"Ha ha… So the Sound Four and Kimimaro really did become your stepping stones."
Orochimaru didn't seem alarmed at all upon seeing Izayoi appear before him. Instead, he let out a raspy laugh.
Beneath the bandages covering his face, his yellow, slit-pupil eyes gleamed with feverish greed as he spoke: "I'd guessed you were a descendant of the Uzumaki or Senju clans, in whom the bloodline re-emerged, but I never imagined you'd be even more talented than I thought. Not only do you possess a talent for ninjutsu on par with the Second Hokage, but you've also awakened the First Hokage's Kekkei Genkai."
"What's even more surprising is that, even though you awakened Wood Release long ago, you knew how to keep it hidden. Once Tsunade took over, you immediately seized the opportunity to become Konoha's new hope… This goes beyond mere precocity or a scheming mind. I suspect that, in addition to Senju blood, you must also have Uzumaki blood—perhaps you awakened Mind's Eye of the Kagura. You must've witnessed plenty of Konoha's darkness with your own eyes."
That last line dripped with certainty.
Having planted plenty of spies in Konoha, Orochimaru had no trouble acquiring more detailed intel on Izayoi.
His first six years were uneventful; in the following six, he stuck close to the Hyūga clan's main-family heiress, coming off as a "Minato-style" civilian genius.
Orochimaru had initially assumed he was chasing the Hyūga heiress to climb the social ladder into a noble family.
But to his surprise, it was all just a façade.
Izayoi had awakened Wood Release much earlier, understood how special he was, and yet endured in silence—biding his time until he reached a level of strength comparable to an "ace." Only then did he begin to reveal his gifts.
He waited until one of his own bloodline relatives took over as Hokage, giving him a solid backing, before fully exposing his trump card.
Otherwise, he would never have chosen this moment to show his Wood Release. Logically, he should've used it during the Chūnin Exams to suppress the One-Tails Jinchūriki from Sunagakure. That stage would've been perfect.
Orochimaru, now realizing all this, placed Izayoi far above Minato Namikaze and Kakashi Hatake in his personal esteem. Even his own younger self, he felt, wasn't worthy to carry Izayoi's shoes.
So before Izayoi could speak, Orochimaru laughed and ventured a guess: "Did you come to find me on your own so you can take my head and clear your path to becoming the Sixth Hokage?"
Izayoi, for his part, had no idea that, in Orochimaru's mind, he was now this cunning, deeply calculating figure.
He applauded after hearing Orochimaru's analysis, and in all sincerity praised him: "As expected of Lord Orochimaru. Just from such small bits of intel, you figured out I carry both the Senju and Uzumaki bloodlines."
Swoosh—
Suddenly, a blurred figure appeared behind Izayoi. A green glow in the dim room practically seared the eyes.
"Lord Orochimaru, please hurry and escape!"
It was Kabuto's voice. With a Chakra Scalpel in hand, he aimed straight at the back of Izayoi's neck.
Too bad he had no clue just how terrifying a Wood-Release user who doesn't need hand signs can be.
Izayoi didn't even move. The area on his back squirmed, then several wooden vines extended, resembling octopus tentacles, coiling around Kabuto's limbs and torso.
The blue glow of chakra immediately traveled along those vines and into Izayoi's body.
Seeing this, Orochimaru's expression became feverish. "Absorbing chakra… So it really is genuine Wood Release!"
Wood Release is a Kekkei Genkai that does it all: offense, defense, large-scale terrain control, plus flight, underground maneuvers, and sealing techniques—that's the common knowledge.
But only those ancient monsters from the First Hokage's era, Konoha's top brass, and Orochimaru—who experimented with Wood Release—truly know that its strongest power lies in chakra absorption.
The moment the enemy gets caught by branches, their chakra is quickly drained to feed the growing trees and boost their resilience.
The more chakra an opponent has, the stronger Wood Release becomes.
Fighting a Wood-Release user means you only get weaker while they only get stronger. How can you possibly win?
That's precisely why Tailed Beasts became little more than the First Hokage's playthings.
Now, seeing Izayoi's Wood Release also possessed chakra absorption, Orochimaru was sure that he wasn't some lab creation by Konoha—he was a true Senju descendant.
All at once, Orochimaru's view of Izayoi changed again, seeing him as an even more perfect future "vessel" than Sasuke.
If he could seize Izayoi's body, combining his own knowledge with Izayoi's talents and Kekkei Genkai, then forget about Uchiha Itachi—even that Rinnegan-wielding leader of the Akatsuki would mean nothing to him.
However, Orochimaru also knew that in his current condition, he was no match for Izayoi. Fortunately, he still had a backup plan.
He swiftly composed himself. Seeing Izayoi casually subdue Kabuto without so much as a twitch, Orochimaru chuckled, "Izayoi-kun, Kabuto here only acted out of concern for my safety, not malice. My body is on the brink of collapse, and it seems I won't be able to perform my 'Reincarnation' again. How about we strike a deal? I'll offer you my head, and you spare Kabuto's life."
"Lord Orochimaru…" Kabuto's eyes went wide as tears of gratitude streamed down—his acting was top-notch.
If Izayoi didn't already know why Orochimaru wasn't afraid of dying, he might've believed their performance.
After completely draining Kabuto's chakra and bundling him up like a dumpling with wooden vines, Izayoi was just about to speak—
Then, with another blur, Sasuke appeared by his side, displaying his three-tomoe Sharingan.
"Sasuke-kun…"
Orochimaru blinked in mild surprise at Sasuke's sudden appearance. Then his eyes again became feverish.
Two perfect vessels standing before him was as tempting as dropping two unconscious beauties in front of a starved lecher.
If he still had his ninjutsu and his body weren't failing, even with Izayoi's Wood Release and Sasuke's newly evolved illusionary eyes, Orochimaru would've taken his chances.
"How disgusting…"
Noticing Orochimaru's gaze, Sasuke got goosebumps and muttered in distaste, "Can we really trust this guy?"
"Don't worry," Izayoi said with a grin. "Lord Orochimaru still has a sense of honor."
Their exchange made Orochimaru's eyes flash. Smiling, he said, "So, Izayoi-kun, you didn't come here to kill me after all."
"I never said I came to kill you, Lord Orochimaru," Izayoi replied lightly. "I'm not sure why you got that impression. Besides, Wood Release has already paved the road for me; your head would only be icing on the cake."
"Heh… Very true," Orochimaru agreed with a nod, smiling. "Then why'd you bring Sasuke-kun here to see me? Something you need my help with?"
"Exactly. I'd like to make a deal with you, Lord Orochimaru."
Izayoi nodded and took out two scrolls, handing them to Sasuke at his side.
Understanding at once, Sasuke opened the scrolls and performed the unsealing.
Poof, poof—two soft explosions of smoke later, a White Zetsu clone and a metal combination lockbox appeared.
Orochimaru's eyes instantly locked on the White Zetsu clone, his expression startled. "That's…Zetsu?"
"So it seems Lord Orochimaru knows about these creatures. It's called Zetsu, is it?" feigned Izayoi. "It has a really unique ability to fuse with plants and the ground. If I didn't have Wood Release—and if it hadn't been spying on me from the shadows—I'd never have found it."
"Heh… That's a clone of a member of Akatsuki named Zetsu," Orochimaru said, then glanced at Sasuke. "Akatsuki is the mercenary group your brother Itachi joined after defecting."
Sasuke's brow twitched, and a flash of murderous intent shone in his eyes. He etched that name into his memory.
Pointing at the White Zetsu clone, Izayoi said, "Its body's pretty special. I'm giving it to you, Lord Orochimaru, as a little gift."
He crouched down, pried open the clone's mouth, and turned to Orochimaru with a smile. "Your current body's about to break down, right? How about performing your 'Reincarnation' early and taking this body for yourself?"
"…"
Orochimaru fell silent. But staring at Izayoi's cheerful face, he realized he had no choice.
So the bandages on Orochimaru's face tore apart. He opened his huge maw and spat out a White Phosphorus Serpent that lunged at Izayoi and Sasuke.
Startled, Sasuke reflexively leapt back a few steps.
Izayoi only grinned, pulling the Zetsu clone's jaws open wider.
Those yellow, slit eyes took one more quick look at Izayoi and Sasuke, then the serpent slithered obediently into the clone's mouth.
Moments later, the clone's body began to writhe, its skin turning into a human complexion at visible speed. Clothes even sprouted from nowhere.
In no time, the White Zetsu clone had become a copy of Orochimaru.
"This body…"
Orochimaru, now successfully reincarnated, slowly stood up, eyes brimming with disbelief.
No one but Izayoi knew exactly how Orochimaru was feeling.
As always: there is no such thing as a flawless jutsu in this world. Impure Reincarnation has its own glaring weaknesses.
When Orochimaru fights a vessel for its body, the vessel usually resists, forcing Orochimaru into a mental battle in a spiritual domain, which weakens both his mind and soul. Even if the vessel doesn't resist, Orochimaru enters a period of vulnerability after taking over, as his soul adjusts to the new body.
But now, he felt zero side effects.
His mind and soul hadn't weakened at all, and there was no adaptation period. It was as if…this body had been his original flesh, back before he learned Living Corpse Reincarnation.
More astonishingly, it was just a clone.
Zetsu clearly hides some enormous secrets.
Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and let out a playful laugh, thinking, So that mysterious group with the Sage's Eyes is indeed hiding more unknown powers…
Right then, Izayoi's voice floated to his ears:
"Looks like you're quite pleased with that body, Lord Orochimaru."
Turning to see Izayoi standing calmly—more accurately, treating him as if he wasn't a threat—Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly, then rasped a laugh. "Heh… This meeting gift of yours suits me very well, Izayoi-kun. So then…what kind of deal do you want?"
Izayoi's next words, however, made Orochimaru momentarily lose control of his emotions.
"Lord Orochimaru, would you like to undo the Reaper Death Seal?"
"Huff…"
Orochimaru's breathing grew ragged. "Izayoi-kun, do you know how?"
"I didn't originally, but not long ago, I found a survivor of the Uzumaki clan. Then I learned," Izayoi lied fluidly, "that the Reaper Death Seal is a sealing technique of the Uzumaki. It sacrifices the user's soul to summon the Shinigami, sealing away the target's soul as a one-to-one exchange."
"What's the method to undo it?" Orochimaru asked eagerly.
"Supposedly, you need to find the legendary 'Shinigami Mask.' Have someone use it to summon the Reaper as a sacrifice—trading their own soul to retrieve whatever's sealed inside the Reaper's belly," Izayoi explained. He spread his hands in a helpless shrug. "As for where to find that mask…I have no idea."
"I see…"
Orochimaru seemed to process it, uncertain yet intrigued. Izayoi's words gave him a lead. Now all he had to do was dig into some Uzumaki clan secrets to confirm whether it was true.
With that in mind, Orochimaru's mood improved. He smiled and said, "That intel is extremely valuable. So, Izayoi-kun, what would you like me to do?"
"I need two things—and for you to perform surgery on Sasuke."
Izayoi typed in a code, popping open the metal lockbox.
"These…are Hashirama's cells!"
Orochimaru recognized them immediately, ignoring the previous request for a moment. He gave Izayoi a meaningful look. "If I'm not mistaken, most of these used to be in Danzo's hands. Didn't the leader of the Akatsuki kill him? Izayoi-kun, you're sure you don't know Zetsu?"
"No idea who that is," Izayoi lied again without batting an eye. "I found these in the Hokage Tower. Lucky for me that Rinnegan user caused so much chaos there, wrecking the barrier sensors and rampaging inside. Otherwise, I would've never been able to sneak in and get Wood-Release scrolls and these goodies."
"Ah, I see."
Orochimaru nodded in sudden realization. Now he understood how this 'genius with a reawakened bloodline' had learned Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence—it wasn't purely inherited. He must have stolen the forbidden scroll from Konoha's vault.
Meanwhile, Sasuke also realized where Izayoi got all those genjutsu scrolls, Fire Release scrolls, and even the forbidden "Bringer-of-Darkness" technique.
Looking from the Hashirama cells over to Sasuke and his three-tomoe Sharingan, Orochimaru smiled. "It seems Izayoi-kun knows quite a few things."
"Indeed. So don't try anything funny," Izayoi said softly, smiling in a way that put Sasuke at ease. "If I catch you being sneaky, I'll kill every last one of you."
Though he didn't release a burst of chakra or overt killing intent, Izayoi's words made the underground room—which was already cold and dark—feel a hundred times colder.
Especially for Kabuto, who had been taken down in seconds; cold sweat oozed from his forehead. He'd stayed confident even in front of Kakashi Hatake and Tsunade, but here he was practically shaking.
Orochimaru also felt the pressure. He'd only ever experienced this kind of intimidation from Itachi Uchiha and Tendo Pain.
So this kid was already that fully fledged, huh?
Nevertheless, Orochimaru kept up his placid smile. "I understand. This is a small favor, nothing more."
~~~
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