A cool breeze rustled through the large trees on the back mountain of Senju.
Senju Kenya was slumped in the rocking chair, shirtless, his floral shorts swaying in the wind.
He was holding a small bowl of freshly roasted salt and pepper melon seeds, which he was cracking open with a loud cracking sound.
"Boss, this is a secret message we just intercepted on the outskirts of the woods."
Kato Yosuke strode forward, his white-gloved hands respectfully handing over the letter, which carried a faint smell of snake.
"The messenger was a pure white snake, and the envelope was made of soft, resilient white snakeskin, a specialty of the Land of Water."
"The wax seal on it... is Orochimaru's exclusive Cursed Seal from the Otogakure."
Upon hearing the name " Orochimaru ".
Sasuke and Naruto, who were frantically doing weighted squats not far away, suddenly stopped.
Sasuke, in particular, unconsciously let a cold glint appear in his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Oh? That long worm that I beat to a pulp in the mud until it was dehydrated?"
Kenya raised an eyebrow and spat out the sunflower seed shells from his mouth.
He extended a finger and casually traced a line across the tough white snakeskin.
"Sizzle!"
The specially made snakeskin envelope, which even a steel Kunai hardly cut through, was as fragile as paper under his fingertips and tore open with a snap.
Kenya unfolded the roll of black parchment soaked in a special potion and glanced at it casually.
However.
When you see the first salutation at the top of the letter.
The white jade pipe that Kenya was holding in his mouth almost slipped and hit the back of his foot.
At the very center of the long scroll, stained with cold ink, stood an extremely neat and even somewhat obsequious aristocratic honorific:
[To the esteemed and supreme Iron Fist Emperor of Konoha's Iron Fist, Senju Kenya Kenya--]
"Puff--!"
Kenya exhaled a puff of white smoke directly onto the letter, then couldn't help but slap his thigh and burst into laughter:
"Hahaha! This old mudfish is something else!"
"Just a few days ago, he was shouting on the Konoha building that he wanted Konoha to end."
"After getting a slap across the face and a grilled snake meal, why is he suddenly talking like a court eunuch, all polite and well-mannered?!"
Standing to the side, Yosuke pushed up his glasses and couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.
Kenya continued reading.
The letter, exceeding a thousand words, was so sincere and humble that it completely overturned people's understanding of the "Legendary Sannin."
In the first half of the letter, Orochimaru conducted a very detailed and profound self-reflection and self-examination.
Orochimaru sincerely stated in the letter:
The previous offenses and provocations near the Land of Waves and during the Chunin Ninja Exams Konoha were all "a huge misunderstanding stemming from a difference in academic understanding."
He realized with a deep understanding that the "reincarnation vessel" and "soft body secret technique" he had pursued for the past few decades were no match for the Senju the Great's all-powerful, physical divine might that allowed him to achieve Kamui.
It's nothing more than the antics of a frog in a well, a pathetic buffoon.
He wrote in the letter:
[Your physical body has completely shattered the norms and Chakra rules of the Shinobi World for thousands of years, displaying an almost mythical, supreme power.]
As a scholar who has dedicated my life to the pursuit of truth and ultimate evolution, I hold in the purest reverence and awe for your power.
Therefore, I hereby swear by my entire being that I will never again harbor the slightest hostility towards the Senju Clan or Konoha.
After reading the whole thing, I can sum it up in two words—I'm impressed!
Moreover, it was a complete and utter physical submission, a submission so profound it made your bones tremble!
"That old sly fellow, his flattery skills are even smoother than his Multiple Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."
Kenya chuckled and cursed, his gaze falling on the latter half of the letter.
Orochimaru knew perfectly well that a few bland flattering words and admissions of weakness would never be enough to sway a domineering and ruthless tyrant of Taijutsu.
To save your life, or even to get on the good side of this powerful figure, you must offer some solid, hard-core assets!
In the latter half of the letter, Orochimaru formally unveiled his groundbreaking cooperation agreement:
[Your Iron Fist Heavy Industries has emerged out of nowhere. While it reigns supreme in the Shinobi World in physical building materials and conventional weaponry, it remains a blank slate in the fields of bioengineering and cutting-edge human science.]
[I, an old man, hereby offer all the scientific research achievements of my life as technical equity, and fully submit to the Senju the Great!]
Orochimaru listed his first batch of sincere offers:
Including full ownership of the three top-tier biological laboratories he secretly established in the Land of Grass Land of Rice Fields!
Including the First Hashirama Cells anti-rejection buffer formula that he spent twenty years perfecting!
And four complete embryonic swords and original forbidden techniques collected from all over the Shinobi World!
What truly caught Kenya's eye was the extremely eerie coded message at the end of the letter:
[Furthermore... During my covert investigation over the past two years, I secretly captured several extremely unusual and mysterious pale dolls.]
These nameless creatures, known as ' White Zetsu,' contain ultimate life code intimately connected to the God Tree, and are also entangled in a massive conspiracy behind the Akatsuki.
[I offer this as a gift, hoping only to gain the Emperor's protection and support for technological cooperation in the capacity of 'Chief Research Assistant'.]
Read the last word.
Kenya slowly closed the black letter, tapping it lightly in his palm like a brick.
Orochimaru... he actually offered to be my hired hand?
Kenya leaned back in his rocking chair, took a deep drag on his white jade pipe, and a deep, cold glint flashed in his eyes, a glint that combined the traits of a businessman and a tyrant.
To be fair, Orochimaru is indeed a dark, ruthless guy with extremely low moral standards.
But his Shinobi World, insanely scientific research mind is indeed an irreplaceable superpower.
Iron Fist Heavy Industries now has money, manpower, and Black Iron Wood.
However, if we could recruit Orochimaru, the number one research fanatic in the Shinobi World, and completely reorganize his underground laboratory, it would be possible.
It would be an absolute game-changer in the future against the Akatsuki, Madara Uchiha, and even the Ōtsutsuki Clan!
"Boss, Orochimaru is fickle, treacherous, and cunning."
Kato Yosuke a reminder from the side:
"His overtures might be a trap, an attempt to lure you to his secret hideout."
"Trap?"
Kenya chuckled and suddenly sat up abruptly from the rocking chair!
The flip-flops made a dull thud as they stepped on the hard grass.
He casually tore the snakeskin letter into pieces, letting the scraps scatter in the wind, a wild and domineering grin spreading across his lips.
"In the face of absolute power, any trap is nothing but paper blocks!"
"If he just behaved himself and became a research laborer washing test tubes, I'd give him a job."
"If you dare to play any tricks on me..."
His Kenya clenched tightly, his knuckles emitting a violent roar like popping beans.
"I'll blast his lab and the land right here and now into molecular form!"
With Kenya strode out of the dense forest.
" Yosuke, keep an eye on the house!"
" Zabuza, grab your weapons! Come with me to the snake's den!"
Half a day later, at the entrance to a hidden underground cave deep in the dense forest on the border of the Land of Rice Fields.