How could he be here? And why was he so severely injured?

The ninja's cry was heard by others, and as more ninja and civilians learned the news, a commotion inevitably began to stir.

Could it be... that after the Fourth Hokage, Konoha was about to lose one of the Sannin?