From the genie's constant talking, Orochimaru already knew that orcas are intelligent creatures, but seeing such social behavior up close still made him a bit surprised.
Of course, just a little bit.
The ninja world, besides ninjas, is also a world of extraordinary creatures. Even talking toads and white snakes that train their young exist.
Orca teamwork isn't that special. It just shows they have good potential as summoning beasts.
But Orochimaru watched the orcas drive their prey forward, a flash of gold in his eyes.
"Is this a coincidence?"
The direction they were heading was directly towards that ground node.
Based on past experience, places with rich natural energy are also areas with abundant resources. It's not surprising that such places are home to a group of top marine predators.
But the problem is, if his guess is right, the food there should be enough to sustain this group. Why would they come all the way here?
Even if they came here to hunt, why would they try to transport food back home?
"Wee wee wee..."
A few baby orcas bumped his belly, making clear, drawn-out calls, as if urging him to do something.
"Oh well, I'll follow and see."
Orochimaru became interested, swayed his snake tail, and followed them.
The baby orcas seemed happy too, cheerfully circling around Orochimaru as they moved forward.
...
The earth pulse energy node was only thirty or forty miles from the previous location.
This distance isn't far, not for the orcas, Orochimaru, or the prey they were targeting.
Even a quick burst of speed could take them to the finish line.
But during the journey, Orochimaru saw the orcas' teamwork again.
They surrounded the sperm whale, creating injuries by tearing at its flesh to slow it down, but carefully controlling the force so it wouldn't be seriously injured and die on the way. It seemed like they had done this many times before, they were so skilled.
The sperm whale was tormented beyond recognition. Finally, at some point, it lost control of its body and fell forward like a rock thrown to its highest point.
"Wee wee wee..."
The orca pod made clear, drawn-out calls. They gathered together against the sperm whale's body from all sides, as if influencing its falling direction.
"What are they doing?"
Orochimaru looked puzzled, watching this scene in surprise.
But since they had no way to communicate, he could only follow, swimming along with the prey as it fell.
The seawater was deep and dark. The deeper down, the less light there was.
But this seabed near the earth pulse was different. Some nameless minerals formed a continuous stretch, faintly emitting a deep-blue light.
Strange schools of fish appeared, quickly fleeing the orca pod, fearing the top predators.
The orcas ignored them, stubbornly escorting their prey. Soon, a pit hundreds of feet wide appeared before Orochimaru.
"Wee wee wee..."
The orca pod seemed to confirm that the sperm whale would fall right into the pit, then began to tear at the prey's flesh with their sharp teeth.
They ate quickly, filling their stomachs while the sperm whale was falling, but it was still a tiny amount compared to its thirty or forty-ton body.
Clearly, the orca pod was not just hunting for themselves. They were mainly feeding the giant pit.
Orochimaru turned to the genie and asked, "What's down there?"
The genie tilted his head, his face looking odd. "You should go down and see for yourself."
"Alright."
Orochimaru nodded slightly, swayed his snake tail, and shot towards the underwater pit like a sharp sword.
A few orcas swam over, seeming to want to stop him, but he pushed them away with a few slaps.
As he got closer, Orochimaru realized that 'underwater canyon' was a more accurate description than 'pit.'
And in the depths of the canyon, a water tornado was churning the seawater like a perpetual motion machine. The water flowed at high speed, with waves constantly crashing against all sides.
The suction was so strong that even the sperm whale's weight was easily caught, drawing it deeper into the ground.
Orochimaru stood on the edge, using his ninja skills to stay steady. He looked at the genie in surprise. "Go down further?"
Compared to the power of nature, 'Konoha's Three Ninjas' were nothing. Orochimaru didn't feel confident that he could go down and stay safe.
But the genie was full of confidence. "Just rush in, it'll be fine. I guarantee you won't have any problems."
Seeing that the genie was determined to be mysterious, Orochimaru didn't bother arguing and dived in.
In the next instant, the water tornado unleashed a powerful suction. He immediately lost control of his body and began to spin wildly.
...
After an unknown amount of time, Orochimaru woke up from a semi-conscious state and took a deep breath.
The cold air entered his lungs, shocking Orochimaru's nerves and clearing his mind. He suddenly realized that something was wrong.
This was deep inside an underwater canyon. Where did the air come from?
In an instant, Orochimaru woke up completely. His golden eyes narrowed slightly as he began to look around.
This was a naturally formed cave. The cave was filled with glowing light, with strange rocks hanging down everywhere. The ceiling was about one hundred and fifty meters high, so it wasn't cramped even with Orochimaru's current size.
"This is... huh?"
Orochimaru moved slightly but felt his foot slip. He looked down and found that he was lying on top of the sperm whale.
The genie poked his head out and laughed. "Ask questions later. Something's coming."
As soon as the genie finished speaking, Orochimaru became vigilant and immediately entered Sage Mode.
And as his senses expanded outward, his face immediately darkened.
Huge Chakra reactions, immense Chakra reactions no less than those of tailed beasts, were approaching from all directions. And roughly counting, there were more than ten of them.
Had he entered some kind of monster nest? Was this what the genie meant by there being no danger at all?
In tense alertness, a giant monster soon revealed its shape.
After seeing the opponent's shape clearly by the light of the cave walls, Orochimaru was shocked. "Slug Sage?"
A gentle female voice sounded, also feeling surprised. "Oh, is that you, Orochimaru?"
Neither of them expected to see each other in this place.
"How did you become like this?"
The Slug Sage wiggled its body, extending two feelers forward, looking Orochimaru up and down. "And how did you find this place?"
"It's a long story."
Orochimaru's mind raced, instantly understanding the strange behavior of the orca pod. He licked his lips subconsciously.
"Slug Sage, I'm here to learn Sage Arts from you."
"You see, I've already prepared the sacrifice."
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