Exchange (Bonus Chapter for Reader 20171022213613800)

"Thank you for your understanding, Senior Orochimaru."

Orochimaru smiled faintly at Shiro and gestured for him to continue.

"Its true name is Reinforcement Magecraft. It is a technique that analyzes an object, then uses Chakra to fill in what is missing, thereby reinforcing it. Reinforcement Magecraft requires Magic Circuits, something similar to Chakra pathways. Would you like me to demonstrate it, Senior Orochimaru?" To be honest, Shiro had considered whether to tell Orochimaru about Magic Circuits. After thinking it over, however, he decided to tell him.

First of all, Orochimaru was a top-tier scientist, and most top-tier scientists were lunatics. Those involved in biology were the lunatics among lunatics. Besides, he could not keep it hidden from Orochimaru for long. Rather than let Orochimaru obsess over it until he went dark, it was better to be honest while he had not yet gone dark. It might even earn Shiro some goodwill. After all, this was merely a matter of a knowledge system and was not particularly difficult.

Furthermore, Shiro's goal was to lie low. For now, if he could avoid causing trouble, he would. Who knew whether Orochimaru would go dark only after the Third Shinobi World War, just like in the original story? What if it happened earlier? Wouldn't Shiro be finished? Therefore, Shiro decided to hide as little as possible when there was no need to conceal something.

"Just as I suspected."

"What do you mean, Senior Orochimaru?"

"Ever since I realized that your ninjutsu—no, it should be called Magecraft—seemed to belong to another system, I have been researching it. I found that it has an exceptionally high requirement for sensing Chakra. Yet Shiro-kun is not a sensory-type ninja, so I had some guesses. Magic Circuits, hm? How interesting. It seems Shiro-kun still intends to tell me about another form of Magecraft. Is that really all right, Shiro-kun?"

"It's fine, Senior Orochimaru. The next one is Projection Magecraft, and it is somewhat special."

"Oh? Is that so? Then I'll have to trouble you, Shiro-kun." Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly as he spoke.

"Projection Magecraft is Magecraft that materializes Chakra to create an image of an original. Projection is Magecraft that draws a lost original from one's own timeline for several minutes and uses it as a substitute. It is a temporary borrowed object that lasts only a few minutes and possesses only an outer appearance. The weaknesses of normal Projection are its short duration, high consumption, and the fact that it dissipates like mist if the imagined form is incomplete. However, because my inheritance is special, I seem able to make it possess forty percent of the original's power, just like the person who gave me that inheritance. Its power will also increase as my proficiency improves."

Shiro was not foolish enough to tell Orochimaru everything. He did not mention that he could acquire combat experience, nor did he mention that he could project Noble Phantasms, though Orochimaru did not know what Noble Phantasms were anyway.

Moreover, Projection Magecraft itself was not actually that powerful. It was Shirou Emiya's Projection Magecraft that was powerful. The weaknesses of normal Projection were its short duration, high consumption, and the fact that it dissipated like mist if the imagined form was incomplete. Shirou was the one who broke that ironclad rule.

Projection [Magecraft]

Gradation Air.

Magecraft that materializes Mana to create an image of an original.

Just as Rin had said, its efficiency was extremely low because it required preparation.

If one wanted to use Projection to create a copy of an original, making a replica from standardized materials was simpler, more practical, and more durable.

Originally, Projection was Magecraft that drew a lost original from one's own timeline for several minutes and used it as a substitute. It was meant to be a temporary borrowed object that lasted only a few minutes and possessed only an outer appearance, but Shirou and Archer's Projections absurdly overturned all of that.

Simply put, ordinary people's Projections only had an outer shell. For example, if they projected a gun, it might look identical, but it could easily explode in their hands. Shirou's would not, and ordinary Projections also lasted too briefly to support combat.

However, Shirou Emiya could only project weapon-related items.

Because his armaments were limited to swords, he could not project modern weapons. Even projecting shields and armor was barely possible, and the results were only momentary, with an enormous cost. Shiro did not have that limitation, but he had never analyzed modern weapons, so he could not project them. That was rather unfortunate.

"Is that so? I have an unreasonable request. I wonder whether Shiro-kun would agree to it?"

"You are too polite, Senior Orochimaru. If it is something I can do, I certainly will not refuse."

"I would like Shiro-kun to give me some of your blood. What do you think?"

"..." Shiro stared at Orochimaru in surprise. Was he already starting experiments now?

After falling silent for a moment, Shiro understood what Orochimaru intended to use it for. Although he had already made up his mind, facing it for real was still somewhat difficult to accept. In truth, though, Shiro had no choice. If Orochimaru truly wanted it, he could obtain it easily. Asking for Shiro's opinion had already shown him considerable respect.

Seeing Shiro hesitate, Orochimaru prepared to give up. Though it was somewhat regrettable, Shiro was currently considered his junior, so he immediately said, "If Shiro-kun does not agree, then forget it."

"I agree, Senior Orochimaru. Go ahead." With that, he held out his hand.

Looking at the arm before him, Orochimaru smiled. "Thank you for trusting me, Shiro-kun. I will properly repay you." Orochimaru understood how much resolve Shiro had needed to make this decision. After all, the Shinobi World lacked no strange ninjutsu that required bodily tissues. Orochimaru himself currently knew several such techniques. "I will find a way to lower the difficulty of Ryūchi Cave's trial for you. Prepare yourself during this time. Once the war has completely ended, we will begin the trial."

Shiro looked at Orochimaru in surprise before saying, "Thank you, Senior Orochimaru."

Before long, the blood had been drawn. After Orochimaru sealed it away, he called the people outside back in. The moment she entered, Tsunade shouted, "Shiro, Orochimaru didn't threaten you, did he?" It was clear that Kushina had done plenty of pleading for Shiro outside. Shiro was deeply moved by that.

"It's fine, Sister Tsunade. Senior Orochimaru didn't threaten me. He even agreed to help lower the difficulty of Ryūchi Cave's trial."

Tsunade and the others looked at Orochimaru in surprise, but out of respect for Shiro, they did not ask about it. They merely told Shiro to consider things carefully himself.

After a while, the atmosphere gradually livened up. Since Tsunade and the others would be leaving for the front lines tomorrow, they did not drink much. Kushina, on the other hand, kept boasting about having Shiro as her little brother and drank nonstop. Even Minato could not stop her.

Still, they all understood. Kushina did not have many friends at present, only the few of them. They had also been busy with missions lately and had little time to spend with her. Because she was a Jinchuriki, she was restricted from leaving the village. Thus, she treasured Shiro, her friend, very much. Otherwise, Orochimaru would not have discussed terms with him. Cold Lord was not an empty title!

By the time the gathering ended, it was already very late. It should have ended long ago, but Kushina kept yelling that she wanted more to drink, so it dragged on until now. Kushina was thoroughly drunk as well.

At the entrance of the restaurant, Minato supported Kushina and said to Shiro apologetically, "Shiro, sorry for making you stay with us so late. Kushina drank herself into this state, so I probably can't take you home. I'm really sorry."

Although Shiro's home was not far from Kushina's, the restaurant was awkwardly located such that going to either home required a detour. No wonder Minato apologized. After all, he was the Yellow Flash, someone unbelievably gentle toward his friends.

Shiro did not mind, though. The village had not yet reached the point where one had to be cautious simply walking at night. However, just as Shiro was about to decline, Orochimaru spoke. "I'll take Shiro-kun home. You should go back and rest properly first. You're heading to the front lines tomorrow as well. What do you say, Shiro-kun? You have no objection, do you?"

Although Shiro was very curious about what else Orochimaru wanted to tell him, now was clearly not the time to ask. Therefore, Shiro said to Orochimaru:

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Senior Orochimaru."

"See you tomorrow, Shiro."

"Mm, see you tomorrow, Minato."

After bidding farewell to Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the others one by one, Shiro and Orochimaru left. To Shiro's surprise, Orochimaru did not say a word along the way, as though he truly was only escorting Shiro home. Shiro did not ask anything either. It would be troublesome if he accidentally provoked something.

In the end, before Shiro entered his home, Orochimaru only told him to be prepared. Once Orochimaru returned, they would begin Ryūchi Cave's trial.

Shiro answered and went inside. He still did not understand why Orochimaru paid him so much attention. Even if he had displayed knowledge from another system, that should not have been enough for Orochimaru to bring out Ryūchi Cave's Contract Scroll. After thinking about it for a while without figuring it out, Shiro simply stopped thinking. Knowing would not help him anyway. He could not beat Orochimaru, and it would not change anything. It would only leave him scared and anxious.

Only by increasing his strength could he face any challenge without fear.

In truth, Orochimaru did not have many schemes in mind. The reason he had brought Ryūchi Cave's Contract Scroll was entirely because he had received a notice from the White Snake Sage, telling him to keep an eye on Shiro. If Orochimaru considered Shiro suitable, he was to let Shiro undergo Ryūchi Cave's trial.

Orochimaru did not try to guess the White Snake Sage's intentions, at least not yet. Those old schemers who had lived for thousands of years were not so easy to see through. Besides, the final decision still rested with Orochimaru, which meant that Shiro was not all that important to them. Still, he guessed it was probably related to Shiro's knowledge. That inheritance should be quite interesting.

And if Orochimaru truly wanted to give it to Shiro, he would not have arranged a trial at all. He could have simply let Shiro sign the contract. Why make things so troublesome?

However, this could also show, to a certain extent, that Shiro valued Ryūchi Cave greatly. After all, once he passed the trial, Shiro could decide for himself who would sign the Contract Scroll. Perhaps, in the White Snake Sage's eyes, those who had not passed Orochimaru's trial were not qualified to form a contract. Of course, that was merely Orochimaru's own thought.

Meanwhile, Shiro did not know that Ryūchi Cave's trial had been arranged by the White Snake Sage. He was now preparing to look at the gift Tsunade had prepared for him.

"Release!"

With a bang, a black bow appeared atop the scroll.

Clearly, Kushina had told Tsunade what to prepare. Shiro had not expected Kushina to remember the things he usually said.

Thinking of that, Shiro became even more resolute!

Shiro took the bow into his hands. It was obvious that it had been made according to his height.

Now that he had a bow, he had ordered a batch of arrows from a shop during the day, and an arrow quiver was already being made. Therefore, only one problem remained before he could put them to use in actual combat.

He did not know how to use it.

PS: A few off-topic words. I originally did not want to say this, but some idiot pissed me off in the middle of the night. Regarding this chapter, I wrote over four hundred words to make up for it. First: Projection and Reinforcement are merely basic Magecraft, as basic as it gets. Someone using them well does not mean the Magecraft itself is inherently powerful. Madara's Fire Release is an example. Also, they cannot be used without Magic Circuits. I changed that so they can be used, but with extremely weak effects. This setting will be useful later, and it also keeps the protagonist from being too unusual. Second: A little blood is not that important. If one could clone someone from blood alone, then that wouldn't be science! If blood were that important, why would Orochimaru have Kabuto use Summoning Jutsu on him? Besides, refusing to give it only makes you look guilty. Can you guarantee that you will never get injured? It's nothing serious, so why not give it openly? Also, Orochimaru had not completely gone dark at this point. The protagonist was his junior, and he knew how to keep things within limits. That's all I have to say. Read it or don't, it's up to you. I was already a flop long ago. Although I still read comments, if those people had not been so idiotic this time, I would not have come out to explain things or even added this note. They were simply too idiotic. I've explained all of this many times, and some people even said I was being long-winded... The facts have proven that I was wrong. For them, no matter how much you explain, it is useless effort. (￢_￢)

One more PS: If this affects your reading experience, you can leave a comment on this chapter and I can delete it. After all, this is only a free chapter. Though the book is a flop, I still have that bit of authority without needing to apply for it.

Bonus updates for recommendation votes... From now on, there will be an extra update for every ten... After one hundred, an extra update for every hundred... One update being one or two chapters is killing me... Also, this book has already been contracted. I'll mail it out tomorrow.