Time is a fickle thing. Much like a pond, throw a single pebble and it will still ripple across the water. My presence was much like that pebble. Small and insignificant but still sending a ripple through the timeline. But now I'm more like a boulder crashing down making a big splash. Things have changed. I need to gauge how much of this world's history has been affected.
I pondered this during my travels with Orochimaru. He joined the Akatsuki very recently and he felt he needed someone he could actually trust… me. Now I know that he knows I'm smarter than I look. He's taking a risk trusting me… which means he doesn't actually trust me. He'll look for a way to harness my power and control me.
I suspect that he'll run a series of tests to see if I will survive the Cursed Seal. Now I like the benefits of that seal. However, it isn't perfect. I might not survive the seal despite my strength. It doesn't matter how strong you are, the Cursed Seal only has a 10% compatibility rate. My body may reject it, making me weaker. Even if I survive and the presence of Orochimaru is suppressed with the Gamer's Mind he can still control the seal's activation.
I seek power. But not at the cost of being dependent on some snake pedophile. If I can get my hands on the Cursed Seal formula I may be able to perfect it. Take away all the negative aspects of the seal but keep the power boost. During this trip, I have been working on my chakra reserves using the other exercises to boost my pool. Thanks to my mastery of the Whirlpool Standing exercise the other training exercises can now be used continuously. Meaning I can still reap the benefits of the already mastered exercises.
This is ridiculously broken. The other techniques shouldn't even have a max level. But if this is the way it needs to be done I'll do it. Slowly but surely my reserves rose exponentially. During the trip, Orochimaru would keep to himself. Probably because he's scheming just as I am. Control is something I'm considering. Trying to subjugate a Sannin… yeah, that'll go well. I'll just cast it on him, get chakra exhaustion, and proceed to be taken away and dissected by a child molester.
I need to keep raising my chakra reserves in hopes of getting to the point where I can use Control on the snake. For every level that surpasses mine, Control costs an added 100 CP on top of the base cost. Since I mastered every spell in the Book of Manipulation the chakra cost is only 1 CP. Despite my constant training, my reserves are truly pitiful.
Let's hope Orochimaru doesn't try anything funny until I find a dungeon. Once I can get to one I think I'll spend the rest of my days there… Nah, I'm just kidding. But I feel like once I find a dungeon I should stay until I reach at least Level 50. And for every level, I should plunge all my stat points into CHA. I've been on this boat for a couple weeks which gave me the time to gain +300 CHA. Every time we stop at a dock Orochimaru tells me to stay on the ship.
As far as I can tell he's setting up shop in different parts of the Land of Fire. I was under the assumption that he had bases already scattered all over the place. This must be the beginning of his secret empire comprised of monsters and fiends. Also, a bunch of people putting their faith in a powerful man capable of a great many feats.
Either way, I need to get off this boat. I got my wish the very next day. Orochimaru took me to a vast forest leaving the crew on the boat. After a short walk, we stopped at a large tree. The snake sannin placed his hand on the tree and walked through it. Huh, must be Genjutsu. I followed suit and found myself in what looked to be a cookie-cutter villainous lair. Complete with henchmen and scientists!
Orochimaru gave me a tour of the facility. Apparently, this entire facility is covered in a complex array of seals, hiding in plain sight, anyone who comes across this place will feel a sudden compulsion to walk around it. His new boss gave him the initial idea but he added his own spin to it. That reminds me, I'll have to find a way to deal with Obito and Madara sometime in the future, but for now, let's deal with this asshole.
The base seemed more well-lit than I thought it would be. It housed a variety of little monsters that the snake created in his experiments. But it had some decent food… yeah, this place disgusts me. He had his scientists working on various projects. From what I was able to gather with a brief glance at each room Orochimaru's having them work on some sort of super-serum, gene-splicing for bloodlines, the Cursed Seal obviously, and… creating a body. We stopped there. In a large tube full of an unknown green liquid was a man. Completely hairless and emaciated. The face had the snake-like features of Orochimaru.
Placing his hand on the tube he sighed and said to me,
"This… was supposed to be my greatest creation. A body that could never age and never be broken. This vessel was supposed to grant me the only thing I've ever desired… to live forever, so that I may unlock the secrets of this world. To learn every Jutsu, every technique so that I may shape the world as I see fit. To cut the wheat from the chaff. Only the strong would survive in my utopia."
Okay Wesker, calm the fuck down. Yet he continued,
"Now I must endure a painful process to prolong my life. Perhaps if I had enough time… no. This is where you come in Haruka-chan." I perked up at that and asked him,
"What do you require of me, Orochimaru-sama?" the snake chuckled,
"You, Haruka-chan. You could be the perfect vessel in which I can build my empire. I will need to train you to your fullest potential." he replied, turning to face me. Keeping an emotionless mask I knelt down on one knee and bowed my head,
"It would be my honor to sacrifice my body for you, Orochimaru-sama," and with that, he led me to my room… keeping his hands on me. Fuck. This. I need to find a dungeon NOW. Now I say! I don't want to spend another moment in the presence of this slimy motherfucker,
"Tomorrow you will receive your first mission. I need to gauge your current skills," he said. I nodded,
"May I ask… what kind of mission is Orochimaru-sama?" I asked, wondering what task was expected of me. The snake sannin smirked,
"Assassination," he said, "The target is constantly on the move. You will be sent to his last known location. It will be up to you to track him from there. I will observe and track your progress." I nodded and went to bed. Orochimaru stood at the door watching me for several moments before he left, closing the door behind him. Yeah… I'm not sleeping tonight. Not that I slept on the boat with that snake pedophile lurking around.
I don't need to sleep. I have too much to think about. Tomorrow, tomorrow, I'll kill him tomorrow, he'll be dead and gone… tomorrow. I'm losing my mind…