Orochimaru's Appreciation for Qingyuan

As for Regeneration of the White Snake, it increases Yang Release chakra by twenty percent.

Yang Release is the foundation of all medical ninjutsu; the more Yang Release chakra one possesses, the stronger their healing capabilities and the faster their recovery speed.

For Qingyu, who is currently learning medical ninjutsu, the value of this trait is only slightly lower than that of Desire for Longevity.

Orochimaru is truly worthy of his reputation.

While others play with ninjutsu, only he is genuinely playing with science.

"Tsunade has told me about your situation."

Orochimaru stepped back twice, putting distance between them again.

"But before seeing it with my own eyes, I do not like to jump to conclusions."

"Attack me and let me see your current strength."

Qingyu glanced at Tsunade.

Tsunade nodded slightly, signaling him not to hold back.

Qingyu hesitated no longer; he drew a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and formed hand seals.

Water surged from a single point on the blade of the kunai, rotating at high speed to envelop the entire weapon, forming a layer of sharp water blades.

Water Release: Water Blade Slash.

Qingyu pushed off the ground, lunging toward Orochimaru.

Orochimaru's figure swayed slightly, and the water blade grazed past his hem without even touching the fabric.

"This speed is faster than some genin, isn't it?"

Orochimaru said indifferently.

After landing, Qingyu did not pause; he kicked off the ground and charged forward again.

This time, he switched the kunai to his left hand while simultaneously drawing two shuriken from his pouch with his right, launching them at Orochimaru in a high-low formation.

Orochimaru did not even dodge this time; he simply raised his right hand, and two white snakes darted out from his sleeve, catching the shuriken in their mouths before retracting back into his sleeve and vanishing.

"Not bad."

Orochimaru nodded.

Being able to react in such a short time is considered excellent.

Tsunade leaned against the doorframe, her eyebrows arching slightly.

Since when did this brat improve so much?

Although that combo was easily neutralized by Orochimaru, the fluidity of the transitions and the grasp of timing were a step above his performance during the last monthly exam.

Tsunade rubbed her chin, suddenly feeling a bit sentimental.

If only her gambling skills could improve as quickly as Qingyu's.

Who would have thought that after years of gambling, she would still be a novice.

In the center of the room, Qingyu took a deep breath and closed his eyes; when he opened them again, a scarlet hue had emerged in his pupils.

A single tomoe rotated slowly within his iris.

Sharingan.

Orochimaru looked at those eyes, the curve of his lips deepening slightly.

Just as the intelligence reports stated, he had awakened the Sharingan long ago.

Such talent is rare, even within the Uchiha clan itself.

Qingyu did not give Orochimaru much time for reflection.

He began forming hand seals once more.

Orochimaru watched him with keen interest, then suddenly extended his right hand.

From his sleeve, several brown venomous snakes swarmed out, jaws agape as they lunged toward Qingyu.

Qingyu's Sharingan spun rapidly, allowing his kinetic vision to track the movements of the snakes.

The next moment, Qingyu looked up.

Genjutsu: Sharingan!

Those white snakes froze abruptly in mid-air.

Although they were creatures summoned by Orochimaru, they were living beings at their core with chakra flowing through their bodies, meaning they were still susceptible to the effects of genjutsu.

"Can genjutsu be this beautiful as well..."

Orochimaru looked down at the snakes controlled by Qingyu.

The timing of the execution was exquisite.

Why is it that commoners cannot release genjutsu with such ease?

One must know that hand seals are a prerequisite that most ninja cannot avoid.

Dojutsu-based genjutsu is effectively a form of hand-seal-less ninjutsu.

Qingyu took advantage of this momentary pause, pushing off the ground to leap out from the encirclement of snakes.

But the moment he landed, a hand rested lightly on his shoulder.

Orochimaru had appeared behind him without him even noticing.

"That's enough."

Orochimaru withdrew his hand, a cryptic smile playing on his face.

This test had been under his control from beginning to end.

Yet, the strength Qingyu displayed had truly exceeded his expectations.

To be able to immobilize his summoned snakes with genjutsu while only in the one-tomoe state meant that Qingyu's ocular power was significantly stronger than that of his Uchiha peers.

What intrigued Orochimaru even more was Qingyu's adaptability during combat.

From his first strike being easily dodged, to his subsequent attempts to find a breakthrough using various methods, and finally seizing the opportunity to control the venomous snakes—this growth was visible to the naked eye.

Most importantly, he had awakened the Sharingan at birth, possessed all five chakra natures, and held both the physique of the Senju clan and the ocular power of the Uchiha clan.

This child was as perfect as the final answer to the scientific research goals he had pursued for years.

"I am very satisfied with this assistant."

Orochimaru turned to Tsunade and pulled an envelope from his pocket, handing it over.

He had only been joking with Tsunade earlier, but now he genuinely had some interest in taking Qingyu as his apprentice.

"You don't need to pay back the money you borrowed. This is additional compensation; I'll return him to you in a few days."

Tsunade took the envelope and squeezed its thickness, her brows instantly relaxing.

Boss, you're generous!

She opened the envelope and began to count the money.

One, two, three...

As she counted, Tsunade's conscience suddenly gave a faint twinge of pain.

Sending someone to Orochimaru felt like pushing a little white rabbit into a snake pit.

She looked up and glanced at Qingyu, who was standing by the lab bench observing the laboratory.

Tsunade stuffed the envelope into her pocket and made a silent decision in her heart.

She would have to compensate this kid later.

"Let's go, Qingyu."

Tsunade waved at Qingyu.

Today was just an initial meeting.

Qingyu bid farewell to Orochimaru and followed Tsunade out of the research institute's gates.

It wasn't until they had walked two blocks away that Qingyu turned back to look at the ivy-covered building.

This meeting had been quite fruitful.

Two D-rank traits, and he had established a connection with Orochimaru.

Although Orochimaru was a dangerous man, he also possessed many valuable resources.

As long as he maintained a sense of proportion and kept an appropriate distance, this connection could very well become an asset for his own growth.

More importantly, Qingyu had Tsunade behind him.

The bond between the Sannin was actually quite deep; they shared a history of life-and-death camaraderie.

In the original story, after Orochimaru killed Sarutobi Hiruzen, he sought out Tsunade to heal his hands, even telling her that she was the only one he didn't want to kill.

It was only when he saw Tsunade willing to sacrifice her life for a brat she had just met, and believing she was wasting her precious life, that he flew into a rage and truly tried to kill her.

Furthermore, Orochimaru had been quite good to Nawaki; if not for Nawaki's death further deepening Orochimaru's philosophy on the fragility of life, he might not have turned to darkness so early.

When Anko Mitarashi did not want to defect from the village, Orochimaru had even wiped her memories of his experiments before leaving.

However, my own body is in some danger.

Qingyu pondered for a moment.

Could Orochimaru resist the temptation he presented?

A few days passed, and Qingyu's routine of school, training, and home now included the extra task of helping out at Orochimaru's lab.

Fortunately, the work wasn't difficult, consisting mostly of basic experiments.

Moreover, Orochimaru would occasionally find time to provide Qingyu with some guidance.

He possessed all seven chakra natures—Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Water, Yin, and Yang—which was extremely rare in the ninja world, comparable to Innate Full Soul Power.

Therefore, he had some research into ninjutsu of every chakra nature.

Qingyu, too, drank in the knowledge at Orochimaru's side with insatiable thirst.

"Lord Orochimaru, what are we learning today?"

After finishing his work, Qingyu looked at Orochimaru, who was washing his hands.