A few days later, Boruto and the adult Sasuke were nearly spent from their intense studies. Although their strength and knowledge had greatly increased, they began to float when they walked.
Of course, this wasn't the arrogance of floating, but rather a physical kind of floating.
But the young Sasuke didn't mind; he thought it was quite fitting for them. After all, a bit of floating is normal in the pursuit of immortality, as the saying goes, 'To float as if transcending the world alone, to ascend to immortality like a feather.'
To float meant they were not far from becoming immortals.
Not far from Konohagakure, at Orochimaru's base.
"Sigh~"
Orochimaru slowly opened his eyes, looking at the robustly growing cells under the microscope, a satisfied smile creeping across his lips, yet tinged with a hint of dissatisfaction.
The reason was simple: although the cells were strong, they always seemed to lack something. Even though he had successfully absorbed all the cells and merged their advantages, it still wasn't enough.
Why? Why did he feel this way?
He couldn't understand, so with a sigh, he went out in search of inspiration.
Half an hour later
Orochimaru returned with a white, long-horned creature sealed by a sealing technique. He discovered that the creature's body seemed to be on the verge of collapse, a destruction stemming from within itself and also from another purple power, which weakened his strength as if it were nuclear radiation.
"This time was a bit of luck."
Orochimaru muttered to himself.
Although his current strength was formidable, it was definitely not greater than the peak strength of this white creature. The only reason he could win was due to the scars from blades and the mischief of the purple power on the creature.
The purple Lightning Release, was it Sasuke?
Orochimaru speculated, but he couldn't be sure, as he had never seen Sasuke use such power, nor was he certain Sasuke had the ability to defeat this creature. He just felt it was possible.
"This guy's body is about to collapse, I had to seal it with a sealing technique, then take the opportunity to extract some cells from his body for research. My intuition tells me, this guy's body holds great secrets." Orochimaru murmured to himself.
The creature, known as Isshiki, had cells completely different from those of normal humans, akin to data fused into flesh. The power of this data was immense, allowing the cells to exert several times their own power.
But it also led to rapid self-destruction.
This form was similar to the Edo Tensei that Orochimaru had used before, but Orochimaru's soul wasn't as strong as this creature's. After each use, he had to rest and adapt for a while, and he couldn't make his body's cells exert such effects.
How did he do it?
What was different about his body?
And what about his soul?
With these questions in mind, Orochimaru continued his research on Isshiki's body.
Unfortunately, the sealing power couldn't completely prevent Isshiki's body from self-destructing. It was still breaking down at a relatively slow pace, so Orochimaru's research time was limited.
During his research, Orochimaru couldn't help but ponder why Isshiki didn't know sealing techniques. They were so useful, so why didn't he use them? If he had, he wouldn't have allowed his body to decay for so long, which made Orochimaru's research even more pressing.
Two days later, Isshiki's body completely disintegrated. Orochimaru, who had been intensely researching for two days, was exhausted. But the good news was that he had achieved tangible research results. He had obtained the Otsutsuki clan's original genes through his own power. If he could use his long-cultivated cells to assimilate the Otsutsuki genes, then he would consider it a success.
The path to immortality was now within reach!
He could clearly feel that his path to immortality was very similar to that of the Otsutsuki clan. They both continued to live by seizing other bodies with their will, rather than like Naruto, who continuously strengthened himself and then reached the pinnacle.
"What if I cultivate Senjutsu with this body? Could I reach a higher level?" Orochimaru pondered as he looked at his cultivated cells and the Otsutsuki gene fragments.
Then, the fusion began!
The fusion process was arduous, but he had been through it countless times. His cells had grown through repeated assimilation. He had also experienced failure. If he failed, he would start over.
But this time, he only had one fragment of the Otsutsuki genes. There was no chance to start over, so Orochimaru was far more careful than usual.
Fifteen hours later, he succeeded. An exhausted Orochimaru looked at the robustly growing cells in the culture tank, and a sense of achievement welled up inside him. Now, his cell had no defects. It was a cell he had cultivated himself, and the growing body would be more compatible with him. He was on the path to success.
The life in the culture tank was growing quickly. It wouldn't take long for it to fully form.
"You really are working hard."
A young voice sounded behind him.
"Huh?"
Orochimaru was startled and quickly turned around, slightly surprised, "Naruto? When did you..."
"When? Ah, well, I actually sensed it a while ago. I felt something was off when you found that guy," Naruto said with a smile.
"Are you here to stop me?"
Orochimaru asked calmly.
"Why? Why would I stop you?"
Naruto countered.
Orochimaru had merely created a body for himself. He hadn't stolen or robbed anyone, nor had he harmed anyone. If he were to be stopped merely on the pretext of using forbidden techniques, that would be too much.
"So, what are you doing here? Do you have something to do?" Orochimaru asked, relieved.
"Ah, indeed, there is something. The guy in your culture tank, his consciousness is actually still there. It's just preserved as a fragment. If you really reincarnate this way, you might face quite a few troubles in the future," Naruto pointed at the culture tank and said.
"You can feel it?"
Orochimaru furrowed his brows. If what Naruto said was true, then the situation was serious indeed.
"But it's not a big problem. This guy is already at his weakest. Just a slight release of magic, and he would be completely dead," Naruto said nonchalantly, snapping his fingers and silently chanting: The Law of Death.
The backup information of Otsutsuki Isshiki dissipated, and his existence vanished completely.
Orochimaru had extracted this gene fragment not only because it was powerful but also because Otsutsuki Isshiki had cooperated with him, backing up his own will, and then together they extracted the gene fragment. Both their powers were indispensable.
"What happened?"
Orochimaru asked, puzzled. He didn't feel anything out of the ordinary, just as he was oblivious to the explosive information in Otsutsuki Isshiki's genetic backup.
"The hidden danger has been removed. I'm leaving now."
Naruto waved his hand casually and left.
(End of Chapter)
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