A Second Invitation

"It seems..."

"I'll have to reveal some of my trump cards..."

Ever since he transmigrated into this world of Hokage, Yun Xi had never wanted to expose his true strength prematurely.

But...

Looking at the smiling Orochimaru before him.

Yun Xi understood.

There was no escaping this time.

Unlike the battle with Uchiha Itachi.

This time, Yun Xi could clearly feel the killing intent radiating from Orochimaru.

If he were defeated...

The result awaiting him would undoubtedly be death!

"Not running?"

Seeing Yun Xi standing rooted to the spot, a trace of disappointment flickered across Orochimaru's previously smiling face.

"Then let me see the true strength of a brat like you."

After muttering to himself, Orochimaru's pupils constricted instantly.

"Whoosh!"

The Kusanagi Sword was unsheathed once more, gripped tightly in Orochimaru's hand.

In the blink of an eye.

A sword shadow appeared before Yun Xi.

"So fast..."

Yun Xi had prepared for battle the moment Orochimaru made his move.

But the speed of Orochimaru's strike was clearly beyond Yun Xi's expectations.

The sharp Kusanagi Sword was already inches from his chest.

Behind him...

Lay a dead end.

"No matter!"

Caught in a dilemma, Yun Xi could no longer afford to hide the secret of his Sharingan. The moment the Kusanagi Sword was about to strike him.

Yun Xi activated his Sharingan directly...

In an instant.

A pair of dark red eyes emerged within Yun Xi's gaze.

With the aid of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, the previously invisible sword shadow slowed down significantly.

"Now is the time!"

Relying on his enhanced dynamic vision, Yun Xi seized an opening and rolled backward.

At the cost of a few strands of hair.

Yun Xi barely managed to dodge this probing attack from Orochimaru...

"Sharingan..."

Staring at Yun Xi's blood-red pupils, Orochimaru was stunned.

"Brat, if you only caught my attention before."

"Then now, you have truly piqued my interest!"

Just as Yun Xi wanted to take a breather during the gap in Orochimaru's assault, Orochimaru's attack struck again.

Furthermore.

This time, the attack was clearly enough for Yun Xi to feel that Orochimaru was getting serious!

"Wind Style!"

"Great Breakthrough!"

Seemingly realizing that Yun Xi held an advantage in taijutsu while in his Sharingan state, Orochimaru did not use the Kusanagi Sword for his second strike.

Instead, he slowly sheathed the blade.

His hands moved in a rapid blur of seals.

The moment the seals were completed, a violent hurricane accompanied by sand and dust surged toward Yun Xi.

Although it was merely a C-rank Wind Style jutsu, under the augmentation of Orochimaru's immense chakra.

It was already upon Yun Xi before he could even react.

Yun Xi already felt a thick, heavy killing intent.

Orochimaru is truly strong, as expected...

Facing the powerful Wind Style: Great Breakthrough before him, the expression on Yun Xi's face grew slightly grave.

Clearly, under normal circumstances, Yun Xi had no way to withstand such a Wind Style ninjutsu with his current strength.

The Sharingan's kinetic vision...

No, in this state, it was impossible to see through the trajectory of the Wind Style.

Furthermore, Yun Xi understood that even if the Sharingan could track the Great Breakthrough ninjutsu released by Orochimaru, his current physical constitution alone would not be enough to dodge it completely.

It seems the Sharingan alone is not enough!

Realizing the state of the battle before him, Yun Xi gritted his teeth!

BOOM!

A thunderous roar instantly erupted from within Yun Xi's body.

Before Orochimaru could even react, a deep red mist had already emerged from Yun Xi's body. Although the Flame-Flame Fruit had not yet formed a powerful flame within him, the high temperature radiating from the mist caused the weeds around Yun Xi to wither.

"Sharingan..."

"High-temperature mist..."

Seeing the changes occurring on Yun Xi, Orochimaru burst into wild laughter. At the same time, he halted the attack he had already prepared. He wanted to see exactly what other means this ordinary-looking youth was hiding!

What? Is there more?

The second after Orochimaru stopped, another anomaly appeared on Yun Xi's body. Along with a fiery aura equivalent to the previous mist, it emerged once more! In an instant, Yun Xi transformed into a man of fire!

"Fire Style ninjutsu?"

"No, ordinary Fire Style ninjutsu could never achieve this..."

"Could it be?"

"An unknown Kekkei Genkai!"

After Yun Xi revealed all his trump cards, a unique joy welled up in Orochimaru's heart. He had a premonition: the youth before him was absolutely no dead-last. Instead, he was... a genius the likes of which Hidden Leaf Village hadn't seen in a hundred years. Thinking of this, Orochimaru slowly raised his hand and waved it, signaling a ceasefire.

What is this guy Orochimaru thinking?

Just as Yun Xi had unleashed the system-rewarded Fire Style ninjutsu bonus, the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit, and the Sharingan, preparing to fight Orochimaru to the death, the result was... Orochimaru actually didn't want to fight anymore? Seeing this, Yun Xi did not strike first; instead, he retreated while watching to see what Orochimaru intended to do.

"Little ghost, your name is Yun Xi, right?"

"Yeah, are you planning to let me go?" Yun Xi replied, then quipped, "I never thought one of the legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, would take the initiative to attack a child like me. If I told anyone, they probably wouldn't believe it, right?"

"Haha, you are no child." Orochimaru did not get angry; instead, he continued to stare at Yun Xi with a smiling gaze, though compared to his previous laughter, there was a hint of deliberation in it. Seeing this, Yun Xi couldn't guess what this guy Orochimaru was thinking.

"Come with me. If you stay in Hidden Leaf, you will never be able to become a true powerhouse..."

Yun Xi and Orochimaru stood in a standoff for a long time, until Orochimaru finally broke the silence first.

A hint of anticipation even flickered within his cold, serpent-like eyes...

Holy crap, what exactly does Orochimaru see in me? Can't I just change whatever it is?

As Orochimaru spoke once more, attempting to recruit him as a subordinate, a look of helplessness appeared on Yun Xi's face.

It was true that Orochimaru was incredibly powerful right now.

Becoming his subordinate would undoubtedly lead to a significant surge in strength within a short period.

He might even be able to reach the level of an elite Jonin within the next three to five years.

For an ordinary person, such a rate of growth would absolutely be considered a golden opportunity.

An opportunity capable of changing one's entire life.

But for Yun Xi...

It was nothing more than a burden.

Possessing a system, Yun Xi didn't actually need Orochimaru's help to become strong.

Furthermore, the most critical point was that if Yun Xi agreed to Orochimaru's request, he would inevitably be branded with a Cursed Seal as a means of control...

Faced with something like a Cursed Seal...

Yun Xi naturally wanted to keep his distance.