Hearing Arata's words, Orochimaru's eyes immediately lit up with excitement.
He'd come here precisely for Arata's secret, and if Arata was willing to cooperate this readily, it would save him a great deal of effort.
Even though Arata had previously promised that, so long as Orochimaru submitted, he would teach him all of his jutsu… promises were one thing, action another. Arata never came looking for him afterward.
Which was why Orochimaru was so impatient—barely a day had passed before he came knocking.
Sticking out his long tongue again, Orochimaru spoke with interest:
"Then come with me. We'll head to my laboratory first…"
Hearing that, Jiraiya immediately understood that something was going on between Arata and Orochimaru—some secret he wasn't privy to.
Given Orochimaru's obsessive experiments, Jiraiya guessed it probably had something to do with Arata's sudden "bloodline" awakening.
But he wasn't particularly interested in the details. With a shrug, he said lazily:
"Looks like tonight's scenery will be mine alone to enjoy…"
After parting with Jiraiya, Orochimaru led Arata beyond the village and toward the Forest of Death.
This was the same training ground where the Chūnin Exams would eventually be held. In this era, the environment was even harsher—dangerous enough that even now and then a giant serpent with summoning-level intelligence slithered through the shadows.
Most of these snakes were over ten meters long; even a jōnin would find them troublesome.
Fortunately, both Arata and Orochimaru were at least at elite-jōnin level, so no beast here posed real trouble.
Arata hadn't expected Orochimaru's early laboratory to be built in such a godforsaken place.
Still, the area was deserted and crawling with serpents—perfect for Orochimaru to harvest materials for his snake-related research.
When they reached a riverbank, Orochimaru pressed lightly against the trunk of a nearby tree. A passageway leading underground revealed itself. Apparently, his laboratory was hidden below.
Inside, the lighting was dim. Orochimaru's status at this point was still limited, so he lacked resources. His lab wasn't large—one glance was enough to see all of it.
The air was thick with the stench of chemicals… and faintly, rotting flesh—enough to make Arata grimace.
"You stay in this kind of place every day? Your brain's going to rot sooner or later…"
Orochimaru didn't even argue for once. Instead he murmured:
"For the sake of my life's pursuit, any sacrifice is acceptable."
From his tone, even going insane was a price he was willing to pay. Only someone this unhinged could later develop jutsu like Living Corpse Reincarnation and the improved Impure World Reincarnation.
Arata didn't bother trying to persuade him. Orochimaru being this obsessive was actually useful—if he lost his scientific talent, he would lose his only real value.
"Actually," Arata began, "my ability isn't ninjutsu, and it isn't a bloodline limit either. It's… something far more unique."
Hearing Arata shift to the real topic, Orochimaru perked up instantly.
"Oh? Not a kekkei genkai either?"
Arata didn't answer. Instead, he raised his right hand—and in the next moment, it completely turned into lightning.
Unlike the Lightning Armour used by the Raikage, Arata's entire body transformed. This wasn't a layer of lightning coating his skin—his flesh had truly become lightning itself.
Arata then picked up a sword and casually sliced at his own lightning-formed hand. It left no wound—only trails of shimmering arcs that reformed instantly.
Orochimaru stared, entranced. As a scientific genius, he could see immediately: Arata had transformed his body into pure natural energy. It was like fusing completely with nature at a deeper level.
"Incredible… what a mesmerizing power…"
Arata felt his skin crawl. Being stared at like that by another man made his scalp tingle—and his lower backside clench involuntarily.
Then he flicked his wrist, coating the sword with a dark, ominous sheen.
Armament Haki.
Orochimaru leaned in even closer, eyes burning with curiosity as he tried to decipher the nature of the black substance.
Suddenly, Arata moved. With one clean slice, he cut off a small chunk of his own transformed arm—this time drawing real blood, bypassing his elemental form entirely.
Orochimaru froze.
"This black substance…? It harmed your energy-form? It can strike at the true body even when you're intangible!?"
Arata glanced at the piece of flesh on the floor and said:
"That's your research material. Let's see what you can figure out."
Understanding dawned on Orochimaru.
"Excellent… with this sample, my research will surely advance another step!"
He carefully picked up the chunk of flesh as though it were a priceless treasure, immediately sealing it away.
Then he turned his back to Arata and began preparing his equipment—completely ignoring Arata's presence.
Seeing Orochimaru so absorbed, Arata shook his head.
He truly wasn't afraid of Orochimaru studying him; in fact, he wanted Orochimaru to figure something out. The more Orochimaru understood about Arata's thunder-fruit ability, the sooner Arata might reach its awakening.
And even if Orochimaru did uncover something dangerous?
Arata couldn't care less.
Their power gap would only widen—Arata would reach super-Kage level, even Sage of Six Paths level. Orochimaru's lifelong ceiling was peak Kage. No amount of schemes could bridge that gulf.
And honestly, Arata suspected Orochimaru could never fully decipher the laws governing something as alien as a Devil Fruit ability.
After Arata left, Orochimaru murmured softly:
"He didn't even set any conditions… truly a fascinating man…"
...
Returning from Orochimaru's lab, Arata immediately began gathering supplies. It was time to enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
His recent training had hit a wall. Without the chamber, he might remain stuck at this bottleneck for a while.
But the chamber's environment was harsh. He needed food, water, and ideally some basic medical ninjutsu so he could treat himself during his year of isolated training.
For this once-in-a-lifetime chance, Arata prepared with absolute care.