Orochimaru's voice had not completely fallen when two thick serpents already shot from his sleeves, one left and one right, toward Shuji standing on the dead snake's back.
However, just as those two serpents were about to touch Shuji's ankles, from that giant serpent corpse beneath his feet already devoid of life and covered in wooden spikes, the originally still branches instantly came alive, spawning more new growth.
These newly born wooden branches coiled upward at astonishing speed, entangling those two serpents. Even sharper wooden spikes on the branches grew explosively, mercilessly stabbing into their soft interiors through the giant mouths opened wide for attack.
The two serpents fell to the ground, following in that giant serpent's footsteps under those life energy-filled branch restraints and piercings.
With the initial probe failing, Orochimaru not only showed no trace of frustration but instead his golden serpent pupils burst with even more scorching, excited light.
This vitality, this greed, this was the Wood Release he anticipated.
Orochimaru's body underwent bizarre changes at this moment. His original legs actually fused and elongated into a tail in an instant. His entire person transformed into a blurred afterimage, approaching Shuji at high speed in a nearly ground-gliding posture!
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
During high-speed movement, Orochimaru's sleeves violently swelled again. Over ten venomous snakes shot forth, skillfully avoiding thick branches blocking directly ahead, biting toward vital points across Shuji's body from tricky angles.
Such fast speed, combined with that bizarre soft-body modification. His movement trajectory proved erratic, making capturing his movements even more difficult.
Shuji inwardly praised slightly. Purely regarding comprehensiveness as a shinobi, aside from being unable to handle Mangekyō genjutsu, Orochimaru truly had no weaknesses.
Forming the Snake seal with both hands while lightly tapping his heel backward, Shuji's body agilely leaped backward, perfectly avoiding the venomous snakes' densest initial strike zone.
Simultaneously, the ground around him again released dull rumbling. Several far thicker dark brown tree roots than before burst from earth, viciously slapping down and smashing apart those incoming venomous snakes!
Immediately after, these violent tree roots continued relentlessly, stabbing toward the high-speed moving Orochimaru from all directions.
Orochimaru's body shuttled through the tree roots' siege, avoiding those deadly entanglements and piercings by hairbreadth margins. However, his activity space was being rapidly compressed by continuously emerging new tree roots, growing increasingly narrow.
Just within this seemingly perilous evasion, Orochimaru seized a tiny gap, suddenly borrowing force to leap high into the air.
He opened his mouth. A small snake emerged from within. The snake opened its mouth, spitting out a sword. The blade madly extended the instant it appeared, stabbing directly toward Shuji.
The Kusanagi Sword...
Shuji landed atop a highly raised thick tree root. Facing this blade supposedly the world's hardest, he neither dodged nor evaded.
Before him, countless tough vines instantly interwove and coiled, forming a solid shield.
The Kusanagi Sword's tip viciously stabbed into the vine shield, penetrating the outermost defensive layer. Immediately after, those pierced vines reversed from different angles, tightly entangling the sword body and its extended portion, causing it to completely lose forward momentum, deadlocked in midair.
Just as Shuji absorbed natural energy, preparing to enter Sage Mode, Orochimaru suddenly ceased all offensive actions, withdrew the Kusanagi Sword, and retreated some distance, landing at a relatively safe distance away.
"Hehehe... How rude of me." Orochimaru patted dust from his body. "Just now was merely a bit of playful banter before formal cooperation begins. After all, one must personally confirm future partners' general capabilities."
Shuji quietly watched the self-talking Orochimaru. His seal-forming hands did not relax, maintaining a posture ready to respond at any moment. However, the restless, poised forest around him temporarily calmed.
Orochimaru's tone eased. "You have not simply suppressed or contained Hashirama's cells but completely, thoroughly mastered their power, successfully excavating and recreating true Wood Release strength."
He spread his hands, indicating no further combat intent. "For someone possessing such strength as yourself, that previous crude method of obtaining research materials obviously no longer proves appropriate, nor can it achieve my true desired purpose."
Facing such Wood Release, summoning Manda would probably result in Manda himself dispelling the summoning to flee. With even the Kusanagi Sword proving ineffective, he would need to use other forbidden techniques.
Encountering the returning Shuji was originally coincidental. He had not made full preparations. Since the initial attempt at taking blood and flesh samples could not succeed, then changing cooperation methods proved not unacceptable for Orochimaru.
"Then, Shuji-kun,"
"To demonstrate my sincerity..."
He raised his head, opened his mouth, and spat out a scroll.
"This represents my research insights over these years regarding some characteristics of Hashirama's cells and some interesting experimental data."
"As the person currently understanding Hashirama's cells most deeply, the contents within should provide some help for you to further master and develop this power."
Orochimaru looked at Shuji, evaluating this person. This young man not only possessed astonishing strength but also proved extremely excellent in initiative and judgment.
Merely from one contact, he keenly sensed potential dangers facing the Uchiha executing missions outside and immediately acted.
When facing himself, an S-rank rogue ninja, he also did not display common impatience or shouting for battle but maintained a calm assessment attitude.
Combined with Shuji's relationship with Tsunade, in this new era where Tsunade gradually grasped power, he would very likely become an emerging force in Konoha's shadows not to be overlooked.
Since Shuji demonstrated strength sufficient to protect his own secrets and body, this proved he held higher value, worthy of some investment.
After leaving Konoha, Orochimaru indeed had some precious resources previously easily obtainable but now difficult to acquire.
Previously obtainable indirectly through Shimura Danzo, but now it seemed Danzo's channel probably no longer proved so reliable.
Orochimaru pinched this scroll, tossing it onto empty ground not far before Shuji.
"This is compensation for Shuji-kun. After all, I dirtied your clothes and disturbed your vacation."
"If you are interested in more things and wish to find me... the scroll bears special formula markings. They will guide you to temporary contact locations."
Speaking thus, Orochimaru lingered no further. His body, like melting into shadows, slowly slid backward, ultimately completely vanishing into the dark dense forest's depths.
Shuji looked at that scroll on the ground, his brow furrowing.
Coming from Orochimaru's mouth, covered in saliva, tch...
Chapters in advance there: patreon.com/Thaniel_a_goodchild