Yes.
Having witnessed the entire spectacle, Orochimaru felt thoroughly humiliated.That kid had just gone through a whole song and dance with pots and pans, finally pulling out a blackened lump from the pressure cooker, then rolling it into a ball with honey...
Only to declare...
This was alchemy??
At this moment, Orochimaru truly wanted to open his mouth and curse.
Honestly, in all his years of living, he'd never experienced such a terrible feeling of having his intelligence ground into the dirt like this.
Those medicinal herbs had indeed piqued Orochimaru's interest, but it was just that—interest.
The Shinobi World was full of strange and unusual things, and even with his knowledge, he couldn't possibly understand them all.
Not having seen some herbs before was perfectly normal.
But as for the alchemy Uchiha Kaito had demonstrated—forget whether the method was valid—just the act of tossing herbs into a pot and burning them to ashes...
What could that possibly achieve besides wasting their medicinal properties and producing a pile of useless waste?
Oh...
It could also earn his utter speechlessness.
"Farewell."
Orochimaru turned and left without a shred of hesitation. Even standing beneath that towering structure now, he couldn't muster even a sliver of curiosity.
From their earlier interaction...
He was certain that tower was probably just another insult to his intelligence.
"Almighty Pull—"
Seeing the alchemist who had come knocking on their door about to flee, Nagato didn't wait for Kaito to speak up. With zero frames of startup, he yanked Orochimaru back just as he hadn't gotten far.
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Orochimaru tumbled several times in a Webster roll before barely managing to stop. He rose to his feet in disarray, glaring coldly at the two.
Kaito flashed Orochimaru a villainous smile and began coaxing the special talent with sweet words.
"Don't go..."
"Let's study this some more."
Nagato didn't speak. He simply raised his hand, pointing it directly at Orochimaru, his entire demeanor screaming, "Try running again, I dare you."
Though filled with endless disdain, Orochimaru had no choice but to steel himself, keep a cold face, and obediently stay put.
He knew...
That guy who seemed to be the true leader of the Akatsuki Organization would really kill him.
At this moment, Orochimaru, forced to remain where he was, was already thinking of ways to escape and how to leave this damned Akatsuki Organization afterward.
What Orochimaru didn't know was that someone had already marked him as sect property.
An alchemist certified by the system...
How could he possibly let him go?
"Orochimaru, I didn't explain it clearly earlier."
Kaito put on a serious expression to explain, but not before playing the emotional card. "Orochimaru, I grew up hearing stories about you. Do me, your leader, a favor, and do our village a favor too..."
"Stay and study this properly. The benefits will definitely be worth your while."
Nagato nodded, then aimed his other arm at Orochimaru, widening his eyes slightly for good measure. The pressure emanating from his Samsara Eye had Orochimaru sweating buckets.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Orochimaru averted his gaze from Nagato and let out a few cold laughs.
"I've heard stories about you too."
Kaito: ?
Hearing Orochimaru bring this up, he immediately thought of how his old man had spread rumors in the village about his death. The smile that had just formed on his face instantly froze.
Perhaps noticing Kaito's expression darken, or maybe fearing he was about to get beaten, Orochimaru had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue.
"Go on, I'm listening."
Only then did Kaito's expression soften somewhat, and he began explaining the concept of Cultivation of Immortality to Orochimaru.
But Orochimaru's questions turned out to be far more numerous than expected.When the explanation reached how cultivators practiced using spiritual energy, Orochimaru's eyes gleamed sharply as he fixed his gaze on the kid.
"As far as I know..."
"There are only two types of energy in the Shinobi World... Unless you've discovered another kind?"
His research on the Shinobi World had been ongoing, and through extensive experimentation, he had concluded that only two types of energy existed on this planet—Chakra and natural energy.
Of course.
There was one exception he didn't account for.
That was the unknown energy emanating from the giant tree at the center of Amegakure.
This was also why Orochimaru was still willing to remain in the Akatsuki Organization.
He was deeply curious about that unknown energy.
To draw a comparison, both Chakra and Sage Arts energy carried a corrosive quality, as if they were never meant for humans from the very beginning.
But the unknown energy from that tree gave off a sense of affinity...
Orochimaru was fascinated by it, though years of research had yielded no clues.
Now, hearing Uchiha Kaito speak like this...
He was certain this kid knew far more than he let on.
And so, Orochimaru bombarded them with questions at every unfamiliar term, and the three of them sat beneath the tower for an entire day and night.
Hikari and Konan had long given up on those two idiots, each returning home in frustration, even refusing to prepare meals for them.
Kaito wasn't much of a cook, and Nagato, who fancied himself a god, refused to lower himself to such tasks. In the end, it was Orochimaru—who often took care of children—who stepped up, using those "alchemy" tools to whip up five dishes and a soup for them to share.
Over that day and night, Orochimaru finally grasped the meanings of obscure terms like spiritual energy, Cultivation of Immortality, and alchemy.
And to his delight, he discovered...
The immortality he had been desperately seeking was now right before his eyes.
Good.
His previous attitude had been... problematic.
For a moment, Orochimaru was dazed. He couldn't believe that immortality was far clearer and simpler than he had ever imagined.
At least, according to Kaito's explanation, it could solve his most pressing concerns.
As long as he completed his cultivation and broke through his current realm, he could gain vast amounts of lifespan.
And when he thought back to all those cursed seals and reincarnation techniques he had been tinkering with...
What worthless trash had he been wasting his time on?
"Keh keh keh..."
"How exhilarating!"
Orochimaru trembled with excitement. After muttering to himself for over ten minutes, he finally turned to Nagato and Kaito, declaring that he needed to set up a research lab in Amegakure—specifically for studying alchemy.
He didn't even need Nagato to fund it. Orochimaru had already decided to relocate his main base here at his own expense, living day and night bathed in spiritual energy.
Seeing that the Snake Sage had finally agreed to take on the mission, Kaito smiled in satisfaction. Once everything was settled, he and Nagato took a quick tour of the Scripture Tower.
To their slight disappointment, they found nothing but empty bookshelves inside.
Still, over the years, Shisui had managed to collect quite a few cultivation manuals. They decided to retrieve those books from the Secret Realm and move them into the tower.
As the sect leader, Nagato had other matters to attend to. After bidding farewell to Kaito, he hurried back to ask Konan for funds to begin constructing the school.
Three days later...
Amegakure's first Cultivation Academy was completed, and Kaito successfully stored all the collected books inside the Scripture Tower.During the moving process, Kaito glanced through the collected books with an indescribably strange expression on his face, looking at his father with even more peculiar eyes.
"No way, Fugaku, have you lost your mind!?"
"What kind of nonsense is it to give beast cultivation techniques to our clansmen!?"
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