Orochimaru's joy was almost overwhelming, but at the same time, he felt an even deeper shock and fear toward Shanks' intelligence.
Only after personally experimenting did he realize just how terrifying that man's mind was.
The ninja world had never seen anything like this before.
Yet, that man had figured out so much purely through his own deductions.
"Is it because of the Poneglyphs? Who tampered with them?"
Orochimaru felt a chill in his heart. If he hadn't uncovered part of the true history, he wouldn't have been able to reach this stage at all.
Whoever rewrote history must know far more than anyone else.
They must be hiding even more secrets.
And the power they held was surely beyond imagination.
Just thinking about it sent a shiver down Orochimaru's spine.
That was why he had such deep respect and fear for Shanks' intelligence.
"Orochimaru-sama, are you alright?"
One of Orochimaru's subordinates entered the room, worried after hearing his laughter.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking about how the gap between people is even bigger than the gap between humans and dogs.
But if Shanks has revealed himself after staying hidden for so long, that means he now has the strength to challenge the one who has always lurked behind history."
Orochimaru muttered to himself.
Even though he and Shanks had chosen completely different paths, even someone like him couldn't help but admire Shanks' boldness.
"By the way, have you found any leads on Hiruko?"
"N-not yet..."
"Have the lord of Hozuki Castle help out. Those guys from Kusagakure might love playing political games, but at a time like this, they should actually do something."
"Yes!"
Orochimaru's subordinate bowed respectfully and left.
Orochimaru frowned. The shinobi of Kusagakure had no real skills except for their mastery of political maneuvering—they were complete opportunists.
But still, being able to survive multiple ninja wars by switching sides at the right time proved that Kusagakure had its own kind of strength.
As for "Hiruko," if there was anyone in the ninja world whose research on Ninjutsu and Kekkei Genkai could rival Orochimaru's, it was him.
Hiruko was a jack-of-all-trades—good at many things, but not the best at any one.
In intelligence, he outmatched Jiraiya and Tsunade.
In Ninjutsu, he surpassed Orochimaru and Tsunade.
In scientific research, he was ahead of Jiraiya and Tsunade.
So, was he strong? Strong beyond reason.
Even Orochimaru had to admire his ability to develop Ninjutsu. With Hiruko, techniques that seemed impossible somehow made perfect sense.
He was outstanding in many ways.
But Hiruko had one big flaw—he always felt like he wasn't good enough. He was obsessed with surpassing the Three Legendary Sannin.
That obsession led him to experiment with forbidden jutsu in Konohagakure, which got him discovered by the Third Hokage. In the end, he betrayed the village and went rogue. The Third even personally sent the Three Sannin to hunt him down.
Think about it—those were the already famous Three Sannin. Forget just Hiruko, who in all of Konohagakure could take on all three of them at once? No one.
The Third did this to make a statement.
A ninja who defects must be hunted down. And he made sure to send the Three Sannin themselves.
What? You say the Three Sannin had a close bond with Hiruko?
Hmph. I am the Third Hokage—fair and just. Do you think I would play favorites? I can't believe some of you in Konohagakure think that way. Have you forgotten the Will of Fire?
"Sigh, the old man is still too soft."
"If a tree's branches aren't strong enough, its roots will start to rot."
"And a tree like that will never bear good fruit."
Orochimaru stared at the Devil Fruit in his hand, once again marveling at Shanks' wisdom.
"That guy is ridiculously strong. The truth of history has been buried, yet he managed to uncover it through sheer intelligence. Even the sages of the Three Great Holy Lands fear him. His ability to reverse-engineer Ninjutsu and chakra limitations goes beyond what this era should be capable of. He truly is a man set on creating a new era."
Orochimaru recorded his findings in his experiment log. Bringing Hiruko over wouldn't be possible without offering something valuable in return.
And what Shanks left behind would be his bargaining chip.
Orochimaru had deep knowledge of Kekkei Genkai. Actually, he had deep knowledge of almost everything.
After all, he had even managed to clone the bodies of Tailed Beasts. His intellect and scientific research had already surpassed the limits of this time period—he just didn't realize it himself.
Instead, he was amazed by Shanks' method of technique conversion and chakra reversal.
The Devil Fruit was one form of chakra reversal. More precisely, it was a process where chakra was reversed to create a unique Kekkei Genkai.
Then, by refining that Kekkei Genkai back to its original essence, a Devil Fruit was formed.
The birth of Kekkei Genkai could be traced back to the chakra fruit of the Divine Tree.
"Shanks' method is a way to reverse-engineer Ninjutsu. Before Ninshu existed, people in this world had physical and spiritual energy, but they didn't form chakra. Chakra only emerged because of the Divine Tree's influence. So, if we reverse-engineer the process—undoing the formation of chakra and sealing specific Ninjutsu back into the Divine Tree—chakra will return to its original form."
"And that... is what we call a Devil Fruit."
Orochimaru continued writing in his experiment log.
"The number of Devil Fruits is limited, and each one is unique. There will never be two Devil Fruits with the same ability in this world. Ultimately, Devil Fruits are a special type of Kekkei Genkai formed through a reverse-engineering process. This special Kekkei Genkai originally came from the abilities within the Chakra Fruit. All Devil Fruits in existence trace their power back to a single fruit—this is what makes them unique."
"At the same time, the number of Devil Fruits is also finite. However, the limit depends on how far a ninja can develop Ninjutsu. Any type of Ninjutsu can be converted into a Devil Fruit using a reverse technique."
"The cultivation period for a Devil Fruit is one month. If two people try to cultivate the same type of fruit at the same time, only the one with the stronger Ninjutsu will succeed."
Orochimaru thought for a moment. Once the cultivation method was perfected, growing Devil Fruits would become simple. Any normal ninja would be able to do it.
The real challenge was the materials. To cultivate a Devil Fruit, materials from the Divine Tree were required.
Even Orochimaru didn't have much of it. Madara had only given him a small piece. If he wanted to clone more, it would take time.
Of course, cloning materials from the Divine Tree was much easier than cloning the body tissue of a Tailed Beast. So, if he used the materials sparingly, it wouldn't be a problem.
"The power of Devil Fruits will become the strongest force in the New World. But the requirements for cultivating them are strict, and the Divine Tree's materials are necessary."
"There are no leads on where to find more of these materials. Maybe the Poneglyphs hold a clue about where the original Divine Tree was. If I can find that place, I should be able to get some leftover materials."
"Other than that, the only person who might have Divine Tree materials is Shanks."
Orochimaru thought for a moment. Since Shanks had managed to learn so much from the Poneglyphs, he must have a supply of these materials. But probably not a lot—after all, they were incredibly valuable.
Orochimaru glanced at the notes in his experiment log. The writing was messy, but to a researcher, every bit of it was extremely useful.
"As for the known weaknesses of Devil Fruits... Once someone eats a Devil Fruit, they lose the ability to use any Ninjutsu. However, their physical and mental energy remain unchanged. Their ability to perform Ninjutsu is permanently restricted by the power of the Devil Fruit."
"Additionally, there seems to be a certain substance that limits the Divine Tree's growth. During the cloning process, a type of crystal formed, blocking the tree from developing. This crystal restricts the Divine Tree's vitality and cancels out Devil Fruit abilities—similar to the effect of the Haki that Shanks uses."
"For now, the research focus will be on how Haki affects Devil Fruit users."
Orochimaru fell into deep thought.
He had learned a lot of information from the White Snake Sage, including details about Haki.
Observation Haki didn't have much practical effect, but Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki both had a suppressing effect on life itself.
Conqueror's Haki suppressed life in a reverse manner, while Armament Haki destroyed it directly.
But as of now, the only person in the entire ninja world who had mastered Haki was Shanks.
The sages from the Three Great Holy Lands were also struggling with their research on Haki.
Although teamwork made things easier, Orochimaru preferred a more direct approach—using live test subjects and simply observing who survived.
But unless absolutely necessary, the Three Great Holy Lands wouldn't conduct human experiments so openly.
"Looks like I need to arrange for someone to make contact with Shanks and observe how Haki affects Devil Fruits."
Orochimaru looked at the Devil Fruit in his hand. It was time to go out for a bit.
Of course, he had no intention of facing Shanks directly—that guy was far too dangerous.
For experiments like these, sending a few expendable pawns would be enough.
"Call Kidomaru and the others. I have a new mission for them."
The order was passed down. Kidomaru and his group weren't the strongest, but they were useful.
Besides, they wouldn't need to fight—just observe from the shadows.
Before long, Kidomaru, Sakon and Ukon, Tayuya, and Jirobo arrived. Along with them was Kimimaro.
"Orochimaru-sama."
Kidomaru spoke respectfully, feeling excited inside. Finally, they had a mission. If their team completed this task perfectly, they would surely earn Orochimaru-sama's recognition.
As for that cold guy standing nearby? Why did he even insist on coming along? Just because Orochimaru-sama valued him? He's only a little stronger than our team, that's all.
"This mission is very important."
"Orochimaru-sama, we will give it our all."
The four of them spoke in unison. Even Orochimaru-sama considered this mission important, yet it was given to them.
"Orochimaru-sama, as long as it's your order, we won't fear even the Hokage."
"Orochimaru-sama, are we supposed to kill someone?"
"No. Because even if you give it your all, the only outcome is death."
Orochimaru's words were calm. He had no intention of sending them to their deaths.
"Orochimaru-sama, do we really need to go together for someone so weak?"
Kidomaru was surprised by Orochimaru's response.
If the target was really that weak, why would all four of them be needed? Even without going all out, they could easily take down someone like that. If the person was so useless, Orochimaru-sama wouldn't even bother.
"You're the ones who will die, and yet you still want to challenge someone like that?"
Orochimaru was momentarily speechless. Were they really that reckless?
Kimimaro, on the other hand, felt a surge of excitement after hearing Orochimaru's words. A warrior strong enough to earn Orochimaru-sama's praise… He was curious to see what kind of person they were.
It was the first time he had ever heard Orochimaru-sama speak about someone with such admiration. That tone of respect—it didn't even sound like Orochimaru-sama.
"Orochimaru-sama, let me go too."
"You don't need to. Kimimaro, you have something more important to do."
"As for you, Kidomaru, your mission is to take this fruit, find a pirate out at sea, and let him gain its power."
"Your goal is to make him clash with Shanks. During this process, do your best not to reveal your identity."
"If you do get exposed, find a way to survive. If necessary, you can use my name."
Hearing this, Kidomaru and the others were momentarily stunned. Orochimaru-sama was telling them… not to die?
"Your lives should be placed as a bet on the new era. Don't die so easily."
Orochimaru explained. The four of them didn't quite understand what the "new era" meant, but they understood one thing—they had to survive. That was Orochimaru-sama's order. No matter what, they had to stay alive.
"Set out."
Orochimaru handed the Devil Fruit to Kidomaru.
The four of them turned and left.
Now, only Kimimaro and Orochimaru remained in the lab.
"Orochimaru-sama, what about my mission?"
"You don't have one. For now, your only task is to extract your Kekkei Genkai and turn its power into that of a Devil Fruit."
"But..."
"I need to find Tsunade first."
Orochimaru spoke slowly.
Kimimaro's body was already at the brink of death. There was no way to save him. But if he could use the Devil Fruit, maybe there was a chance.
Still, even if he no longer had the burden of his Kekkei Genkai, survival would be difficult. Only Tsunade could save him. Orochimaru had no choice but to rely on her.
Hiruko... there's probably not enough time.
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Kimimaro nodded without asking further.
But just as he reached the door, he couldn't help but turn back and ask.
"Orochimaru-sama, what kind of person is Shanks? Someone who can make you show such respect."
"..."
"Shanks, huh? Just a pirate. When you recover, go out to sea and see for yourself. Then you'll understand."
Seeing the smile on Orochimaru's face, Kimimaro understood. He had never seen Orochimaru-sama smile like that before.
The sea, huh? If that's the case, then he would go and see for himself. What kind of pirate could earn such praise from Orochimaru-sama?
---
---
You can read 50 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu