stonecrandall Chapter 90: The Deal Failed?
Chapter 90: The Deal Failed?
Chapter 90: The Deal Failed?
Orochimaru's tone clearly revealed disappointment, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible mockery.
In his imagined scenario, how wonderful it would be if what awaited him was a water gate.
If that radiant "sun" were to sacrifice the lives of its own villagers in pursuit of such a heinous traitor—
This dramatic reversal of light and darkness, even if unknown to anyone, was enough to become the sweetest aftertaste in Orochimaru's heart, enough for him to savor for a long time.
He wanted to see the other person reveal their hypocritical side.
Unfortunately, it remained just a plan in the end.
Orochimaru felt a strange sense of annoyance and looked at the mysterious man in front of him with a cold gaze.
The person who could find him at this time and place was no ordinary person; he must be a member of Konoha's core decision-making body. Orochimaru smirked coldly. Even Minato Namikaze couldn't avoid having such parasites in the upper echelons.
"Who are you?" Orochimaru's voice was scrutinizing.
"Just a ninja who likes to collect strange things." Gen Takuno's tone remained nonchalant, as if chatting with an old friend. "Others jokingly call me a collector," a name I quite like.
"Collector?" Orochimaru murmured repeatedly, his mind rapidly searching for the names of all the well-known powerful figures in the ninja world, but to no avail.
"Never heard of it."
The opponent's chakra was like an undercurrent beneath a calm sea. Although it was not as overwhelming as Minato Namikaze's, it still clearly sent a strong signal to Orochimaru.
This person possesses fangs that pose a significant threat to him!
Such a person could never be an unknown figure in the ninja world!
"It's not too late to hear about it now." Yuan Tuoye's voice was very calm, without any dissatisfaction.
The moment the words left his mouth, the air suddenly tensed up!
Yuan Tuoye did not move, but an invisible pressure suddenly erupted from his body!
The pure and immense chakra instantly solidified in the air, and several sharp purple spears formed from chakra tore through the air, piercing the ground in front of him with a sharp whooshing sound!
puff!
A dull, piercing sound rang out!
With a flick of his wrist, Yuan Tuoye pulled the chakra spear out of the soil and gravel. Several gray-black venomous snakes, still writhing and struggling unconsciously, were pierced through the cold tip of the spear!
Their bodies were twisted and pierced, dripping with slime and filthy blood.
"Lord Orochimaru," Minamoto Takuno's voice, carrying a hint of cold warning, came through the mask, "to greet someone like this on our first meeting is hardly proper hospitality."
His gaze was sharp as a knife, as if piercing through a mask and aimed at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's golden vertical pupils narrowed slightly, then he regained his lazy yet dangerous expression.
The fact that the sneak attack was so cleanly and efficiently detected and thwarted was indeed beyond his expectations, but that was all.
The other party's quick perception and reaction explained why they were able to track them down.
"Heh heh—it's just a small test to confirm our esteemed guest's strength." Orochimaru chuckled softly, easily dismissing the intention.
Yuan Tuoye chuckled knowingly, and the invisible fluctuations of chakra subsided, causing the materialized spear to dissipate into nothingness.
"You've already weighed your strength," Genji Takuno's tone shifted, getting straight to the point without any beating around the bush, "So, Orochimaru, how about we make a deal?"
He paused for a moment, his gaze locking onto Orochimaru's eyes like that of a hawk.
"Give me all the research materials you have regarding the cursed seal."
"Leave it to me."
The air seemed to freeze.
The moment Yuan Tuoye finished speaking, Orochimaru's golden vertical pupils suddenly contracted, like a venomous snake eyeing its prey.
A strong sense of astonishment and a deeper sense of doubt instantly swept over Orochimaru.
This secret research is still in its infancy and has never been revealed to the world. How did the other party accurately utter this name?
Was it those secretly placed experimental subjects who slipped up at some unknown point?
Impossible! His process of selecting targets and applying curse marks was extremely secretive, with absolutely no possibility of contact with the outside world.
A figure flashed through his mind: Mitarashi Anko.
Was it the discovery of the Heavenly Curse mark on her neck that led to her betrayal?
Or perhaps there are even deeper leaks that he hasn't yet discovered?
Several possibilities collided and intertwined in an instant, causing even this usually calm scientist to experience a rare moment of mental stagnation.
He licked his dry lips, and his usual sinister smile vanished, replaced by a sharp, probing look.
"Interesting—truly interesting." Orochimaru's voice carried a hint of deliberately suppressed urgency. "Then, could you tell me how you learned of the existence of the 'Cursed Seal'?"
His gaze was fixed on Gen Takuno as if it were a physical object, trying to uncover the truth from the other's subtle expressions.
His biggest suspicion at this moment was that Mitarashi Anko had become the breakthrough point.
However, Gen Takuno refused, albeit with a mocking tone.
"Hmm? Sorry, about that—" he deliberately dragged out the last syllable, "I have no comment."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed dangerously, a cold light shining through the narrow slits.
A faint, almost imperceptible killing intent emanated from his body.
"Tsk—" He made a soft but intimidating click of his tongue. "It seems you came here with absolutely no sincerity for this deal."
Faced with the approaching invisible pressure, Gen Takuno remained unmoved. Instead, he glanced meaningfully in the direction of Konoha Village and gave a reminder.
"I advise you not to act impulsively. It's not too far from Konoha Village. If we alert 'The Yellow Flash,' it won't benefit either of us, will it?"
Upon hearing this, Orochimaru slowly grinned, revealing a colder and more playful smile, and let out a low chuckle that sounded particularly eerie in the silent forest.
"Heh heh heh—so you're also wary of Minato's power? Interesting. Are you afraid your own identity will be exposed before him?"
He emphasized the word "himself" heavily, with a blatant probing.
The standoff between the two was fraught with an invisible tension, a tension permeated by a deeper distrust and scheming.
Gen Takuno glanced at Orochimaru, but did not deny the other's suspicions. Instead, he said...
"I just don't want this deal to fall through. I know you have a way to escape, but do you think I showed up here unprepared?"
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Orochimaru's golden snake eyes suddenly narrowed, and cold vertical lines slashed across the depths of his pupils, but he did not immediately retort.
After a moment of silence, he lightly licked his thin lips with the tip of his tongue, his voice low and hoarse.
"Since it's a transaction—what bargaining chips can you offer?"
He made a judgment: whatever the other party could offer, if it was truly crucial to his research, a deal was not impossible.
Yuan Tuoye's lips curled into a subtle smile, as if he had been waiting for the other party to compromise.
"It should have been this way long ago. I guess the original source of your cursed seal test subjects was the Land of Waterfalls, right?" This seemingly casual question struck like a thunderbolt.
Orochimaru's body stiffened slightly, and his signature vertical pupils contracted sharply before returning to normal.
He nodded slowly, his heart churning. How could the other party know such secret information so well? He had been researching the Cursed Seal since before Minato Namikaze became Hokage. How could this person have hidden himself so deeply in Konoha?
"Then—" Gen Takuno pressed on, ignoring the surprise in the other's eyes, "Those 'materials' from the Land of Waterfalls, they must have mentioned a boy who often goes berserk, right? The one who could go berserk at any moment."
Orochimaru's eyes sharpened completely, like a venomous snake locking onto its prey: "Oh? You mean—that brat who suddenly vanished into thin air?"
He had certainly heard of this special existence, and when the news came, he even regretted not having captured this natural breeding ground for curse marks earlier.
"He's in your hands?!"
Orochimaru's voice finally carried a hint of urgency.
Yuan Tuoye nodded without any surprise: "Of course. So, my bargaining chip is his cells."
"Impossible!" Orochimaru flatly rejected the idea, his words resolute. "Want my research data? You must hand him over to me in his entirety!"
He never witnessed Jugo's "transformation" firsthand, and it was impossible for him to exchange his precious research data, to which he had devoted countless efforts, for cell tissue with unknown effects.
A look of expectation flashed in Gen Takuno's eyes, clearly indicating that he had already seen through Orochimaru's doubts.
He didn't argue, but calmly took out a small glass bottle from his pocket and casually tossed it at Orochimaru.
As cautious as Orochimaru was, his main body remained completely still, while a mud-like shadow clone instantly formed and steadily caught the bottle.
Golden snake eyes peered through the clone's perspective, locking onto the bottle's contents, where a small amount of cellular tissue fragments were located.
What shocked Orochimaru even more was the powerful yet extremely unstable special energy that was constantly emanating from his cells!
Although the fluctuations were intense, they were nothing compared to the meager energy extracted from the ordinary villagers he captured!
If—if we could master this level of cellular technology—
In that instant, countless possibilities flashed through Orochimaru's mind.
The stability of the cursed seal, its effectiveness, and even—mass production!
A qualitative change!
This thought ignited a burning passion within him!
However, this burning desire was quickly suppressed by even stronger vigilance. There must be something fishy about the other party handing over the sample so easily! Just as his mind was racing, a sudden change occurred!
A soft cracking sound rang out.
Under their watchful eyes, the small glass bottle shattered on its own without warning, and the cells inside vanished instantly along with the liquid, as if they had been completely wiped out by some kind of destructive ninjutsu!
"Heh—" Orochimaru let out a low, enigmatic laugh, licking his dry lips. Greed and apprehension mingled in his eyes. "So it was all planned out in advance—a meticulously crafted trap."
Yuan Tuoye remained unfazed. "You've inspected the sample. Now, can we proceed with the transaction?"
"Hehehehe—" Orochimaru chuckled deeply, the sound particularly eerie in the silent laboratory. "This thing—is indeed rare. But to think you can exchange such a small demonstration for the essence of my life's research—isn't that overestimating yourself?"
He shrugged, his tone laced with blatant greed, "The portion is far from enough!"
Yuan Tuoye shook his head indifferently: "It seems that this deal has fallen through. I just wanted to save some time, but it looks like I'll have to figure it out myself."
As he spoke, a pair of chakra wings appeared behind Yuan Tuoye, and he wanted to leave immediately, seemingly without any lingering attachment.