"Lord Orochimaru, I'm not interested in ninjutsu. The deal I want to make with you is guaranteed to satisfy you." Bai Lin smiled.
Bai Lin didn't know why he trusted Orochimaru so much.
It was just like when he'd asked Orochimaru for advice on ninjutsu during his assessment with Tsunade. He'd been sure deep down that Orochimaru would teach him.
Bai Lin suspected they shared some kind of affinity. He didn't know whether it was an effect of Sasuke Uchiha (Snake Sasuke).
"Oh? A deal that's guaranteed to satisfy me?"
"Bai Lin, do you know what I want?"
A flicker of interest crossed Orochimaru's golden, slit-pupiled eyes. If Bai Lin could guess what he was thinking, then he must know Orochimaru extremely well.
"I have plenty of secrets that might interest you. I'll trade you one of them for three favors to start with." Bai Lin smiled, confident that his deal with Orochimaru wouldn't fall through.
"One secret for three favors?" Orochimaru nodded. "Tell me what those three favors are."
"First," Bai Lin said steadily. "Tomorrow, Uchiha Mikoto and I will set out with your troops. Once we've left the village, we'll need to go off on our own."
"Go off on your own? Is there something you want to do, Bai Lin?" Orochimaru mused. He couldn't understand what someone who'd never left the village would need to do out there.
"That's none of your concern. I promise it won't affect your strategic arrangements at the border, and I'll rejoin you soon."
"Second, I'm taking Nawaki with me. I'll be responsible for his safety."
Nawaki would be his brother-in-law someday. If he'd transmigrated into this world and still couldn't save his own brother-in-law, he'd be a disgrace to transmigrators everywhere.
"Third, I need you to use your research into Body Activation to help a friend of mine. His name is Might Duy. There's no time limit."
The person Bai Lin wanted to help was Might Duy. He didn't know how far Orochimaru had gotten with his research into Body Activation, or whether he'd even started.
Might Duy was still too weak. As the first friend Bai Lin had made in this world, Duy had worked too hard for his efforts to end up as mere background.
"Oh? You know me pretty well, Bai Lin. You even know I've researched Body Activation. But why do you want to take Nawaki with you?"
"I like Tsunade, and Nawaki will be my brother-in-law someday. He's too impulsive. I have a sixth sense that something might happen to him, so I want him to stay with me for a while."
"You like Tsunade? He'll be your brother-in-law? A sixth sense?" Orochimaru scoffed at that, but he didn't believe Bai Lin was making things up without a reason. "I can agree to all of those conditions. Now tell me a secret that will satisfy me."
Bai Lin nodded, knowing the deal was about to be sealed.
He cautiously looked around. Once he'd confirmed no one was eavesdropping, he whispered a single sentence.
"How about the secret of the Sage of Six Paths' eyes?" Bai Lin murmured.
"The Sage of Six Paths' eyes!" Orochimaru exclaimed in shock.
He'd seen that girl's power just yesterday. She was on an entirely different level from the shinobi of this Ninja World.
Though she hadn't shown any other abilities, just one ninjutsu had been enough to make him feel he had no chance of standing against her.
"That's right. But even if I tell you this secret, you can verify it right away. I can offer you another one instead," Bai Lin said calmly.
"Hmm?" Orochimaru mulled it over without answering right away.
"Do you have any other secrets, Bai Lin? Why not tell me all of them and let me choose?"
"Of course, Lord Orochimaru. But for each additional secret you can choose from, it'll cost one million ryo," Bai Lin said calmly.
"One million ryo?" Orochimaru nodded, amusement flickering in his golden, slit-pupiled eyes. "Interesting. I didn't expect you to know so many secrets, or to be such a shrewd businessman. Fine, I agree. I'll pay one million ryo for each additional secret."
"I have three million ryo here. I need a lot of money for my experiments, so this is all I have left."
Orochimaru handed the three million ryo to Bai Lin.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host. You completed a transaction and received three million ryo in spending funds! ]
The system notification rang in Bai Lin's mind, and his face lit up.
He checked his personal panel:
[Host: Bai Lin] [Age: 12 (October 21)] [Template: Sasuke Uchiha (Snake Sasuke)] [Bloodline Limit: 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] [Spending Funds: Three million ryo] [Combat Strength: Elite Jonin]
"Just as I thought. Even trading secrets counts as doing business."
"If that's the case, I've got plenty more ways to make money."
Over the past few days, he'd tried several ways to earn money, such as borrowing from people, gambling at casinos, stealing, and picking up money.
But to his disappointment, none of those counted as doing business. It seemed that only an even exchange fulfilled the requirement.
"Second option: the secret of Chakra."
"Third option: the secrets of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara."
"Fourth option: the secrets of the Nine Tailed Beasts."
As Bai Lin listed them one by one, Orochimaru was utterly stunned.
"W-who are you?" Orochimaru's voice was hoarser than ever. He stared hard into Bai Lin's eyes, as if trying to see through them and into his soul.
"These secrets aren't things a twelve-year-old kid could possibly know! How do you know about them?"
"The one standing before you is just a Shadow Clone. If you try to capture me, you won't get anything. I've already prepared to defect from the village."
"I planned everything before I came. If you make a move or tell the Hokage, neither of you will be able to keep me here."
Seeing that Orochimaru was considering keeping him there, Bai Lin spoke calmly.
Knowing Orochimaru as he did, he figured the man would most likely grow wary of him. But Orochimaru was obsessed with forbidden techniques and the truth. He'd certainly choose to keep trading with Bai Lin rather than tell Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"You'll learn these secrets in the future. I have the ability to bring things you'll know in the future into my mind."
"Extracting secrets from those visions costs me life force. So even if you capture me, you still won't get those secrets."
Bai Lin had still lied. Even a little less suspicion from Orochimaru was worthwhile.
Hearing that, Orochimaru abandoned the idea of capturing Bai Lin.
"Is such an ability really possible?" Orochimaru's pupils contracted sharply, a look of disbelief flashing in his golden, slit-pupiled eyes.
"You can believe me or not. I'm telling the truth: you really will learn these secrets someday."
"This deal just lets you learn them ahead of time. But if you're not interested in them now, you'll find them out eventually anyway. We can call off the deal. It's up to you."
Bai Lin spoke evenly, as if he were stating the most ordinary fact.
Orochimaru fell silent for a long while.
Would he really learn these secrets in the future?
It certainly sounded like something he'd do.
Research was what interested him most. The moment he found a lead, he'd pursue it relentlessly.
The Sage of Six Paths' eyes, the secret of Chakra, the secrets of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, the secrets of the Nine Tailed Beasts.
"Which one should I choose?" Orochimaru murmured, his fervor almost burning in his eyes.
"I know you're having a hard time choosing between these secrets. They're probably just stories to you, but I have another secret you can quickly verify for yourself."
Bai Lin dangled another lure in front of Orochimaru. Orochimaru was a big spender, and Bai Lin was sure he'd pay for these secrets.
To make Orochimaru believe him without a doubt, he'd better reveal a secret that Orochimaru could verify.