Jiongu… truly amazing!
Orochimaru held the analysis data, looking at the vascular tentacles in the culture tank.
That Kakuzu guy had completely transcended the realm of humans, but the vitality required for him to live was entirely provided by the five stolen hearts. He himself no longer possessed any Chakra nature transformation; the source of his Chakra nature transformation and the Chakra for performing Ninjutsu also came from those five hearts.
This also granted Kakuzu a Chakra reserve far exceeding others; in terms of Chakra quantity, he might even be able to compete with members of the Uzumaki Clan.
If Zero-Tails Cells were added to Jiongu… allowing the lifeless Jiongu to possess vitality, would that mean that to eliminate Kakuzu, he would need to be completely annihilated to kill him?
And his immortality would no longer depend on his hearts, but on replenishing his vitality.
Bang—!
Orochimaru vanished in a puff of smoke.
Shadow Clone?
Hyuga Mio was slightly stunned, instinctively assuming it was Orochimaru's Shadow Clone that had disappeared, then realizing that the disappearing Orochimaru was not a Shadow Clone, but her main body!
No, that's not right, was it a Reverse Summoning?
Hyuga Mio recalled that not long ago, Orochimaru had summoned a snake to deliver a message to the Three Snake Princesses of Ryūchi Cave.
Ryūchi Cave
???
Orochimaru looked around at the familiar surroundings, full of question marks, and only then realized she had been Reverse Summoned to Ryūchi Cave.
"Orochimaru, long time no see~!"
Ichikishimahime draped her arm around Orochimaru's shoulder, her whole body seemingly hanging on her, though in reality, she was floating in the air.
"Orochimaru, what do you need our help with?"
Tagorihime smiled gently, very curious about what Orochimaru would need help with from all three of them, rather than just one.
"To need help from all three of us, it must be something very important… right?"
Tagitsuhime saw the documents in Orochimaru's hand, and her previously confident words became less certain, turning into a question.
"It's like this…"
Orochimaru briefly explained that she wanted to use Inorganic Reincarnation to transform a mountain several thousand meters high.
"This isn't just simply using Inorganic Reincarnation to change the landscape; it's altering a mountain large enough to affect the environment of an entire region. The amount of Sage Chakra consumed would also be incredibly exaggerated."
Tagitsuhime understood why Orochimaru needed their help. Such a feat would definitely be impossible for her alone.
"Orochimaru is so smart, she must have another way, right?"
Ichikishimahime pinched Orochimaru's cheek, then touched the ceramic-white horn on her head.
She didn't believe that cunning Orochimaru would only have one plan.
"I do have a method, but it would cause too much commotion. So, I thought to seek your help in transforming Rain Mountain."
Orochimaru pushed away Ichikishimahime's hand. She certainly had more than one plan prepared.
If the Three Snake Princesses refused, she still had another option.
That was to use Chakra bombs to blast different locations on Rain Mountain, and with the assistance of Amegakure Ninjas, the transformation of Rain Mountain could probably be completed in about a month.
The reason she hadn't used this plan was, first, it would take too long, and second, people from various Various Ninja Villages might come to interfere.
To the north of Rain Mountain was the Land of Rain, to the south was the Land of Rivers, to the west was the Land of Wind, and to the east was the Land of Fire.
The Land of Fire side was easy to deal with, but on the Land of Wind side, who knew if the Daimyo of the Wind Country would suddenly decide that Rain Country's mountain-blasting activity was a provocation and order the Third Kazekage to send Ninjas to stop it or something similar.
Given the thought processes of people in this world, such a thing was indeed possible.
"As compensation for helping me, how about I provide you with 20 years' worth of snacks?"
Orochimaru certainly wouldn't let the Three Snake Princesses help for free. Without any benefits, who would help her next time?
"You, you're looking down on us! Deal!"
Ichikishimahime agreed with full force, and Tagorihime and Tagitsuhime had no objections either.
Very few people ever came to Ryūchi Cave, and they were quite bored after Orochimaru left.
At the foot of Rain Mountain, a towering peak in the Land of Rain.
Orochimaru looked up at Rain Mountain, injecting Chakra into her liquid invisible contact lenses, and ripples appeared in her golden eyes.
Even with the magnifying function of the liquid invisible contact lenses, Orochimaru couldn't see the full extent of the cloud-piercing Rain Mountain.
As expected, it was the culprit for the Land of Rain's perennial rainfall; up close, it felt even taller.
Orochimaru thought of Uchiha Madara's Perfect Susanoo; a few slashes would probably level this mountain.
If Uchiha Madara's carving skills were better, it wouldn't be impossible to carve a statue of Senju Hashirama using this mountain.
Late at night, dark clouds obscured the moon, and the already humid air became even more so. A light drizzle began, steadily growing into a torrential downpour.
Standing halfway up the mountain, Orochimaru bit her finger and smeared blood on her palm.
"Summoning Technique!"
Bang—!
From the smoke, the figures of the Three Snake Princesses appeared.
"Orochimaru, this is the mountain you spoke of?"
Ichikishimahime looked around, then up at the towering mountain that reached into the clouds, and said with understanding, "No wonder you needed us to help you."
"Indeed, the Sage Chakra of just one of us wouldn't be enough to change the shape of the entire mountain with Inorganic Reincarnation."
Tagitsuhime placed her hand on a nearby tree trunk, perceiving through the tree's connection to the ground just how massive the mountain was.
"Then, the conditions we discussed earlier might need to be changed."
Tagorihime extended a finger and said with a smile. If she didn't take this opportunity to fleece Orochimaru, she wouldn't be doing justice to her trip.
"40 years' worth… no, 50 years' worth of snacks. Orochimaru, you wouldn't object, would you?"
Ichikishimahime put her arm around Orochimaru's shoulder, her grin almost reaching her ears. She was certain Orochimaru wouldn't refuse, which was why she was taking advantage of the situation.
Are you three… still Sages of Ryūchi Cave?
You could just take it by force, but you still want to negotiate with me. I really appreciate it!
Orochimaru realized that even if she didn't agree, the Three Snake Princesses would still help. As for how wholeheartedly they would help, that was another matter.
However, the terms couldn't be whatever they dictated. She couldn't let them think she was easily swayed; what if she needed their help again in the future, and they demanded an even higher price?
"50 years' worth of snacks is too much. You need to consider that the snacks I provide are all freshly produced, and there are also expensive soldier pills. 30 years' worth of snacks, no more."
Orochimaru frowned slightly, a hint of difficulty on her face.
"40 years' worth of snacks! Such a massive mountain requires too much Sage Chakra to move!"
Ichikishimahime resolutely defended her and her colleagues' snack freedom.
"30 years' worth of snacks, not a single year more!"
Orochimaru would absolutely not add another year. This kind of opportunistic price-gouging could not be encouraged!
"Orochimaru, you're too stingy! You're haggling over a few snacks!"
Ichikishimahime pressed her forehead against Orochimaru's, glaring at her in annoyance, her pretty face turning ferocious. She flicked her pink snake tongue and licked Orochimaru's cheek.
"Me, stingy? Why don't you consider your appetites?"
Orochimaru didn't like what Ichikishimahime said. She pushed back forcefully, "If I can't feed you in this world, then no one can!"
If she were stingy, she wouldn't have shared the snacks with them back then!
Although sharing snacks was to build good relations… don't let the Three Snake Princesses' beautiful appearances and slender, graceful figures fool you; they were all incredibly gluttonous, the kind who would pour soldier pills into their mouths like candy, practically inhaling them.
When she first saw it, it truly shocked her.
She had never, in all her life, seen anyone eat soldier pills like they were jelly beans. And these weren't homemade soldier pills; they were strategic soldier pills produced by the Akimichi Clan!
If it were an ordinary person, or even a Ninja with a Bloodline Limit, eating that many soldier pills would send them to the emergency room.
With such appetites, providing them with 30 years' worth of snacks would amount to an astronomical sum. Fortunately, it was given annually, otherwise, she would have a headache.
"You two, stop arguing. 30 years' worth of snacks is already good."
"Yes, yes! 30 years' worth of snacks is perfectly fine."
Tagitsuhime and Tagorihime stepped in to separate Orochimaru and Ichikishimahime, who were on the verge of a full-blown argument.
"Since they both said so, then 30 years' worth of snacks it is."
Ichikishimahime reluctantly agreed, her lips almost unable to suppress a smile as she watched Orochimaru's dejected expression.
"Alright, how are you going to assist me?"
Orochimaru didn't want to continue discussing snacks, especially after seeing Ichikishimahime's barely contained grin.
"Why, of course…"
Ichikishimahime transformed into a white snake and coiled around Orochimaru's neck, her pink snake tongue licking Orochimaru's cheek.
Tagorihime and Tagitsuhime, also transformed into white snakes, wrapped around her arms like exquisite serpentine stoles.
"I see."
Orochimaru sensed the immensely vast Sage Chakra within the Three Snake Princesses, and she could feel the gathering Natural Energy multiply.
Orochimaru wasn't quite used to having living things on her neck. She said in a joking tone, "Ichikishimahime, I think I need a belt, not a scarf."
"What did you say?!"
Ichikishimahime bumped Orochimaru's chin with her head. "We're here to help you, and you're still so demanding!"
"Alright, I'm starting. Get ready."
Orochimaru channeled her and the Three Snake Princesses' Sage Chakra, took out three more potent compressed soldier pills, bit them into pieces, swallowed them, and then formed hand signs.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!"
The Three Snake Princesses concentrated on absorbing Natural Energy. The ground beneath Orochimaru's feet transformed into a pillar that rapidly rose, quickly carrying her to the mountaintop.
Standing atop Rain Mountain, Orochimaru and the Three Snake Princesses' Sage Chakra was consumed like flowing water.
This was a huge loss. So much Sage Chakra, who knows how many Sage Art Explosives could be made with it? It would have been better to blast the mountain with Chakra bombs.
Orochimaru felt the amount of Sage Chakra being consumed and had a bit of regret. But since things had come to this, she could only grit her teeth and push through.
The entire Rain Mountain was imbued with life by Inorganic Reincarnation and came alive!
The once towering Rain Mountain, as if melting, separated into hundreds of meters tall mountains, one after another. Soon, the cloud-piercing peak disappeared, replaced by a mountain range formed by multiple hundreds of meters tall mountains.
Ibuse the Salamander, who was in a deep sleep, woke up to find his living environment had drastically changed. He scratched his head with a claw in confusion.
The next day, golden sunlight pierced through the clouds. The sky was clear with blue skies and white clouds, a rare good day in the Land of Rain.
Everyone felt a sense of unease until they looked towards Rain Mountain and realized that the once towering Rain Mountain had, at some unknown point, become a continuous mountain range!
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