Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 362 Oh my god, Uchiha Sasuke has become a Chunin!?

Orochimaru was slightly excited when he saw that the Spirit Lord did not directly refuse.

However, he quickly suppressed his emotions and asked very respectfully, "Then what does the Spirit Lord need me to do to prove my worth?"

"In terms of strength, you don't have much to offer me for the time being, but I desperately need that knowledge," Bane said after thinking for a moment.

Before Orochimaru could speak again, Bane paused slightly and said, "No rush. There are many ways to prove your worth. First, take a look at this Book of Seals and help me determine its authenticity."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bane raised his hand and drew another dark ripple in the air. Then the Book of Seals flew out of it and landed on the table in front of Orochimaru.

Although he had already realized the insignificance of ninjas and himself, Orochimaru was still slightly excited at the sight of the Scroll of Seals before him.

He had only seen a little bit of this stuff from Hiruzen Sarutobi, like the Impure World Reincarnation technique.

Now that the complete version is right in front of him, how could he not be excited?

"I'm a very generous person. In return, you can study the knowledge here at will," Bane said magnanimously.

"Then I thank you in advance, Spirit Lord." Orochimaru replied, then immediately stepped forward, opened the Book of Seals, and began to read its contents.

Unlike Bane and his ilk, who were half-baked ninjas, Orochimaru had been immersed in the ninja world for decades and possessed a wealth of knowledge. He could tell at a glance whether the Book of Seals was real or fake.

Soon, Orochimaru reluctantly withdrew his gaze from the Book of Seals and said, "I haven't encountered many of the forbidden techniques in here, but judging from the few I know, the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, the Impure World Reincarnation Technique, and the Eight Gates Technique are all real. With these as evidence, the Book of Seals should be without problems."

"That's pretty much what I guessed," Bane nodded in satisfaction.

Then, Bane added, "If you don't have anything urgent to do afterward, you can stay in Ryuchi Cave. If I have any questions, I can ask you anytime. Of course, this is not to restrict your freedom. If there is anything outside that needs to be done, you can go and handle it yourself."

"No problem," Orochimaru immediately agreed.

He could be described as "homeless" in the ninja world, having his own research bases and hideouts in many strange and secluded places in various countries.

Ultimately, he did this because he was not only being hunted by Konoha, the strongest ninja village, as an S-rank rogue ninja, but also by the Akatsuki organization as a traitor. The main reason for setting up so many bases was for safety, to have multiple burrows.

Dragon Cave is undoubtedly a very safe place. With a Spirit Lord guarding it, who would dare to cause trouble? Even if they did, they probably wouldn't get away with it.

Thinking about it that way, Ryūchi-dō is simply the best hiding place for him.

In the past, the White Snake Immortal didn't like him, so of course he couldn't stay in Dragon Land Cave for long. Now that the Spirit Lord has spoken up, he's latched onto this powerful figure, so what's there to worry about?

"I've been researching the topic of the integration of spirit and body recently." Bane beckoned Orochimaru to his side, then told Orochimaru about some of his previous ideas, and also showed him his fingers, which he could now spiritualize.

"A completely new approach," Orochimaru said with some surprise. "Before this, I hadn't considered this path at all; in fact, I'd said I went against it entirely, always thinking about prolonging life by constantly changing physical vessels."

"If I can achieve the integration of spirit and body, completely spiritualize my physical body, and freely switch between forms of existence, that would be something I look forward to. It would help me with my future strategies for conquering the Pure Land. At the same time, if I can succeed in this technique and this path, it will also provide some benefits and inspiration for your pursuit of immortality." Bane nodded in agreement.

After a brief exchange with Orochimaru, Bane continued, "For the time being, you'll be responsible for researching this matter of the unity of spirit and body with me. Although I'm quite accomplished in both the soul and the body, I'm still lacking in knowledge related to many ninjutsu. You happen to have an advantage in this area and can help me fill in the gaps and further stimulate my inspiration. Also, that little girl Nami has recently become obsessed with forbidden techniques and is quite interested in the Book of Sealing Techniques; you can also give her some pointers when you have time."

"Forbidden techniques?" Orochimaru hesitated slightly. "Forbidden techniques are very dangerous, often requiring a considerable price to activate. Miss Nami is of noble status; is this really a good idea?"

"It's alright. She is truly immortal. I only obtained the Book of Sealing from Konoha in such a short time, and she has already mastered the Eight Gates Technique to the point where she is about to open the third gate. It is clear that she has talent and advantages in this area," Bane laughed.

Orochimaru? ???

In just one month, he opened the third gate of the Eight Gates Formation, a technique that is easy to learn but difficult to master!?

"Since you put it that way, then I understand." Orochimaru suppressed his surprise and nodded in agreement.

And so, Orochimaru settled permanently in Ryuchi Cave.

Meanwhile, in Konoha Village, the Land of Fire.

More than half a month ago, Uchiha Sasuke, who had passed the Chunin Exams and become a registered Chunin of Konoha, was strolling through his own empty and rather lonely luxurious courtyard.

This is the residence of the Uchiha clan, a once prosperous and powerful clan in the ninja world, but now it has long since declined. Sasuke Uchiha lives here alone, which is indeed somewhat lonely, but he has long been used to this loneliness.

He wasn't particularly proud of his current Chunin status. Having been called a genius since childhood, passing the Chunin Exams was a perfectly normal thing to him.

Moreover, he wasn't the only one to pass the Chunin Exams this time. The genius of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Neji, and the young master of the Nara clan, Nara Shikamaru, also successfully passed the Chunin Exams and became registered Chunin of Konoha.

Therefore, Sasuke Uchiha would not be complacent because of this. On the contrary, if Bane heard about this, he might be surprised.

Sasuke Uchiha became a Chunin? Does that mean he's already broken the trajectory of fate?

After watering the tree that his mother, Uchiha Mikoto, loved most, Uchiha Sasuke finally finished his chores at home. A little while later, he returned to the house, knelt before his parents' memorial tablets, and offered three sticks of incense with deep reverence and remembrance.

Looking at the photos of his parents behind the memorial tablet, Sasuke felt an indescribable sadness.

This morning, he applied to go to the front lines of the war in Sunagakure as a Chunin, but was rejected. The reason given was that he was too young. Although he had become a Chunin, he lacked experience and his strength still needed to be accumulated. Considering that the war on the front lines was going very smoothly, and even the Third Hokage had hinted several times that this not-so-long war was likely to end soon, there was no need for the village to continue sending troops to the front lines.

This greatly frustrated Sasuke, who was eager to prove his strength and demonstrate his abilities.

"Father, Mother," Sasuke murmured to himself, looking at the photo. "If this continues, I don't know when I'll be able to catch up with that guy, or when I'll be able to avenge you."

At this moment, Sasuke once again recalled the thought he had suppressed during this time: to find Orochimaru!

He gained even greater power from Orochimaru and even established a relationship with that powerful Spirit Lord!

A few days ago, Naruto's letter arrived. In it, he boasted that he had learned powerful ninjutsu from Jiraiya, the Perverted Sage, and could summon a giant toad from Mount Myōboku that was even larger than the Hokage Building. He also claimed to have mastered the Rasengan, an A-rank ninjutsu developed by the Fourth Hokage. He said he was about to go with Jiraiya to meet another legendary Sannin, Tsunade, and that he would definitely impress Sasuke upon their return.

Sasuke Uchiha could sense that Naruto Uzumaki didn't mean any harm in the letter. Although it was a boast, it was the kind of boasting between close friends.

Even though he knew the other party meant well, Sasuke Uchiha hated himself for being unable to resist envying and even being jealous of Naruto, his only close friend, and wishing he could take his place and learn those powerful ninjutsu from Jiraiya.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

"Why can't it be me!?" Thinking of this, Sasuke clenched his fists and punched his thigh in frustration.

In the past month or so, apart from becoming a Chunin, Sasuke didn't seem to have made any special progress. He trained step by step every day, and Kakashi-sensei was still on the front lines and couldn't teach him any new ninjutsu. Compared to Naruto's growth rate, Sasuke felt like he was falling behind.

"I can't continue like this. I don't have that much time. Itachi's talent is far superior to mine. If I don't grow, it's the same as regressing. The gap between us will widen even further with this meaningless time." Sasuke's heart sank, as if he had made up his mind.

Just then, a soft noise came from the courtyard, which made Uchiha Sasuke frown and instantly take out a kunai from the ninja tool pouch on his back and grab it in his hand.

Since the decline of the Uchiha clan, his house has hardly received any guests. He is also somewhat reclusive in the village, and he rarely has any friends visiting him. In addition, with the recent war, Sunagakure has repeatedly sent spies to sabotage the village, so Uchiha Sasuke has to be on guard.

She stood up silently, but before she could take two steps, a voice came from outside the door.

"Sasuke-kun, it's been a long time. May I come in as a guest?"

The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but that was all. However, as a ninja, Sasuke immediately recognized its owner and said in a deep voice, "Kabuto Yakushi, you dare to show your face in Konoha again!?"

"Actually, I didn't really want to come at a time like this, since the village has been cracking down hard lately. I went to a lot of trouble to sneak in, but I had no choice. Lord Orochimaru ordered me to come and talk to you, and I couldn't refuse his orders," Kabuto Yakushi said, sounding somewhat helpless.

"Orochimaru!?" Sasuke Uchiha's tone became somewhat complicated, and the grip on his kunai loosened unconsciously.

The atmosphere fell silent. Kabuto Yakushi outside the door remained silent, and Sasuke Uchiha also stopped speaking. It seemed as if both of them were testing their patience.

But a few minutes later, Uchiha Sasuke took a deep breath, stepped forward, opened the door, and looked at the smiling man outside, saying, "Come in."

"Then I'll take my leave." Kabuto Yakushi replied with a smile as always.

Without any formalities, Uchiha Sasuke looked at Yakushi Kabuto, who had just entered the room, and asked in a deep voice, "What did Orochimaru want with you?"

"You're really direct. I thought you'd at least offer me a cup of tea or something," Kabuto Yakushi said, feigning helplessness as he shrugged. But seeing that Sasuke's expression remained unchanged, he stopped pretending and adjusted his glasses, saying, "Since that's the case, I won't stand on ceremony. Lord Orochimaru greatly admires your talent, Sasuke-kun, and considers you a rough gem. Keeping you in this conservative, old, and corrupt Konoha will only cause you to gradually degenerate and fail to unleash your full potential. Lord Orochimaru is a man who values ​​talent, so he wants to take you as his disciple and pass on his mantle to you."

Even if Uchiha Sasuke is somewhat obsessive, it doesn't mean he's stupid. There's almost no chance he'd believe these words.

However, it cannot be denied that even though he knew it was likely a ruse, Sasuke Uchiha couldn't help but be tempted when he heard Orochimaru's desire to take him as a disciple.

Although he wasn't exactly a drowning man, desperately grasping at anything that could save his life, even a straw, the flames of revenge burning in Uchiha Sasuke's heart were indeed consuming him every moment, causing him unbearable pain. He was unwilling to give up even if there was only the slightest hope of improvement!

(End of this chapter)