Naruto: The Ninja World's Life Buyer

Chapter 161 The Awakening of God

Orochimaru walked towards Nagato.

"stop!"

Yahiko stood in front of Nagato, the short sword in his hand trembling. He recognized this man; it was this man who had tried to kill them years ago.

"What—what do you want to do?"

"Don't be nervous, kid."

Orochimaru stopped and licked his lips.

"If I wanted to kill you, you would all be corpses by now."

He didn't look at Yahiko; his gaze went past Yahiko's shoulder and fixed on the weakened Nagato.

To be precise, it was staring at those Rinnegan eyes.

"The Uzumaki clan's constitution—possessing enormous chakra and vitality."

"But those eyes—they're of a very high level."

Orochimaru muttered to himself, as if he were conducting an academic analysis.

"That attack just now, although incredibly powerful, also damaged his own meridians and overdrawn his cellular lifespan."

Orochimaru shook his head, seemingly lamenting the flaw in a work of art.

"If this continues, and it's used a few more times, this child will turn into a dried-up corpse."

"Then—what should we do?"

Konan asked anxiously. Although she was afraid of Orochimaru, she was more worried about Nagato.

"Can you save him?"

Orochimaru smiled.

"Of course I can save him."

"But I can also kill him and take those eyes. After all, they are the Eyes of God."

The air froze instantly.

Yahiko's gaze sharpened. Konan formed hand seals and began refining her chakra.

The distant saw teeth seemed to read Orochimaru's lips, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead.

He couldn't stop Orochimaru. He could only hope that Orochimaru would refrain from attacking out of respect for Sousuke.

"Hehehe————"

Orochimaru looked at the tense crowd and let out a hoarse laugh.

Just kidding.

He suppressed his murderous intent.

"If it were the old me, I might have really done that. But now—"

Killing Nagato and stealing his Rinnegan would certainly grant him immense power.

But the Uzumaki clan couldn't possibly possess the Rinnegan. The fact that these eyes could appear here suggests a deeper secret—Orochimaru had a guess, but wasn't certain.

Moreover, a living, growing Rinnegan host is more valuable for observation than a pair of dead eyeballs.

Most importantly—this is Sosuke's "assets".

If anything is done, that interesting businessman might turn on him. He might even cut off his experimental funding and supplies.

"I won't kill him."

Orochimaru pulled a scroll from his pocket.

"Not only will I not kill him, I will also give him a gift."

1

"untie."

The white smoke dissipated. A glass tube containing a pale pink liquid appeared in his hand.

Under the dim light, the liquid shimmered with a captivating luster. It seemed to contain some vibrant, alive pulse.

[Senju Serum·Type 1].

This is the latest improved version developed by Sosuke and Chiba with the help of Misa Hayama. It contains active factors from Hashirama cells and has undergone a milder treatment.

"What is this?" Xiao Nan asked warily.

"This is medicine."

Orochimaru shook the test tube.

"This is an essence extracted from the most vital cells in the world. It can quickly replenish his depleted vitality."

"It could even—allow his body to evolve, so that it can better support these eyes."

Orochimaru looked at Nagato with a seductive gaze.

"According to Sosuke's theory—what would happen if a sage's eyes were paired with a sage's body?"

This is a crazy assumption.

The Sage of Six Paths' power is divided into two types: Yin and Yang. Uchiha (eyes) and Senju (body).

Nagato possessed the ultimate eye of the Uchiha clan, the Rinnegan—although it is unknown who transplanted it, its essence is the same.

If we were to infuse him with the power of Hashirama Senju—

Is that a true reappearance of the Six Realms? Or will it collapse due to rejection?

Orochimaru was extremely curious.

This is a million times more interesting than those soulless clones in his lab.

"Give it to me!"

Nagato raised his hand with difficulty.

He didn't want to die. He still wanted to protect Yahiko and Minami.

"Nagato! We can't do it! He's dangerous!" Yahiko protested.

"Take it."

Orochimaru tossed the test tube over. Yahiko caught it instinctively.

"This is a gift from the boss of Takaya Trading Company."

Orochimaru took out Sousuke's name.

"Mr. Sosuke?"

Upon hearing this name, Yahiko's wariness lessened slightly. The merchant who had been funding them, though they had never met, had not harmed them so far.

"Why do you want to help us?" Yahiko asked.

"Because I want to see—"

Orochimaru turned around and looked at the rain-soaked sky.

"When a mortal gains the power of a god, will he save the world, or—destroy it?"

"Also, I'll take care of cleaning up this trash for you."

Orochimaru forms a hand seal with one hand.

"Hidden Shadows, Many Snake Hands!"

Several giant pythons instantly sprang out and swallowed all the severely injured but still alive Rain Ninjas.

Including turbidity.

It was swallowed up before it could even scream.

This isn't just about helping; it's also about silencing them. The secret of the Rinnegan must not be revealed to Hanzo.

Goodbye, kids.

Orochimaru's figure slowly sank into the ground.

"Whether you use this potion or not is up to you. However, without true resolve, you will be killed by its backlash—"

The sound dissipated.

Only the sound of rain remained.

Yahiko held the pink test tube tightly in his hand.

Nagato fell into a coma.

"Go—go quickly—"

Yahiko carried Nagato on his back.

"We can't stay here. Hanzo will send more people."

"Where to?" Xiao Nan asked.

"Go to the Iron Forest."

Yahiko glanced in the north direction.

"Go find Mr. Sawtooth. We need more power—and we need to find out what this medicine is."

The Land of Rain, the Forest of Iron.

In a dry, secluded room, Nagato lay on the bed.

His face was no longer pale, but instead had an eerie rosy glow. His breathing was deep and powerful, and with each exhale, the surrounding air seemed to vibrate slightly.

"He's been sleeping for three days."

Xiao Nan sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes filled with worry.

"That guy named Orochimaru—was what he injected into Nagato really medicine?"

Yahiko stood to the side, watching Nagato nervously.

Nagato's hair seemed even redder, like fresh blood. Moreover, even in his sleep, a vast life force seemed to flow beneath Nagato's skin.

"That's good stuff."

A rough voice came from behind.

Sawtooth pushed open the door and entered, carrying a pot of hot wine and several roast chickens.

"That's something our boss got from Konoha's top laboratory at a huge cost."

The saw placed the food on the table and unceremoniously tore off a chicken leg.

"The Senju clan's serum. Have you heard of it? It's the blood of the god of shinobi."

Yahiko and Konan stared at the saw teeth in shock.

"The Thousand Hands—the God of Shinobi?"

"That's right."

Sawtooth took a swig of wine and wiped his mouth.

"Your red-haired friend has the eyes of a god, but his body is only that of a mortal, even though he is a member of the Uzumaki clan."

"The boss said that only the body of God can contain the eyes of God. This medicine is helping him to create a divine body."

Yahiko remained silent.

Takaya Sousuke, whom they had never met before, delivered life-saving medicine at a crucial moment.

This is not a gift. This is an investment.

Yahiko was a smart man. He had read the books that Sosuke had sent him.

The book "The Tale of Genjishi Ninja" is about ideals, but the accompanying booklets on politics and economics are about reality.

"What does he want?"

Yahiko turned around and looked directly into the jagged eyes.

"Mr. Takaya, or you, what do you really want after spending so much money on us?"

"If it's just about the safety of the trade routes, the previous commission fees have already been enough."

"Now they're sending ninja tools and divine medicine—this favor is too heavy."

The saw teeth laughed.

He revealed a set of sharp teeth, a hint of admiration in his eyes.

"Kid, you've finally figured it out."

"I used to think you were just a daydreaming fool, but now it seems you're starting to understand the rules."

Sawtooth stood up and walked to Yahiko.

He was a head taller than Yahiko, and the menacing aura emanating from him made Konan instinctively tense up.

"What the boss wants is very simple: order."

The serrated edge uttered two words.

"The Land of Rain is too chaotic. Hanzo is old; all he knows is to maintain his rule through poison gas and assassination."

"Business is tough in this environment."

"The boss has his eye on you. Because you're young, ambitious, and—ruthless enough."

"I saw you set the trap and kill people that day. You are true beasts."

"The boss hopes that you will be in charge of the future Rain Kingdom."

"certainly----"

Sawtooth patted Yahiko on the shoulder.

"When you're in charge, the Takaya Trading Company's convoy must be able to move freely throughout the Land of Rain."

"Moreover, we want exclusive rights."

That's what a transaction is.

Using current investments to buy out a country's future.

Yahiko clenched his fist.

It was a feeling of being manipulated. But he couldn't refuse.

Without power, ideals are a joke. If Orochimaru hadn't intervened that day, they would have been dead.

"Ugh————"

A groan came from the bed.

Nagato woke up.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Those eyes, once so deep and alluring, became even more profound. The eye sockets, which had become dry and parched from overwork, regained their fullness.

He sat up and looked at his hands.

make a fist.

crunch.

The sound of air being squeezed and popped.

A sense of fullness filled his entire body.

Using the Rinnegan before felt like drawing blood. Now, he felt that these eyes had finally become a part of his body.

"Nagato!" Konan rushed over in surprise.

"I'm fine."

Nagato's voice became somewhat deep, with a strange magnetism.

He looked at the saw teeth.

"I heard you."

Nagato said.

"Mr. Sawtooth, please thank Mr. Sosuke for me."

"I will use this power."

His eyes changed.

He was no longer the timid, shy boy who used to hide behind Yahiko.

Those eyes now held a cold, divine quality.

"For peace, for the protection of everyone—"

Nagato stood up, her red hair moving without wind.

"If becoming a god is the necessary price, then I am willing to pay it."

Sawtooth looked at Nagato, a slight chill running down his spine.

The boss is right.

This kid really has the potential to become a "god".

The room fell into dead silence.

Konan looked at Yahiko with a somewhat bewildered expression.

Nagato also looked at Yahiko.

"I'm sorry, Yahiko."

His voice was filled with remorse.

"I'm going to break our principles—"

"No, Nagato."

Yahiko shook his head.

"It's because we were too weak that we forced you to become like that."

"From today onwards, don't say such things anymore."

He grasped Nagato's hand, his eyes unusually resolute.

"Nagato, Konan."

"We can no longer persuade others with just words, like we used to."

"We need to build a more robust organization; we need greater strength."

He looked at his two companions.

"Nagato, your eyes possess the power of a god. But this power is too heavy for you to bear alone."

"I will be your support."

"You are responsible for deterring those enemies who want to harm us."

"And I—"

"I will take responsibility for leading everyone to carve out a path in this chaotic world."

Even if my hands are stained with blood, even if I bear a bad reputation.

"As long as it stops the rain."

Nagato's gaze as he looked at Yahiko.

His gaze was no longer as relaxed and gentle as before; it had become much heavier.

But he felt a sense of peace he had never felt before.

As long as Yahiko is still around, he will know where to go.

"I understand, Yahiko."

A cold glint flashed in his Rinnegan.

"I am the power of God."

"And you—are God's guide."