"Orochimaru, I really hadn't expected you to appear here..." Uchiha Shunichi put away the ninja sword in his hand without any guard.
Seeing Uchiha Shunichi's actions, a trace of imperceptible disappointment flashed through Orochimaru's eyes. It vanished in an instant.
"Shunichi-kun, this is the first time I've met such an interesting child." A faint smile appeared on Orochimaru's face, making him look somewhat gloomy.
Perhaps because of his snake-based Ninjutsu, or perhaps because of his own nature, Orochimaru always looked sinister, though his tone remained very gentle.
"Come to think of it, I'm practically half your student. Since you're here, would you be interested in teaching me something else?" Uchiha Shunichi completely ignored Orochimaru as he leaned over the cage holding his experimental mice and stared inside.
Orochimaru watched Uchiha Shunichi with great interest, feeling that his previous judgment might not have been rigorous enough.
"Using mice as experimental subjects is quite an inventive idea, though their usefulness is rather limited," Orochimaru said slowly as he watched Uchiha Shunichi.
Hearing that, Uchiha Shunichi explained, "There was no helping it. Human experimentation is still far too distant for me."
At present, Uchiha Shunichi was not worried that Orochimaru coveted his body, nor did he care what Orochimaru might do to him.
After all, compared with his somewhat talented body, the secrets he knew were far more valuable.
Upon hearing Uchiha Shunichi's words, Orochimaru could not help licking his lips, and delighted fervor rose in his eyes.
Even someone like Orochimaru hoped for someone who could understand him. In the Shinobi World, friends were hard to come by.
Especially like-minded friends.
"I truly hadn't expected that a few most basic manuscripts could allow you to grow to this extent." Orochimaru sighed, then asked in all seriousness:
"However... Shunichi-kun, could you tell me what exactly you mean by true resurrection?"
As someone who aspired to immortality, Orochimaru was naturally filled with curiosity toward death and resurrection. Yet according to what he currently knew, once humans died... they disappeared completely.
"As thanks for those manuscripts from before, I can tell you this." Uchiha Shunichi hesitated briefly before speaking.
"Methods of resurrection can be divided into false resurrection, partial resurrection, and complete resurrection. There is only one method of complete resurrection: the Rinnegan! As the Sage's Eyes, they can summon human souls from the underworld and restore them to life."
"As for partial resurrection, I know of two methods. Both can only revive those who have died recently. If the deceased has completely entered the underworld, or if their body no longer exists, then it probably cannot succeed."
"The first is called One's Own Life Reincarnation. By sacrificing all of one's life force, it can revive someone who has not been dead for long. It is a Ninjutsu developed by Chiyo of the Sand Shinobi."
"The second is called Dragon Life Reincarnation. It is a Bloodline Limit."
"Both methods require one's own life force as payment. As for whether they can be used to control others, I don't know."
"Then there are the methods of false resurrection. There are many of those. For example, my clan's Izanagi, the Impure World Reincarnation developed by the Second Hokage, and your Living Corpse Reincarnation..."
Uchiha Shunichi introduced them without pause while Orochimaru listened attentively like an obedient student, growing ever more curious about him.
The person before him was merely a student who had graduated from the Ninja Academy not long ago. How had he learned so many secrets of the Shinobi World?
Orochimaru could not be completely certain whether Uchiha Shunichi's words were true, but there were some things he could verify.
As for those verifiable matters, there were likely fewer than five people in the entire Shinobi World who knew of them.
"Shunichi-kun, how did you learn all this?" Orochimaru finally asked the question.
"Very simply. My eyes can see many things. The Mangekyō Sharingan's abilities are extremely powerful!" Uchiha Shunichi directly attributed all the information to his eyes.
As he looked into Uchiha Shunichi's eyes, greed flashed through Orochimaru's gaze. His recent defeat at Uchiha Itachi's hands had left him desperately craving the Sharingan.
"Shunichi-kun, knowing so much, aren't you afraid that I'll act right now? I've coveted this body of yours for a long time." Greed flashed in Orochimaru's eyes, as though he would strike the next moment.
"Then do it!" A smile appeared on Uchiha Shunichi's face. He spread his arms as if to embrace Orochimaru, completely unconcerned by the threat.
"Hehehe, you're becoming more and more interesting. Shunichi-kun, I truly look forward to your growth. How about leaving this rotten Konoha with me?"
Orochimaru laughed sinisterly, suddenly extending his neck as his fangs viciously sank into Uchiha Shunichi's neck.
Sinister, violent chakra surged into Uchiha Shunichi's body, forming a special pattern.
"Just an ordinary Cursed Seal? I thought it would be the Cursed Seal of Heaven." Uchiha Shunichi raised a hand to touch his neck and spoke slowly.
"Against someone like you, Shunichi-kun, I wouldn't dare use that sort of thing." Orochimaru smiled sinisterly and continued, "Consider this power a gift from me to you."
"Thank you, Lord Orochimaru. Of course, if you could continue guiding my research, I would be very grateful." Uchiha Shunichi casually placed a seal on his neck, then spoke to Orochimaru as though nothing had happened.
Orochimaru found Uchiha Shunichi's attitude quite interesting, but rather than attempting to recruit him again, he refused. "What a pity. I've come to Konoha because I have many things to do."
"In that case, I won't see you out." Seeing that he could gain no further benefits from Orochimaru, Uchiha Shunichi immediately showed him the door.
"We will meet again. I hope Shunichi-kun will change his mind by then." Orochimaru did not linger. He transformed into a wisp of green smoke and vanished from Uchiha Shunichi's laboratory.
After witnessing Orochimaru's departure, Uchiha Shunichi first inspected the items in the laboratory, then quickly activated the sensory array set up within it.
Only after doing all that did Uchiha Shunichi take out his testing equipment and begin examining the Cursed Seal within his body.
Before you continue