Uchiha's personal opinion

Although Orochimaru firmly believed that he would not lose if they fought, he also knew through a round of probing that he had no chance of winning in the short term.

Whether it's the mysterious and unpredictable genjutsu or the powerful fire jutsu, it's enough to prove that his reputation is well-deserved. Moreover, according to Orochimaru's intelligence, Uchiha Tokumitsu also possesses a brand-new bloodline limit power, the fire jutsu, as well as special forbidden techniques such as the Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tags Technique.

"Tokumitsu-kun... he certainly seems to be a troublesome character." Orochimaru raised his head again, looking at Uchiha Tokumitsu with some emotion.

"You flatter me," Uchiha Tokumitsu replied calmly. "Orochimaru's Jonin-level Skin Removal Substitution Technique has also broadened my horizons."

"The Mirror of Heaven and Earth Technique..." Orochimaru chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Tokuko-kun's illusion technique actually managed to deceive my senses."

“Illusion, that’s normal,” Uchiha Tokumitsu said calmly. “All illusions are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, dew, and lightning, and vary from person to person.”

"Tokumitsu-kun, let me be frank." Orochimaru looked directly into Uchiha Tokumitsu's face. "I've heard that the Uzumaki clan gave the Uchiha clan all the secrets of sealing techniques they had accumulated over a thousand years, is that true?"

"Yes."

"I want a copy of the sealing technique manual." Orochimaru stuck out his long tongue to wash his face, slightly suppressing the greedy look on his face. "Tokuko-kun, name your price."

"Okay!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu answered affirmatively.

Before Orochimaru's smile could even bloom, Uchiha Tokumitsu's next words made him realize what it meant to be happy too soon—

"Exchange it for the Book of Seals!"

Chapter 71 Bewitching! Orochimaru's Respect for His Master

The Scroll of Seals is a forbidden book kept by the successive Hokage. The scrolls contain ninjutsu that can cause great harm or even death to the user.

Of course, this is just the consistent explanation given by the Naruto lineage.

According to the Uchiha clan's speculation, the ninjutsu contained in the Scroll of Seals must be all-encompassing. In addition to extremely dangerous or incomplete forbidden techniques, the powerful high-level ninjutsu passed down through generations of the Senju clan must also be recorded in it, and there may even be various secret techniques and even Sage Mode of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.

The reason why the Uchiha clan has always coveted the Hokage position is not only because they were both founding clans of the village like the Senju clan but had never been able to become Hokage, but also because the martial arts-oriented Uchiha clan, in their pursuit of power, would inevitably covet the Scroll of Sealing in order to obtain more and stronger techniques.

The person who contributed the most to the techniques in the Scroll of Seals was undoubtedly Tobirama Senju, the first generation of Konoha's research fanatics. It can be said that the most dangerous and bizarre forbidden techniques in the Scroll of Seals, such as the Impure World Reincarnation and the Flying Thunder God Technique, were basically created by Tobirama.

As the core forbidden technique manual passed down through generations since the three Hokage of Konoha, the importance of the Scroll of Seals is self-evident.

Although Orochimaru was the Third Hokage's disciple, and the most favored and talented one at that, he could not obtain the Scroll of Seals unless he succeeded Sarutobi as the Fourth Hokage.

This is a matter of principle concerning the orderly succession of the Hokage position in Konoha, and it is also fundamental to ensuring that the new Hokage possesses the strongest ninjutsu to intimidate the village and outsiders.

Orochimaru might be able to obtain a few forbidden techniques from the Scroll of Seals through his contributions to the village or his teacher's favor, but he could not possibly obtain the main scroll of the Scroll of Seals.

Orochimaru's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty.

He finally understood the meaning behind Uchiha Tokumitsu's words.

The so-called "exchange with the Book of Sealing" is, in essence, a sarcastic remark that Orochimaru is not worthy of it. It is a mockery of his coveting of the Uchiha clan's secrets of the Uzumaki Sealing Technique, which is nothing but a presumptuous and delusional thought.

“Tokuko-kun…” Orochimaru stared intently at Uchiha Tokuko, his voice slightly hoarse as he said, “So… you’re unwilling to trade the secrets of the sealing technique?”

"The sealing techniques that the Uchiha obtained were a gift from the Uzumaki clan out of gratitude for saving their lives, but that doesn't mean the Uchiha clan can arbitrarily bestow them upon them privately." Uchiha Tokumitsu didn't care about Orochimaru's ferocious and terrifying appearance at this moment: "The Uchiha clan has always respected its allies and would never do anything to hurt their feelings."

The so-called "alliance" with the Uzumaki clan did not actually exist; at least the two clans did not sign a formal alliance decree. According to ninja clan etiquette, the so-called "alliance" did not exist.

The Uzumaki clan's hopes and needs from the Uchiha clan were mostly limited to obtaining the Uchiha's military protection to get through their current period of weakness; however, Uchiha Tokumitsu did not mind bringing up the "Uchiha-Uzumaki" alliance to confuse the public in other situations, especially when facing figures with special identities like Orochimaru.

When you say something too often, and others hear it too often, and the person involved doesn't refute it, it eventually comes true.

Whether the Uchiha and Uzumaki clans had an alliance is unknown, but everyone has seen the special treatment the police department gave to the Uzumaki clan. The fact that the Uzumaki clan sent people to the Uchiha clan's territory to teach sealing techniques is not a secret to the Hokage lineage and ninja clans.

Even without an alliance between the two clans, this special relationship inevitably makes others think twice. Even the Senju clan, traditional allies of the Vortex and who had already retired after suffering heavy losses, are now becoming restless.

Orochimaru was an intelligent man, so he naturally made many connections from Uchiha Tokumitsu's words.

He couldn't help but re-examine the Uchiha boy in front of him.

I initially thought he was a junior who was powerful but lacked intelligence and strategy. However, after some probing, it turned out that I was dealing with a seasoned old fox from the ninja clan, who was full of tricks and slippery.

"As far as I know, when the Anbu brought back the granddaughter of the Uzumaki clan, the Ashina clan chief also entrusted him with the core secrets of the Uzumaki sealing technique. I wonder if you, Jonin Orochimaru, are aware of this?" Seeing that Orochimaru's expression was quite strange, Uchiha Tokumitsu 'kindly' pointed him in the right direction: "Although the sealing technique secrets obtained by our Uchiha clan cannot be given to others without the consent of the Uzumaki clan, there are still other channels to obtain them besides the Uzumaki and Uchiha clans."

"Is that so!" Orochimaru involuntarily stuck out his long tongue and washed his face, looking quite excited.

“Yes.” Uchiha Tokumitsu answered with certainty, “The name of the ANBU captain in charge of the transfer seems to be Sarutobi Shinnosuke. I can tell from the name that he is a member of your teacher’s clan. I wonder if you know Orochimaru Jonin? Do you need the police department to help you check his specific information or intelligence?”

"no need."

Orochimaru shook his head.

"Oh~ it seems you, Jonin Orochimaru, know this Mr. Shinnosuke."

Uchiha Tokumitsu feigned surprise, but his perfunctory and impatient expression made it clear at a glance that his 'surprise' was fake.

“De Guang-jun, there’s no need to test him anymore…”

"Is that so? What did I test?" Uchiha Tokumitsu said provocatively to the somewhat dejected Orochimaru.

"Since you, De Guang-kun, are unwilling, then let's pretend I never said anything about the sealing technique." Orochimaru didn't intend to continue the conversation for the time being. "I'm sorry to have troubled you, De Guang-kun."

"No, I actually find chatting with Jonin Orochimaru quite interesting." Uchiha Tokumitsu forced a smile. "But as a ninja, Jonin Orochimaru, are you really not interested in the sealing techniques passed down through generations of the Uzumaki clan?"

To enhance the persuasiveness of his words, Uchiha Tokumitsu added several modifiers to his sentences.

His keen senses detected a slight, almost imperceptible increase in Orochimaru's breathing, which then returned to normal.

"Tokumitsu-kun, you're just trying to seduce me into betraying Sarutobi-sensei." Orochimaru's eyes were like those of someone looking at a heinous scumbag. "Using the secrets of sealing techniques as bait, and so-called information as a lure... are you trying to get me to steal Sarutobi-sensei's secret treasures or to assassinate Shinnosuke, who might know about them?"

"You are committing a crime!" Orochimaru stared intently at the astonished Uchiha Tokumitsu, and said with a touch of righteous indignation, "The Uchiha clan has been in charge of the police department responsible for Konoha's security for many years. I never expected that a junior like you would sow discord between master and disciple and try to incite others to commit crimes. I really don't know if it's because the Uchiha clan is in disarray or because of poor discipline!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu felt like he had misheard something. His Sharingan involuntarily lit up, and he simultaneously mobilized his chakra throughout his body.

There was nothing unusual about his body, and there was no trace of illusion.

But were those righteous and affectionate words, full of master-disciple affection, really spoken by Orochimaru?

If it were Jiraiya standing in front of me, that would be somewhat understandable...

Uchiha Tokumitsu stared wide-eyed, scrutinizing Orochimaru from head to toe once more, seemingly trying to find some flaws in his disguise.

Orochimaru's face also began to show a hint of anger.

No matter how strong an individual is, they cannot endure the chilling sensation of having a knife tip pressed against their skin when being observed closely by the Sharingan.

"Tokugaku-kun, what do you mean by this?" Orochimaru's words were tinged with obvious displeasure.

"N-nothing." Uchiha Tokumitsu closed his Sharingan, chuckled a few times, and seemed a little embarrassed.

Who would have thought that the young Orochimaru, beneath his cold and sinister exterior, actually harbored a heart full of love for the village and respect for his teachers?

It's just unknown what happened later that turned this cold-faced but warm-hearted disciple of the Hokage into a "filial piety to the death" murderer of his master.

"Does Orochimaru, the Jonin, really not intend to find another way to obtain the secrets of sealing techniques?" Uchiha Tokumitsu continued to fan the flames with some enthusiasm.

"Alright, let's just leave it at that." Orochimaru waved his hand, intending to leave.

"Aren't you even interested in the forbidden techniques in the Book of Seals?"

Orochimaru had just turned around when a tempting voice came from behind him, making it impossible for him to take another step.

"Humph!"

Orochimaru didn't even turn his head, letting out a cold snort, "The Uchiha clan... where did they get this forbidden technique from!"

Even so, he didn't continue walking away; he just didn't turn back.

Uchiha Tokumitsu sensed Orochimaru sticking out his tongue and licking his lips with some restraint, thanks to the trace amount of chakra he emitted in the air.

"I've read the Book of Seals," Uchiha Tokumitsu said with a smile, offering a seemingly plausible reason.

“Tokumitsu-kun…you’re not telling the truth.” Despite his words, Orochimaru finally turned around, staring at the smiling Uchiha Tokumitsu with a strange expression. “Besides…I’m not interested in your Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tags technique…”

"What kind of ninjutsu is Orochimaru interested in?"

Unexpectedly, Uchiha Tokumitsu's words caused Orochimaru to feel resistance and hostility.

"De Guan-kun, your words, like your illusions, can strangely strike straight at people's hearts." Orochimaru forced himself to calm down.

During the conversation, he sensed that something was amiss.

Although it was his first time meeting Uchiha Tokumitsu, he sensed that the Uchiha boy in front of him was showing an unusual familiarity with him.

Some seemingly baseless words seemed to touch upon Orochimaru's truest thoughts, as if they were digging out all the darkness, filth, and unbearable things hidden deep within Orochimaru's heart, which the villagers perceived as cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and exposing them to the sun.

However, Orochimaru was quite certain that he had never seen this eloquent and manipulative Uchiha boy before today. Moreover, the person in front of him, whether it was his experience in testing the enemy in battle or his traps in verbal exchanges, was completely different from the bloodthirsty or arrogant phenomena he had learned from the intelligence he had gathered in the past.

A person with a constantly changing image, and also a member of the Uchiha clan.

Orochimaru couldn't help but recall the Second Hokage's description of the Uchiha clan.

"They really are an evil race..."

Thinking of this, Orochimaru couldn't help but chuckle.

This made Uchiha Tokumitsu a little nervous. He moved his legs slightly, one in front of the other, and stood with his body turned to Orochimaru. At the same time, his left hand involuntarily touched the hilt of the katana at his waist, preparing for a backhand iaido slash.

Orochimaru's right hand was also hidden behind his back.

Two people who both misjudged the situation are now locked in a stalemate.

"It's clear that Orochimaru, the Jonin, respects his teacher a lot," Uchiha Tokumitsu said, trying to make conversation and ease the tense atmosphere.

Even when facing a younger version of Orochimaru, he still felt there was no chance of victory.

The best outcome would be a draw after a period of stalemate, but this is only a possibility in a battle and does not necessarily mean that the two are evenly matched.

"Sarutobi-sensei taught the three of us." Orochimaru spat out a snake, and from the snake's mouth came a sword, but for some reason he could still speak, as if the venomous snake in his mouth did not hinder his speech at all.

"My ninjutsu all comes from the consistent and meticulous teaching of my teacher... So, Tokumitsu-kun, don't you find it ridiculous that you ask me why I respect my teacher?"

With a light swing of his longsword covered in slime, Orochimaru held the sword horizontally in front of him with both hands, his right leg slightly bent behind him, his body turned to the side towards Uchiha Tokumitsu, assuming a standard lower left stance.

As the direct disciple of the Third Hokage, he was also proficient in Konoha-style swordsmanship.

"Really..." Uchiha Tokumitsu was speechless for a moment.

It's unclear which of his words touched a nerve with the venomous snake before him, but it made him appear somewhat exasperated and even adopted a stance for a sword duel.

Uchiha Tokumitsu took a deep breath.

With his left hand, he slowly drew the katana from its scabbard at his waist, holding it horizontally in front of his chest. His right hand, concealed beneath his left, swept across the blade from below, and a purple flame aura rose and swirled around it.

“The Structure of the Heart in Reversal”.

Uchiha Tokumitsu also prepared his stance for the Uchiha-style swordsmanship.