Deep beneath Otogakure, in a dimly lit underground laboratory— The room was filled with experimental equipment, preserved samples, and rows of containers.
Orochimaru set down a vial, picked up a pen, and quickly recorded the latest data.
Then he drew a large cross through the results.
“More than thirty consecutive failures…” His brows furrowed.
“Has the Cursed Seal really reached its limit?” He was deeply dissatisfied.
The Cursed Seal was one of Orochimaru’s proudest creations.
But its actual performance still fell far short of what he wanted.
Whether it was the increase in power or the duration of its effects, neither had reached his expectations.
“Forget it.” Orochimaru put the notes aside.
“The plan to destroy Konoha is more important.” “I can return to the Cursed Seal later.” He had already established contact with the Fourth Kazekage.
Unfortunately, he had failed to convince Rasa to join forces with him in an attack on Konoha.
A cold glint flashed through Orochimaru’s snake-like eyes.
“If the Fourth Kazekage refuses to cooperate…” “Then I’ll simply have to remove him.” There was another matter occupying his attention as well.
The intelligence Kabuto had recently sent back concerning a mysterious man named Itsuki.
Orochimaru frowned.
Someone like that suddenly appearing in the shinobi world could either become an enormous opportunity…
Or an equally enormous threat.
He had yet to decide whether making direct contact was worth the risk.
There simply wasn’t enough information.
Then— Orochimaru’s pupils suddenly contracted.
A point of dark blue light appeared barely a meter in front of him.
He immediately went on guard.
The light expanded outward.
In only a few moments, it formed a glowing doorway tall enough for a person to walk through.
Orochimaru stared at it in silence.
On the second floor of Itsuki’s building, a dark blue portal stood quietly in the hall.
Itsuki sat comfortably on a sofa opposite it.
His gaze never left the doorway.
“Orochimaru…” “Don’t disappoint me.” Moments earlier, Itsuki had used one of his Invitation Cards.
The target— Orochimaru.
Suddenly, Itsuki raised an eyebrow.
A figure stepped through the portal.
Pale skin.
Purple markings extending from his eyes toward the sides of his nose.
Vertical snake-like pupils.
And an unmistakably sinister presence.
Orochimaru.
His golden eyes immediately settled on Itsuki.
“So you’re the Itsuki-san who’s been causing such a stir in the shinobi world recently?” His voice was low and raspy.
Itsuki smiled.
“Looks like Kabuto told you about me.” He wasn’t surprised in the slightest that Orochimaru already knew who he was.
In fact, Kabuto was precisely the reason Itsuki had invited Orochimaru in the first place.
Kabuto had visited earlier.
And he had triggered a mission.
An S-rank mission.
There was no way Itsuki was going to ignore an opportunity like that.
So he had used an Invitation Card without hesitation.
Orochimaru licked his lips.
“Then, Itsuki-san…” “Have I triggered any missions?” Orochimaru knew perfectly well that accepting the invitation had been risky.
But Kabuto’s report had been far too intriguing to ignore.
More importantly, Orochimaru had absolute confidence in his ability to survive.
That confidence was what allowed him to walk through the portal personally.
Itsuki didn’t know exactly what Orochimaru was thinking.
Nor did he particularly care.
What mattered was whether Orochimaru could complete the missions waiting for him.
“Of course.” Itsuki opened the system interface.
His smile widened.
“And you’ve triggered quite a few.” Before Orochimaru could ask anything else, Itsuki waved his hand.
A stream of system information was transmitted directly into Orochimaru’s mind.
“This is…” Orochimaru’s body stiffened.
A tremendous amount of unfamiliar information suddenly appeared in his thoughts.
His expression shifted repeatedly.
Several minutes passed before he finally finished processing everything.
Then he looked at Itsuki with genuine shock.
“Itsuki-san.” “Are these other worlds truly real?” Itsuki raised an eyebrow.
“Of course.” Orochimaru was the first person to visit him who didn’t immediately ask whether the mission system itself was real.
Instead, he had gone straight to the existence of other worlds.
Itsuki couldn’t help finding that interesting.
It was a matter of perspective.
Orochimaru’s ambitions had never been limited to ordinary shinobi concerns.
His vision was far broader than most.
“Then…” Orochimaru paused.
For the first time, a hint of tension appeared in his expression.
He slowly licked his lips.
“In those other worlds…” “Are there beings who have achieved true immortality?” Itsuki stared at him for a moment.
Then he shook his head helplessly.
Of course that’s the first thing Orochimaru wants to know.
Even after learning that countless other worlds existed, his obsession hadn’t changed at all.
Immortality.
“Of course there are.” Orochimaru’s eyes widened.
His entire body seemed to tense.
True immortality exists.
The confirmation sent a surge of excitement through him.
He had spent years pursuing eternal life.
Experimenting.
Researching.
Abandoning bodies.
Developing forbidden techniques.
And now Itsuki had just confirmed that what he sought was not merely theoretical.
Before Orochimaru could ask another question, Itsuki casually added: “And if we’re talking about immortals, there’s actually one in your own world.” “What?!” Orochimaru’s pupils shrank violently.
He stared at Itsuki in disbelief.
“Our world?” He swallowed.
His voice became noticeably strained.
“Itsuki-san…
you’re not joking, are you?” “When you say our world, you mean this world?” “The world I’ve lived in all this time?” Orochimaru could barely believe it.
Someone immortal existed here?
And after all his research, all his spies, all the forbidden knowledge he had collected— He had never heard so much as a rumor?
“Of course.” Itsuki glanced through the window toward the enormous moon faintly visible in the sky.
The answer wasn’t merely yes.
That particular immortal had been hanging around for a very, very long time.
Orochimaru fell silent.
For once, even he didn’t know what to say.
After a moment, his brows drew together.
“If that’s true…” “Why has the shinobi world never recorded anything about such a person?” Itsuki grinned.
“That’s a secret.” Orochimaru’s eyes narrowed.
“If you want to know…” Itsuki leaned back comfortably.
“Complete missions and earn the information yourself.” Then his expression suddenly brightened.
Wait.
That was actually a very good idea.
He didn’t necessarily have to reward players with techniques or items every time.
Information itself could be valuable enough.
Especially information about things these people desperately wanted to know.
Orochimaru had already opened his mission panel.
The moment he saw what was listed there, even he fell silent.
Mission: Perfect the Living Corpse Reincarnation — SSS-rank Reward: One random SSS-rank reward Mission: Evolution of the Cursed Seal — S-rank Mission: Kill the Fourth Kazekage — S-rank Reward: One S-rank Soul Restoration Potion Accept mission?
Mission: Become the Kazekage — S-rank Reward: One sample of cellular tissue possessing immortal properties Mission: Konoha Destruction Plan — SS-rank Mission: Kill the Third Hokage — S-rank Mission: Judge Danzō — S-rank Mission: Wash Away the Humiliation Uchiha Itachi Inflicted Upon You —
CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Starlitmanga like it?