Orochimaru's Invitation

"Lord Kimimaro, I apologize for acting without your permission."

Yakushi Kabuto looked apologetic after severing Kimimaro's arm.

"It is fine..."

Kimimaro did not blame Yakushi Kabuto, for he understood that if Yakushi Kabuto had not intervened, he might have been burned to death by Yun Xi's Amaterasu.

"Shall we have a proper talk?"

Just as everyone fell silent, Orochimaru, who had not spoken for a long time, unexpectedly initiated a ceasefire. He looked at Yun Xi with a smile, his expression suggesting he intended to cooperate with him.

"Talk about what? I am the enemy who just wounded your subordinate a moment ago."

Yun Xi had not expected Orochimaru to stop on his own. It seemed he wanted to recruit him.

"They are merely tools, and I have discovered far greater value in you." Seeing Yun Xi's guarded gaze, Orochimaru chuckled and continued, "Whether it is the Mangekyo Sharingan you possess or this secret technique that causes strength to skyrocket, both are things I wish to study."

"Join me, and I can grant you the highest level of clearance, even immense power. All you need to do is allow me to conduct my research..."

Finally, Orochimaru laid out his terms, waiting on the side for Yun Xi's answer.

"Sorry, I'm not interested."

Faced with Orochimaru's solicitation, Yun Xi had no interest whatsoever. Power? Yun Xi did not want it; he only wanted to survive well in this Ninja World. Strength? He had the Pay-to-Win System and the Shop; he did not need anyone's help. Numerous subordinates? Knowing the plot, it would not be difficult for Yun Xi to acquire some; he had no reason to cooperate with Orochimaru. Furthermore, the most important point was that Yun Xi simply disliked people with Orochimaru's personality! He was not some war orphan starved for affection since childhood. Orochimaru's manipulation was useless against him.

"Is that your final decision..."

Seeing Yun Xi refuse him so resolutely, Orochimaru felt a bit surprised, though not shocked, for he understood that the youth before him was not as simple as he had imagined.

"We shall meet again."

A few seconds later, faced with Yun Xi's rejection, Orochimaru did not attack again. Instead, he took Kimimaro and Yakushi Kabuto and left directly. Before departing, Orochimaru glanced at Yun Xi in the distance, the emotions flowing in his eyes appearing extremely complex.

"Finally gone..."

Seeing Orochimaru leave, Yun Xi let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, he deactivated his Cursed Seal state and the Mangekyo Sharingan. Although these two trump cards could greatly enhance his strength, they had a massive impact on his physical constitution.

"Let's go, we should leave here too!"

Having returned to normal, Yun Xi dared not linger in the forest for long, as he could not be certain whether Orochimaru would return.

"Alright!"

Hearing Yun Xi's command, Karin did not hesitate in the slightest. She took Yun Xi directly back to her home.

"I'm going to rest for a while; keep an eye out for any enemies outside."

Back at Karin's house, Yun Xi's heart finally relaxed. Although the battle with Orochimaru's group had left him extremely exhausted and without any monetary gain, Yun Xi did not regret it. After fighting Orochimaru, he had gained a precise assessment of his own strength. He was roughly equivalent to Orochimaru's strength during a normal period; while he was at the Kage level, it was only at the early Kage-level stage.

"My methods are still too singular..."

After this battle with Orochimaru, Yun Xi also understood the shortcomings in his own strength.

Although the power of Yun Xi's attacks was immense, they lacked variety.

Aside from a few basic Fire Style Ninjutsu, his only remaining trump cards were Amaterasu and the Heaven Curse Mark.

At the same time, his close-combat ability was extremely weak, and his physical constitution was subpar.

Speaking strictly of his physique, the current Yun Xi could only go toe-to-toe with Kimimaro from his own generation...

"Next time I top up, I must improve my physical fitness!"

After summarizing the battle, Yun Xi regained his composure and prepared to rest for a while.

However, Yun Xi discovered that Karin was still in the room.

"Why are you still here?"

Yun Xi clearly remembered telling Karin to go outside and check for any enemies.

After all, having just gone through a battle, Yun Xi's strength had significantly declined.

If another group of powerful enemies were to arrive now, Yun Xi would have no choice but to take Karin and flee in advance.

"Big brother, don't worry, there's no one here."

Seeing Yun Xi questioning her, Karin hurriedly explained.

Then, she looked at Yun Xi with a face flushed red...

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Karin like this, Yun Xi was at a loss; he didn't understand why she was blushing.

"It's nothing... I just wanted to tell you, big brother, that I can actually help you heal..."

"I know that, but in this situation, biting you won't help."

Having read the original work, Yun Xi naturally understood Karin's miraculous healing ability.

But he wasn't injured right now; he was suffering from mental exhaustion caused by forcibly activating the second state of the Heaven Curse Mark.

"Actually, I can restore you from your weakened state..."

After hearing Yun Xi's words, Karin revealed a secret that only she knew...

Since she was little, Karin had known that her blood could heal wounds.

But she had another hidden attribute: by using a certain something from her body, she could dispel various states of weakness.

It was just that the method of using it was very special...

"You can even dispel my current state of weakness?"

Hearing what Karin said, Yun Xi was somewhat surprised.

Because in the original Naruto series, Karin could only heal or provide chakra.

She had no ability to restore mental energy at all...

Therefore, Yun Xi never expected Karin to have such comprehensive support abilities.

To use a term from his past life, Karin was simply the most versatile healer in Naruto!

"Then hurry and help me dispel it. I'm pressed for time; I still have to head to the Land of Waves later!"

Seeing Karin say this, Yun Xi instinctively asked her to help him dispel his mental exhaustion.

After all, Yun Xi was still quite pressed for time.

If he had to recover on his own, it would likely take an entire day.

Combined with the time spent fighting Orochimaru, he would never be able to return to Konoha before his shadow clone disappeared.

If that happened, Yun Xi's plan for leaving the village would be declared a failure.

"Mm..."

Seeing Yun Xi so anxious, Karin bit her lip, and a trail of bright red blood slowly flowed out...

Afterward, she unbuttoned her clothes...

Emmmmm, after a series of actions, Yun Xi returned to normal...

Yun Xi: "Karin and I are innocent! It's absolutely not what you all are thinking!"

Once his physical strength and mental state were restored, Yun Xi did not linger in the Land of Whirlpools.

Taking Karin with him, he prepared to head directly to the primary destination of his trip out of the village.

The Land of Waves!