Impure World Reincarnation

Fei Yun wore a thoughtful expression. Then, changing the subject, he suddenly asked Orochimaru, "You've already fought Uchiha Itachi, haven't you?"

"What did you think?"

Orochimaru's expression darkened. "He's very strong. Far stronger than me."

Fei Yun nodded. "Then who do you think is stronger, him or me?"

Orochimaru naturally knew Fei Yun intended to kill Itachi. Smiling, he said, "In terms of Mangekyo Sharingan alone, Itachi is stronger. But in overall strength... unless you first solve Yo's Mangekyo Sharingan, there's no point discussing anything else. After all, my overall strength is above Yo's, yet I'm no match for him at all."

But Fei Yun saw things differently. Stroking his chin, he said, "If my guess is right, you lost to Yo's genjutsu, didn't you?"

Orochimaru nodded. "Yo's genjutsu is probably the strongest in the entire Shinobi World. I'm not exaggerating. But killing me, Orochimaru, won't be so easy either."

"No." Fei Yun shook his head and smiled confidently. "So-called genjutsu is merely a contest of Spiritual Power. When a genjutsu user's Spiritual Power overwhelms yours, naturally they can defeat you with ease."

A so-called genjutsu prodigy was simply a Spiritual Power prodigy.

Orochimaru revealed a thoughtful expression as he carefully considered Fei Yun's words.

Fei Yun continued, "And your Spiritual Power, Orochimaru, is actually extremely powerful. If resistance to genjutsu has somehow become your weakness, then you must have divided your Spiritual Power."

At those words, Orochimaru's pupils suddenly contracted in utter shock.

This was Orochimaru's greatest secret, and the capital that allowed him to roam freely through the Shinobi World!

How did this brat know about something like that?

Orochimaru's gaze grew colder and colder. His long tongue unconsciously slipped out to lick his lips.

He had divided his Spiritual Power into eight portions and placed them within eight Cursed Seals. Some had already been planted in his subordinates' bodies, while others remained in his hands. The Spiritual Power he had split off was hidden within those Cursed Seals.

Normally, while the main body's primary consciousness remained alive, the divided Spiritual Power stayed dormant. If the main body died, the sleeping Spiritual Power would awaken and become a new primary consciousness.

This was the true secret behind Orochimaru daring to call himself immortal. He alone knew it.

Why did Fei Yun know?

Sensing Orochimaru's change in demeanor, Fei Yun smiled. "What's wrong?"

"Thinking of killing me to silence me?"

Orochimaru thought to himself, With this brat's current strength, I'm probably no match for him. I just hope he doesn't know that the Spiritual Power I divided is inside the Cursed Seals.

"Fei Yun, just how did you learn of something like this?"

Fei Yun continued smiling. "Not only do I know you divided your Spiritual Power, I also know that what you truly cultivate is the Eight Branches Technique, not Living Corpse Reincarnation. Living Corpse Reincarnation merely helps your Eight-Headed Serpent Body obtain vessels."

Orochimaru shot to his feet. His entire body went numb, and cold sweat covered his forehead.

"Fei Yun, you..." Orochimaru was so frightened that he did not know what to say. He had never felt such terror before.

Ever since Orochimaru obtained the forbidden scroll of the Eight Branches Technique, no one had known about it.

Orochimaru was confident that even if someone had seen that forbidden scroll, they could not possibly decipher it.

In truth, all of Orochimaru's research and forbidden techniques served the Eight-Branch Technique. This was his greatest secret.

For example, the Sage Body Curse Mark existed to store the Spiritual Power split off from the Eight-Branch Technique's main body.

And Living Corpse Reincarnation existed to acquire vessels for the main body's white serpent.

The Eight-Branch Technique was his path to eternal immortality. Once he achieved immortality, he would have endless time to decipher and obtain the entire world. Orochimaru would ultimately become the supreme being who deciphered everything and obtained everything.

As for temporary victories or defeats, so-called fame, gain, right, and wrong, none of it mattered to Orochimaru.

Enemy, if you defeat me, then you defeat me. So what? When I dance on your grave someday, Orochimaru might even dance on your grandson's grave!

The Sharingan and Rinnegan were indeed tempting!

But it did not matter. After endless years, he would eventually decipher the Sage of Six Paths' data. In the end, would everything not still belong to him?

Thus, for his eternal ambition, Orochimaru had never slackened. He diligently conducted endless research. No matter how strong you were, you would eventually die. Nothing held meaning. Only eternity had meaning. Only Orochimaru was the sole lifeform with meaning.

But now, Orochimaru was completely panicked. Someone capable of cutting off his path to eternity had appeared. Since Fei Yun knew all this, he could destroy all this. He would not even need to act personally; he only needed to reveal this intelligence.

Orochimaru was finished.

Orochimaru stared fixedly at Fei Yun, his entire body trembling as cold sweat streamed down his face.

Fei Yun glanced at Orochimaru, who looked like he wanted to swallow him whole, and chuckled. "Orochimaru, no need to be so tense. We're companions, aren't we?"

Orochimaru forcibly suppressed the unease in his heart and helplessly sat back down.

There was nothing he could do to this brat now anyway. Hopefully, they truly could continue getting along peacefully.

"Fei Yun, could you tell me how you learned of this?"

Fei Yun took a sip of tea and said, "Sixtieth-rank Spiritual Power."

"Sixtieth-rank Spiritual Power?"

Fei Yun nodded. "You know of the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, right?"

Orochimaru thought of Jiraiya. "I've heard a little about it. Apparently, the Great Toad Sage often dreams of future events. Jiraiya spent most of his life because of one dream."

"What a ridiculous joke."

"No, it isn't ridiculous at all."

Orochimaru's expression shifted.

"You mean...?"

Without hurry, Fei Yun continued, "For beings whose Spiritual Power has reached our level, it is possible to slightly deduce glimpses of the past and future."

Seeing Orochimaru thoroughly intimidated, Fei Yun secretly laughed.

Of course, he could not deduce the secrets of heaven. He was merely fooling Orochimaru so that his knowledge of Orochimaru's secrets would not seem too abrupt.

Fei Yun pinched his thumb against his other fingers, putting on the appearance of a mystical fortune-teller.

"Based on the glimpses I saw, combined with a few clues, it wasn't difficult to infer the causes and effects of certain matters."

Orochimaru was completely fooled and looked like an eager student.

He asked slowly, "Then what clues were those?"

Still asking? Sure enough, once one lie was told, countless lies had to be used to cover up the first one!

Fei Yun remained composed. He slowly lifted his teacup and drank the last sip, while frantically searching his mind for more nonsense to fool Orochimaru with.

Seeing this, Orochimaru picked up the teapot and personally refilled Fei Yun's cup.

Fei Yun nodded in satisfaction, then said, "For example, the Kusanagi Sword you possess. That is a divine artifact from ancient myths and legends, said to have been found within the body of the Eight-Headed Serpent."

"And Living Corpse Reincarnation, that forbidden technique—why has no one succeeded in cultivating it for centuries?"

"Because without transforming into the Eight-Headed Serpent Body, one cannot transfer oneself, right?"

Fei Yun had not expected such nonsense to make Orochimaru reveal an expression of sudden realization. Keeping his face impassive, he quickly changed the topic. "Let's return to Yo's genjutsu."

"I think Yo's genjutsu is powerful, but not enough to defeat me. The reason he defeated you was simply because you possess only one-eighth of your Spiritual Power."

Orochimaru seemed to awaken from a dream and spoke softly.

"I have always called what you refer to as Spiritual Power an incorporeal entity. Hearing you explain it this way, genjutsu really does seem to be a clash of Spiritual Power."

Fei Yun smiled like a teacher pleased with a teachable student. "A genjutsu master is really a Spiritual Power master. With Spiritual Power like mine—"

Facing Yo, his sharpness would surely be extinguished. Orochimaru's snake-like eyes narrowed slightly.

"In that case, against Yo, you should have a fifty percent chance of winning."

Fei Yun felt annoyed. Why did Orochimaru still think he could not beat him?

Orochimaru held up three fingers.

"First, the intelligence gap. No one yet knows what Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan ability will be, while your abilities have already been exposed. Second, Yo's combat experience and combat intelligence surpass yours. Third, behind Yo stand Konoha and Akatsuki, and in terms of potential, he is younger than you."

Fei Yun rolled his eyes.

"You might as well ask me to admit defeat myself."

Orochimaru spoke softly.

"Take it slowly. Don't rush. As long as we can live forever, in ten thousand years, won't we be able to piss on anyone's grave?"

Fei Yun glared at him. "What are you talking about? Ten thousand years is far too long. Seize every moment."

After saying that, Fei Yun stopped speaking and carefully considered how to kill Yo or those old bastards in Konoha.

Making them suffer mentally was not enough. He had to find a way to make them experience the pain of death.

Seeing Fei Yun fall silent, Orochimaru cautiously spoke. "Fei Yun, um, about that... that matter?"

Fei Yun was immersed in thought and replied impatiently, "Which matter?"

"The matter of my Eight Branches Technique. You absolutely must not let anyone else learn of it!"

"I'm begging you, Fei Yun. If heaven had not given birth to you, my immortality would—"

Fei Yun quickly interrupted his chant.

"Alright, alright, I get it. I get it."

Six months later, nearly three years had passed since the Clan Massacre Night.

That day, Orochimaru once again came to find Fei Yun, who was training.

A skeletal giant hand composed of golden chakra blocked the rain-like barrage of shuriken. Countless shuriken struck the skeletal hand, producing nothing but showers of sparks.

His battle with Jiraiya more than half a year ago had made Fei Yun fully realize that Wood Release and the Mangekyo Sharingan alone were not enough to crush all of Konoha.

Susanoo.

Fei Yun stared at his right hand, recalling the records from the Uchiha Clan's ancient texts. The Uchiha Clan's supreme power used chakra as fuel and pupil power as flame.

The gear-shaped Mangekyo Sharingan suddenly spun. Golden chakra erupted from his body like magma, condensing around Fei Yun into a colossal form.

The giant hand's knobby fingers dug into the rock wall, effortlessly grinding the hard stone into powder.

Fei Yun gazed at the waterfall a hundred meters away. The giant hand casually swung out, tearing the air into a vacuum passage. The waterfall was actually sliced horizontally apart by the palm wind for three seconds.

Within the water mist appeared a rock wall blasted into a deep hollow, with cracks spreading like a spiderweb throughout the entire valley.

Fei Yun muttered to himself.

"Still not enough?"

Orochimaru entered the valley, his eyes filled with amazement.

"Amazing, Fei Yun!"

The golden chakra slowly dissipated, and Fei Yun withdrew his Susanoo.

"Orochimaru, why do you always enjoy spying on others while they train?"

"You've stolen all my intelligence."

Orochimaru smiled faintly.

"Haha." Fei Yun stretched lazily. "What did you come to see me for?"

"The third Hashirama Cells transplant surgery is ready."

Orochimaru crossed his arms.

"No. Your body has already reached saturation. Continuing would have little meaning. The Hashirama Cells within your body will automatically cultivate themselves, growing stronger and stronger, and gradually approaching Hashirama Senju's original power."

Fei Yun unfurled a scroll and examined it.

"Then why did you come looking for me?"

"Don't tell me you want me to help you raid some bandit den and capture experimental subjects again?"

Orochimaru revealed a mysterious smile.

"Fei Yun, I'll take you to see something good."

"What kind of good thing?"

"Can it make me stronger?"

The two returned to Shadow Village and headed toward the underground base within the village.