"Long time no see, Aunt Snake."
In the narrow corridor, three figures swayed in the torchlight, their shadows stretching longer and longer as they went deeper...
In the end, Naruto spoke first. The reason was simple: the environment here was just too similar to those horror movies he had seen before. The lighting, smells, temperature, and everything else were extremely similar.
"Um, Aunt Snake, shall we stop watching for now?"
This is understandable Orochimaru. After Naruto greeted Naruto, Orochimaru, for some reason, insisted on showing Naruto around his base.
Although Naruto initially found it interesting, the surrounding environment was simply too eerie. All sorts of bottles and jars filled every room, and combined with the dark atmosphere, and even the occasional strange cries, it gave Naruto goosebumps.
"Oh? Naruto-kun, are you hungry?"
Orochimaru was somewhat surprised by Naruto's reaction. What was wrong? He was watching it just now, but suddenly he didn't want to watch anymore. So he guessed that Naruto might be hungry, after all, it had taken him quite a while to get here from Konoha.
As for why Naruto left Konoha to come find him, Orochimaru didn't ask. He simply respected Naruto's choice. Besides, the Shinobi World was so vast that he couldn't control who came and went.
Naruto's lips twitched. He was fucking hungry.
A moment later, Naruto was feasting on the food on the table, his mouth watering and the food smelling delicious.
"Ah, it smells so good."
Naruto said he enjoyed the meal, but who knew what kind of hardship he had been enduring these past few days, eating and sleeping outdoors every day without a single proper meal?
Seeing that Naruto had finished eating, Orochimaru began to ask him questions.
"Hehe, Naruto-kun, are you full?"
"Well, that's barely enough, about three-tenths full."
Kabuto Yakushi looked at the mountain of plates and bowls piled up in front of Naruto, his lips twitching. He didn't know what to say to Naruto for a moment. What was the difference between this guy and a pig?
As for Orochimaru, he just smiled and looked at Naruto. What's wrong with a child eating? He's growing, so what's wrong with him eating a little?
"So, Naruto-kun, how long do you plan to stay here?"
Naruto answered Orochimaru's question without hesitation.
"Of course, I'll wait until you get annoyed with me."
"Haha, Naruto-kun, you're joking. How could I possibly send you away?"
The banquet ended there. In the room, only Naruto and Orochimaru remained, while Kabuto Yakushi stood outside the door, eavesdropping on their conversation.
" Naruto-kun, is this really feasible? After taking your advice, I came back and started building the machine, but I'm still clueless. I haven't found the perfect container yet."
Naruto was taken aback by Orochimaru's question. "That's right," he said, " Orochimaru's soul is now tainted by the numerous times he's undergone the Living Corpse Reincarnation. So we need to repair Orochimaru's soul first."
"Hmmm, Aunt Snake, I think the most important thing right now is to purify your soul."
"Oh? Naruto-kun, what do you mean by that?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, looking at Naruto with some curiosity. Naruto's current body would reach its limit in about six months, at which point he would need to prepare a new body again. Currently, there was no progress in cloning technology, so he was genuinely anxious.
" Aunt Snake, I can see now that your soul is clouded, like you're sick."
"Are you sick? Naruto-kun, can you see my soul?"
"Yes, I can see it."
As Naruto spoke, the pupils in his eyes changed once again, this time turning into purple pupils with several rings.
When Orochimaru saw Naruto's eyes, he was completely shocked. You see, he knew what those eyes were all about. He had been a member of the Akatsuki and had naturally seen the eyes of their leader, Pain, those eyes known as the Sage's Eyes— the Rinnegan.
But why would Naruto use it? Doesn't he only have the Sharingan and Byakugan?
Seeing Orochimaru's shocked expression, Naruto couldn't help but chuckle.
"Alright, Aunt Snake, now's not the time to worry about your eyes. Now can you trust that I can see your soul?"
Orochimaru nodded. He believed him, of course he believed him. Naruto had managed to get those eyes out of him, so his plan must be feasible. He knew the power of those eyes. But he was certain that those eyes didn't belong to the Akatsuki leader, since Naruto hadn't even seen Pain yet.
Then there's only one possibility: Naruto's eyes were also copied using his Kekkei Genkai. Thinking this, Orochimaru's eyes gleamed. That's immortality! Who wouldn't be tempted?
That's right, this is Naruto's newly acquired ninja ability, [ Pain ( Human Path )], which grants Naruto the ability to see other people's souls. However, Naruto doesn't currently know how to purify Orochimaru's soul.
He could see Orochimaru's tainted soul. As for how to purify it? Did he have to drag him out and wash him?
"Then, Naruto-kun, do you have a solution?"
Naruto pondered for a moment before speaking:
"Yes, there are, but they're not perfect. Currently, there are only two methods. One is to find a large amount of Natural Energy to cleanse your impure soul. But as you know, natural energy is violent, and absorbing it rashly could be dangerous. Therefore, you need to learn Sage Mode so that you can better absorb Natural Chakra and slowly nourish your soul."
"As for the second one? You might have to wait a while. I can't use too much of the Rinnegan's power right now. After some time, I'll pull your soul out, throw it into King of Hell's mouth to chew it up, and see if I can repair it."
Actually, Orochimaru was somewhat tempted when he heard Naruto's first suggestion, but he wasn't cut out for Senjutsu Mode. After seeing Jiraiya's Sage Mode, he tried to find the Sage Mode in Ryūchi Cave, but unfortunately, he couldn't get in at all.
But after hearing Naruto's second plan, even Orochimaru looked at Naruto with some doubt. He seriously doubted that Naruto was talking nonsense. What the hell is this? Throwing your soul into the mouth of the King of Hell and chewing it up? Is your soul just candy?
But looking at Naruto's determined eyes, it didn't seem like he was just talking nonsense; he genuinely had such thoughts, which was truly embarrassing.
Orochimaru calmly wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Well then, Naruto-kun, let's try out the Senjutsu you mentioned first."
Although he said that, Orochimaru really didn't have much hope; it wasn't like he hadn't tried before...
But Naruto seemed to sense Orochimaru's concerns and quickly comforted him:
"It's alright, Aunt Snake. As long as the theory is feasible, let's get started. Who knows, we might just succeed!"
Orochimaru:...