Orochimaru's Invitation

"Lord Kimimaro, I'm sorry for acting without your permission."

Yakushi Kabuto wore an apologetic expression after cutting off Kimimaro's arm.

"It's fine..."

Kimimaro didn't blame Yakushi Kabuto. He understood that if Kabuto hadn't stepped in,

he might have been burned to death by Yun Xi's Amaterasu!

"Shall we talk?"

As everyone fell silent, Orochimaru, who hadn't spoken in quite some time, unexpectedly took the initiative to call a truce.

He looked at Yun Xi with a smile,

his expression suggesting that he intended to work with him.

"Talk about what? I'm the enemy who injured your subordinate not long ago."

Yun Xi hadn't expected Orochimaru to call a halt himself.

It seemed he wanted to recruit him...

"They're nothing more than tools. And I've discovered far greater value in you."

Seeing the wary look in Yun Xi's eyes, Orochimaru smiled and continued, "Whether it's the Sharingan you possess or this secret technique that makes your strength skyrocket, both are things I want to study."

"Join me. I can give you the greatest degree of freedom, and even grant you tremendous power."

"All you have to do is let me study you..."

At last, Orochimaru laid out his terms and waited for Yun Xi's answer.

"Sorry, I'm not interested."

Yun Xi had no interest in Orochimaru's offer.

Power? Yun Xi didn't want it. He just wanted to live peacefully in the Ninja World.

Strength? He had the Pay-to-Win System and the Shop. He didn't need anyone's help.

As for subordinates, Yun Xi knew the story, so finding some wouldn't be difficult. He had no reason to work with Orochimaru.

Most importantly, Yun Xi simply didn't like people like Orochimaru!

He wasn't a war orphan who'd grown up starved of love.

Orochimaru's sweet talk had no effect on him!

"So you've made up your mind..."

Orochimaru was somewhat surprised that Yun Xi had rejected him so decisively.

But he wasn't shocked. He knew the boy before him wasn't as simple as he'd imagined...

"We'll meet again."

A few seconds later, Orochimaru didn't make another move against Yun Xi despite being turned down.

Instead, he left with Kimimaro and Yakushi Kabuto...

Before departing, Orochimaru glanced at Yun Xi in the distance. The emotion in his eyes was extraordinarily complex.

"He's finally gone..."

After seeing Orochimaru leave, Yun Xi breathed a sigh of relief.

He also deactivated the Cursed Seal state and the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Those two trump cards could greatly increase Yun Xi's strength,

but they put a tremendous strain on his body.

"Let's go. We're leaving too!"

Now that he'd recovered, Yun Xi didn't dare linger in the forest.

He couldn't be sure Orochimaru wouldn't come back.

"Okay!"

After hearing Yun Xi's command, Karin didn't hesitate.

She immediately took Yun Xi back to her home.

"I'm going to rest for a bit. Keep an eye out for enemies."

Once they were back at Karin's house, Yun Xi finally relaxed.

His battle against Orochimaru and the others had left him exhausted.

And he hadn't earned any money from it, but Yun Xi didn't regret it.

After fighting Orochimaru, he'd gained an accurate understanding of his own strength.

He was roughly on par with Orochimaru at his usual level, which was still Kage Level.

But he was only at the early Kage Level stage.

"My methods are still too limited..."

The fight with Orochimaru had also made Yun Xi realize where his weaknesses lay!

Although his attacks were all extremely powerful, he had little variety.

Aside from a few basic Fire Style Ninjutsu techniques, he had only Amaterasu and the Heaven Curse Mark as trump cards.

His close-combat ability was also extremely poor, and his physique was weak.

In terms of physical ability alone, Yun Xi was only about even with Kimimaro at the same age...

"Next time I spend money, I'm definitely improving my physique!"

After reviewing the battle, Yun Xi came back to himself and prepared to rest.

But he noticed Karin was still in the room.

"Why are you still here?"

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

After the fight, Yun Xi's strength had fallen considerably.

If another group of powerful enemies showed up now,

he could only flee with Karin.

"Don't worry, big brother. There's no one here."

When Karin heard Yun Xi ask, she hurried to explain.

Then she looked at him, her face turning bright red...

"What's wrong?"

Seeing her 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 help heal you..."

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

Having read the original story, Yun Xi naturally knew about Karin's amazing healing ability.

But he wasn't injured right now. He was mentally exhausted from forcibly activating Heaven Curse Mark: State Two.

"Actually, I can help you recover from your weakness..."

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

Ever since she was little, Karin had known that her blood could heal injuries.

But she had another hidden ability: something from her body could relieve all kinds of weakness.

It just had to be used in a very unusual way...

"You can also relieve my current weakness?"

Yun Xi was a little surprised by what Karin said.

In the original Naruto story, Karin could only heal people or provide them with chakra.

She couldn't restore someone's mental energy...

So Yun Xi hadn't expected her to have such a well-rounded support ability.

In his previous life's terms, Karin was practically the most versatile healer in all of Naruto!

"Then hurry and help me recover. I'm short on time, and I still have to go to the Land of Waves later!"

At Karin's words, Yun Xi instinctively asked her to help relieve his mental fatigue.

After all, he was pressed for time.

If he recovered on his own, it would probably take a whole day.

And with the time he'd spent fighting Orochimaru, there was no way he could return to Konoha before his clone disappeared.

If that happened, his plan to leave the village would have to be abandoned.

"Mm..."

Seeing how anxious Yun Xi was, Karin bit her lip. A trickle of bright-red blood flowed out...

Then she unfastened the buttons on her clothes...

After a series of actions, Yun Xi recovered...

Yun Xi: "Karin and I are completely innocent! It's definitely not what you're thinking!"

Once his physical and mental strength had returned to normal, Yun Xi didn't linger in the Land of Whirlpools.

He took Karin with him and headed straight for the main destination of this trip outside the village.

The Land of Waves!