The sheer weight of the pressure made Orochimaru suffocate for a moment, and he cursed inwardly.
"It was just a joke, there's no need to be angry," Orochimaru said hastily.
"Hmph! I don't want to hear those words a second time," Jie Uchiha scoffed, his tone ice-cold.
As Jie reined in his aura, Orochimaru immediately breathed a sigh of relief, though his heart was filled with unparalleled shock.
'Is this the strength of the Uchiha's young clan head?'
'This pressure... even the old man in his youth wasn't this terrifying.'
'But it truly is a perfect vessel. If I had the chance...'
At this thought, a trace of burning desire flashed in Orochimaru's eyes, but he quickly suppressed the notion deep within his heart.
'Impossible. At least, not right now.'
Then, as if remembering something, Jie asked, "I recall Danzo has an arm integrated with the First Hokage's cells and Uchiha Sharingan. In today's ninja world, you are likely the only one capable of acquiring and utilizing those two things. Did you really not intercept a few pairs of Sharingan from Danzo back then?"
Orochimaru's expression shifted, and he moved to respond, but Jie cut him off...
"I have no desire to bring up the past, but in the future, it would be best if I never hear of you harboring any ambitions toward the Sharingan again."
Hearing this, the heavy stone in Orochimaru's heart finally dropped. Thinking of Jie's question, he replied truthfully, "I did preserve a few Sharingan, but the ones harvested from dead bodies lacked sufficient vitality. After a few experiments, they completely rotted away."
Jie gave a small nod, offering no clear reaction.
"The Uchiha will cooperate with your plan," he said, watching Orochimaru. "When you move against Hiruzen Sarutobi, we'll hold off anyone who tries to interfere. Afterward, you'll still be treated as a rogue ninja, but the Anbu won't pursue you. In return, I'll help deal with the issues in your body."
"Issues in my body?" Orochimaru prompted tentatively. "What issues does he think I have?"
"Your soul," Jie said, his gaze meaningful.
Orochimaru's entire body trembled instantly, his jaw clenching on instinct. "The young clan head possesses such methods?"
"You don't have to believe me, but those are my terms," Jie replied nonchalantly.
In truth, Jie didn't have any specific methods targeting the soul. He just thought of Yugito Nii's outcome and had a sudden whim.
One of the fatal flaws of the Living Corpse Reincarnation was that after Orochimaru seized a vessel, the original host's deepest obsessions would remain, continuously influencing him. After multiple reincarnations, the mottled emotions left in his soul would accumulate, severely weakening Orochimaru's resistance to genjutsu.
Otherwise, according to the official databooks, Orochimaru was an all-around ninja with a perfect score in genjutsu. Even if he couldn't compare to Itachi Uchiha's Sharingan, how could he possibly be defeated by a single glance from Itachi's standard Sharingan genjutsu? It was entirely because the lingering impurities in his soul stripped Orochimaru of his genjutsu resistance.
And Jie was quite familiar with impurities of the soul.
To put it bluntly, a soul was simply a person's spiritual will. His Kotoamatsukami: Radiance was designed exactly to destroy an opponent's spirit. All Jie had to do was hit Orochimaru with a blast of it, selectively destroying the tainted fragments of his soul. Although this would cause Orochimaru excruciating pain, his soul would at least return to a pure state.
As for whether it would actually work, Jie had no idea.
Regardless, if an accident occurred, an Orochimaru struck by Kotoamatsukami: Radiance would likely end up just like Yugito Nii—perhaps even worse. At least Yugito still had the Two-Tails inside her to take control of her body. Orochimaru, on the other hand, would become a pure vegetable. He might even die without a sound.
If it came to that, Orochimaru wouldn't be of much use to Jie anyway. If he died, so be it. And once he was gone, there'd be no one left to question whether Jie had upheld his end of the deal.
Sometimes, if a problem won't go away, removing the one raising it is the simplest solution. After that, the problem tends to disappear on its own.
Seeing Jie's composure, Orochimaru paused before making his decision."I accept your terms."
A faint smile touched Jie's lips. Free help was always welcome.
With that settled, the two moved on to the details. Given the arrangement, Jie knew he couldn't return to the Hidden Leaf yet. Instead, Orochimaru would blend in with Konoha's forces and slip back into the village with them, waiting for the right moment to strike Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Orochimaru agreed without hesitation.
As a parting gesture, Orochimaru summoned a small snake and drew the famed Kusanagi Sword from it. Though they were only temporary allies, Jie saw no reason to refuse the gift.
The Kusanagi Sword was a rare blade Orochimaru had acquired during his travels. It had excellent chakra conductivity and could extend or retract at will. Even Enma, in his staff form, found it difficult to withstand its edge.
In Jie's hands, it made him even more dangerous.
Jie took the Kusanagi Sword from Orochimaru's hand and casually swung it a few times. Even without channeling any chakra, the sharp gusts of wind from the swings left deep gouges in the cave walls.
Seeing the power of the Kusanagi Sword, Jie instantly fell in love with it. Even his ninja blade, forged from two hundred million ryo worth of pure chakra-conductive metal, wasn't nearly as comfortable to wield as this weapon. Not to mention the Kusanagi Sword's ability to extend at will—on that point alone, his expensive blade was nothing in comparison.
After testing it briefly, Jie seemed satisfied. He sheathed the Kusanagi Sword at his waist and led Orochimaru in the direction of the Konoha army.
However, the moment Jie took a single step out of the cave, a familiar voice rang out in his mind, causing him to freeze in his tracks.
[Ding!]
[The host has successfully extorted Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. Calculating rewards...]
[Reward obtained: Summoning Jutsu: Rashomon, Soft Physique Modification Jutsu!]
Seeing the rewards settled by the system, Jie lifted his head and shot a glance at Orochimaru.
'That was more than I expected', he thought. 'If I'd known dealing with him would be this worthwhile, I wouldn't have waited this long.'
Orochimaru, however, felt a faint chill at that look. It was brief, almost subtle, but enough to put him on edge, as if he had just stepped into something he didn't fully control.
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