The Impossible Technique

Within the dense forest, two figures darted rapidly; they were Genye and his companion, who had just set foot within the Land of Fire.

As they traveled, Genye asked with some confusion.

"Pervy Sage, with Minato-senpai around, how could Orochimaru possibly have escaped the village?"

Jiraiya's expression turned grim as he spoke.

"Minato went to the Land of Lightning with a diplomatic mission a few days ago. Orochimaru likely seized that exact opportunity to defect; he knew the Old Man wouldn't go for the kill."

"I see." Genye nodded in realization.

Indeed, setting aside the two Hokage, there really wasn't anyone in the village capable of putting up a fight right now—the strongest among them was still a newly graduated elementary schooler (lol).

"Pervy Sage, how are we going to track Orochimaru from here?" Genye asked.

"I know of several of Orochimaru's secret bases. Before leaving, that guy would definitely try to find a way to destroy these locations, so we should be able to deduce his escape route from that."

As he spoke, Jiraiya pulled a map from his robes and led Genye toward the first marked point on the map.

Over a month later, following the faint traces left behind by Orochimaru, Jiraiya and Genye finally arrived outside a mountain cave.

"Pervy Sage, Orochimaru is inside!" Genye said, his Byakugan activated, teeth gritted in frustration.

That little snake brat could really run; he'd caused him to go over a month without touching a single raggedy young lady—truly damnable!

"I know." Jiraiya nodded and said, "You keep watch outside; I'll go in and bring him out."

"Let me go in instead, Pervy Sage. It looks like there are quite a few traps inside," Genye said with a frown.

Jiraiya patted Genye on the shoulder, his expression complex as he said, "Let me handle this, Genye. I want to bring Orochimaru back myself. Please."

Sigh.

Genye sighed to himself and didn't press the matter further.

He knew that Jiraiya likely still held onto the hope of persuading Orochimaru to return to the village voluntarily.

"Teacher, then you must be careful once you go in," Genye warned.

"Don't worry." Jiraiya smiled, patted Genye once more, and strode into the cave.

The dim cave held a world of its own inside.

Jiraiya held a fire-starter as he ventured deep within, carefully avoiding various traps, until he saw a small room built of brick and stone at the end of the path.

Jiraiya pushed the door open without hesitation and said in a deep voice, "I've finally found you, Orochimaru!"

"Hmph, to think you actually found this place. You really are something, Jiraiya."

Orochimaru's sinister voice drifted from the depths of the room, and immediately after, a slender figure appeared in Jiraiya's line of sight.

Jiraiya wore an expression of disbelief: "Orochimaru, what on earth is this look...!"

The man before him bore no resemblance to Orochimaru whatsoever, neither in appearance nor in build!

"This?" Orochimaru spread his arms and said calmly, "This is the new body I've acquired."

Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Jiraiya demanded loudly, "You didn't actually steal someone else's body, did you?!"

Orochimaru hissed with laughter: "Jiraiya, you know I have always pursued immortality. Who wouldn't yearn for a young and strong body?"

"However, this body is merely a temporary vessel. Three years from now, I intend to switch to a perfect form!"

"That won't happen. Your schemes end here; come back to the village with me, obediently!" Jiraiya barked.

"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"

Jiraiya formed the hand seals, and the ground beneath Orochimaru's feet instantly turned into a swamp.

Yet, strangely, Orochimaru's body did not sink into the mire; instead, it grew thinner and thinner.

Only then did Jiraiya realize that the Orochimaru speaking to him was nothing more than a sheet of paper!

"What a pity. I've already seen through all of your techniques," Orochimaru cackled.

The next moment, the paper Orochimaru spontaneously combusted, burning to ashes right before Jiraiya's eyes.

"That guy!" Jiraiya's face turned blue with rage, and he turned to chase out of the cave.

Since Genye's Byakugan had "seen" Orochimaru, it meant Orochimaru had definitely been here just a moment ago—that much was certain!

Suddenly, the subtle sensation of his foot pressing against a specific stone brick made Jiraiya's expression change drastically.

"Not good! Summoning Jutsu!"

Jiraiya slammed his hands onto the ground. The next instant, the massive amount of Explosive Tags buried beneath the stone bricks detonated simultaneously, instantly destroying everything inside the cave.

BOOM!

Outside the cave, Genye shook his head helplessly: "Pervy Sage, I told you to be careful."

But it was just a few measly Explosive Tags; they certainly wouldn't hurt Jiraiya. Genye had seen him use his Summoning Jutsu.

"Well then, let's go catch that guy first." Genye's gaze "looked" toward the distance.

On the other side.

Orochimaru swung his arms and broke into a light jog, sprinting out of the cave with scientific precision before bolting off into the distance.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss! No one can catch me, Orochimaru! From here on out, the sky is vast for birds to fly, and the sea is wide for fish to leap!"

The mere thought of being able to conduct his experiments however he pleased once he left Konoha made Orochimaru feel absolutely ecstatic.

"Heh, heh, heh, hahahahaha!"

Just then, a burst of wild laughter exploded from behind Orochimaru, startling him so badly he stumbled and nearly face-planted into the dirt.

"Who?!"

Orochimaru hurriedly spun around, but the moment he saw who it was, he felt his blood turn to ice, and his good mood vanished instantly.

"You are... Hyuga Genya!"

Orochimaru naturally recognized this ruthless man who could beat a Tailed Beast with his bare fists, and cold sweat began to pour down his back.

With his own fragile physique, if Xuanye landed a single punch on him, he would be sent straight to the afterlife.

"Um, Xuanye-kun, I..."

Orochimaru forced a dry laugh, his brain racing as he tried to figure out how to persuade Xuanye to let him go.

At that moment, Xuanye suddenly spoke up: "That secret scroll in your robe—I want it."

Orochimaru was stunned for a second, then his expression shifted to one of wild joy: "Fine, no problem!"

If he were dragged back to Konoha, he would be imprisoned for life; trading a few forbidden techniques for his future freedom was definitely a bargain!

Thinking this, Orochimaru didn't hesitate to pull the scroll from his robe and toss it toward Xuanye, asking tentatively.

"So, can I go now, Xuanye-kun?"

"Go?" Xuanye caught the scroll, looking at Orochimaru with a puzzled expression: "Did I ever say I was going to let you go?"

"You...!" Orochimaru was so angry he nearly coughed up blood.

He replayed the conversation in his head and realized Xuanye had never actually said that; it was all just his own wishful thinking... Damn it, that made him even angrier!

"Hyuga Genya, let Orochimaru leave."

The situation shifted again as four masked figures leaped from the shadows, blocking the space between Orochimaru and Xuanye. The leader spoke in a commanding tone.

"This is the will of Lord Danzō. Once you return to the village, you shall receive the friendship of Lord Danzō."

"Heh." Xuanye curled his lip, offering a noncommittal laugh.

"No wonder Orochimaru managed to evade so many Konoha pursuit teams; it turns out he had someone covering his tracks from the shadows."

The Root squad before him possessed decent strength, with chakra levels reaching the standard of a Jonin, but in front of him, they were still far from enough.

"Hyuga Genya, stopping Orochimaru brings you no benefit. You only need to pretend you never saw him, and you will receive a generous reward. What do you think?"

Seeing that Xuanye wouldn't be intimidated, the Root ninja's tone softened.

Truly, if it had been anyone else, they would have drawn their blades and charged long ago, but facing Xuanye... they chose to appeal to his emotions and reason.

"Look, you wouldn't want to offend Lord Danzō over something that offers you no benefit, would you?" the Root ninja said.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes!" Orochimaru nodded repeatedly from the side: "Xuanye-kun, I think he makes a very valid point!"

Xuanye pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded: "True, offending Lord Danzō over this really isn't worth it..."

"It's good that you can see reason." Upon hearing this, all five of them, including Orochimaru, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"But there's no helping it!" Xuanye's next sentence made their hearts jump back into their throats: "The Pervy Sage asked me for a favor for the first time, you know!"

"So, Shimura Danzō... he can just step aside!"

The Root ninja's face turned cold, and he barked sharply: "Hyuga Genya, you are bold! How dare you show such disrespect to Lord Danzō!"

"Heh, heh, heh, this young master is bold enough to swallow the world!" Xuanye laughed heartily.

"Alright, move aside now, or if we start fighting, I'm afraid I might accidentally punch you all to death!"

"Hyuga Genya, do you really think you have me cornered?"

Before the Root ninjas could even flare up, Orochimaru, standing behind them, let out a cold laugh first.

"Let me show you the results of my research over these past few years!"

Tiger-Snake-Dog-Dragon. Orochimaru formed four hand seals, then slammed his palms together.

That seal looks somewhat familiar... this is...

Xuanye's pupils contracted sharply: "Impossible, this technique is...!! Are you kidding me? How could Orochimaru have mastered this technique already!!!"

"Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation!"

Orochimaru let out a low growl, and a purple summoning formation instantly manifested. A thick, solid wooden coffin slowly rose from the center of the formation.

Carved into the center of the coffin was a black character for "Two."