Mayuri Kurotsuchi Card Game, starting from Naruto

Chapter 8 Visits and Decisions

Orochimaru's arrival greatly surprised Nara Shikakichi and his wife, especially after seeing the shikaku that Orochimaru was leading.

"Lord Orochimaru is very interested in my insect and wants to see it." Lu Nie succinctly stated the key point, his face full of obedience.

"Don't worry about me. This was just an accident. I'll just check on the bug and then leave." Orochimaru nodded to Nara Shikakichi and his wife, emphasizing that it was just an accident. As for what the clever Nara Shikakichi thought, Orochimaru didn't care at the moment.

As Orochimaru and his companion walked toward the backyard, Nara Shikakichi and his wife Nara Yuno exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of worry and helplessness in each other's eyes.

The Ino-Shika-Cho clan has been able to maintain a low-key and stable presence in Konoha for so long not only because of their intelligence, but also because they know how to assess the situation, choose sides when necessary, and compromise when appropriate. They have always been the Hokage's strategists and a trustworthy clan.

If possible, Nara Shikakichi didn't want his son to get too close to Orochimaru. Orochimaru was gradually walking down a dangerous, dark path, and becoming too close to the Root organization, which called itself the Darkness of Konoha. He didn't want his son to be exposed to any of this right now.

"It seems your parents are quite worried about you being with me," Orochimaru said softly, standing beside Shikano.

"You must have misread it." Lu Nie shook his head.

"I didn't see it with my eyes." Orochimaru didn't show any outward emotion in response to Shikagure's denial, but simply continued, "I sensed unease from their chakra."

"Chakra?" Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Shikano subconsciously raised his head.

To be fair, what I remember most about Orochimaru is his immortality, his elemental strength, and his mastery of various forbidden techniques. But if we analyze and trace the root of his abilities, we can say that it's his understanding and utilization of chakra.

Orochimaru is one of the very few who can approach the level of the Six Paths in terms of chakra mastery.

"Chakra is a product of the balanced mixture of spiritual and physical energy. It is said that chakra possesses the ability to communicate with and see into people's hearts, and to establish spiritual bridges and share memories and emotions. This claim is somewhat fantastical."

"But experienced people who are extremely sensitive to chakra can 'smell' the current psychological fluctuations of the other person's chakra," Orochimaru explained to Shikagure.

"Of course, some elite ninjas are very good at maintaining their inner peace, or they may give you a false impression."

Lu Nie nodded. He felt that Orochimaru seemed to have a bit of a tendency to be a teacher. Of course, this was on the premise that the person who made him want to be a teacher possessed the talent and ability that Orochimaru valued.

For example, his right-hand man in my memory, the one named Yakushi Kabuto, was just like that.

"Are you also doing some research?"

After entering the Rokune workshop, Orochimaru glanced around and easily discerned the purpose of the instruments in the room, as well as roughly deduced what kind of experiment he was conducting based on the materials displayed in the room.

Without obtaining Shikane's consent, Orochimaru began to peruse Shikane's research records on the table with interest, glancing at Shikane with a thoughtful look in his eyes as he read.

Lu Nie was somewhat frightened by Orochimaru's gaze, so he had no choice but to leave and take out the insect he was raising.

They definitely carried them out!

The tiny blue worm, once the size of a palm, has grown to the size of an adult's arm in just a few months. It's now soft and squishy, ​​and even its once blue skin has become much whiter.

Name: Unknown Larva

Quality: Blue (You have chosen an evolutionary path for it. When it is perfectly nurtured and advances to the next stage, it will spin a cocoon to evolve+)

Characteristics: Unremarkable, its only characteristic is its strong vitality, high adaptability, and excellent modifiability.

Skills: Pupae (crawling), eat, spin silk, multiply (stealth)

Evaluation: How far it can grow depends on the breeder's skills and feeding.

Conclusion: It's currently just a bug with some fighting ability, albeit a small one.

The cricket, having been placed from its owner's bosom onto the table, sensed its owner's departure. Its head hovered in the air, its mouthparts sniffing the air. After determining its direction, it crawled on the table toward the location of the deer.

However, the next moment, the bluish-white worm, which was happily scurrying towards its owner on the table, was lifted up into the air by a hand. Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the bluish-white worm panicked, and its skin suddenly changed from bluish-white to a mottled pattern, with black liquid beginning to seep from its body.

"what?"

Feeling the burning pain emanating from his skin, Orochimaru immediately used his chakra to isolate himself from the insect's body.

Seeing that its counterattack had failed to achieve its intended effect and allowed Orochimaru to loosen his grip, the Blue-White Worm panicked and resorted to its last resort. Its body suddenly swelled up significantly, curling into a ball. Finally, using its size and weight, it managed to push Orochimaru's hand away, fell onto the table, rolled around once, and quickly came to Shikagure's side. It leaned against the edge of the table, raised its head, and, somewhat bewildered, began to whine and complain to Shikagure.

Lu Nie quickly took out a piece of black paste from the side and placed it near the mouth of the Blue-White Worm, calming it down. At this moment, the Blue-White Worm, whose intelligence was extremely low, like a human infant, immediately forgot its previous panic after gaining a sense of security from Lu Nie. It lowered its head and wriggled its mouthparts, trying its best to swallow the black paste little by little.

"This is?"

For the first time since Orochimaru entered, a strong look of interest appeared on his face. His eyes gleamed as he watched the feeding blue-white worm and the deer nibbling on its body to comfort it.

"Was that liquid you prepared as venom for it?"

"Yes." Lu Nie nodded.

"So why did its body suddenly swell? Is that a characteristic of its own?" Orochimaru said, shaking his head in confusion. "No, this way of swelling feels familiar to me."

"It's the Akimichi clan's Expansion Technique." Seeing that Orochimaru had noticed something amiss, Shikanobu still honestly gave the answer.

"The Expansion Technique?" Orochimaru's interest deepened. Shikane's answer immediately resolved his doubts.

Orochimaru was certainly familiar with the Akimichi clan's Expansion Technique; in fact, during the war, he had members of the Ino-Shika-Cho clan under his command. Based on his previous experience, it shared many similarities with the Expansion Technique he remembered.

The only thing that surprised Orochimaru was that the Akimichi clan's secret technique could appear on an insect that seemed to have no intelligence and only instincts!

The three races of Ino-Shika-Cho have different constitutions. The Akimichi race, which represents the butterflies, has the ability to quickly digest large amounts of food, store it in the form of fat, and release it when needed, or burst it out in one go.

This process is very much like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.

If others want to learn the Akimichi clan's Expansion Technique, even if they have the methods of training, they will be stuck due to their mastery of Yang Release and their physical constitution.

Could it be that this insect's physique is strong enough to adapt to the changes brought about by the multiplication technique?

Possessing the Yang Escape Technique?

Orochimaru was momentarily tempted. The Senju clan's renowned Wood Release and physique could, strictly speaking, also be classified as Yang Release. Those with Yang Release attributes possess naturally strong regenerative abilities and can have more chakra and stamina than ordinary ninjas.

Now that he is pursuing immortality, he naturally has a desire for Yang Escape.

Of course, Yang Release is just a general term. For Orochimaru, the Senju clan is undoubtedly the most worthy of his research and attack at present. As for the Akimichi clan, although they also possess Yang Release, its effects and power are worlds apart from Wood Release. It's not worth his time.

But the insect in front of him and the research record beside him aroused Orochimaru's curiosity about Shiro. Coupled with the familiar qualities he had about Shiro, Orochimaru made a decision in his mind.

"Let's go. Next time we meet, I'll give you a gift you need." Orochimaru didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he closed the records he was reading and put them away before taking his leave.

Shiro took him back to the front yard, and together with his parents, they escorted Orochimaru out of the Nara clan's residence. Only after watching his figure completely disappear into the night did they return home.

Inside the house, Nara Shikakichi inquired about the details of Shikane's meeting with Orochimaru, but then stopped asking questions and told Shikane to rest.

He simply wanted to find out Orochimaru's plans. From his inquiries, he learned that Orochimaru didn't seem to harbor any obvious malice towards Shikanobu. Realizing this, Nara Shikakichi breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Although he was reluctant for his son to get too close to Orochimaru and be influenced by him, Orochimaru was the most likely candidate to succeed the Fourth Hokage, and at this moment, he was highly respected in Konoha. If Orochimaru were to develop any ill intentions towards his son, he wouldn't have a good solution on his own.

……

The Third Hokage's house.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat taken aback when he saw Orochimaru visiting him late at night. He had been feeling his disciple's estrangement and coldness towards him for some time now, and he had thought that this near-cold war between master and disciple would continue for a while, but he didn't expect him to suddenly come to his door tonight.

Is it Jiraiya?

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought for a moment and realized that the only credit he could owe was to Jiraiya, who had just returned to the village. According to the Anbu's report, Jiraiya had met up with Tsunade and Orochimaru privately after his return.

"It's been a long time since you've come to see me on your own initiative," Hiruzen Sarutobi said instinctively, looking at his favorite disciple.

Orochimaru looked at his teacher, who was showing signs of aging, and fell silent for a moment. The years had etched deep marks on him, and the teacher he once knew and admired was gradually becoming a disappointment to him.

Besides the deaths of his apprentice Nawaki, Tsunade's lover Dan, and the fact that he had witnessed the fragility of human life in war, the increasingly aged and unfamiliar appearance of his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was also a factor that ultimately led him down the path of pursuing immortality.

He couldn't imagine whether he would become as incompetent and cowardly as the Third Hokage when he reached that age! A Hokage who gradually began to compromise was no longer worthy of his admiration.

He needed a new pursuit, one that would both interest him and prevent him from ending up like his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

But can he tell all this to the teacher in front of him?

impossible.

The teacher's thinking is now outdated and inefficient. Even if he were willing to communicate, the two would only argue over differences in their philosophies, leading to a further breakdown in their relationship.

Upon realizing this, Orochimaru instantly suppressed his impulse.

"I've come to tell you that I want to become the team leader," Orochimaru said.

"The team leader?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's right hand, which was holding a pipe, suddenly froze in mid-air. His somewhat cloudy eyes looked at Orochimaru standing in front of him with surprise.

"How did you suddenly come to this realization?"

In the past, Hiruzen Sarutobi had considered having Orochimaru and Tsunade become the team leaders, but the two of them had no interest in taking care of children.

At least Jiraiya had Minato Namikaze to his name, but Orochimaru and Tsunade were two...

Tsunade's despair stemmed from the successive deaths of her younger brother and lover. Orochimaru, on the other hand, stated that after failing to protect Nawaki, which resulted in Nawaki's death, he lost all motivation to become a team leader again.

"Just discovered a very interesting kid." Orochimaru licked his lips, recalling the familiar and somewhat similar traits in Shikane, and said softly.

"Who will be the lucky one?" Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. In his heart, Orochimaru was the one who truly inherited all of his disciples' talents, possessing both intelligence and exceptional insight and learning ability in ninjutsu.

Compared to Jiraiya, who tirelessly pursued a vague prophecy, and Tsunade, who was in a state of despair, Orochimaru undoubtedly placed a large part of his hopes on her.

"He is a child of the Nara clan." Orochimaru paused for a moment before saying Nara Shikane's name.

"Shikaji's child?" Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately thought of Shikaji's information, and even more so of Shikaji's performance that he had witnessed on the day of the assessment.

If it were anyone else who wanted to become Nara Shikane's mentor, like Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya, forming a true master-disciple relationship, he would definitely hesitate. But since the mentor is Orochimaru, those considerations can be disregarded.

"He is indeed a very talented child, just like you. If you can gain Shikaji's approval, I agree." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "Are there any other candidates?"

"Mitarashi Anko, add her in too." Orochimaru added a member of his former clan.

(End of this chapter)