A Different Orochimaru

The ninja army that had saved Konoha from countless crises and fought enemies alongside Konoha.

Yet in Konoha's forty-first year, the four great nations of Lightning, Earth, Wind, and Water joined forces to attack Wa Country and seize its sealing techniques. That war of national and clan destruction lasted several months. Nest Village sent thirty-nine distress signals to the Konoha they had trusted so deeply.

However, Konoha never sent a single soldier, merely watching as the Uzumaki Clan was destroyed.

But the Uzumaki Clan never blamed Konoha. Their higher-ups firmly believed Konoha would come to their aid. They believed Konoha's ninja army had failed to arrive because it had been intercepted or had some other unavoidable difficulty.

On that final night, countless red-haired boys and girls likely still stared desperately in Konoha's direction before ultimately dying beneath the Allied Forces' butcher knives.

Konoha had once formed its strongest alliance with Wa Country, yet it watched coldly during the clan's annihilation. Konoha's advisors and Supreme Danzo insisted that Konoha could not act rashly. They had to protect themselves and continue developing.

Faced with Nest Village's dozens of pleas for help, the Third Hokage's eyes brimmed with tears as he helplessly ordered the border forces to remain vigilant and not cross the border.

Even until their deaths, the Uzumaki Clan believed Konoha would rescue them, while Konoha's higher-ups cared only about their sealing techniques and bloodline.

The only surviving Uzumaki clansman who escaped was protected by Konoha, though in truth, it was to keep the Uzumaki Clan under control.

Kushina became the next Nine-Tails vessel. Fei Yun's birth interrupted Orochimaru's memories.

"Hey, I still want Hashirama Cells transplanted into me. You've used so many on those test subjects anyway, so why won't you use them on me?"

"Just treat me as one of your experiments. That way, you'll get some good data too."

Orochimaru spoke softly.

"Fei Yun, the risk is too great. There haven't been any successful cases so far. I wouldn't want you to die."

Fei Yun could not help thinking of Heavenly Burial River and smiled. "Actually, there has been a successful case."

After thinking for a moment, Fei Yun continued, "Don't think I don't know. Didn't you successfully transplant them into yourself?"

Orochimaru turned his head slightly. "You're quite frightening, knowing even something like that. But I've only transplanted a small amount of diluted Hashirama Cells. And that was only possible after years of research and data gathered from countless test subjects."

Fei Yun looked at the gamblers downstairs, who were gradually being escorted away, and slowly said, "Orochimaru, do you know?"

"A very, very long time ago—"

Orochimaru's gaze sharpened, invisibly cutting off Fei Yun's nonsense.

"Cut it out. Stop right there. Don't give me that routine. Just say what you want to say!"

Fei Yun tugged awkwardly at the corner of his mouth. Orochimaru had gotten smarter.

"I mean, in the world of cultivators—where Spiritual Power is cultivated—the Hashirama constitution is called the Extreme Yang Sacred Body."

Orochimaru glanced sideways at him. "Is the Extreme Yang Sacred Body more powerful than the Sage Body?"

Fei Yun continued, "Whether it's the so-called Sage Body, the Extreme Yang Sacred Body, or Tang Monk's flesh, they're all Yang attributes. In other words, what the Human Realm now calls Yang Release Chakra."

Orochimaru looked puzzled. "What is Tang Monk's flesh?"

"And you mentioned Yang Release Chakra. The tangible application of Yang Release Chakra is medical ninjutsu. Many ninja possess Yang Release Chakra, so why are only Hashirama's Cells so active?"

Fei Yun gave Orochimaru a disdainful look as well. "You can't even understand something this basic?"

"It's obviously because Hashirama possessed the Extreme Yang Sacred Body!"

Killing intent surged in Orochimaru's eyes. "Kid, are you making a fool of me?"

Fei Yun waved his hand. "Orochimaru, none of that is important. What matters is that we Uchiha are naturally Yin-aligned. Sharingan Chakra is the pinnacle of Yin Release, and Yin can suppress Yang, so you absolutely must transplant Hashirama Cells into me!"

"Not suppress—neutralize. Yin and Yang blend together and complement one another."

"But you said it yourself. Hashirama Cells are extreme Yang, while the little Yin you have can't neutralize them. The Yang within Hashirama Cells will only burn you to ashes."

Fei Yun gritted his teeth, unwilling to beg any longer. He directly took out the Cult of Jashin's research data and materials, handing seven or eight scrolls covered in dense writing to Orochimaru.

"What is this?"

Orochimaru was initially unconcerned, but after reading for a while, his expression abruptly changed. He could no longer pull his attention away from the scrolls.

His hands trembled slightly as he stared, entranced, at the research data and writing Fei Yun could not understand.

Splash!

Orochimaru's pale fingers brushed over the yellowed scrolls. When his fingertips touched the blood-written runes, the veins beneath his skin spasmed involuntarily. His pupils narrowed into slits, and his golden vertical pupils gleamed brightly in the shadows, like a snake that had found its prey.

A low laugh squeezed from deep within his throat, hoarse like the sound of a snake's scales scraping against the ground.

His long tongue unconsciously swept over his lips, glinting coldly in the dim light.

"These are the Cult of Jashin's most crucial experimental records—the complete documentation concerning immortality."

The densely packed notes on the scrolls recorded the screams and breakdowns of countless living specimens, the paths blood took through the ritual arrays, and the energy fluctuations when souls were torn apart. Every symbol seemed to writhe, displaying before Orochimaru a forbidden gate beyond life and death.

"Perfect. Too perfect!"

His fingers suddenly tightened. A little white snake slipped from Orochimaru's sleeve and affectionately wound itself around his wrist, as though sharing its master's excitement.

"This isn't merely immortality. This is blasphemy against the domain of gods."

Orochimaru seemed to have found a new direction for his research. Though it might not suit him, the precious data and entirely new path could offer someone like him indescribable inspiration, helping him forge his own road to immortality.

Fei Yun held out his hand. "Finished reading?"

"Then give them back."

But Orochimaru instantly put the scrolls away and said with a smile, "Don't be so stingy, Fei Yun. Let me study them a little longer. I'll return them in a few days."

Hearing that, Fei Yun laughed irritably and held out his hand firmly. "No. You won't even spare a little Hashirama Cells for my transplant!"

"Who's the stingy one here? And you expect me to give you treasures like these?"

Orochimaru licked his lips. "Fei Yun, this isn't all the data, is it? You should have more."

"That has nothing to do with you. If you won't transplant Hashirama Cells into me, don't expect anything else!"

As Fei Yun spoke, he stepped forward to snatch the scrolls back.

"Alright, alright!"

Orochimaru hurriedly retreated two steps, dodging Fei Yun's grasp. He straightened his tugged-open collar. "How about this? Give me all of the Cult of Jashin's research materials, and when I return, I'll transplant Hashirama Cells into you. Deal?"

Fei Yun smiled in satisfaction. "Now that's more like it."

"Here, take it."

As he spoke, Fei Yun took out a spatial storage ninjutsu scroll and tossed it to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru caught the scroll and impatiently broke the seal on the spatial scroll, summoning a huge pile of experimental data and documents.

His golden snake eyes continuously swept over the documents scattered across the ground. He was thoroughly excited, like a lecherous demon facing an unparalleled beauty beneath him.

After waiting for a while, Fei Yun said impatiently, "Hey, everyone's already gone. How long are you going to keep looking?"

Orochimaru reluctantly put away the scrolls and documents scattered across the floor before slowly rising to his feet.

"This truly is remarkable. But just like Hashirama Cells, I'm afraid no one in this world can successfully obtain this power!"

"It's too difficult!"

Fei Yun tilted his head.

"What in this world is easy?"

"Even for ordinary people, simply staying alive is unimaginably difficult. And even if they survive all those hardships, they're only destined to toil like cattle and horses for the rest of their lives."

"Do you think immortality and deathlessness are so easy to achieve?"

"Then what do you and I exist for?"

Fei Yun struck the pose of a charlatan and roared.

"If Heaven had not given birth to you and me!"

"The path to immortality would be an eternal night!"

"Orochimaru!"

"The path to immortality would be an eternal night!"

"Orochimaru!"

"Orochimaru!"

The earth-shaking echoes reverberated through the empty hall, leaving Orochimaru's head buzzing.

Several crows took flight in fright, flapping their wings as they fled.

Orochimaru spoke expressionlessly. "I'll teach you a sound-based ninjutsu. If you master it, you can definitely roar an entire crowd to death."

"Oh?"

"Really?"

"You actually possess such a heaven-defying technique?"

Fei Yun looked interested as the two left the place one after the other.

Following behind Orochimaru, Fei Yun looked around and asked in confusion, "Aren't we heading back to Shadow Village?"

"This isn't the direction to Shadow Village."

Orochimaru chuckled. "Don't rush. Our mission this time is to capture enough living subjects. We haven't finished capturing experimental subjects yet."

Before long, Fei Yun followed Orochimaru to a mountain occupied by bandits.

Both were experts, possessing astonishing speed and reflexes. They entered the heart of the bandits' stronghold without being discovered.

Halfway up the mountain, a fortress built from rough timber and rocks sat crookedly against the cliffside. The lanterns hanging above its gate used rotting flesh to attract flies. From afar, it looked like a venomous beast grinning viciously in the darkness.

This was not the human world. It was a den of wolves and jackals.

Human skin hung around the gate. Two stripped pine trunks supported the entrance, while several dried corpses dangled from the crossbeam—merchants, civilians, and the last one, a child under ten years old.

The crowns of every corpse had been split open and stuffed with burning pine branches, serving as eternal lamps to illuminate the path into the stronghold.

The bandits guarding the gate were using daggers to slice off the ears of newly captured people, tossing the pieces of flesh to several vicious dogs tied at their feet.

Those beasts had mouths full of shattered bones, yet they still wagged their tails and begged for their masters' favor.

Passersby who had been captured were imprisoned in iron cages. Crooked tally marks drawn in blood on the stone walls recorded how many days the goods had survived.

More than a dozen barely clothed captives were locked inside the cages. Their ankle tendons had been cut to prevent escape. Several discarded bodies lay piled in the corner. One child's hand was still twitching, yet it was used as a stepping stone and trampled beneath people's feet.

Fei Yun took in everything before him, and disgust rose in his heart.

He had killed countless people as well, but all of them had been enemies. In his view, they had deserved death.

But faced with perverts who took pleasure in torturing and killing strangers, Fei Yun felt sick from the bottom of his heart.

"Let's do it. My blade is already thirsty."

Fei Yun looked at Orochimaru beside him and said so.

Orochimaru shook his head.

"No, Fei Yun. Just hold the line and make sure no one escapes."

Orochimaru no longer wanted this brat to make a move. Otherwise, he would kill all of Orochimaru's precious experimental subjects again, and wouldn't all his efforts be for nothing?

After receiving a Chakra signal from his subordinates, Orochimaru knew his personnel were in position and decisively made his move.

A large number of pythons were summoned, flooding toward the entire bandit stronghold.

"What is that?"

"Ahh! Snakes!"

In an instant, the entire stronghold descended into chaos. Screams, wails, and the sounds of fighting intertwined, echoing across the mountain.

Fei Yun flashed behind a bandit who was about to raise his blade against a young girl. The katana in his hand swung out wrapped in Chakra, cutting the bandit in half at the waist. Flesh and blood scattered everywhere, splashing over the curled-up girl. She trembled in terror, lacking even the strength or courage to scream.

Holding his katana, Fei Yun said softly, "Don't be afraid. You've been saved."

The girl merely stared blankly at the tall, handsome youth before her, her body still trembling. No matter what, her fear could not be dispelled.