Chapter 70 – The Snake Pays His Soul Tax and Leaves Empty-Handed
After all, the Aizen template he inherited was also a scientist at heart.
Aike had always been deeply interested in research.
This time, he basically cleaned Orochimaru out.
"Deal!"
Aike snapped his fingers.
The golden Scales of Libra materialized in mid-air.
The moment they appeared, Orochimaru's entire attention was hijacked.
If Aike's casual moves a few days ago had given the snake a few clues (guessing the source was soul power),
this golden, inviolable scale radiating absolute authority left him completely blind.
Orochimaru stared with burning obsession, trying to dissect every second of the process as the scales extracted knowledge and memories from his mind.
Yet no matter how hard he probed, he felt nothing, not even a tingle in his soul.
"To think something can strip pure knowledge from the brain like it's a physical object… I want to dissect this so badly."
Orochimaru licked his lips, practically vibrating.
This was power that transcended everything the shinobi world understood.
On Aike's side, after collecting payment, he fulfilled his end.
Using the Scales as a medium, he yanked Orochimaru's soul straight out of his body.
Then, with the authority of a true Death God, he burned away every trace of impurity left by countless Immortality Jutsu cycles.
The soul that came out fragile and cracked looked even worse afterward.
Aike almost felt bad, the snake really had been one bad hop from vanishing forever.
Then he pumped pure soul essence into the damaged spirit until it reached "perfectly healthy human" level.
Not one drop more.
Zero loss, zero charity.
When the soul slammed back into its body, Orochimaru shuddered with euphoric relief.
It's fixed!
That constant, gnawing weakness was completely gone.
He felt stronger than he ever had, peak condition from his youngest days.
Especially his genjutsu resistance; it was no longer "touch me and I fold" tier.
"Don't mess with your soul again unless you want a real headache, even for me."
Aike gave a rare warning.
He knew how insatiable Orochimaru's curiosity was.
50,000 transaction points, this guy's weight actually surpassed Kakashi's.
Aike was quietly surprised, but when he thought about everything Orochimaru would do in the future, it made sense.
Orochimaru froze mid-gloat.
Because yes, he had already been planning more experiments.
True immortality needed an indestructible soul too.
And now that he had a "save point" in Aike, the temptation to cut himself open again had skyrocketed.
Maybe after a few dozen tests he could reverse-engineer the repair method himself.
No one likes holding their life in someone else's hand.
Too bad Aike crushed that dream before it fully formed.
So the snake could only move on to the second transaction.
"Then, my lord… how much would soul-related knowledge cost?"
Aike gave him an amused half-smile.
"I thought you'd ask how to achieve true immortality."
The word "immortality" made Orochimaru's pupils dilate with hunger, but he quickly suppressed it.
He shook his head, bitter.
"I want it more than anything, but I already know I can't afford that answer right now."
"So you'll settle for patching the holes in your Immortality Jutsu instead?"
Aike nodded. "Seizing bodies can give pseudo-eternal life, sure.
But the knowledge isn't cheap either."
At least not with the empty pockets Orochimaru had left after being looted clean.
Aike gave him a rough quote, tossed him a one-time contact talisman, and sent the snake on his way.
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