Naruto: In Konoha Village, I awakened Wood Release at the start.

Country of Fields.

Underground base.

"Hidden Shadows, Many Snake Hands!"

Orochimaru's sleeve suddenly burst open.

Hundreds and thousands of venomous snakes, each as thick as a wrist, gushed out like a fountain.

The eyes of every venomous snake gleamed with a scarlet light.

They bared their venomous fangs and attacked Chiba relentlessly.

This is not just a physical attack.

The venom on a snake's fangs can paralyze an elephant instantly if it only scratches the skin.

at the same time.

Yakushi Kabuto also moved.

He endured the excruciating pain and flung out dozens of senbon needles with both hands.

These thousands of kimonos collided with each other in mid-air, changing their trajectories and blocking all of Chiba's escape routes.

The two worked together seamlessly.

Any Kage-level powerhouse would be caught off guard and thrown into a panic by such a surprise attack.

"Noisy."

Chiba didn't even lift his eyelids.

boom!

A tangible blue wave of energy surged into the sky from Chiba's body.

This is not ninjutsu.

This is a pure, compressed burst of chakra!

The chakra of a peak-level Shadow Realm cultivator has reached an unbelievable level.

The surrounding space seemed to distort in that instant.

The moment I touched that blue wave of air.

The venomous snakes that pounced on them were as if they had run into an invisible wall.

boom! boom! boom!

All the venomous snakes exploded in mid-air.

Flesh, bones, and venom were all crushed into a bloody mist by the terrifying pressure.

The thousand books that were thrown out were broken like fragile noodles and flew back.

puff!

Several broken sage sticks pierced through Dou's thigh.

A tremendous impact sent him flying dozens of meters away, knocking him unconscious on the spot.

Orochimaru was stunned.

He felt like a small boat in a raging storm.

Faced with this absolute power.

His Orochimaru-style Substitution Technique, which he was so proud of, was even unable to be used because his chakra was suppressed!

monster!

This is not the amount of chakra a human should have!

Even the legendary ninja god Hashirama Senju couldn't be this strong!

This man is an absolute monster who defies all reason!

A moment later.

Chiba withdrew his chakra.

The blue shockwave vanished instantly, as if it had never existed.

Orochimaru.

"Stop with these pointless tests."

"I'm going to kill you. You won't even have a chance to shed your skin."

Orochimaru gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the churning in his internal organs.

His hands trembled as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"The Hokage is truly impressive."

"Since you're not here to kill me."

"So, what brings you here in person?"

Chiba didn't rush to answer.

He walked over to the test tube that Orochimaru had just dropped.

He kicked it casually.

The glass shattered, and purple liquid seeped into the soil.

"Are you studying interstitial cells?"

"Or some other kind of bloodline limit?"

Orochimaru's pupils suddenly contracted.

How did he know all of this?

"Konoha's research department is now an empty shell."

"Come back to Konoha with me and become the head of the research department."

As Chiba finished speaking.

Orochimaru's eyes widened, and he froze on the spot.

He wondered if his ears had been damaged by the chakra he had just experienced.

Return to Konoha?

To be the head of the research department?

He's a rogue ninja!

He was an S-rank rogue ninja personally expelled from the village by Konoha!

"Lord Hokage."

"This joke isn't funny."

"When the third generation kicked me out, he wanted nothing more than to grind me to dust."

"You want me to go back?"

"Aren't you afraid that the elders and villagers of Konoha will rebel?"

Orochimaru laughed hoarsely, his voice as unpleasant as an owl's.

He really couldn't understand what Chiba was trying to do.

Is sending a rogue ninja back to the village a new kind of tactic?

"Sandaime?"

"The current third generation is just an old man who stays at home playing with his grandson."

"Elder?"

"Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado have stepped down from their positions as elders."

"As for the villagers..."

"In Konoha, my word is law."

"Anyone who dares to rebel, I'll make them disappear."

Hearing Orochimaru's words.

Chiba scoffed.

His gaze turned cold.

With his current prestige, who would dare to oppose his opinion?

Even if some people do object.

Chiba simply wouldn't pay any attention to the other party.

In an instant.

Orochimaru's heart began to pound uncontrollably.

This kind of lawless and domineering behavior.

This kind of arrogant and domineering attitude.

This is the real shadow!

"So..."

"What will I get if I go back?"

A moment later.

Orochimaru gradually calmed down.

He was a smart man and absolutely did not believe that Chiba was doing charity work.

Equivalent exchange is an ironclad law of science.

Chiba held up one finger.

"money."

"Konoha's current finances are more than ten times better than they were in the past."

"Every year, I will allocate one billion taels of silver to you for research funding."

"Not enough, add more."

Orochimaru's breathing became rapid.

One billion taels!

This amount of money is enough to buy all the rare materials.

Over the years, he's been so frugal with his research that he's even been stingy when buying materials.

This had a significant impact on his research.

Chiba raised his second finger.

"material."

"Aren't you fascinated by bloodline limits and human modification?"

"Captives from Kumogakure, spies from Iwagakure, and assassins sent by other ninja villages."

"Anyone captured by Konoha will become your legal test subjects."

Orochimaru's eyes were frighteningly bright.

Legitimate live human experiments!

This is a privilege that countless scientists dream of!

Chiba leaned forward slightly, delivering the final, fatal blow.

"If you perform well enough."

"Even the bloodline limits within our own Konoha..."

"The Byakugan of the Hyuga clan, the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan."

"I will persuade Fugaku Uchiha and Hiashi Hyuga to cooperate with your experiment."

"..."

crazy!

Orochimaru was completely shocked.

This Fifth Hokage was an absolute madman!

They used Konoha's two most powerful clans as their experimental subjects.

Even Tobirama Senju wouldn't dare to say such things carelessly back then!

Orochimaru felt his blood boiling.

This offer is too generous.

The offer was so generous that he simply couldn't refuse.

"What are the conditions?"

Orochimaru forcibly bit the tip of his tongue, using the excruciating pain to keep himself conscious.

There is no free lunch in the world.

Chiba is offering such an outrageous price; what he wants is definitely not simple.

"You're very perceptive."

"First."

"Before obtaining permission."

"None of your experiments can involve any Konoha civilians or ninjas."

"second."

"You shall unconditionally hand over all your research findings, data, and technologies to Konoha."

"third."

Your life belongs to me.

"I want you to go east, you can't go west."

"If I want you to create a god, you have to build me the altar."

Orochimaru fell silent.

Are these three conditions too demanding?

For a rogue ninja, this is nothing short of a blessing!

Taking other people's money, using other people's materials, and working for other people.

In return, they gained an endless right to explore the truth.

This deal is incredibly worthwhile.

Orochimaru licked his lips; he was already tempted.

But then something occurred to him, and his snake-like eyes flickered uncertainly.

"Lord Hokage."

"Your offer is irresistible."

"But right now, I'm afraid I'm a bit overwhelmed."

"..."