"Chōmei, you need to keep an eye on me at all times. I really don't want to die young."
"Relax. I'll watch your back. Worst case, I'll just slap a Tailed Beast Cloak on you!"
The operation to break through the barrier began again.
This time, it was even more outrageous.
The seals on the laboratory door—each more twisted than the last.
If it were just poison gas or explosions, Gekko Chizan could still manage.
But seriously—what's with a giant toad suddenly appearing when one trap is triggered?
That toad opened its mouth and—my god—it was full of poisonous bugs!
Gekko Chizan was so scared his voice cracked!
And that wasn't even the worst of it. As one of Konoha's Three Sannin, Orochimaru truly embodied poison.
Poison bugs? Poison toads? Child's play.
There was one trap, that when triggered, released a swarm of venomous snakes. And not just regular venomous snakes—they were rigged with self-destruction seals!
One after another they exploded, and the foul-smelling toxic blood nearly made Gekko Chizan vomit his dinner from the night before.
"Orochimaru! You've gone too far!!!"
"What the hell is all this?!"
"Your house is gone! Completely gone!!!"
Looking at the small house now covered in poison blood and insect corpses, Gekko Chizan completely lost it!
...
At the same time, Konoha's defense forces and Sunagakure's vanguard clashed for the first time.
Although Sasori had less than 80 men left, his rage needed release. He charged straight into Konoha's camp with his troops.
All at once, various ninjutsu barraged Konoha's position like crazy.
Sasori himself rushed to the frontlines, searching for Orochimaru.
As Konoha's commander, Orochimaru certainly wasn't going to sit back and take it. As soon as the enemy's first wave ended, he immediately organized a counterattack.
Whether it was arrogance or strategy, Orochimaru brought only 50 people out to charge from the base.
Sasori, already sick of waiting, spotted Orochimaru and immediately rushed at him.
"You bastard! You're the bastard behind all this!"
"Die!"
On the battlefield, the red-haired youth controlled three puppets to surround Orochimaru.
Poisoned needles and gas launched toward Orochimaru without regard for safety.
"Hehehe… Chiyo's grandson, is it?"
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Facing the puppets, Orochimaru casually flung his hand—releasing snakes.
Watching a swarm of snakes break through the puppet formation, Sasori shuddered uncontrollably. He was seriously uncomfortable around snakes now.
"Damn snakes! Die!"
Boom!
Another puppet appeared beside Sasori. The moment it emerged, both arms raised forward—launching a massive pillar of flame.
It blocked Orochimaru's ninjutsu in an instant.
"High-temperature flames, huh?"
"Interesting..."
So this is the one you told me about, Chizan... Chiyo's grandson. He's strong indeed.
Orochimaru involuntarily flicked out his tongue like a snake sensing prey.
The action disgusted Sasori, because it looked just like a snake flicking its tongue.
"AAAAH!! I'm gonna kill you, you freak!"
"Die!"
The flames intensified, rushing toward Orochimaru.
Seeing the sudden outburst, Orochimaru was momentarily stunned, but quickly dodged aside.
"This kid... is he crazy? Why such a big reaction?"
"Whatever. Crazy or not, he's still the enemy. I'll just kill him."
"Summoning Jutsu!"
The next second, a giant snake appeared on the battlefield.
The fight had only just begun!
...
Back to Gekko Chizan's side.
From morning till night, Gekko Chizan finally cleared all the traps and opened the laboratory door.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
"My clothes! My pants!"
"Why did the fire have to be that intense?!"
Staring at what was now a pile of ruins, Gekko Chizan was utterly stunned.
The final trap had ignited the entire building. For a moment, he couldn't even react.
Thankfully, Chōmei had protected him. He only lost his clothes and pants—left with just his underwear and a heat-insulated bag.
If not for that heat-proof package, he'd have lost everything.
At first, Gekko Chizan couldn't understand why Orochimaru had created so many inhumane traps.
Especially that last one—it hurt others with no benefit to himself!
But once he opened the lab door, everything became clear.
The place was completely empty. All the petri dishes were gone. Only a single desk and some scrolls remained...
"What the hell! That bastard! Did he move out?!"
"Where's all the stuff?!"
"What happened to the petri dishes? And all those dissected specimens?! Where did they go?!"
"Aaaahhh! Orochimaru! You ruthless bastard!!"
No wonder he was allowed into the lab. No wonder the number of traps had decreased to just over 50.
So this was the plan all along???
Were the traps actually a trial meant for him?
Orochimaru: Hehehehehe… why else would I let you into my lab?
Fuming, Gekko Chizan grabbed the scroll on the desk. But the next moment, he was struck by the Law of Sweet Surprise...
This wasn't just any scroll...
This was a treasure!
Because written on this scroll was a single character—"Dragon"!
When opened, it revealed the Ryūchi Cave contract ritual!
"Whoa! This is a serious gift!"
"One of the Three Great Sage Regions—Ryūchi Cave...."
Chōmei could feel Gekko Chizan's astonishment and grew curious.
And he even mentioned a Sage? Could it be...?
"A Sage? What kind of Sage? Like the old man of the Six Paths?"
Gekko Chizan shook his head.
"Not exactly. Chōmei, do you know about Gamamaru?"
Chōmei thought for a while but shook his head again.
"Gamamaru was a toad that learned Sage Mode even before the Sage of the Six Paths...."
"And this scroll represents a snake that also possesses Sage powers like Gamamaru...."
Chōmei was stunned. A toad who mastered Sage powers before the Sage of the Six Paths???
No way—seriously?
Gekko Chizan: Of course it's true.
"This Ryūchi Cave contract is incredibly valuable, but the snakes of Ryūchi Cave are extremely selective of their disciples...."
"Without a strong obsession with gaining strength, one cannot pass their trials. It's a double-edged sword."
"If used well, it can slay enemies. Used poorly—it's a weapon for suicide..."
At this point, Gekko Chizan gazed solemnly at the scroll in his hand.
"Orochimaru left this so I could choose for myself—pursue power, or give it up...."
"As for the other scroll...."
"Instructions for the Kusanagi Sword... and Konoha swordsmanship?"
"Too bad—I'm not into swordsmanship. Especially not the kind that involves constant spitting!"
Gekko Chizan: Yes! I'm talking about you, my teacher—Orochimaru!
Orochimaru's ultimate art! I spit snakes! The snakes spit me! I spit a sword! I spit snakes, and then the snakes spit a sword!
Now he's already at the stage of spitting snakes!
It won't be long before he evolves to the next level: the snakes spitting him!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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