Land of Grass.
The moonlight was bright under the night sky.
The moonlight spilled down, reflecting on the ground, revealing a pitch-black cave entrance, with dull explosion sounds echoing from within.
Crack!
The mountain wall suddenly split open!
Countless shards of stones burst forth, making the entire mountain quiver precariously!
A long-haired man was flung out amidst the rubble, his gaze tightly focused on the crumbling mountain wall, as his hands swiftly formed ninjutsu hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
The smoky mist of the Summoning Jutsu spread out.
A brown giant serpent was summoned.
The giant serpent had not yet reacted, when suddenly a nimble young figure leapt out from the mountain wall and punched the serpent on its head!
The punch was powerful!
The giant serpent, summoned not a few seconds ago, had its head smashed by the sudden blow, severely injured, it instantly turned into smoke and vanished.
However, this bit of time…
Was enough for the summoner to land in a safe place.
The long-haired man stood on the ground, not caring a bit about the death of the summoned beast, he merely looked up at the faintly glowing figure, licking his lips with his tongue.
"The greatest masterpiece… has been born…"
The long-haired man's eyes were full of greed, as if seeing the most precious treasure of this world through the engulfing smoke: "Such incredible Chakra..."
This was the first in history…
An experimental subject perfectly compatible with Hashirama Cells!
The smoke slowly dissipated.
A black-haired boy, shirtless, stood on the ground.
This boy was incredibly handsome, perhaps making most people feel affectionate at first sight, yet the aura emanating from him could not be ignored.
That is…
What a vast amount of Chakra!
Across the whole Ninja World, there were few ninjas capable of this!
The boy looked at the long-haired man before him, curiously tilting his head with eyes clear as if they belonged to an innocent newborn.
"Who… are you?"
The boy's inquiring voice was somewhat pure.
The long-haired man possessed an eerily handsome appearance, with eyes resembling a snake's vertical pupils, and an unpleasant chilly serpentine aura emanating from his body.
In the entire Ninja World, only one person fit this description, one of the Sannin of Konoha, Orochimaru!
"Hmm?"
Upon hearing the boy's question, Orochimaru's brow furrowed, and he muttered hoarsely, "It seems the experiment was somewhat risky, has there been an issue with the brain cells?"
"..."
The boy tilted his head slightly, as the intimidating aura surrounding him slowly dissipated.
"Akihara Kagura."
Orochimaru called out the boy's name.
However, this name seemed to suddenly trigger the boy's alertness!
The ground beneath the boy's feet suddenly cracked open, utilizing the instant acceleration from the stepping motion, he extended his hand toward Orochimaru's head!
A wooden spike protruded from the boy's palm!
The boy's surprise attack was too sudden!
In a fraction of a second!
The wooden spike was about to pierce through Orochimaru's head!
Orochimaru hastily raised his fingers, as a series of black curse marks swiftly appeared all over the boy's body, immobilizing him!
Curse-Binding Seal!
By preemptively implanting curse seals within the target's body, they could be activated at the pivotal moment, causing a jutsu that constrains movement to manifest on the target's body!
To avoid any possible accidents, Orochimaru had already implanted the Curse-Binding Seal within the boy, yet he still felt the recent scene was dangerously close…
Now that Orochimaru had gained control over the boy's actions, he slowly calmed down, and the sinister smile returned to his face.
"It seems it can still work…"
Bam!
The next moment!
The Chakra within the boy surged again!
The mere surge of Chakra unleashed a terrifying pressure!
Under the impact of the powerful Chakra, the curse marks were actually slowly dissolving, and the Curse-Binding Seal upon the boy was gradually disintegrating…
Orochimaru's figure retreated quickly!
The boy, utilizing the surge of Chakra, dispelled the curse marks upon him, glanced at Orochimaru and his own distance, as the confusion in his eyes began to gradually fade.
"Orochimaru-sama?"
The boy seemed to regain his clarity, an expression of unease and apology surfaced: "Sorry, Orochimaru-sama, I lost control of my body just now and couldn't control my actions, thank goodness you used the Curse-Binding Seal to help me regain control…"
"This is a normal phenomenon."
Orochimaru perceived the boy had returned to normal, nodding slowly, the smile reappeared on his face, and he explained: "Many of the experimental subjects with Hashirama Cell Transplantation exhibit such aftereffects, at least you survived… how do you feel?"
"Better than ever."
The boy extended his arms, sensing the power in his fists: "Physical strength is robust, Chakra is abundant, and perception ability has greatly enhanced…"
"However…"
"The Kekkeigenkai seems peculiar…"
The boy extended his palm, a wooden spike emerged from it: "This power is strong, even without doing anything special it can be exerted…"
"This is just a trivial aspect of the Kekkeigenkai's power."
Orochimaru looked at the wooden spike in the boy's palm, his smile grew even broader: "I will teach you to learn more powerful Wood Release Ninjutsu."
"Still need to learn more?"
The boy seemed a bit aggrieved, murmuring softly: "Orochimaru-sama… I thought after the experiment's success, you would perform the Immortal Rebirth, and use my body as a new vessel."
"Not yet."
Orochimaru's expression was somewhat profound.
The Immortal Rebirth was a jutsu that Orochimaru created for immortality.
By transferring one's consciousness, he could seize control of another's body to achieve undying immortality, even gaining additional strength and knowledge from the body.
Orochimaru had already undergone the Immortal Rebirth twice, the first time purely for experimentation, choosing a body that was somewhat compatible.
The second rebirth was because his current womanly body harmonized perfectly with his soul, enabling him to exert his full power.
According to Orochimaru's calculations, the current woman's body could still be used for a few more years; abandoning it would be excessively wasteful.
This compatible body was not easily found.
Most importantly, the Immortal Rebirth requires at least a three-year interval, and it hasn't been long since Orochimaru switched to this woman's body.
Orochimaru also hoped that the boy before him would learn more ninjutsu, so that once he took over the boy's body in the future, Orochimaru could gain additional knowledge.
Orochimaru preferred a finished product over a semi-finished one.
As for whether the boy before him would betray him after becoming powerful, Orochimaru wasn't worried, because he'd watched the boy grow up from a young age.
This kid's name was Akihara Kagura, an orphan.
Orochimaru understood these children abandoned by the world very well.
As long as they were given a little warmth, they would rush towards it like moths to a flame, even if they were thrown into the fire, they wouldn't choose to leave.
The boy Akihara Kagura should theoretically be the same.
The reality was somewhat bizarre, as Akihara Kagura was an exception. A system prompt sounded in the boy's mind, reminding him of his identity as a transmigrant.
[System Notification]: [Assist Supervisor Orochimaru in conducting a human experiment] mission accomplished, received reward: Genetic Modification Technology.