Just as that thought sparked in Orochimaru's mind, something felt off. He looked up—
A massive Rashōmon gate came crashing down from the sky.
It blocked the incoming strike from the Eight-Headed Serpent Technique, while simultaneously opening a window for Matatabi, the Two-Tails.
A Tailed Beast Bomb once again began forming in front of the blue flame cat.
As the serpent tried to repeat its devouring trick, a second Rashōmon slammed down—directly on its head.
Then a third followed, sealing off the space between the Bijū and Orochimaru's giant snake summon completely.
Ishiki Kujo's silhouette blurred—appearing atop Matatabi's head.
He had already re-entered Sage Mode.
A massive Rasengan swirled in his palm once more—still glowing fiery red, proof that he'd again infused it with fire-nature chakra.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM!
The triple Rashōmon barrier disappeared as soon as it had served its purpose, revealing the Eight-Headed Serpent beneath—just in time for the attacks to strike.
From below: the Tailed Beast Bomb.
From above: Ishiki's flaming Rasengan.
The giant serpent twisted its massive body into a grotesque coil of heads and tails, trying to absorb the impact—but it was no use.
CRAAAAACK!
Explosions ripped through the mountain forest. The upper body of the serpent was blasted apart, flesh melting as if incinerated by hellfire.
The space beneath—shielded by its coiling—was now exposed.
And standing there… was Orochimaru.
Calm.
Collected.
Unscathed.
He looked up at Ishiki and said, "Perhaps… we should talk cooperation."
Ishiki's Sharingan spun as his gaze dropped—toward the two corpses at Orochimaru's feet.
Summoned from a scroll.
For what?
He understood immediately—Edo Tensei. Reanimation Jutsu.
So Orochimaru already had access to that technique this early?
Or was he just testing Ishiki—probing whether he understood the implications of the corpses?
Two possibilities circled in Ishiki's mind.
Edo Tensei was one of Orochimaru's signature jutsu, but this was earlier than expected.
Did he suspect that Ishiki knew the jutsu's true nature?
And if so, how?
Still hovering in the air, Ishiki asked evenly,
"So how does Lord Orochimaru propose we cooperate?"
"I require your medical ninjutsu expertise and your Yang Release. In exchange, I offer you my knowledge of jutsu and technical support."
"A fair trade," Ishiki replied. "But let's be clear—I don't do unethical experiments."
Orochimaru smirked. "That's more Danzo's obsession than mine. I've always been more interested in refining jutsu… Though I must say, you know an awful lot of things you shouldn't. Care to explain why?"
Ishiki met his stare. "I simply haven't defected yet. The returns on forbidden experimentation don't justify the risks. The village offers better infrastructure. As for the knowledge you find curious—that's a Kujō family secret."
Whether Orochimaru bought that or not didn't matter.
"Are you warning me?" Orochimaru asked, narrowing his eyes.
"If that's how you want to take it," Ishiki replied, unapologetic.
Orochimaru didn't push the issue.
"Save it for after you deal with Danzo. If I'm still in the clear by then, we'll run the experiments your way."
Forbidden jutsu weren't yielding much for Orochimaru anymore. And he knew well that Danzo had become obsessed with Hashirama's cells to the point of madness.
That old man even wanted to combine First Hokage cells with Uchiha eyes—but neither power was so easily tamed, especially the former.
Orochimaru had once tried harvesting DNA from the Senju Clan.
The results were always… underwhelming.
No true Wood Release bloodline.
Only the original possessed the real deal.
"Fine," Ishiki nodded. "So what do you need me to do with medical ninjutsu? And what do you mean by Yang Release—are you trying to master Yang-style Taijutsu?"
That part had always puzzled Ishiki.
In his memory, Orochimaru already had the perfect medical specialist in Kabuto Yakushi.
By this point in the timeline, Kabuto should be around.
Had they not crossed paths yet?
"I want to reduce the mortality rate of Cursed Seal implantation, study the application and refinement of Natural Energy, and investigate Yin-Yang Release at a deeper level," Orochimaru explained.
"…You just said the cursed seal was harmless," Ishiki deadpanned.
Orochimaru shrugged. "A trivial death rate. For someone like you, it's negligible. I've been studying your Yang-style Taijutsu for a while."
He paused, curious.
"I also sensed something else in you—a power distinct from chakra. Is that a form of Senjutsu as well?"
A new voice interrupted them.
"Hey. You two gonna chit-chat all day, or remember you're in my damn forest?"
Matatabi's massive feline face peeked over a tree, eyes narrowed in annoyance.
Orochimaru chuckled.
Then, as if remembering something, he summoned a backpack from a summoning seal, rummaged through it, and tossed Ishiki a scroll.
"I assume you've been suppressing most of Matatabi's chakra using sealing jutsu. Clever trick. No wonder she's so small."
He smiled knowingly.
"Though I must say, that turtle of yours… has some very interesting properties."
Ishiki didn't answer.
He caught the scroll.
It was blank—but the moment his fingers touched it, he could tell: it was a high-grade sealing scroll, the best material you could find.
Expensive stuff. Generous.
Of course it was.
This was Orochimaru, after all.
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New translation : Naruto : I Got "Return by Death" Kind Of Cheat
New story translated ! This one is interesting, give it a try !