3 Million Secured

"Lord Orochimaru, I have no interest in ninjutsu; the deal I wish to make with you will certainly satisfy you," Bai Lin said with a smile.

Bai Lin did not know why he trusted Orochimaru so implicitly.

It was just like when he had undergone assessment with Tsunade; he had asked Orochimaru for guidance on ninjutsu, convinced in his heart that Orochimaru would surely teach him.

Bai Lin guessed that their personalities resonated in some way, though he did not know if this was an influence brought about by Sasuke Uchiha.

"Oh? A deal that is guaranteed to satisfy me?"

"Bai Lin-kun, do you know what I desire?"

A flicker of interest flashed in Orochimaru's golden slit pupils. If Bai Lin could guess his inner thoughts, then the other party must be extremely familiar with him.

"I possess quite a few secrets that would interest you. I will start by exchanging one secret for three conditions," Bai Lin smiled, not feeling that his deal with Orochimaru would fail.

"One secret for three conditions?" Orochimaru nodded. "Tell me those three conditions first."

"The first condition," Bai Lin said in a steady tone, "Tomorrow, Uchiha Mikoto and I will depart with your troops, but after we leave the village, we need to split off on our own."

"Split off? Does Bai Lin-kun intend to do something?" Orochimaru pondered. He could not understand why someone who had never left the village would need to do anything upon leaving.

"You don't need to worry about that. I guarantee it will not affect your strategic layout at the border, and I will rendezvous with you before long."

"The second condition: I want to take Nawaki with me. I will be responsible for his safety."

Nawaki would be his future brother-in-law. If he had transmigrated here and could not even save his own brother-in-law, he would be a disgrace to all transmigrators.

"The third condition: I need you to use your research on Body Activation to help a friend. His name is Might Duy. There is no time limit."

The person Bai Lin wanted to help was Might Duy. He did not know to what extent Orochimaru's research on Body Activation had progressed, or if it had even begun.

Might Duy's strength was still too poor. As the first friend he had made since coming to this world, he did not want his efforts to become mere background noise.

"Oh? Bai Lin-kun is quite familiar with me, to know that I have researched Body Activation technology. But why do you want to take Nawaki?"

"I like Tsunade, so Nawaki will be my future brother-in-law. Nawaki's temperament is too impulsive; I have a sixth sense that he is likely to meet with an accident, so I want to keep him by my side for the time being."

"Like Tsunade? Brother-in-law? Sixth sense?" Orochimaru scoffed at these, but he did not believe Bai Lin was speaking without purpose. "I can agree to these conditions. Now, please tell me the secret that will satisfy me."

Bai Lin nodded, realizing the final deal was about to be struck.

He scanned his surroundings vigilantly, and after confirming no one was eavesdropping, he whispered a single sentence.

"How about the secret of the Sage of Six Paths's eyes?" Bai Lin said softly.

"The Sage of Six Paths' eyes!" Orochimaru was startled.

He had witnessed that girl's power just yesterday; her strength was on a completely different level from the ninjas of this Ninja World.

Although she hadn't revealed much, he hadn't even been able to muster the thought of opposing her after seeing just one of her ninjutsu.

"That's right. However, if this secret is told and you verify it immediately, I can offer a different one," Bai Lin said calmly.

"Hmm?" Orochimaru pondered, not replying immediately.

"Does Bai Lin-kun have other secrets? Why not tell them all so I may choose?"

"Lord Orochimaru, of course I can, but for every additional secret offered for your selection, it will cost one million ryo," Bai Lin said calmly.

"One million ryo?" Orochimaru nodded, a hint of playfulness flashing in his golden slit pupils. "Interesting. I didn't expect Bai Lin-kun to not only know many secrets but also be quite the businessman. Very well, I agree. For every additional secret option, I will pay one million ryo."

"Here is three million ryo. I only have this much left because I need a large amount of funds for my experiments."

Orochimaru handed the three million ryo to Bai Lin.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing a transaction. Obtained consumption amount: three million ryo!]

The system prompt echoed in his mind, and Bai Lin's face lit up with joy.

He looked at his personal panel:

[Host: Bai Lin]

[Age: 12 (October 21st)]

[Template: Sasuke Uchiha]

[Kekkei Genkai: Three-Tomoe Sharingan]

[Ninjutsu: Three Body Technique, Body Flicker Technique, Great Fireball Technique, Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, Dragon Fire Technique, Lightning Release: Chidori, Chidori Blade, Chidori Current, Kirin...]

[Weapon: Kusanagi Sword]

[System Space: None]

[Consumption Amount: 3,000,000 Ryo]

[Combat Power: Elite Jonin]

"As expected, even using secrets as a transaction counts as doing business."

"In that case, I have many more ways to obtain money."

He had tried several ways to get money these past few days, such as borrowing from others, winning at casinos, stealing, and picking up money.

To his disappointment, none of these fell under the category of business; it seemed only equal transactions could satisfy this condition.

"The second option: The secret of Chakra."

"The third option: the secrets of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara."

"The fourth option: the secrets of the one-tailed to nine-tailed Tailed Beasts."

As he spoke these words one by one, Orochimaru was thoroughly shocked.

"Who... who exactly are you?" Orochimaru's voice was hoarse with an unprecedented tone. He stared fixedly into the eyes of Bai Lin, as if trying to peer through them and see into his soul.

"These secrets are not things a twelve-year-old brat should have any access to! How do you know them?"

"What has appeared before you is merely a Shadow Clone. If you make a move against me, you will gain nothing. I have already prepared to defect from the village."

"I planned this before I came. Once you act, or if you report this matter to the Hokage, it will be very difficult for either of you to keep me here."

Seeing the other party's movement to detain him, Bai Lin said indifferently.

Based on his understanding of Orochimaru, the man would likely grow wary of him, but as someone obsessed with forbidden techniques and the truth, he would definitely choose to continue the transaction rather than reveal it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"You will come to know these secrets in the future. I possess an ability that allows the things you will know in the future to surface in my mind."

"Extracting these secrets from it requires me to pay the price of my own life force, so even if you were to capture me, you would still not be able to obtain these secrets."

Bai Lin told a lie; every bit of wariness he could dispel from the other party was worth it.

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru withdrew his intention to act and detain Bai Lin.

"Does such an ability truly exist in this world?" Orochimaru's pupils constricted sharply, and a flash of disbelief crossed his golden slit eyes.

"You can choose to believe it or not. What I say is true; you will indeed come to know these secrets later."

"The transaction I am proposing now is simply to let you know in advance the secrets you would have learned in the future. However, if you have no interest in these secrets now, since you will know them eventually anyway, this transaction can be voided. It is your choice."

Bai Lin's tone was flat, as if he were stating something entirely ordinary.

Orochimaru remained silent for a long time.

Would he really know these secrets in the future?

It certainly sounded like his own style.

He was most interested in research; once a clue appeared, he would definitely explore it until he reached his goal.

The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, the secrets of Chakra, the secrets of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, the secrets of the one-tailed to nine-tailed Tailed Beasts.

"Which one should I choose?" Orochimaru muttered to himself, the fanaticism in his eyes nearly burning with intensity.

"I know you are struggling to choose which of these secrets to pick. I imagine these secrets are nothing more than stories to you, but I have one more secret here that will allow you to quickly verify their authenticity."

Bai Lin cast another lure for Orochimaru. Orochimaru was a major client, and he believed he would certainly pay the price for these secrets.

To make him deeply convinced of his words, he chose to reveal a secret that he could verify for himself.