Shen Mo read Orochimaru's heart.
He couldn't help but marvel.
Though Orochimaru was a heinous villain in his early days—bloodthirsty, cruel, and devoid of humanity—he was uniquely devoted to nurturing his followers, earning their fierce loyalty.
Even Sasuke built his foundation under him.
Moreover…
He despised life's fragility yet admired its brilliance, a contradictory and complex man.
One thing was certain.
Orochimaru would fixate on a chosen goal, pursuing it ruthlessly, even reshaping his personality to achieve it.
In the original story's later arcs, rather than being redeemed…
He realized immortality was unattainable, that humanity was worth exploring, and abandoned his goal.
So…
"Becoming a merchant of the Omniscient Omnipotent Chamber isn't so easy," Shen Mo said.
His mind raced, but outwardly, he seemed intrigued by Orochimaru's question.
"First, your strength isn't enough," he said unhurriedly. "That's the baseline. Merchants with independent traversal rights start as assistants, but without strength, even if I agreed to make you one, you'd lack the qualifications."
Orochimaru, sharp as ever, caught the implications.
To become a merchant like Shen Mo…
Step one: possess sufficient strength. Step two: gain a merchant's approval to become an assistant.
The second step seemed more critical.
Orochimaru looked at Shen Mo, thoughts flashing through his mind, before smiling faintly. "In that case, I'll boost my strength first. Your cans can be bought with any price, right?"
"Correct," Shen Mo replied.
Unbeknownst to Orochimaru, Shen Mo saw through his every thought.
This was getting interesting.
But…
Immortality remained Orochimaru's greatest desire, or rather, his first step.
With endless life, he'd seek endless knowledge, even endless worlds.
"How much are all my knowledge worth?" Orochimaru asked.
"Knowledge alone, about eleven million points," Shen Mo answered. "Not bad. Most of your jutsu knowledge was sold off by Hiruzen Sarutobi. The highest value lies in your original techniques, with Living Corpse Reincarnation worth five million points."
Living Corpse Reincarnation.
Transferring one's soul to another body.
No ordinary technique.
Though flawed, it laid a foundation. Perfected, it could edge toward immortality.
Other scientific techniques…
Cloning, cell cultivation, genetic modification…
In a scientific world, they might be common, but fused with chakra and jutsu, they were unique, a novel blend of systems.
Quite valuable.
If he sold his memories and experience too, the total would near twenty-six million trading points, more than double.
That's why Shen Mo valued non-chakra powers and high-level players with development potential.
System collisions created greater value.
"Thirty years of research, only worth this much?"
Orochimaru seemed dissatisfied but said little more, agreeing to sell.
Eleven million points.
Less than two hundred million ryō.
If he sold this knowledge, ambitious individuals or ninja villages would pay a fortune.
"Your knowledge is useless to me," Shen Mo said, as if reading his thoughts, speaking calmly. "It's just the principle of changing fate requiring a price. By the Chamber's standards, that's the value of your knowledge."
Value varies by person.
But the system seemed to calculate uniformly.
Shen Mo didn't understand the standard.
He only knew that unique knowledge, absent in the system, was worth more. Unfortunately, the system already had Orochimaru's knowledge.
So Shen Mo added meaningfully, "The Chamber encourages combining powers from different worlds."
Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
With his intellect, he grasped the implication.
Different worlds' powers… required opening destiny-altering items!
"The Necromancy Series cans," Orochimaru said, struggling to sit up, panting but eager. "Buy all the Level 1 cans first. Also… could you release Kabuto?"
Though Shen Mo had restored his arms…
In this state, without Kabuto, he'd likely die before finishing the cans.
Shen Mo said nothing, raising a hand.
Two hundred Level 1 cans appeared before them.
The invisible force binding Kabuto vanished.
He took a deep breath, rushing to Orochimaru's side, resuming treatment.
But his eyes held uncontainable shock and complex emotions.
A merchant from another world, selling miraculous cans. He didn't know Shen Mo had transmitted information to Orochimaru, but… was this real!?
"Kabuto, focus," Orochimaru said, sensing his shock, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "I'm starting to open the cans."
The last sentence was clear.
True or false…
Opening the cans would reveal all.
Shen Mo was also curious.
The Necromancy Series was tailored for Orochimaru, its prize pool stocked with good items, but the system's random generation based on probabilities meant even he didn't know what would appear.
It depended on Orochimaru's luck.
Trembling, Orochimaru reached out, opening the first can.
He felt a flicker of nervousness.
Though the information was in his mind, only seeing the contents would confirm this was real.
Endless worlds!
Inside the can… a bloodied eyeball.
"Necromancy Series items are generally tied to the undead," Shen Mo said, eyeing the eyeball with a smile. "Level 1 cans are for experiencing the series, but they show its essence. This, for instance, is a beast's corpse part, something your world doesn't have."
As he spoke, Orochimaru examined the eyeball.
Veins, nerves…
No disgust.
"Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto, also studying it, looked grave. "This eyeball has a bone supporting the pupil—a double-eyeball structure. Unbelievable. What creature is this?"
Amateurs see spectacle; experts see substance.
In biotechnology, Orochimaru stood at the pinnacle of the Naruto world.