Orochimaru was genuinely excited.
A Kekkei Genkai was no simple thing.
Even with Orochimaru’s status, it was extremely difficult to find such valuable material for experiments and research.
After all, he had not defected yet and could not freely gather talented people.
And Chen Fan’s ‘Eating Release’…
“There’s actually such a miraculous Kekkei Genkai in this world?” Excitement flashed through Orochimaru’s eyes.
“So far, there doesn’t seem to be any limit to the increase in physical ability.”
“If he keeps eating like this, wouldn’t he become unstoppable?”
The Third Raikage’s body was practically invincible, right?
But no matter how strong it was, there was still a limit!
Compared to Chen Fan…
It was nothing!
Even under the most conservative estimate, this was definitely a Kage-level Kekkei Genkai.
For Orochimaru, who had yet to obtain Hashirama’s cells, it could be said to be the best material he could possibly obtain at this point!
“If I could obtain this power too…” Even a Kage-level powerhouse like Orochimaru couldn’t help but covet it.
A powerful physique could greatly enhance anyone, let alone a power that seemed capable of becoming infinitely stronger.
He simply couldn’t understand why such an overwhelmingly powerful ability had never been heard of in the shinobi world.
Was it because this bloodline had never been known to anyone?
Or did Eating Release actually have a limit, but that limit was exceptionally high in Chen Fan’s case?
Orochimaru’s thoughts raced, one after another.
“You said you wanted me to help you develop this ‘Eating Release,’ right?” Orochimaru asked.
“Let’s start with a detailed physical examination.
Then I’ll make you a training plan.
You need to work hard…”
His interest had been completely piqued, and his face was filled with excitement.
Unfortunately, this was Konoha, and he had not defected yet.
Moreover, Eating Release had only one known user.
Otherwise, Orochimaru might genuinely have wanted to dissect Chen Fan and take a closer look.
Chen Fan wasn’t stupid.
He had approached Orochimaru under the pretext of asking him to help develop his ‘Eating Release.’
“Yes, Orochimaru-sensei.” Chen Fan smiled.
Orochimaru’s knowledge and techniques were extremely important to Chen Fan and perfectly suited to his needs.
Where else could he find food that was rich in energy while also being the right size?
Mount Myoboku did have a large number of toads.
If Chen Fan became Minato’s disciple, he could also learn the Summoning Technique and go hunting in Mount Myoboku.
But if Chen Fan’s habit of eating toads were discovered, Minato would probably turn against him immediately, let alone the toads of Mount Myoboku.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, had abundant materials, and Ryuchi Cave did not prohibit killing.
Getting ingredients was easy.
With Orochimaru’s level of technology, even if he couldn’t find snakes that met the requirements, he could probably develop a form of selective breeding and professionally cultivate a whole supply of energy-rich food.
Not only that, Orochimaru was also an excellent teacher.
The Sasuke he trained was far stronger than Naruto during the same period.
He also had a sufficiently broad mind.
He never deliberately suppressed the growth of his subordinates or students, nor did he hold anything back.
He taught openly and honestly, almost as if he were constantly waiting for his students to betray him.
Although things eventually went off the rails and Sasuke successfully killed him…
Chen Fan was now beginning to experience the Orochimaru style of education firsthand.
In the days that followed, Chen Fan underwent daily physical examinations.
His training intensity was precisely calculated according to the results, and he consumed measured amounts of food.
Every so often, he would fight the snakes Orochimaru summoned.
Orochimaru was like an extremely meticulous scientist, training Chen Fan with a cultivation system far more sophisticated than the athletic training programs used by later generations.
He even temporarily put some unimportant research on hold for this, clearly taking Chen Fan’s ‘Eating Release’ extremely seriously.
At the same time, he began teaching Chen Fan the Summoning Technique.
However, Chen Fan was spending so much time on physical training that he couldn’t master it in the short term.
Besides, with Orochimaru around, Chen Fan didn’t need to use the Summoning Technique to find opponents for himself yet.
Chen Fan’s Experience Points were skyrocketing at an astonishing rate.
Fighting powerful snakes was far more rewarding than beating up students like Asuma who hadn’t even graduated!
In just two short months, he gained more Experience Points than he had accumulated throughout the previous two years!
Although Orochimaru did not pay much attention to Kurenai and Rin, simply giving them some casual instruction was enough to produce considerable improvements.
Kurenai learned three new Genjutsu, one of which was even the B-rank Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!
This was a level of Ninjutsu that could serve as a primary combat technique even for Jonin.
For a newly graduated Genin, it was practically a trump card!
Rin was slightly behind Kurenai, but she also learned several Medical Ninjutsu techniques and gained a deeper understanding of the human body, laying an even stronger foundation for her future.
…
Orochimaru was deep in thought.
Two months had already passed since Chen Fan became his disciple.
Chen Fan’s ‘Eating Release’ had already activated its feeding effect twice again.
Through these two tests, Orochimaru had roughly figured out the factors that affected digestion speed, as well as the relationship between the quality of the food and the increase in physical ability.
From now on, Chen Fan’s digestion speed would definitely become even faster!
“Eating Release…
What a terrifying Kekkei Genkai!” Excitement flashed through Orochimaru’s eyes.
“It seems to originate from an unknown system, completely different from the Kekkei Genkai I know.
But…
it’s stronger!”
“I really want to see what ‘Eating Release’ will look like once it reaches its full potential!”
“There is one problem, though.
There aren’t many snakes suitable for consumption left.
Snakes rich in natural energy have an even greater effect on physical growth, but making them small while retaining sufficient energy is extremely troublesome.”
“Perhaps I should selectively breed energy-rich snakes.
No, I don’t necessarily have to limit it to snakes…”
To the perfectionist Orochimaru, Chen Fan’s previous habit of simply catching a random fish and eating it was a complete waste of his talent!
If it could only produce an effect once a month, failing to make the most of it would practically be a crime!
“Orochimaru…
Orochimaru!”
“Orochimaru, can you hear me?”
“Huh?” Orochimaru froze and blankly raised his head.
These days, he had become completely absorbed in the research after discovering something so fascinating.
He had been staying up late constantly, and dark circles had formed around his eyes.
The dark circles contrasted sharply with his pale complexion, creating a strangely adorable contrast.
“Orochimaru, what’s wrong with you?” The Third Hokage couldn’t help asking.
“This is a Jonin meeting.
What are you thinking about?”
He was the one who had been speaking just now!
“Oh, right.
The meeting…”
Only now did Orochimaru remember that he was in the Hokage Building in Konoha, attending a Jonin meeting.
But compared to the dull and boring meeting, he clearly wanted to get back to his research on Chen Fan.
“Sorry.
My mind wandered for a moment.” Orochimaru calmly replied.
“You really are something…” The Third Hokage looked at him helplessly.
But Orochimaru was now one of the village’s higher-ups, so the Third Hokage couldn’t reprimand him as harshly as he once might have.
So he sighed and got straight to the point.
“So, Orochimaru, can our plan proceed smoothly?”
“Plan?” Orochimaru froze.
“What plan?”
“The plan to use the Chunin Exams to intimidate the other nations!
You’ve already been Chen Fan’s teacher for two months.
Do you have any confidence in him?”
“The Chunin Exams…
Oh, right.
I suppose that’s still a thing.”
Third Hokage: “…”
So, what exactly had happened to his disciple during these past two months?