Kabuto wanted to act, but his body wouldn't move.
Not controlled.
An invisible force enveloped him, like being encased in drying cement. He could breathe, but despite exerting all his strength, he couldn't move a single finger.
"Indeed, a client," Shen Mo said, studying Orochimaru's female face.
Though bloodied and mangled, it still gave an eerie vibe.
Like… a female pervert?
Orochimaru, under Shen Mo's gaze, felt deeply uneasy, as if he were a caged animal or a fish on a cutting board, powerless against whatever Shen Mo might do.
"Unwilling?" Shen Mo's lips curled. "Unwilling to lose to Tsunade, unwilling to die like this, with so many jutsu left unexplored."
"What… do you want?" Orochimaru gasped, struggling to breathe.
His snake-like eyes gleamed with a hint of madness. No matter what, he couldn't die here.
But Shen Mo's next words made his expression shift dramatically.
"Tsunade's power came from me," Shen Mo said clearly.
From him?
That mysterious power, that terrifying strength?
Orochimaru's breathing quickened.
His defeat, his current state—it was all because of Tsunade's sudden, overwhelming power!
It surpassed years of his efforts!
"That's the look," Shen Mo said, seemingly pleased. "Rage against fate, thirst for power. I see your desire, your potential. So, do you want to grow stronger? To uncover the true meaning of life? Or rather…"
Shen Mo locked eyes with him.
"Do you desire immortality?"
Those words struck Orochimaru's heart like a hammer.
His greatest longing.
—Immortality!
The human body held untapped power, endless knowledge, countless jutsu. He needed enough lifespan, enough time to research, to seize that power!
"Then, a formal introduction," Shen Mo said, spreading his arms with a smile. "I am a merchant from another world. For eons, I've roamed countless realms, selling new destinies to those yearning to change their fate. If you resent your fate, buy my cans. They hold countless treasures, boundless power, and… immortality."
As his words fell, cans materialized around him.
Simultaneously…
The rules of the Omniscient Omnipotent Chamber and the cans flooded Orochimaru's mind.
A new, efficient method Shen Mo devised, sparing him repetitive explanations.
"The Omniscient Omnipotent Chamber…"
Orochimaru absorbed the information, his eyes widening, a faint chuckle escaping, growing louder.
"Marvelous! Hahaha, truly marvelous!" He coughed blood, laughing. "Endless worlds, endless knowledge, endless power!"
Coughing blood, his laughter grew manic, his gaze blazing, like a starving beast before an endless feast, a dying man given medicine, a devout believer beholding a true god.
For Orochimaru now…
Shen Mo's arrival embodied all he craved!
"Given your desires, I know the perfect series for you," Shen Mo said, smiling.
Yes, Shen Mo had a recommendation.
For someone chasing immortality and knowledge at any cost, this series was ideal.
"What is it?" Orochimaru's eyes burned with longing.
"The Necromancy Series," Shen Mo said directly, his smile almost devilish. "A broad category, exploring life's meaning, manipulating the souls of the dead. It's reviled in most worlds, but no matter how despised or hunted, it persists across countless realms, brewing evil and… seeking power and immortality."
The Necromancy Series.
Though unclear on specifics, the name alone twisted Orochimaru's face into a strange smile.
"Cough, cough," he spat blood, shifting his head to a more comfortable position. "That one."
No hesitation, no deliberation.
The name alone convinced him it was perfect.
Tangible things inevitably perish.
But the souls of the dead—intangible.
Souls were already fascinating. What surprises would these otherworldly cans bring?
"Given your state, opening cans might be tricky," Shen Mo said, glancing at Orochimaru's severed arms, then waving a hand.
"Aaah!" Orochimaru gasped, feeling an intense itch at his stumps.
Soon…
The flesh at his severed arms bubbled, growing faster, until—
Pop, pop.
With two soft sounds, his severed arms regrew!
Pale, slender, like a newborn's.
"Is this another power from another world?"
Orochimaru raised his hands, his murmuring gaze like he was beholding the world's most wondrous thing.
He turned to Shen Mo.
Licking his lips, he asked a question that even startled Shen Mo.
"How can I become like you?"
"…"
Shen Mo paused, caught off guard.
"To become a merchant of the Omniscient Omnipotent Chamber," Orochimaru said, his eyes gleaming with an otherworldly light. "How marvelous—to roam endless worlds, explore and witness infinite things. Tsunade, Hiruzen Sarutobi, me—all this world's people are your playthings, only able to beg for power from you…"
After grasping Shen Mo's purpose, longing surged within him.
Indeed.
His greatest joys were two.
Research, and nurturing.
The former brought intoxicating power; the latter, watching the weak grow, their brief lives blooming in varied colors, delighted him, like glimpsing paths he couldn't tread, each yielding new harvests.
He craved immortality.
But it was his obsession with this world's wonders.
And Shen Mo…
Offered worlds far vaster than theirs.