"What is this?" Orochimaru looked at the scroll in Xuan's hand in confusion.
As the Hokage's disciple, he had come here more than once, yet he had never known that a ninjutsu was hidden within the walls.
Xuan chuckled softly and opened it. With his mastery of ninjutsu, he had memorized all its contents in the blink of an eye.
"So that's how it is."
Muttering to himself, Xuan slightly closed his eyes and casually tossed the scroll to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru caught it reflexively. Four large characters entered his sight: "Impure World Reincarnation?" He frowned, seeming to recall his teacher mentioning this ninjutsu before.
The moment he opened it and began reading, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart began pounding uncontrollably.
"This ninjutsu... this forbidden technique that reverses life and death... it was practically made for me."
Casting everything else aside, Orochimaru lost himself in reading. It took him a full twenty minutes before he let out a long breath, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
"It's truly marvelous. The Second Hokage really was an unquestionable genius."
Xuan said calmly, "Since it suits you, just take the scroll. No one in all of Konoha knows that the scrolls are hidden here anyway. It's about time. You should leave."
Orochimaru hurriedly put away the scroll, then hesitated before asking, "This is our second meeting. May I know how to address you, Senior?"
"Lu Xuan."
The indifferent voice rang out. The figure before Orochimaru gradually faded, and in the space of a daze, he was left alone in the entire third-floor hall.
"Senior is truly unfathomable. I never imagined there was such an expert in the Ninja World. The path I seek still stretches far ahead." With a sigh, Orochimaru turned and left. Less than two hours remained until dawn.