"What are you doing?"
"There's a lot I can do."
Miki looked at Orochimaru and asked, "Do you know where you failed?"
"Failed?" Orochimaru retorted, "I succeeded."
"You certainly succeeded," Miki said. "Have you modified your own genes?"
Orochimaru's soft body modification looked a bit strange.
"I haven't delved into gene manipulation yet," Orochimaru shook his head. "I'm not stupid."
"Oh?" Miki said, "Then what is it?"
"It's just a modification of the body," Orochimaru explained. "It's about solidifying the Ninjutsu that needs to be cast into a constant state on the body, which falls under the category of Yang Release."
"I see…" Miki said. "Gene manipulation falls under the category of Bloodline Limit. Your soft body modification is still on the macroscopic surface, which is the realm of conventional Ninjutsu."
So it hasn't become a Bloodline Limit yet, capable of being inherited by descendants.
"However, you truly are a genius," Miki said. "A Ninjutsu system without hand seals—are you developing that?"
Hearing this, Orochimaru's pupils contracted, and he said, "Something like that."
Seal-less Ninjutsu was just a byproduct.
"Did I guess wrong…?" Miki mused.
Orochimaru's scalp tingled with confusion. *Is my expression that easy to read?*
"This form, you're developing it in the direction of a snake, aren't you?" Miki probed. "So, is it Sage Mode?"
Is becoming a snake necessarily related to Sage Mode? Orochimaru was just afraid of dying.
Because life is a very precious thing.
Orochimaru hadn't answered yet.
Miki then said, "Did I guess wrong again?"
Orochimaru's scalp tingled.
"Do you mind telling me?" Miki inquired.
Hearing this, Orochimaru glanced at the 'money' nearby.
"It's fine to tell you, it's for eternal life," Orochimaru said.
"Oh?" Miki said, "Eternal life, huh? Interesting. Tell me your thoughts."
What thoughts?…
Just one goal, no clear plan. The soft body modification was just an accident; while researching the body, he suddenly thought of doing it this way, so he did.
Orochimaru opened his mouth, then closed it again, unsure how to explain.
"So, you thought, 'I guess, probably, this could work,' and then you did it, right?" Miki looked at Orochimaru and said calmly.
Orochimaru nodded, admitting it with difficulty.
His face was grim.
"Is that so…" Miki murmured. "A bit unexpected."
As she spoke, Miki opened the drawer of the metal counter beside her and took out a can of spray.
"Come here."
Hearing this, Orochimaru walked to Miki's front.
Miki held up the spray and spritzed Orochimaru with it.
"What are you doing?" Orochimaru asked.
"Disinfecting," Miki said. "Don't you ever do this kind of thing?"
He'd need money for that.
Orochimaru said, "No need. The impact of bacteria in my experiments is minimal."
"This job is yours from now on: the cleaning and disinfection of the entire experimental area." Miki pointed to the mops and buckets piled in the corner, saying, "Cleaning tools for contaminated areas, semi-contaminated areas, experimental areas, resting areas, and so on, must be used separately."
Mopping the floor, huh…
Orochimaru looked at Miki, wanting to refuse.
But Miki tossed him a booklet.
"Take this 'Experimental Safety Operation Manual' back and memorize it. I won't test you, but if you make a mistake…" Miki pointed to the next room and said, "I'll bury you at the very bottom."
She was pointing at the mountain of excrement that would crush Orochimaru.
Orochimaru nodded gravely.
Miki said, "Get to work."
"!!!" Orochimaru was startled. "Now?"
"You wouldn't happen to not know Shadow Clone, would you?" Miki said. "It can speed up the work. I suggest you use it."
Orochimaru glanced at the 'money' nearby again, then looked at Miki. After a long moment of silence, he raised his hands to form a hand seal.
Three Shadow Clones appeared behind him. Without a word, they grimly picked up mops and started working.
Orochimaru himself didn't move.
Miki pulled out a high-backed swivel chair, sat down, and looked at Orochimaru, saying, "Sit."
Orochimaru pulled out a nearby chair and sat down.
"Let's start with a simple discussion," Miki said. "What's the deal with your soft body modification?"
"What do you want to know?" Orochimaru asked.
If it was just a simple discussion, without specific development data, he could talk about it.
"Logically, snakes aren't soft-bodied creatures, just like cats aren't liquid creatures. True soft-bodied creatures are Slugs, characterized by having no internal skeleton. Snakes appear flexible because they have many dense vertebrae. So how did you do it? Did you remove the bones from your body?" Miki inquired.
"I added a few more bones," Orochimaru said, "and softened them slightly."
"Hmm?" Miki didn't quite understand.
"I broke the bones and reconnected them, mimicking the dense vertebrae of snakes, allowing for flexible and soft freedom of movement. Combined with Yang Release, all the bone segments can be separated and controlled with Chakra, achieving lengthening and shortening effects," Orochimaru revealed the true nature of his technique.
He's a ruthless one…
Orochimaru.
After hearing that, Miki no longer wanted to learn it.
"It's a technique born specifically for assassination and infiltration. It can hide in narrow crevices, allowing entry into any kind of space, twisting freely at any angle. Hands and feet can transform into long whips for attack, producing a whip-snap effect with astonishing destructive power, no less than Tsunade's monstrous strength."
Orochimaru was somewhat proud, detailing the excellent aspects of his technique.
"I see," Miki said. "So you can use Yang Release and Multiplication Technique?"
Miki wasn't focused on those key points, but rather on the flashy ones.
Hearing this, Orochimaru was silent for a moment before nodding.
"It's true…" Miki clapped her hands in celebration.
Why the Sarutobi family had the Akimichi clan's technique, Miki didn't want to know.
The Ino–Shika–Chō clans and the Sarutobi clan were already in cahoots, so it wasn't surprising.
However, the Akimichi clan's Multiplication Technique couldn't be used openly, so Orochimaru developed and modified it.
"That technique is very difficult to use," Orochimaru said, referring to the Multiplication Technique. "It requires a large amount of fat to burn for body proliferation."
Orochimaru didn't want to become a fat Orochimaru.
"Is it true cell proliferation?" Miki asked.
Orochimaru shook his head, saying, "It can be done, but then it's not just fat that burns."
"It can be done, huh?" Miki pondered for a moment.
The key to gigantification lay in this technique.
Miki had studied the Parasitic Giant Insects for a long time and knew that it achieved rapid growth by consuming the fat cells of other life forms.
It grew, but problems arose.
The Parasitic Giant Insects became immobile.
Even walking was difficult, and its primitive spiracle respiratory system was too dependent on environmental oxygen levels, making it practically useless compared to the closed-tube respiratory system of mammals.
After growing, it would die from respiratory distress due to lack of oxygen.
"So there's also false cell proliferation?" Miki asked.
"Yes, Chakra-filled muscles," Orochimaru said. "Burning fat to gain a large amount of energy, then releasing it all at once with Yang Release to form a giant, false muscle 'coat' on the body's surface."
Miki tapped her index finger on the table, saying, "Good idea, but it can't last."
And it wasn't actual muscle, so its self-weight wouldn't be too exaggerated.
And mass equals destructive power.
"Exactly," Orochimaru said disdainfully. "It just looks very powerful. Gigantification is not only clumsy, but it also just makes you a target."
Hearing this, Miki was a little disappointed. The gigantification of the swarm still had to go back to the most fundamental problem.
That is, solving the respiratory system, which means changing the entire body structure.
Because not only was the respiratory system problematic, but so was the neural conduction system. When the body size increased, an action originating from the brain and transmitted to the neurons throughout the body often took several seconds, leading to slow movements.
So, simply increasing body size was useless.
So, how to solve it?
Miki looked at the tool-man Orochimaru.
This was his value.
"Then what does your soft body modification burn?" Miki asked.
Orochimaru hesitated, then said in a deep voice, "The number of cell divisions."
In other words…
"It's lifespan," Miki said.
This guy was truly ruthless.
"Normal use won't consume anything," Orochimaru said. "Only exceeding the lengthening limit will result in significant consumption."
Miki looked at Orochimaru. So this guy would consume other people's lives in the future.
Without an ounce of remorse.
The time has been changed back. All chapters for the day will be published after midnight, and there will be no more updates for the entire day. Whatever amount there is, that's what you get.
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