"Heh heh... The Sound Four and Kimimaro really did become your stepping stones."
Facing Izayoi, who now stood before him, Orochimaru showed no trace of panic. Instead, he let out a hoarse laugh. Behind the bandages on his face, his yellow slit-pupiled eyes glowed with heat and greed.
"I suspected you might be a distant descendant of the Uzumaki or Senju clan who awakened a hidden bloodline, but I didn't expect you to be even more outstanding than I imagined. Not only do you possess a ninjutsu talent comparable to the Second Hokage, but you also awakened the First Hokage's kekkei genkai."
"What surprised me even more... is that you awakened Mokuton yet managed to keep it hidden. And after Tsunade took office, you seized the opportunity to swiftly become Konoha's shining hope... This isn't something mere precociousness or deep scheming can explain. I believe you're not only of Senju descent, but also a member of the Uzumaki clan, with your Kagura Shingan awakened... You've probably seen much of Konoha's darkness with your own eyes."
The final sentence was filled with certainty.
Having placed numerous spies within Konoha, Orochimaru had easily obtained detailed information on Izayoi.
The first six years of his life had been unremarkable. The following six years, he was always seen beside the Hyuga clan heiress—an apparent prodigy from a civilian background, much like Minato Namikaze.
At first, it seemed he was pursuing the Hyuga heiress in an attempt to climb the social ladder.
But that, it turned out, was all part of his act.
He had long since awakened Mokuton and understood his uniqueness, yet chose not to reveal it. He quietly built his strength, waiting until he reached elite power level before gradually exposing his talents.
Once a relative became Hokage and he had strong backing, he fully unveiled his trump cards.
If not, he would have revealed his Mokuton during the Chūnin Exams and subdued the One-Tail Jinchūriki from Sunagakure—that would have been the perfect stage.
Now understanding everything, Orochimaru's assessment of Izayoi far surpassed even Minato and Kakashi. Compared to his own younger self, Orochimaru didn't even believe he was worthy of carrying Izayoi's shoes.
So, without waiting for Izayoi to speak, Orochimaru chuckled and offered his own theory:
"You've come alone to find me—perhaps to take my head and pave your way to becoming the Sixth Hokage?"
Izayoi had no idea that, in Orochimaru's eyes, he was now someone deeply calculating and filled with hidden schemes.
After hearing Orochimaru's analysis, Izayoi couldn't help but clap and genuinely praise him.
"As expected of Lord Orochimaru. With so little intel, you've deduced that I possess both Senju and Uzumaki bloodlines."
Whoosh—
At that moment, a figure flashed behind Izayoi. In the dim room, a green glow was dazzlingly bright.
"Lord Orochimaru, run!"
It was Kabuto's voice. The chakra scalpel in his hand slashed toward the back of Izayoi's neck.
Unfortunately for him, he had no idea how terrifying a Mokuton user—who doesn't even need to weave signs—could be.
Izayoi didn't move. Suddenly, his back squirmed, and several wooden tendrils extended out like octopus tentacles, tightly binding Kabuto's limbs and body.
Blue chakra immediately flowed from Kabuto through the wooden vines and into Izayoi.
Seeing this, Orochimaru's face became feverish.
"Chakra absorption—this truly is the genuine Mokuton!"
Mokuton was a truly versatile kekkei genkai.
It was not only capable of both offense and defense, but could affect wide areas, allow flight, tunneling, and even sealing.
That was what the world believed.
But only monsters from the First Hokage's era, Konoha's upper echelon, and Orochimaru—who had done Mokuton experiments—knew that its true strongest power was chakra absorption.
Once entangled by the branches, the enemy's chakra would rapidly be absorbed, becoming nutrients that strengthened the wood.
The more chakra the enemy had, the stronger Mokuton became.
In battle, you grew weaker while the Mokuton user grew stronger—how could you possibly win?
This was precisely why tailed beasts were nothing but toys in the First Hokage's hands.
Watching Izayoi's vines absorb chakra, Orochimaru was certain—this wasn't some lab-made specimen. Izayoi was a true Senju descendant.
In this moment, Orochimaru regarded Izayoi as an even more perfect vessel than Sasuke Uchiha.
If he could take Izayoi's body, with his knowledge and Izayoi's talent and bloodline, not even Itachi or the Rinnegan-wielding leader of the Akatsuki would be a threat.
But Orochimaru also knew—he had no chance of winning against Izayoi in his current state.
Thankfully, he had a backup plan.
He quickly composed himself and smiled at Izayoi, who had subdued Kabuto with ease.
"Kabuto only acted out of loyalty. I'm already at my limit—soon I'll be unable to transfer my soul. How about this: I offer you my head, and in return, you spare Kabuto's life?"
"Lord Orochimaru…" Kabuto widened his eyes, tears of emotion streaming down—his acting, flawless.
If Izayoi didn't already know what Orochimaru was up to, he might have been fooled.
He quickly drained Kabuto's chakra and wrapped him into a wooden cocoon. Just as he was about to speak—
Another figure suddenly appeared at his side: Uchiha Sasuke.
"Sasuke-kun..."
Seeing Sasuke appear out of nowhere, eyes gleaming with three-tomoe Sharingan, Orochimaru was briefly stunned—then his gaze became feverish once again.
Two perfect vessels appearing simultaneously in front of him—it was like tossing two unconscious naked women at a starving lecher.
If not for the fact that he had lost most of his jutsu and his body was near collapse, Orochimaru might've gambled everything even against Izayoi and Sasuke.
"Such a disgusting stare..." muttered Sasuke with a shiver of revulsion. "Can this guy really be trusted?"
"Don't worry. Lord Orochimaru is still a man of his word," Izayoi replied calmly.
That line made Orochimaru's eyes gleam.
"So... Izayoi-kun isn't here to kill me after all."
"I never said I came to kill you, Lord Orochimaru," Izayoi smiled. "Though I'm not sure why you'd think that. Mokuton has already paved the way for me. Your head would be little more than icing on the cake."
"Haha... that's true." Orochimaru nodded. "Then, I take it you and Sasuke-kun came here for a deal?"
"Exactly. I'm here to make a trade."
Izayoi nodded, then handed two scrolls to Sasuke.
Sasuke understood immediately, opened the scrolls, formed hand seals, and released their contents.
Poof, poof— With two puffs of smoke, a White Zetsu clone and a metallic password-locked case appeared.
Orochimaru's gaze fixated on the clone, his expression shocked.
"This is... Zetsu!"
"So that's what it's called?" Izayoi feigned ignorance. "This thing's abilities are pretty special. It can merge with plants and the earth. If it weren't for my Mokuton and catching it spying on me, I'd never have noticed it."
"Hmph... that's a clone of a member of Akatsuki named Zetsu," Orochimaru said, turning to Sasuke. "Akatsuki is the mercenary group your brother Itachi joined after defecting."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, a trace of killing intent flashing by—he remembered that name.
"This thing is my gift to you, Lord Orochimaru," Izayoi said, opening Zetsu's mouth. "Your current body won't last much longer. Why not perform your soul transfer a bit early?"
"..."
Orochimaru fell silent.
But as he looked at Izayoi's calm face—a boy who clearly didn't consider him a threat—he knew he had no choice.
The bandages on Orochimaru's face burst off. He opened his jaws wide and spat out a giant white serpent, lunging toward Izayoi and Sasuke.
Sasuke was startled and stepped back instinctively.
Izayoi merely forced Zetsu's mouth open wider, still smiling.
The serpent paused, its yellow eyes sweeping over Izayoi and Sasuke, then obediently slithered into Zetsu's mouth.
Zetsu's body squirmed, his skin rapidly transforming into a human tone, clothes appearing on his form.
Moments later, Zetsu had become Orochimaru.
"This body…"
The reborn Orochimaru stood up slowly, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Only Izayoi knew how shocked he truly was.
Because in this world, there is no perfect jutsu.
Living Corpse Reincarnation had major flaws: during the transfer, the host would usually resist, causing a spiritual clash that weakened both soul and mind. Even if there was no resistance, there would be a period of weakness afterward.
But this time, Orochimaru felt none of that.
No weakness, no resistance—his soul adapted instantly, as if this body were his original one from before learning the jutsu.
And more than that—it was just a clone.
There was a huge secret behind Zetsu's body!
Orochimaru licked his lips, amused. "As expected of an organization possessing the Sage's Eyes... so many hidden truths."
Then Izayoi's voice reached his ears.
"Looks like Lord Orochimaru is very satisfied with this body."
Facing the boy before him—so calm and utterly dismissive—Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and chuckled hoarsely.
"I love your gift, Izayoi-kun. So, what do you want in return?"
What Izayoi said next made Orochimaru's mood explode.
"Lord Orochimaru... would you like to break the Dead Demon Consuming Seal?"
"Huff..."
Orochimaru's breath quickened.
"You know how to undo it?!"
"I didn't at first, but recently I found an Uzumaki clansman and learned it," Izayoi lied effortlessly.
"The Dead Demon Consuming Seal is an Uzumaki sealing technique—it sacrifices the user's soul to summon the Shinigami, who seals the target's soul. A one-for-one trade."
"And the method to undo it?" Orochimaru pressed.
"You need to find the legendary Shinigami Mask and have someone serve as the sacrifice to summon the Shinigami—then retrieve the souls in its belly." Izayoi smiled as he baited the hook. "As for the mask's location... I don't know."
"I see..."
Orochimaru seemed to realize something, still uncertain.
But Izayoi's words gave him a direction.
He only needed to investigate the Uzumaki clan's secrets to verify the truth.
Feeling much better, Orochimaru laughed.
"That intel is quite valuable. So, what else does Izayoi-kun need from me?"
"I want one thing—and I need you to perform surgery on Sasuke."
Izayoi opened the metallic case after inputting a code.
"Those are... Hashirama's cells!"
Orochimaru immediately recognized them, raising a brow. "If I recall, most of these were in Danzo's hands. Wasn't he killed by the Akatsuki leader? Izayoi-kun... are you sure you don't know Zetsu?"
"I don't. I found this in the Hokage's building," Izayoi replied, still lying smoothly. "Thanks to the Rinnegan wielder—if he hadn't destroyed the detection barrier and caused a huge mess, I wouldn't have been able to sneak in and retrieve the Mokuton scroll and this stuff."
"I see…"
Orochimaru finally understood how Izayoi knew Mokuton: Deep Forest Emergence.
It wasn't inherited—it was stolen from the forbidden jutsu vault.
Sasuke also realized where Izayoi had obtained those genjutsu and fire-style scrolls—and the forbidden Dark Walking Technique.
Looking at the Hashirama cells, then at Sasuke with his three-tomoe Sharingan, Orochimaru smirked.
"It seems Izayoi-kun knows quite a bit."
"Indeed. So don't try any funny business." Izayoi smiled warmly, yet his words filled Sasuke with an overwhelming sense of safety.
"If I catch you trying anything... I'll kill you all."
There was no chakra flare. But Izayoi's tone made the underground room—already dim and cold—feel even chillier.
Even Kabuto, who had been so confident before Tsunade and Kakashi, began sweating uncontrollably.
Orochimaru, too, felt a heavy sense of pressure.
The last time he'd felt this was in front of Itachi or the Deva Path.
This kid… had fully spread his wings.
But on the surface, Orochimaru merely smiled and nodded.
"No problem. It's a simple matter."