As for Regeneration of the White Snake, it increased Yang Release Chakra by twenty percent.
Yang Release was the foundation of all Medical Ninjutsu. The more Yang Release Chakra one had, the stronger one's healing ability and the faster one's recovery.
For Qingyu, who was currently learning Medical Ninjutsu, this trait was worth only a little less than Desire for Longevity.
As expected of Orochimaru.
Other people played around with ninjutsu, but he was the only one who was truly playing with science.
"Tsunade told me about your situation."
Orochimaru took two steps back, widening the distance between them again.
"But I don't like jumping to conclusions before seeing things for myself."
"Attack me. Let me see how strong you are now."
Qingyu glanced at Tsunade.
She gave a slight nod, signaling that he didn't need to hold back.
Qingyu didn't hesitate. He pulled a Kunai from his ninja pouch and formed Hand Seals.
Water surged from a point on the Kunai's blade, spinning at high speed around the entire weapon and forming a layer of razor-sharp water.
Water Release: Water Blade Slash.
Qingyu pushed off the ground and lunged at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's figure swayed lightly. The Water Blade skimmed past the hem of his clothes without even touching it.
"That's faster than some Genin."
Orochimaru's tone was mild.
Qingyu landed without pausing, pushed off again, and charged forward once more.
This time, he transferred the Kunai to his left hand while pulling two Shuriken from his ninja pouch with his right. They flew toward Orochimaru along two different trajectories, one high and one low.
Orochimaru didn't even bother dodging. He simply raised his right hand, and two white snakes darted from his sleeve. They caught the Shuriken in their mouths, then slithered back into his sleeve and disappeared.
"Not bad."
Orochimaru nodded.
Reacting in such a short time was impressive.
Tsunade leaned against the doorframe, her brows lifting slightly.
When had this kid improved so much?
Orochimaru had easily defused that series of attacks, but Qingyu's fluid transitions and timing were a whole level better than they'd been at the last monthly test.
Tsunade rubbed her chin, suddenly feeling a little wistful.
If only her gambling skills could improve as quickly as Qingyu's.
Who would've thought that after years of gambling, she'd still be a novice?
In the middle of the room, Qingyu took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, a crimson glint had appeared in his gaze.
A single Tomoe slowly turned in his pupil.
The Sharingan.
Orochimaru looked at those eyes, the curve of his lips deepening slightly.
Just as the intel had said, he'd awakened the Sharingan long ago.
That kind of talent was exceedingly rare, even among the Uchiha Clan.
Qingyu didn't give Orochimaru much time to dwell on it.
He began forming Hand Seals again.
Orochimaru watched him with interest, then suddenly extended his right hand.
Several brown venomous snakes swarmed out of his sleeve, jaws open as they lunged at Qingyu.
Qingyu's Sharingan spun rapidly, allowing his dynamic vision to follow the snakes' movements.
The next moment, Qingyu raised his head.
Genjutsu: Sharingan!
The white snakes froze in midair.
Though Orochimaru had summoned them, they were still living creatures. Chakra flowed through their bodies, so they were still susceptible to Genjutsu.
"Can Genjutsu really be this beautiful..."
Orochimaru looked down at the snakes Qingyuan had immobilized.
The timing was perfect.
Why couldn't civilians cast Genjutsu so easily?
After all, Hand Seals were an opening move that most shinobi couldn't avoid.
But ocular Genjutsu was practically a jutsu without Hand Seals.
Taking advantage of that brief pause, Qingyu pushed off the ground and leaped out of the snakes' encirclement.
But as he landed, a hand gently came to rest on his shoulder.
Somehow, Orochimaru had appeared behind him.
"That's enough."
Orochimaru withdrew his hand, an inscrutable smile on his face.
He'd been in control of this test from beginning to end.
Even so, Qingyu's performance had truly exceeded his expectations.
Being able to immobilize Orochimaru's summoned snakes with Genjutsu while wielding a One-Tomoe Sharingan showed that Qingyu's ocular power was far greater than that of other Uchiha his age.
What impressed Orochimaru even more was Qingyu's ability to adapt in battle.
First, his opening strike was easily dodged. Then he tried different ways to find an opening. Finally, he seized the right moment to immobilize the venomous snakes. His growth was plain to see.
Most importantly, he'd been born with the Sharingan already awakened, possessed all five chakra natures, and had both the physique of the Senju Clan and the ocular power of the Uchiha Clan.
This child was a perfect fit, like the final answer to the research problem Orochimaru had pursued for years.
"I'm very satisfied with this assistant."
Orochimaru turned to Tsunade, took an envelope from his pocket, and handed it to her.
He'd originally been joking with Tsunade, but now he truly had some interest in taking Qingyu as his apprentice.
"You don't have to pay back the money you borrowed from me. This is additional compensation. I'll return him to you in a few days."
Tsunade took the envelope and weighed it in her hand. Her brows immediately relaxed.
Now that's a generous boss!
She opened the envelope and started counting the money.
One, two, three...
As she counted, Tsunade suddenly felt a faint twinge of guilt.
Sending Qingyu to Orochimaru felt a little like pushing a little rabbit into a snake's den.
She looked up at Qingyu, who was standing beside the laboratory table and looking around the lab.
Tsunade slipped the envelope into her pocket and secretly made up her mind.
She'd have to make it up to the kid later.
"Let's go, Qingyu."
Tsunade beckoned to him.
Today was just an introductory visit.
Qingyu said goodbye to Orochimaru, then followed Tsunade out of the research lab.
Only after they'd walked two streets away did Qingyu look back at the building covered in ivy.
He'd gained a lot from this visit.
Two D-rank traits, and he'd made a connection with Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was dangerous, but he also had plenty of valuable things.
As long as Qingyu knew where to draw the line and kept a proper distance, this connection might well help him grow.
Most importantly, Tsunade had his back.
The Sannin shared a deep bond, one forged through life-and-death experiences.
In the original story, after Orochimaru killed Sarutobi Hiruzen, he sought out Tsunade to heal his arms. He even told her that she was the only person he didn't want to kill.
In the end, he saw Tsunade willing to give her life for a kid she'd only just met and decided she was wasting her precious life. That was what finally enraged him enough to attack her in earnest.
Besides, Orochimaru had treated Nawaki well. If Nawaki's death hadn't further deepened Orochimaru's belief in the fragility of life, he might not have fallen to darkness so early.
Mitaraishi Anko hadn't wanted to betray the village either. Orochimaru had simply erased Mitaraishi Anko's memories of his experiments before leaving.
"But my body does seem to be in some danger."
Qingyu pondered for a moment.
Could Orochimaru resist the temptation?
Several days passed. Qingyu's usual routine of school, training, and going home gained one new task: helping out at Orochimaru's lab.
Luckily, none of the work was difficult; it was just basic experimentation.
Moreover, Orochimaru also made time to teach Qingyu now and then.
He possessed all seven chakra natures—Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Water, Yin, and Yang—which was extremely rare in the Shinobi World, comparable to having full innate spiritual power.
As a result, he had studied ninjutsu of every chakra nature to some extent.
Qingyu eagerly absorbed all the knowledge he could from Orochimaru.
"Lord Orochimaru, what are we learning today?"
Once he'd finished his work, Qingyu looked at Orochimaru, who was washing his hands.
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