Isamu took his two wives and Shizune and traveled through almost the entire Land of Fire and the surrounding small countries, thoroughly enjoying a life of freedom. This leisurely time lasted for four years.
In a town four hundred kilometers away from Konoha Village, Isamu, who had been traveling for four years, finally chose to stop here. During these four years, Isamu had returned to Konoha more than once to see Sasuke. Watching his little Grandson step-by-step sink into hatred, Isamu felt very helpless.
However, just today, while Isamu was sitting alone in a restaurant drinking wine and eating side dishes, a person with a naturally cold and gloomy aura arrived.
A man with black hair and a pale face saw Isamu sitting there alone. He slowly walked over, sat down, and shared the table with Isamu.
Isamu glanced at the black-haired, pale-faced man and said indifferently, "So it's you. How many years has it been since we last met, Orochimaru?"
Indeed, the newcomer was none other than Orochimaru, who had defected from Konoha Village and was the beloved disciple of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Counting the days, it's been about twenty years since we last met!"
"Twenty years, huh? Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, Orochimaru, once one of the Three Legendary Sannin of Konoha, has actually defected from Konoha Village. I didn't expect you to take this path after all. Sigh!" Looking at Orochimaru before him, Isamu shook his head helplessly.
"My goal isn't Konoha Village, and Konoha Village can't give me what I want. Isn't it only natural for me to leave?"
"Orochimaru, do you still remember what I told you about the true meaning of life?"
"Of course I remember. Over the years, I've carefully considered this question. Human life is too fragile; a simple Kunai can take a life. To be honest, I don't quite agree with the Six-Word Truth you once told me!"
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Isamu nodded. Those six words were his meaning of life, not Orochimaru's. Although Orochimaru didn't say much, Isamu could see that Orochimaru had truly grown; he was no longer the ignorant youth he once was.
"Everyone has their own true meaning of life. Your disagreement with me shows that you already have your own. Seeing your current changes, I am both happy and worried. I'm happy that you've grown and are slowly seeing things clearly, but I'm worried that you've stepped onto a path of no return with no end in sight. What a pity, what a pity!" Isamu shook his head slightly; he could clearly see that Orochimaru's mindset had become problematic.
"There's nothing to pity. What Konoha can't give me, I can get elsewhere just the same. Konoha cannot bind me!"
"A bird that wants to fly cannot be kept in a cage!" At this point, Isamu paused and then said indifferently, "So, how does it feel to be subdued in just two moves by a junior in his teens? It must be quite unpleasant, right?"
"Hmm! How do you know about this?" Hearing Isamu mention his defeat by Itachi in just two moves, Orochimaru's eyes widened instantly. Besides a few members of the organization, it was impossible for anyone else to know about this.
"Hehe, there is nothing in this world I don't know, including that mercenary organization you used to be in. It's called Akatsuki, right?"
Seeing Isamu's all-knowing appearance, Orochimaru frowned and then relaxed. The existence of the Akatsuki Organization was no secret; all the Great Ninja Villages had intelligence on it. It wasn't strange for Isamu to know. What truly concerned him was his defeat by Itachi. That was Isamu's Grandson, and there was no guarantee Isamu wouldn't take action against him. He didn't have the confidence to escape from Isamu.
"Hehe, no need to be nervous. Rest assured, I won't hold this against you. As long as you have the ability to take down Itachi, I don't mind at all!" Seeing that Orochimaru was a bit intimidated, Isamu spoke up to reassure him.
It was better to let this pawn for his little Grandson's trial maintain his original intention, and besides, the current Orochimaru was simply no match for Itachi.
"Itachi is indeed powerful, and he is truly worthy of being your Grandson. Compared to Senba, I feel his strength is even more unfathomable. He is truly formidable!" As Orochimaru spoke, he unconsciously gritted his teeth. Being defeated by a brat who had just debuted, and being defeated instantly at that, was a massive humiliation for an established powerhouse like him. He now hated that brat Uchiha Itachi to the core.
"Hehehe, you're wrong about that, Orochimaru. Itachi's talent is indeed very good, but there's still no comparison to Senba. Have you ever considered that it's not Itachi who is too strong, but you who have become weaker?"
"I've become weaker? How is that possible? My strength hasn't regressed at all over the years; instead, it has increased. I am a true Kage-level expert!"
"A true Kage-level expert? Don't make me laugh, Orochimaru. If you had told me this ten years ago, I wouldn't have been able to refute it. But now, I beg to differ. There is no absolutely perfect technique in this world; I believe you know this better than I do. Living Corpse Reincarnation is likewise not that perfect. The greater the ability, the greater the side effects. I don't believe you haven't noticed this!"
Hearing Isamu's words, Orochimaru fell into deep thought again. While surprised that Isamu knew about Living Corpse Reincarnation, he was also considering these so-called flaws. As the developer of this immortality technique, he really hadn't found any flaws. After all, when it's something you developed yourself, you tend to be a bit blind to its issues.
Just like a novel author, everything seems perfect to them, but once it's published, the readers can see many problems.
"How could my nearly perfect immortality technique have flaws? Big Brother Isamu, I'm afraid you've misjudged this time!" Having failed to see the problem, Orochimaru could only shift the blame to Isamu, wanting to see what kind of major issue there could possibly be.
"Perfect? Hehe, if it's perfect, why did you lose to Itachi, who is also at the Kage level? Orochimaru, oh Orochimaru, you still haven't seen the problem with this technique. Your loss was not undeserved at all!" After shaking his head in disappointment, Isamu continued to provide an explanation.
"Although Living Corpse Reincarnation allows you to change bodies and gain a form of permanent life, every body swap comes at a price. Each time you change, your soul is damaged, and once the soul is damaged, your spiritual energy begins to weaken. Although this doesn't affect your inherent strength, the weakening of spiritual energy means your resistance to Genjutsu has weakened. For a Genjutsu expert, defeating you is simply too easy, especially for a Genjutsu master like Itachi. Do you understand now?"
After hearing Isamu's explanation, Orochimaru's head buzzed. Things he hadn't understood before were now completely clear.
"So that's how it is. No wonder I'm not even as good as a rising junior. So the problem lies with Living Corpse Reincarnation. Truly, success comes from reincarnation, and failure comes from it as well, hehehe…"
"Although your technique is good, it cannot be considered true immortality. Once the soul weakens to a certain point, I believe you will no longer be able to reincarnate. In the end, it just allows you to live a bit longer than others!"
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