Deal Reached, Sasuke's Thoughts

"Clap, clap, clap, clap!"

Uchiha Hise couldn't help but applaud Orochimaru.

He truly lived up to his reputation as a clever man.

Even for a guy who treated human life like blades of grass, he was hard to dislike in certain respects.

"How about you keep guessing?"

Hise couldn't help but speak up.

Orochimaru replied without a moment's hesitation:

"I can only say that Konoha has gained an incredible genius. Now, all that's left is the Sage Mode of Ryuchi Cave, right? But... why would you think I'd tell you the way to Ryuchi Cave?"

Orochimaru knew he was no match for Hise, but if he wanted to escape—or rather, if he couldn't escape—he could always rely on the Cursed Seal to take over the body of one of his subordinates.

It was just a matter of whether he was satisfied with those bodies.

"Because I can give you a body you'll be satisfied with. I know you're researching immortality, and you're looking for a new vessel right now. I can find you one. Besides, I admire you."

Hise smiled and laid his chips on the table.

Orochimaru wondered if this was a conspiracy, as Hise had a very good relationship with his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Since he himself was an S-rank missing-nin from Konoha, he had reason to suspect Hise was here to capture him.

Given Hise's ties to Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, it wasn't impossible that he had gathered intelligence on him from them to prevent his escape.

"Why should I trust you? We've never had any dealings."

"There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests. And you, you can bring me profit. Your current exploration and research into life will bring immense wealth to the Ninja World in the future—wealth of incomparable value."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow.

He hadn't expected Hise to say something like that, but he liked it.

"No eternal friends, only eternal interests. Heh, hehehehehe."

Orochimaru let out a sinister laugh.

"I love hearing that. I can take you there, but you have to show me your sincerity first."

"Fine."

Hise pulled a White Zetsu from his System Space and tossed it in front of Orochimaru.

"This is a White Zetsu. The Akatsuki organization you joined has over a hundred thousand of them. Though, I doubt even Pain knows the exact number."

Pain?!

How did he know about Pain?

And even if he knew about the Akatsuki, how could he know about these White Zetsu when even Pain didn't?

Orochimaru remained as steady as an old dog on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil.

As for his joining the Akatsuki, Konoha could easily find that out if they put their minds to it.

Orochimaru placed the controlled White Zetsu on the experimental table, and it didn't take long for him to make a shocking discovery.

The White Zetsu's body contained a massive amount of Hashirama Cells!

But a moment later, he realized there was something different about them.

Their stability was many times better than the Hashirama Cells he had managed to acquire.

If he could perfect the technique he was researching... he would obtain a perfect vessel.

"I accept."

Orochimaru licked his lips.

"Good, then it's a pleasure doing business. I'll come to you for cooperation again in the future, and your rewards will satisfy you."

"Hehehehe, it is my honor to cooperate with the grandson of the Ninja World's Asura, the famous Uchiha Hise."

Whether this statement was sincere or not, Hise didn't know, nor did he care.

Even if Orochimaru tried to run after getting what he wanted, Hise had ways to track him down; after all, the Ninja World was only so big.

In the current Ninja World, if he wanted to kill someone, no one could protect them—not even if the two elders, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, were resurrected.

Konoha Village.

Hise's estate remained lively.

Yugao had gone out on a mission, while the few clones Hise had left behind were training Naruto and the others.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji were practicing Bajiquan, while Hinata was learning Wing Chun.

Given Naruto's personality and physique, along with the Uzumaki Clan's astonishing chakra reserves and recovery speed, learning the inherently masculine and rigid Bajiquan was undoubtedly the best choice.

Sasuke possessed the Sharingan, and after several weeks of Hise's coaching, he could use it effortlessly.

The kinetic vision provided by his Sharingan gave him excellent conditions for close-quarters combat; as long as he trained diligently, he could become a ninja capable of both close-range and long-range attacks.

He was suited for any kind of martial art.

Neji was the same; he was a close-combat ninja, and whether it was Bajiquan, Taijiquan, or Wing Chun, they all suited him—with the exception of leg techniques.

Hinata's physique was slightly inferior to the other three, and Wing Chun was undoubtedly the best choice for a woman.

Hinata had practiced Bajiquan before, and now that she was learning Wing Chun, her strength would skyrocket several times over once she integrated the Hyuga Gentle Fist, Taijiquan, and Wing Chun. Even ninjas with higher strength and power than her could easily capsize in the gutter if they were caught off guard.

What mattered most to her was that she could now communicate normally with these people, except for blushing whenever she was around Naruto.

Among them, Naruto learned the least, yet he was the most exhausted.

Because Fei Shi had "buffed" Kurama, the current Kurama could, like a symbiote, condense its upper body behind Naruto using its own chakra and Naruto's.

As for its strength, it was influenced by Naruto.

It could be said that in this state, Naruto gained an extra head and two arms.

However, the extra head and arms belonged to Kurama and were not under Naruto's control. Therefore, they spent most of their time sparring with Fei Shi's clones to improve their synergy.

Kurama could also envelop Naruto like a symbiote. Since Kurama's body was condensed from a large amount of Kurama's chakra combined with a portion of Naruto's, Kurama's chakra would harm Naruto if it weren't for Naruto's own chakra acting as a buffer.

In this state, Naruto was like a standing Kurama, and under Kurama's direction, his beast-like fighting style was much stronger than his previous form.

Kurama, however, was extremely dissatisfied, as this interfered with its time spent binge-watching shows and clearing video games.

Fei Shi was also speechless about this. He had taken the right path to improve the relationship between Naruto and Kurama early on, but he had ended up corrupting Kurama. Kurama's daily routine consisted of eating snacks, playing games, and binge-watching shows.

It used the Art of Differentiation to manifest two extra claws specifically for eating, so even while using its two hands to play games, it didn't miss out on snacking.

Because the clones would return to the main body after a certain amount of time, Kurama's weight kept increasing, and it had even grown a layer of fat.

"Ah! I can't take it anymore! Huff, huff, huff. So tired, I can't do it, I really can't."

Naruto collapsed onto the ground, too exhausted to even crawl back up.

Hinata, who was resting, brought a bowl of water over to Naruto.

Neji and Sasuke, who were drinking the water they had brought for themselves, suddenly felt that the water in their bowls didn't taste as good anymore.

Neji, in particular, was grinding his teeth so hard they were about to shatter.

His own younger sister had been snatched away at such a young age—no! The person who snatched her didn't even have that intention; Hinata had just followed him on her own. It was heartbreaking, painful, and made him want to cry.

As for Sasuke, it was purely because he was competing with Naruto; in other aspects, he and Naruto were evenly matched.

But as for this kind of treatment, he had never experienced it. He wanted to surpass Naruto in every aspect—every single one.

Should I find someone too?