Naruto pointed at the scroll. "This person used a technique against me."
"It was a technique called the Cursed Seal."
Orochimaru grinned. "That's one of my proud inventions."
"But I am somewhat disappointed." Naruto's expression remained unchanged, his tone calm.
Orochimaru's smile froze.
"That seal can harness a very peculiar power," Naruto said softly, "different from chakra."
"But he just used that power to enhance his own chakra, which I found a bit unfortunate."
"I was expecting him to do something else with that power."
"Was it developed based on Tailed Beast transformation?"
Orochimaru's face softened slightly. "So that's what made Naruto-kun disappointed."
"The reason is, the Cursed Seal, to some extent, is a poor imitation."
"But it's not imitating what Naruto-kun thinks."
Naruto pushed the scroll a bit towards Orochimaru.
"You always make me feel like you're not just a child," Orochimaru turned his head, giving Kabuto Yakushi a glance.
Kabuto walked over and collected the scroll.
Orochimaru continued, "I wonder, Naruto-kun, have you ever heard of Sage Mode?"
"Sage?" Naruto was puzzled. "Do you mean like the Toad Sage or the Sage of the Six Paths?"
"Of course, it's Jiraiya's kind," Orochimaru answered immediately, "but it seems Naruto-kun hasn't seen Jiraiya's Sage Mode?"
Naruto nodded slightly.
Orochimaru sighed, "Speaking of Jiraiya's Sage Mode, it truly is something remarkable."
"Remember when I mentioned 'Natural Energy'?"
"Sage Mode is a special state where natural energy and one's chakra are merged," Orochimaru explained.
"The Cursed Seal is just an imitation of it."
Naruto remained silent, contemplating Orochimaru's claims in his mind.
"Naruto-kun, should you be willing, I could place a Cursed Seal on you as well," Orochimaru offered, revealing a grin with his sharp teeth glinting like daggers in the light, "although it carries certain risks."
"But with your strength, Naruto-kun, there should be absolutely no problem."
Naruto looked at him calmly, "If I wanted to harness such power, why wouldn't I just learn Sage Mode from Jiraiya? Why would I settle for your inferior imitation?"
He threw Orochimaru's own words back at him.
Unfazed, Orochimaru chuckled, "Naruto-kun mentioned you've been in the Land of Whirlpools recently. How much have you gathered about the Dead Demon Consuming Seal?"
"Mind showing me?"
Naruto formed seals and summoned a scroll, which he handed over.
Kabuto Yakushi approached, stepping in to unfold the scrolls one by one before Orochimaru.
At first, Orochimaru's expression was one of excitement.
But the more he examined, the more his brow furrowed.
After viewing four or five, impatience crept into his features.
"Naruto-kun, is this all?" Orochimaru's tone grew grave.
Naruto's expression remained calm, a stark contrast to Orochimaru. "Karin and I have transcribed all the inscriptions."
"This is it."
Orochimaru sneered, mockingly, "Looks like they've thoroughly cleaned out the Land of Whirlpools."
"Which countries participated in the destruction of the Whirlpool Country?" Naruto inquired, "I recall you being over fifty years old now; you should be well-acquainted with the events of its downfall."
Orochimaru replied lightly, "Besides Konoha and Sunagakure, a little bit of everyone was involved."
"The Hidden Mist and Hidden Cloud contributed the most, it seems."
"Oh? Is Naruto-kun planning to avenge the Land of Whirlpools?"
Naruto shook his head. "I'll ask the Uzumaki clan's opinion when I meet any of them. If they desire revenge, I'll let them take action themselves." This left Orochimaru momentarily taken aback.
What did he mean by meeting the Uzumaki clan? That family was eradicated, leaving only scattered remnants striving to survive in various ninja villages and small nations. What right do these fractured remnants have to seek revenge?
"I just want to know which villages might possess the Reaper Death Seal technique." Naruto continued, "Then I intend to demand back what belongs to the Uzumaki clan."
"That's all there is."
Orochimaru squinted, scrutinizing Naruto.
"I have another question for you." Naruto continued, "It's about the Akatsuki. What would it cost me to obtain information about that organization from you?"
Orochimaru's pupils dilated, his voice distorted for a brief moment, "The Akatsuki?"
"Why are you interested in that organization?"
Naruto waved casually. "They approached me a while ago. We had a confrontation."
"It feels like they won't leave things unresolved."
Orochimaru, intrigued, narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who approached you? Escaping from their grasp, Naruto-kun, you must be quite skilled."
"Itachi Uchiha and a shark-faced man named Kisame Hoshigaki," Naruto revealed two names. One of those names made Orochimaru's expression change abruptly.
Itachi Uchiha
was the name he least wanted to hear in this lifetime, the one person he dreaded facing. Beneath those eyes, he felt utterly devoid of dignity.
"To escape from those two." Orochimaru sighed deeply, "and even take this Uzumaki clan's..."
Naruto interrupted him, "I didn't escape."
"They escaped."
"That shark-faced one even lost an arm."
He then formed seals, summoning a scroll. As he unfurled it, a sealing technique was activated.
With a puff of white smoke.
A freshly severed blue left arm, still bleeding at the stump, appeared on the scroll.
"Interested in this?" Naruto pushed it forward. "I remember Jiraiya-sensei's intel mentioning this guy, Hoshigaki Kisame, is regarded as the tailed beast without a tail."
Orochimaru looked up at Naruto.
His intense gaze was filled with curiosity and inquiry.
"Itachi's genjutsu is extraordinary. How did you break it?" He asked with a fervent and eager tone, "The illusions cast by those eyes aren't something ordinary people can match."
Naruto nodded in agreement, "Itachi's genjutsu is indeed extraordinary."
"It can activate at any time, masking itself from my senses and creating realistic illusions."
"But breaking a genjutsu, there is one simple method."
Orochimaru quickly understood, "Naruto-kun, you are a Jinchuriki."
"The Nine-Tails is willing to help you?"
Naruto merely smiled, without saying anything.
This was not a question he needed to answer.
The answer held no value for Orochimaru, nor could he trade it for any useful information.
Orochimaru watched Naruto.
A Jinchuriki indeed has a natural advantage in breaking genjutsu.
Naruto could see that this method was no longer useful to him.
"Kisame's arm is quite a valuable resource." He suppressed his urge to uncover Itachi's abilities and focused on more pragmatic concerns. "But just that won't be enough to trade for intelligence on the Akatsuki."
Naruto quietly asked, "What else do you want?"
"Naruto-kun's sword," Orochimaru began, half his request sliding out of his mouth.
Naruto interrupted him immediately, "If you want to experience death again, go ahead."
"I'm not opposed to taking action here," he warned.
Orochimaru chuckled, shifting his tone, "Calm down, Naruto-kun. Since the sword is so important to you..."
"Could you offer some of those talismans you've imbued with the power of words?"
Back in the Forest of Death, those talismans held little interest for him.
But things have changed now.
His hands were gone; as a ninja, he couldn't form seals anymore. Without seals, he couldn't cast jutsu.
Naruto tilted his head, watching Orochimaru's hands resting on his knees, "The worth of a trade isn't solely based on the physical value of items."
"I'll give you two of them."
Orochimaru shook his head, "Two is not enough."
"Orochimaru, you aren't in a position to negotiate," Naruto's tone was light, "I don't urgently need intel on the Akatsuki."
"But you are different."
Orochimaru grinned, "You're really taking advantage, Naruto-kun."
"Indeed," Naruto nodded, smiling without a trace of embarrassment, "Isn't this the nature of our relationship?"
"You should be grateful I'm merely exploiting the situation."
"And not opting to kill you again while I'm at it."
(End of Chapter)