Meanwhile, the Root operative escorting Ye Feng had already passed through the village's bustling district and was drawing ever closer to its boundary.
If Orochimaru doesn't come soon, it'll be too late. I can't count entirely on others. If he still doesn't show up in a bit, I'll have to find a way to kill this guy, escape Konoha, and become a missing-nin.
Looking miserable, Ye Feng thought anxiously to himself, his gaze occasionally drifting over the Root ninja leading the way, seemingly searching for an opportunity to kill him with a single strike.
Seeing that time was running out, Ye Feng stopped waiting and was about to launch a sneak attack on the Root ninja when Orochimaru's beautiful... uh... hoarse voice rang out:
"I need to take this person with me."
"Lord Orochimaru, Lord Danzo specifically requested to see this person. I have a mission to carry out, so please don't make things difficult for me." The Root ninja stepped forward with a bow, blocking Uchiha Yefeng from view as he replied.
Orochimaru answered the Root ninja with a burst of overwhelming presence. "Either I take him, or... you die!"
The Root ninja was naturally no match for Orochimaru. He merely wondered why Orochimaru wanted the boy too. After considerable thought, he stepped aside and watched helplessly as Orochimaru took Uchiha Yefeng away, then quickly left to report to Shimura Danzō.
Ye Feng followed Orochimaru to his residence and watched him turn a mechanism on the artificial rock formation in the middle of the courtyard. The rock formation slid aside, revealing a passage leading underground. Dense arrays of technique formulas covered the area around the entrance. Although Ye Feng could not see them, he could still sense that they were far from simple.
Orochimaru entered the passage first. Without looking at Ye Feng, he walked ahead on his own. Ye Feng was not afraid either. Now that he was on Orochimaru's territory, his familiarity with the future and the unique nature of his immortal cultivation left him certain that Orochimaru would not do anything to him.
When they reached the bottom of the passage, the lights on the walls lit up automatically, allowing Ye Feng to see the place clearly. It was an enormous space, surrounded by all kinds of equipment and instruments, with an operating table up ahead. One glance at the setup told him it was high-end and expensive.
Orochimaru pulled over a chair and sat facing Ye Feng.
"You don't seem afraid of me at all," Orochimaru said first.
"I've admired you for a long time, Lord Orochimaru." Ye Feng pulled over another chair and sat down as though he were in his own home.
"You seem to know a great deal. At such a young age, you already know the difference between the Anbu and Root, and what happens to those who go to Root."
"I know far more than you imagine. Not only do I know what you want right now, I also know why you want it. It's because of Dan Katō's and Senju Nawaki's deaths, isn't it?"
Orochimaru's pupils instantly contracted at Ye Feng's words. Then a faint smile appeared on his face. "What else do you know?"
"I know that after their deaths, you grew detached from emotional bonds and lamented how fragile and brief life was. So you began researching 'immortality.' You should have already started cooperating with Shimura Danzō by now, researching the cells of the First, Hashirama Senju."
"Clap, clap, clap." Orochimaru applauded. "To think someone could understand me so well. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?" As he spoke, he suddenly lunged forward and seized Ye Feng by the throat.
"Don't scare me. I'm just a child. I know you won't kill me. I haven't sensed any killing intent from you. Don't think about reading my memories, either. I have my own means of making sure you gain nothing. Keeping me alive benefits you far more than killing me."
With his throat in Orochimaru's grip, Ye Feng remained calm. He had no choice but to remain calm, or Orochimaru would only treat him as a test subject. With just a little effort, Ye Feng broke free of Orochimaru's hand. Clearly, Orochimaru was hesitating too.
"Oh? Then what can you offer me?" Orochimaru did not know whether Ye Feng was telling the truth, but he felt it was best to believe him for now.
"I can show you a 'path to immortality.'" Orochimaru trembled slightly but said nothing, waiting for Ye Feng to continue.
"You should have already researched Dan Katō's Spirit Transformation Technique and the Second's Impure World Reincarnation, right? I know the direction of your research: use the Spirit Transformation Technique as a foundation to remove your soul completely, then possess someone else's body based on the way a soul occupies a body in Impure World Reincarnation."
"You even know about the Second's Impure World Reincarnation. You really are no ordinary boy. That is indeed the approach I'm taking in my research into immortality. So what can you offer me?"
"What I can tell you is that this method can indeed extend your life for a time. But when you possess another person's body as a soul, their body also erodes your soul. Each reincarnation will cause greater rejection from the flesh, and the body's lifespan will grow shorter and shorter. Your soul will also become increasingly impure and weak, until your mind begins to fall into confusion and you become a walking corpse, living on instinct before finally dying."
Orochimaru visibly froze for a moment after hearing Ye Feng's words, then sank into thought. As a scientist, he naturally began working through the possible subsequent developments in his mind. Then surprise appeared on his face, for he had clearly deduced that this situation could indeed occur. He wondered in astonishment how someone as young as Ye Feng could know something so complex.
"Then how can it be resolved?" Orochimaru was now like a cat that had spotted a fish, his heart itching as though scratched by a cat's claws as he pressed impatiently for an answer.
"Would the solution be worth sparing my life?"
"Yes," Orochimaru answered without hesitation.
"You've been to Ryūchi Cave, Lord Orochimaru, but you probably didn't manage to learn senjutsu, did you? When learning senjutsu, your body suffers erosion from natural energy. In fact, all the natural energy in Ryūchi Cave contains the White Snake Sage's consciousness, which erodes a person's soul. You could use pure natural energy as a foundation to develop a Cursed Seal mixed with your own soul. Each time a vessel implanted with the Cursed Seal releases it, your soul will erode them until they become compatible with your flesh." Ye Feng concealed nothing and told Orochimaru the method outright.
"You told me the method directly, Ye Feng. Aren't you afraid I'll go back on my word?"
"I have some understanding of how you operate, Lord Orochimaru. Besides, as I said, you can gain more by keeping me alive. With that settled, I'd actually like to make a deal with you as well."
"Oh? What would you like to trade with me?" Orochimaru asked.
"I need you to help me clone and grow a few bodies. I'll have a use for them in the future, and I'll bring you the cellular material. You'll also perfect Impure World Reincarnation in the future, and I need that perfected version. I also need someone to shield me in Konoha, someone whose protection means no one can easily lay a hand on me."
"Oh? Growing cloned bodies is a minor matter, and I can give you the perfected Impure World Reincarnation as well. I can publicly announce that you're my newly accepted disciple. Even Danzo won't be able to touch you without my permission. So what do I get?"
"I imagine you're very interested in Sage Mode. I have a way to condition your body so that you'll have the aptitude to train in Sage Mode, but not right now. Even if I said I could do it now, you wouldn't believe me. I need to wait a few years. Besides, your research into the Spirit Transformation Technique and Impure World Reincarnation will take at least several years. All right, I'm leaving." With that, he took two small sealed test tubes from the laboratory bench and walked toward the passage, regardless of whether Orochimaru agreed.
Orochimaru did not stop him. It was indeed as Ye Feng had said: Ye Feng's life was of little consequence to Orochimaru. What Orochimaru cared about more was the value Ye Feng could bring him.
Before you continue