"Hm? Sōmi?"
"Why have you summoned me?"
A slender, azure serpent appeared beside Sōmi, its voice carrying a hint of confusion.
"Sister Ichikishimahime, didn't you mention before that you wanted a human body?"
"Well, I've found a way!"
Sōmi smiled as he waved a scroll in his hand.
The scroll contained not only the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique but also Orochimaru's Soft Body Modification Secret Technique.
This was part of the payment Sōmi had promised Orochimaru after rescuing him. As for the rest, Orochimaru would only receive it once he achieved further research breakthroughs.
"Oh?!"
Ichikishimahime's snake-like face displayed an almost human-like expression of excitement. In a flash, her flattened head moved close to Sōmi's hand, peering at the contents of the scroll.
"Yes!"
"If we reverse this secret technique and combine it with that guy's lab and technology, it's completely feasible!"
Sōmi spoke with anticipation in his voice.
Although Ichikishimahime possessed immense Senjutsu Chakra, she lacked "hands" to form seals, limiting her to crude and primitive techniques that were far from ideal in terms of power.
After Sōmi's recent confrontation with the two toads from Mount Myōboku, this limitation became even more apparent. The toads could use their "hands" to cooperate with Jiraiya and unleash devastating Sage Arts.
If Ichikishimahime could be modified into a humanoid form, summoning her in battle would undoubtedly become a significant advantage.
"As expected of you, Sōmi!"
"So, when do we start?"
Ichikishimahime asked eagerly, her excitement barely contained.
"This time, I just wanted to confirm whether you're willing to undergo the modification."
"Since you're so determined, I'll go discuss it with Orochimaru later. We can start very soon!"
Sōmi casually flipped through the Soft Body Modification scroll. This secret technique, which delved into the realm of biological science, was clearly beyond his expertise.
For such specialized fields, it was best to leave the work to professionals.
"Hm?!"
"Who's there?!"
Ichikishimahime's expression suddenly turned icy, and her forked tongue flicked lightly in a specific direction.
But to Sōmi's eyes, the space she indicated appeared completely empty.
"Could it be…"
Sōmi swiftly entered One-Tail Chakra Mode, a sandy-yellow fog of Chakra spreading around him.
"Huh?"
"Your summoned creature seems to have an extraordinary sense for spatial disruptions!"
A low, deep voice suddenly echoed from the distance, followed by a ripple of vortex-like spatial distortion.
A figure wearing a tiger-striped yellow mask emerged from the distortion, standing firmly on the ground.
"Well, what a rare guest!"
"I didn't expect you to find this place…"
Sōmi's cross-shaped pupils narrowed sharply as he prepared to enter Sage Mode.
"A human capable of mastering such advanced space-time ninjutsu?!"
"And the power in that eye... it's terrifying!"
Ichikishimahime stared in shock at the Masked Man. Before accompanying Sōmi, she had rarely encountered humans.
But ever since following Sōmi, one powerful and bizarre individual after another seemed to keep appearing.
The Masked Man felt the faint tremor beneath his feet, recognizing it as the activation of Sōmi's technique. He spoke in a deep voice, "I'm not here to fight you this time..."
"Then why are you here?"
Sōmi squinted, scrutinizing the Masked Man. The latter revealed only one eye, leaving Sōmi unable to discern whether the other eye socket beneath the mask held another Sharingan.
"Cooperation!"
"We discussed this last time, didn't we?"
"Since our mutual enemy is Konohagakure, that's the strongest foundation for our collaboration."
The Masked Man spread his hands wide, adopting an innocent and harmless demeanor.
"How do you propose we cooperate?"
Sōmi's wariness didn't waver in the slightest. The Chakra surrounding him began to mix with a deep green hue.
After all, if he were to be pulled into Kamui's Dimension, even if the Masked Man did nothing, starvation alone could kill him.
"Before that, I have a question: was it Sunagakure that leaked information about the Akatsuki organization?"
The Masked Man's tone suddenly turned cold, and a trace of blood-red light flashed in his single visible eye.
The Akatsuki, which had originally planned to operate in the shadows, capturing Tailed Beasts at opportune moments, had now become a target of universal suspicion and vigilance.
In this period of heightened control by the major nations, the Akatsuki couldn't even recruit a single strong new member, aside from Kakuzu.
"No!"
"Sunagakure has never had any contact with your Akatsuki. Where would we even get such information?"
Sōmi flatly denied the accusation, his expression unnervingly calm, as if this matter truly had nothing to do with Sunagakure.
"Hm..."
The Masked Man's eye remained fixed on Sōmi's face, as though searching for any telltale signs of deceit.
"Why were you near Konohagakure that day last year?" the Masked Man pressed further.
"That pertains to a classified mission of my village. I can't disclose it."
Sōmi responded nonchalantly, showing no concern.
"Hmph..."
"That's not exactly the attitude of someone interested in cooperation."
The Masked Man's eye flashed with a sharp glint, and an oppressive aura rippled outward.
"Heh..."
"My attitude isn't cooperative? And you think your aggressive questioning is a demonstration of sincerity?"
Sōmi's eyes narrowed as he clapped his hands together. A surge of violent energy erupted from his body.
The ground beneath the Masked Man's feet suddenly split open, and a torrent of golden sand surged upward.
Sōmi's figure vanished in an instant, reappearing directly in front of the Masked Man. His right hand transformed into a ferocious beast claw, slashing fiercely toward the Masked Man.
Notably, the surface of the beast claw was covered in purple Cursed Seal markings. These markings seemed alive, writhing and crawling as if trying to infiltrate the spatial distortions.
The Masked Man's blood-red eye narrowed sharply; he had experienced Sōmi's space-sealing techniques before and knew their power.
This time, he didn't dare take any chances. A vortex of spatial distortion spun forth from his eye.
Boom!
The torrent of golden sand passed through the Masked Man's body as though slicing through an illusion.
When Sōmi's Cursed Seal-imbued beast claw struck, the Masked Man's figure had already shifted to Sōmi's rear right.
"What's wrong?"
"Did you think I truly had no way to deal with you?"
Sōmi's eyes gleamed with ferocity, his killing intent unrestrained. The two energy serpents formed from Senjutsu Chakra around him hissed menacingly, their mouths wide open.
Ichikishimahime coiled her slender body around Sōmi's left arm, refraining from rash action. Instead, she observed this peculiar and formidable enemy with caution.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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