Chapter 37: Hoodwinking Orochimaru

Standing outside the pit, Menma's face beneath his mask looked like the "Old Man on a Subway" meme.

He had only intended to bluff Orochimaru, but based on his own cognition, Orochimaru had actually deduced the conclusion that "Shura" came from the future.

This realization allowed Menma to react to the fact that, at this moment, Orochimaru had not yet performed the Living Corpse Reincarnation.

Menma vaguely remembered that Orochimaru had performed the Living Corpse Reincarnation at least five times; by the time of the Chunin Exams, he had already done it at least twice.

That woman's body was highly compatible with Orochimaru's soul, allowing him to exert his maximum strength—to the point where even after Hiruzen Sarutobi sealed his hands, Orochimaru felt a sense of reluctance to let go of that body.

'I was a bit too abrupt myself.' After organizing his memories, Menma decided to continue using the hypothesis Orochimaru had proposed, letting the man fill in the blanks himself.

"Oh? Then tell me, why haven't I killed you?" Menma asked, his tone full of interest.

Feeling that he had pierced through the other's secret, Orochimaru's pupils contracted slightly, but a cold, sinister curve curled at the corner of his mouth.

He slowly straightened his body. Despite the surging blood in his chest making his breathing somewhat erratic, he let out a soft grunt, his voice hissing like a venomous snake.

"Since you know about the Living Corpse Reincarnation, you must also know about my contract with Ryuchi Cave, as well as my Cursed Seal Technique. You know that ordinary means make it very difficult to kill me!"

"Hmm, keep going." Menma remained stationary.

"Cough, cough..." Orochimaru coughed twice. Due to his injuries, he felt his life force rapidly draining away.

"You are familiar with my abilities and even more knowledgeable about my research. Therefore, my research direction must contain something you need—or rather, there must be a certain research that will bear fruit in the future!" Thinking of his various studies, which might touch upon the ultimate mystery of immortality, Orochimaru grew increasingly fervent.

"Tsk..." A light click of the tongue came from beneath Menma's mask.

"You guessed some things right, but you also guessed some things wrong." Menma stopped walking and looked down at Orochimaru in the large pit. "However, it is not easy for you to have guessed this much."

"Then, let us cooperate!" Orochimaru's tongue lightly licked the blood at the corner of his mouth, his tone growing even more manic.

"I know your ambition must be great, but if you only possess this level of strength, it will be difficult to make me work for you." Orochimaru regained his confidence, lifting his head and letting his hair fall across his face.

"Cooperate?" Menma's eyebrows twitched slightly beneath his mask as he assumed a thinking posture.

"For someone like you, who can travel back from the future, what danger could you possibly fear?" Orochimaru let out a mocking laugh.

Whether the other party had traveled back to change something or to rule the shinobi world, Orochimaru didn't care. What he cared about was the "future intelligence" the man possessed. If he could obtain it, his research direction would be more precise, and his research speed would accelerate significantly.

"Whatever you want to obtain from me, or whatever you want me to research, I can give it to you—provided, of course, that it is an equal exchange." Orochimaru knew his advantage lay in his research into forbidden techniques; therefore, he believed he already held the upper hand in this negotiation.

However, he did not realize he had walked straight into Menma's trap.

Since he could not make Orochimaru swear loyalty to him, cooperation was simply another way to utilize him.

But he couldn't let Orochimaru think he held the upper hand.

"Hmph, do you think you hold the upper hand in this transaction?" Menma's flippant tone drifted into Orochimaru's ears. "While the Living Corpse Reincarnation can keep you young, your strength will also forever stall at this level. In certain fields, you will even be greatly weakened."

Hearing the description of the flaws in the "Living Corpse Reincarnation Technique," Orochimaru's pupils suddenly constricted, and his expression turned serious.

Although he had not yet performed the technique, the potential flaws were indeed real, and there were quite a few. Orochimaru had already identified two.

One was that the target's physical body had to be extremely compatible with his soul; the other was that after performing it, he might not be able to use it again for several years.

So...

"Is it regarding the soul?" Based solely on 'Shura's' description, Orochimaru guessed the most severe flaw of the technique.

"You are very smart, Orochimaru." Menma did not deny it.

What if he told him? Would Orochimaru refrain from the Living Corpse Reincarnation just because of this reason?

With his current injuries and his body being in his forties, he would begin to decline in a few years. If he didn't find a young body to replace his, he would only grow older.

For an Orochimaru pursuing immortality, watching his own body age was the greatest agony!

"Then you must know the solution!" Orochimaru paused mid-sentence, realizing he had already lost the advantage in this deal.

He felt as though he had been 'toyed with' by the other party for the third time, but this time, Orochimaru didn't feel as angry; instead, he laughed.

"You took the Hashirama cells, but you might not be able to research Wood Style on your own. Why not let me research it for you?" Orochimaru proposed a model of cooperation: "Just like my cooperation with Danzo."

Orochimaru emphasized his tone when mentioning 'Danzo.'

"Not enough," Menma said softly.

Orochimaru frowned slightly. "Then what do you want? Or rather, what price must I pay!"

The fact that the other party possessed "future intelligence," especially regarding his own research, made Orochimaru's heart itch with desire. But since he was no match for the man, he could only use trade to extract that information.

And the value of the items in the trade was priced by the other party.

Orochimaru disliked this feeling of being at a disadvantage.

But then, 'Shura' uttered the sentence that hit Orochimaru the hardest.

"As you are now, you have no value to me."

Whether it was cloning technology, genetic modification, Sharingan transplantation, cell transplantation, or other scientific advancements, Orochimaru had not yet fully mastered them.

For example, Uchiha Shin and that batch of clones were likely collected and researched during the period when Orochimaru established the Sound Village in the Land of Rice Fields after defecting from the Akatsuki.

And most importantly, the Hashirama cells had already been taken by Menma.

Orochimaru froze in place, his pupils trembling as he thought of the Hashirama cells that had been "robbed" by 'Shura' earlier.

"Tsk tsk, it seems I really shouldn't have given those Hashirama cells to you so easily..." Orochimaru's eyes turned sinister, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of regret.

Now, Orochimaru was completely at a disadvantage in this cooperation.

"What... happened here..." While Menma and Orochimaru were having their "friendly exchange" and "discussing cooperation," Yukimi walked in slowly, trembling as she looked at the large crater in the ground.

"Yukimi!" Kakashi and Yamato, having tracked Yukimi's trail, also arrived at this underground hideout of the Iburi clan.

Upon seeing the mysterious masked man and Orochimaru in the pit, Kakashi's expression became highly tense as he drew a kunai.

"Orochimaru!" Yamato also recognized Orochimaru and stepped in front of Yukimi to protect her.

As for the mission assigned by Danzo, it had already been tossed to the back of his mind.

"Tsk tsk, Kakashi... and... 'Kabuto'!" Orochimaru climbed out of the pit, his eyes looking at Yamato with an increasingly satisfied expression.

This was his creation!

A pity that Danzo had snatched it up first!