The dark, shadowy woods rustled a few times again...
An old woman, dressed in a long black and gray robe, short in stature, with silver hair and a face full of wrinkles and age spots, slowly emerged from the dark forest. Her withered lips moved slightly, and an aged voice came from her mouth:
" Konoha really gets stronger with each generation. This is just a demon who's about ten years old, yet he has a terrifying amount of chakra, a powerful Lava Release ninjutsu, and can easily detect my presence. Orochimaru, your generation didn't seem to have any demons this strong, did it?"
"Yes, this demon's talent seems to surpass even that of the First Hokage, as recorded in the data. However, compared to that, I'm more worried about your Sunagakure, since the First Hokage was able to firmly suppress your Sunagakure in the Land of Wind."
Upon seeing the newcomer, Orochimaru narrowed his long, narrow eyes slightly, slowly took half a step back, and stood about twenty meters away from the old woman and Sato Hideaka, forming a triangular formation and maintaining a delicate balance. He then spoke sarcastically in a hoarse and deep voice.
Chiyo's face showed some bitterness, but she still refused to back down, saying, "Yes, at only ten years old, he already possesses strength comparable to Kage Level. Such potential not only poses a threat to our Sunagakure, but also to the other three great nations and even the surrounding countries. Can your Konoha protect him?"
The Land of Fire boasts fertile soil, abundant water, vast territory, and prosperous people. Land of Fire Konoha, in particular, is renowned for its talent, with each generation producing pillars of strength. However, this generation is exceptionally gifted...
Is the higher power so unfair to my poor, arid Sunagakure in the Land of Wind?
Thinking of this, Chiyo's eyes turned even more bitter. Her cloudy eyes stared straight at Sato Hideaka, who was sitting on the ground leaning against a big tree, completely exhausted. A strong and heavy killing intent emanated from her, and the surrounding air seemed to have cooled down several degrees.
Sensing Chiyo's murderous intent, Sato Hideaka chuckled and said, "This matter is for the Third Lord Hokage to answer. As for your desire to kill me, shouldn't you ask Lord Orochimaru of Konoha's Western Front?"
On the surface, he appears to be at his most vulnerable, but a threat still exists. Although he cannot fully probe Orochimaru's intentions, he can test his bottom line and see if this cold-blooded snake will actually make a move when he is under threat.
If Orochimaru's ambition becomes uncontrollable, Sato Hideaka wouldn't hesitate to activate the Yin Seal and kill Orochimaru on the spot before he has grown into an immortal being!
After hearing Sato Hideaka's words, Orochimaru's eyes flickered with uncertainty for a moment before he turned to Sunagakure Chiyo, and said, "Yes, just like Hideaka- kun, as the commander of Konoha's Western Front, how could I allow you to kill my subordinate, Chiyo?"
" Orochimaru, what exactly do you mean by this...?"
Chiyo's eyes widened as she pursed her dry lips. When she was eavesdropping in the shadows, she clearly heard Orochimaru's malicious intent towards Sato Hideaka, even seemingly wanting to kill him. But in the blink of an eye, the situation changed.
What exactly is Orochimaru thinking? Won't such a talented individual affect his position?
Orochimaru twisted his neck, a cold smile appearing on his lips, and said in a sinister tone, " Chiyo, I advise you to leave now. My troops have sensed something is wrong and are advancing towards this valley. If you wait any longer... you might be stuck here forever."
Chiyo's expression turned ugly, and she glanced at Orochimaru and Sato Hideaka with resentment.
However, she did not believe she was a match for Orochimaru and Sato Hideaka working together. Sensing something was wrong, she gradually retreated and disappeared into the dark forest. With the movement of black shadows in the dark forest, Sato Hideaka sensed that she seemed to be flying towards the direction of the Sunagakure forces.
Now, in this complex three-legged situation, one person has already been eliminated.
Sato Hideaka turned his gaze back to Orochimaru, his blue eyes carefully scrutinizing Orochimaru's subtle expressions, as if trying to discern his intentions from his expressions and eyes.
Seeing this, Orochimaru waved his hand and said with a very sincere expression, " Hideaka- kun, I have no ill intentions towards you, and my sincerity is very obvious. I just want you to cooperate with me in an experiment. Blood and cells... these will not threaten your life."
"Furthermore, through the analysis of your body, I can even find a more suitable cultivation method for you, making you even stronger. Hideaka- jun, what do you think?"
Hearing Orochimaru's hoarse and seductive voice, a cold smile appeared on Sato Hideaka's lips. Any blood or cells that he lost during battle or in his daily life would be assimilated into crystal by him using Crystal Release chakra, so absolutely no one could collect this information.
The Shinobi World is full of bizarre and wonderful ninjutsu, secret techniques, and science. Losing these things could even mean losing your life, or having them cloned by a mad scientist. Either way, it would make him very unhappy.
However, Orochimaru's can be exploited...
After all, this person prioritizes profit above all else!
Sato Hideaka shook his head and said, " Lord Orochimaru, I don't think I'm inferior to you in the development and research of Orochimaru limit ninjutsu. Your reasoning is completely untenable. Let's be more practical."
"Is he trying to negotiate with me, Hideaka- kun? How interesting..."
Looking at the serious-looking Sato Hideaka, Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, his voice excited and hoarse, with a hint of magnetism.
Sato Hideaka nodded and said, "Yes, it's a fair trade. I want to know... the secret of Root. If you can tell me important information about Root, I can cooperate with your research. You should know that what I produce is more valuable than the entire 'Root,' and may even be immortal..."
Information about eternal life...?
Orochimaru's pupils contracted, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "Information on immortality? Do you really have information about the possibility of immortality? You're only eight years old; I don't believe someone so young could possess such information..."
"Since you don't trust me, that means there's no way to talk. Since the deal has fallen apart, let's just end it here." Sato Hideaka frowned, enduring the soreness in his muscles, and slowly stood up, preparing to leave.
Orochimaru suddenly stopped Sato Hideaka's departing figure, his throat suddenly growing larger and larger until it spat out a letter and scroll covered in sticky mucus, which he then threw at Sato Hideaka, saying:
"Wait, this is a secret letter between Danzo and Sasori of the Red Sands, in which they plotted to kill the Fourth Kazekage. I obtained it through a secret method. With it, you could even overthrow the entire 'Root' organization. I think this is what you want, right?"
After sensing that the scroll and letter were not unusual, Sato Hideaka used Crystal Release chakra to attach to his hands, forming a faint armor, before taking the letter and scroll that Orochimaru threw at him and opening them to take a look.
The scroll contains a handwritten letter and seal by Danzo of the Root family. The content is coded and roughly means that the previous mission went well and that he plans to send someone to work with Sasori of the Red Sand to kill the Third Kazekage. The letter is Sasori of the Red Sands's handwritten reply and does not contain any coded information.
This completely constitutes the crime of Danzo with traitors from Sunagakure to kill the Third Kazekage!
"How could someone as cautious as Danzo leave such a flaw...?" Sato Hideaka asked Orochimaru in disbelief.
Orochimaru chuckled sinisterly twice and said, " Hideaka- kun, I'm not afraid to tell you that this assassination of the Third Kazekage was an operation I jointly devised with Danzo, based on our shared political views. Of course, I also kept some precautions in mind, which is something you have to be wary of when cooperating with this kind of person."
"However, this is top-secret information, and it could even cause turmoil within Konoha, increasing the time and resources invested in the war with Sunagakure. If the method of immortality that Hideaka- kun spoke of is merely a way to deceive me, then..."
After saying this, Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked his lips again. His yellowish-brown snake eyes were filled with coldness. For someone like Orochimaru, the greatest Kunai than using his dreams and pursuits as a form of deception and amusement.
Sensing the killing intent emanating from Orochimaru's threat, Sato Hideaka calmly placed the scroll and letter representing Danzo's crimes into his ninja bag, and held up four fingers, saying, "I know of four methods of immortality. One of them is the Living Corpse Reincarnation created by the Second Hokage, a method of obtaining immortality by constantly changing bodies..."
"There are four ways to achieve immortality? That's incredible... I know about the Living Corpse Reincarnation, so I won't go into that. Let's move on to the next one."
When Orochimaru heard Sato Hideaka's first suggestion, his eyes lit up, and he became even more eager for the next three suggestions.
Sato Hideaka lowered his second finger and continued, "The second method is to use generations of people to continuously release the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu researched by the Second Hokage. By using the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, their will is projected into this world where living people exist, achieving the effect of an eternal and immortal will."
"This method isn't immortality in the traditional sense, but it does have some merit," Orochimaru frowned, then nodded randomly.
"The third method is a secret technique in Takigakure called Earth Grudge Fear, which allows one to achieve immortality by constantly replacing their heart with a new one that possesses firepower. In my opinion, this seems to be the best one."
"The fourth method is to continuously sacrifice blood and lives to the Jashin. Through the worship of the Jashin and the constant killing and sacrifice, one can obtain a mysterious power from the Jashin, thereby achieving the ability to be eternally immortal." (To be continued)