Knowing Everything!?

"'Triple Rashomon,' 'greatly enhanced physical ability,' 'three random Orochimaru-Style Ninjutsu'"

"Rewards issued immediately!"

As Lihuo cried out inwardly, the familiar sensation of pain quickly spread through his body.

This time, however, Lihuo didn't feel weary of it. Instead, he felt an immense sense of relief.

Because in front of this man, only having enough leverage and value would earn him the right to speak as an equal.

Feeling the pain of his body growing stronger, Lihuo quietly watched the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken wreak havoc on the area where Orochimaru had stood moments ago.

Lihuo had thought carefully before choosing these three rewards.

The boost to his physical ability went without saying. Orochimaru pressing the Rasengan into the ground just now was the best example.

Without physical ability to match, even the most numerous and powerful ninjutsu would only be half as effective.

As for "Triple Rashomon" and "Orochimaru-Style Ninjutsu," Lihuo had chosen them with ulterior motives.

Judging from today's battle, as his strength grew, it was all but certain that more and more people would come after him.

He was bound to encounter situations where his enemies threw everything they had at him, and "Triple Rashomon" would be one of Lihuo's trump cards from now on!

Triple Rashomon was derived from the First's Fivefold Rashomon.

It summoned a protective barrier capable of absorbing any attack—Rashomon. Summoning three such gates at once was the physical defense technique Orochimaru had used!

The first gate withstood attacks head-on, the second reduced their force, and the third dispersed the pressure of the attack.

Thanks to the three gates' different functions, by the time an attack reached the user, its power had already been greatly reduced!

Since the First's time, only Orochimaru in Konoha had been capable of using this ultimate defensive ninjutsu!

Rashomon's track record was also astonishing. Orochimaru had once used it to defend against the Four-Tails Naruto's Tailed Beast Bomb! That alone showed how outstanding its defensive capabilities were!

As for the last reward, "Orochimaru-Style Ninjutsu," Lihuo had simply wanted to take a chance.

"Living Corpse Reincarnation" was too cruel, and Lihuo didn't need Wind Style Ninjutsu for the time being.

The Five Elements Seal didn't seem particularly useful to Lihuo at the moment. Besides, he could always learn Sealing Jutsu from Kushina later by touching her head.

As for "Orochimaru-Style Ninjutsu," it was exclusive to Orochimaru. And among them, "Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique" was the life-saving skill that most transmigrators coveted.

Its track record spoke for itself: Orochimaru had used it to escape certain death, and Uchiha Sasuke had used it to get out of danger. Its value as a life-saving technique was beyond question!

After enduring the painful modification, Lihuo, whose body had already been worn down by the fierce battle, suddenly felt a surge of strength welling up inside him.

To Lihuo, this boost to his physical ability was practically exponential! He could say with certainty that his body was now stronger than Guy's, despite all his day-and-night training.

If Lihuo fought Kakashi again now, then in a purely physical fight, Kakashi wouldn't last fifty moves before Lihuo sent him flying! And that was counting the boost from the Hatake Sword Technique.

If his opponent was Orochimaru, Lihuo could only say that he wouldn't be as miserable as before.

"Triple Rashomon" was also issued immediately. Lihuo could already use Rashomon to defend himself with ease, and his proficiency was practically on par with Orochimaru's!

"Ding! Beginning random selection of three Orochimaru-Style Ninjutsu."

The cold mechanical voice rang out in Lihuo's mind. He knew that whether he got the life-saving technique depended on this one draw!

"Congratulations, host! You have obtained the B-rank ninjutsu: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."

Well... Orochimaru's signature ninjutsu.

"Congratulations, host! You have obtained Soft Physique Modification."

Lihuo: (;￣O￣)

"Congratulations, host! You have obtained Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique."

Lihuo: ♪(´ε｀ )

Lihuo was overjoyed. He knew that with these crucial ninjutsu, even if he fell out with Orochimaru and Konoha this time, he would still have a chance to survive.

The methods for using the three techniques then appeared in Lihuo's mind. The only thing that left him a little frustrated was that Hidden Shadow Snake Hands required a Summoning Contract with Ryūchi Cave.

Orochimaru and Anko in the original work had both done the same.

But Lihuo had mastered the other two techniques completely.

That meant he could use "Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement" to escape certain death, just as Orochimaru did!

At last, Lihuo finished absorbing all the rewards for touching Orochimaru's head, and the lingering force of the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken finally disappeared.

A huge crater had appeared where the attack struck. The ground was covered in countless marks left by wind blades, and nothing living had survived inside it.

Suddenly! A white snake as thick as an arm burst through the ground at the bottom of the crater. It had clearly burrowed underground before the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken exploded.

Just as expected, the white snake's mouth opened at an impossible angle. Then a pair of pale arms reached out from inside it. It was Orochimaru!

A moment later, Orochimaru emerged completely unharmed from the white snake's mouth.

Although he was covered in mucus, a ninja who could escape the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken intact was a rare sight indeed!

"Hehehe, you added a change in nature to the foundation of your self-created A-rank ninjutsu, turning it into an extremely powerful S-rank ninjutsu?"

Orochimaru's hoarse voice rang in Lihuo's ears once more.

But Lihuo could clearly hear the weakness in his voice. It was obvious that escaping certain death beneath an S-rank ninjutsu had taken Orochimaru considerable effort.

"What a powerful young man, Uchiha Lihuo. You're becoming more and more interesting to me."

Orochimaru stuck out his long tongue and licked his lips without a shred of decorum.

"Stop testing me, Lord Orochimaru. I already know who you are!"

Lihuo spoke loudly, but his clenched fists betrayed his unease.

Lihuo was taking a huge gamble, betting on whether he could keep living a peaceful life in Konoha!

"Oh?" Orochimaru looked briefly surprised, then tore off the mask on his face and grinned. "How did you figure out it was me?"

"Your superb Wind Style Ninjutsu, your aura like a mountain of corpses and sea of blood, your powerful Taijutsu, your outstanding combat instincts, and your ability to escape an S-rank ninjutsu."

"In Konoha, no one but Orochimaru could do all that."

Though Lihuo's long string of words might have sounded like flattery, he truly admired Orochimaru's strength!

"Hehehe, I didn't expect a youngster to remember me. I'm honored."

Orochimaru laughed, but there was a chill in his words.

"Uchiha Lihuo, you know me, and of course I know you."

"I just have a few questions for you."

"First, why are you so fond of touching people's heads?"

Dengdengdong!

If Lu Miao had asked that, Lihuo might not have been so terrified. But the fact that Orochimaru had asked meant he was probably already quite certain.

"According to Teacher Oshima's report and Anbu's account, you were losing at the start of your first battle with Kakashi, but then suddenly seemed to grow stronger. And all that happened in between was one instance of you touching his head."

Orochimaru slowly approached Lihuo.

"Today's battle was the same. You touched the heads of countless people. Can you tell me why?"

As Orochimaru closed in step by step, that familiar fear spread through Lihuo once again.

Unlike last time, this felt more like the panic of having a secret exposed.

"Lord Orochimaru, everyone has their own secrets, don't they? Maybe I was just hiding my true abilities."

"Hiding your true abilities? Hehehe." Orochimaru neither confirmed nor denied it.

"Then could you tell me where your ability to absorb Natural Energy and strengthen yourself came from?"

At that, Lihuo suddenly recalled that when he had first activated Simplified Sage Mode, he had sensed a cold chakra spying on him!

It had been Orochimaru!

"And why were you able to unleash such astonishing speed at a crucial moment to save that little girl from the Nara Clan?"

What! How did he even know about that?

Lihuo suddenly remembered the little white snake Teacher Oshima had briefly mentioned when visiting him.

"So Lord Orochimaru has been watching and testing me from the shadows all this time?"

"That's right. At first, the Third Hokage only asked me to keep an eye on you. Who could have known you'd keep surprising me more and more?"

With that, Orochimaru finally came to a stop in front of Lihuo!