You Scraped By With Your Life, Orochimaru

"Ahhhhhhh!"

After torturing the snake body for several hours, Uchiha Chen removed the gag, and Orochimaru was finally able to make a sound.

"How much time... has passed?"

Feeling as though he had been sliced into pieces countless times, Orochimaru looked up at the red moon in the sky and asked weakly.

Uchiha Chen plunged the long blade in his hand into Orochimaru's flank, raising an eyebrow as the other let out a muffled groan:

"About four or five hours? Don't dwell on such questions, Mr. Orochimaru. In the outside world, less than a second has passed, so I have plenty of time to perform some personality correction for you."

A look of astonishment appeared on Orochimaru's numb face, his eyes filled with terror.

He couldn't let this go on.

Although the damage within the genjutsu would not reflect on his physical body, if his spirit continued to be tortured like this, he would likely collapse.

"Chen-kun, I know I was wrong!"

Orochimaru stared at Uchiha Chen, his gaze appearing incredibly sincere.

When a snake is under the eaves, it has no choice but to bow its head.

"Where were you wrong? You don't even know where you went wrong, Snake-kun; this apology of yours lacks sincerity!"

Uchiha Chen stabbed his blade into Orochimaru's chest again, making a show of preparing to put the gag back on him.

"Combined Ninjutsu: Earth Dragon Flame Flow, an earth and fire combination technique. It uses the Earth Dragon Bullet in conjunction with the Great Fireball Technique. The key lies in the nature transformation."

A faint glimmer flashed in the depths of Orochimaru's eyes, and he began to recite the training method for the Earth Dragon Flame Flow.

The blade in Uchiha Chen's hand stopped.

Orochimaru breathed a sigh of relief and continued to explain various ninjutsu and secret arts.

Time for learning is always so fleeting; in the blink of an eye, seventy-two hours had passed.

A flash of blood-red light appeared in Uchiha Chen's eyes as he activated Tsukuyomi once more, extending the time by another 72 hours.

Extend again.

Extend again.

Using Tsukuyomi as a genjutsu attack was simply too wasteful.

The truly correct way to use it was for learning; being able to study for three days without eating or drinking in a single second was a dream come true for any overachiever!

After repeating this a dozen times, Uchiha Chen, having squeezed hundreds of ninjutsu, secret arts, and a vast amount of knowledge out of Orochimaru, finally revealed a satisfied smile.

Even he was starting to find it hard to keep learning.

Orochimaru hadn't exactly been pouring out all his secrets before; he had mostly lectured on conventional ninjutsu and secret arts, rarely mentioning the various forbidden arts he possessed.

Of course, Uchiha Chen didn't dare listen to the forbidden arts he tried to teach.

Uchiha Chen could still discern the principles behind conventional ninjutsu, so Orochimaru didn't dare try to fool him, but if Orochimaru changed even a single data point in a forbidden art, it could lead to disastrous results.

"Snake-kun, I think after more than a month of repentance, you should have realized your mistakes."

Uchiha Chen looked at Orochimaru's illusory and withered spirit body, deciding to squeeze a little more oil out of his bones.

"But my young, fragile heart has been so hurt by you; shouldn't there be some compensation? Besides, you wouldn't want others to know about this, would you?"

"It's just a defection; what do I have to fear?"

Orochimaru acted tough at first to prevent Uchiha Chen from making exorbitant demands, but then his attitude softened:

"But giving you some compensation is only right, Chen-kun."

Orochimaru's sharp fangs glinted coldly in the sunlight filtering through the treetops. They were less than twenty centimeters from Uchiha Chen's shoulder, but it seemed to be a distance he could never cross.

After maintaining a strange posture in the forest for over ten seconds, Orochimaru suddenly let out a pained cry and sat on the ground, abandoning all pretense of dignity.

After catching his breath, he formed the hand seals for the Summoning Technique with a pale face, summoning two glass culture jars one after another.

"Inside this one is the First's little finger, and the other contains the Chimera used for the Chimera Technique. As for the rest of the data on this technique, I will give it to you later!"

Uchiha Chen took the two jars, stored them in his Sealing Scroll, and offered a polite smile:

"Snake-kun, I hope this little misunderstanding won't affect the friendship between us. You know, I've always supported you becoming the Fifth Hokage!"

"Hehehe!"

For the first time, a look of displeasure appeared on Orochimaru's face, looking as foul as if he had eaten excrement:

"A Hokage who was once Jiraiya's disciple? You might as well just kill me!"

"Then pretend I never said it!"

Uchiha Chen turned to leave, but after a few steps, he suddenly turned back, gave a classic thumbs-up gesture, and squinted at Orochimaru:

"Thanks for the birthday present, I like it very much.

Snake-kun, you've just escaped with your life!"

Escaped with his life?

Orochimaru watched with a gloomy expression as Uchiha Chen disappeared into the forest, a twisted smile appearing on his pale, gaunt face as he stumbled in the opposite direction.

The true power of the Sharingan is truly magnificent!

He must obtain this power!

Hmm?

Orochimaru furrowed his brows and flicked his snake-like tongue.

There is the pheromone of a third person here?

Chen actually awakened the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan? And defeated Lord Orochimaru with such ease?

We Uchiha are truly the best!

Uchiha Inabi, hiding nearby, was first surprised and excited after witnessing everything, but then his heart was in turmoil, filled with a complex mix of emotions.

Chen has awakened the Mangekyō, so isn't my behavior of "forcing a rivalry" with him just pure clownishness?

Uchiha Inabi looked at Orochimaru moving through the forest with a complicated expression, glanced down at his own empty right arm, and ultimately decided to approach him.

Although Orochimaru was completely crushed by Chen, to the point where he could be called "Chen-son," he was still a peak that Uchiha Inabi had to look up to, and the person most likely to restore his arm!

If I miss this chance now, will I ever have such a good opportunity again?

"Lord Orochimaru!"

Uchiha Inabi knelt on one knee before Orochimaru, lowered his head, and said, "I am willing to die for you, Lord Orochimaru!"

"You are... Inabi, right?"

Orochimaru knitted his brows in thought for a moment, finally recalling the young man's name. He extended his long snake-like tongue to lick his lips and chin, offering a sinister smile that revealed his ghastly white teeth.

He couldn't beat the UR that is Uchiha Chen, and the two SSRs, Shisui and Itachi, were still too young. Perhaps strengthening this SR, Inabi, could make him useful?

"Good!"

Orochimaru stared at Inabi's severed arm for a long time with a gloomy gaze, then turned and strode toward one of his laboratories.

"Follow me!"

Two hours later, Uchiha Inabi had taken a bath and cleared his stomach in Orochimaru's secret base.

"This..."

Stepping into Orochimaru's laboratory, Inabi stared in stunned silence at the jars and containers filling the room.

A three-eyed, four-winged, six-legged crow, a headless monster that looked neither human nor beast, and an ugly creature that resembled a fusion of a wild boar and a tortoise...

"What are these monsters?"

"These?"

Orochimaru cleaned his experimental equipment, his golden snake-like pupils filled with a thirst for knowledge.

"These are all Uchiha I cloned, but not a single one of them looks like a person, or like an Uchiha!"

Cloning?

Uchiha Inabi did not understand the concept at all, and Orochimaru had no intention of explaining it to him.

Securing Uchiha Inabi onto the operating table, Orochimaru swept away his previous gloom, his face filled with madness and excitement.

"Let me see... Why, why are the clones of Uchiha cell nuclei so bizarre?

It is simply... it is as if they are a completely different species from normal humans!"