Freelancer in the Ninja World

Orochimaru's expression was peculiar, his vertical pupils contracting as he tried to figure out what the other party was really up to.

"Lord Orochimaru, in fact, the 'special' thing about me goes beyond that!"

"Take a look..."

After speaking, Uzumaki Senshi's form rapidly began to change.

Zzzt-zzzzt-zzzzt—

Only moments ago he had been perfectly normal, yet now he transformed into a being of pure energy, enveloped in arcs of lightning.

"Hmm?"

"This is…"

Even someone like Orochimaru—known as the 'great scientist' of the ninja world—was astonished by the scene. He had seen a similar ability before, with certain ninjas able to turn their bodies almost entirely into water. That was impressive, but it hadn't piqued Orochimaru's interest so strongly.

However, Uzumaki Senshi's power here made Orochimaru's heart stir. Transforming oneself into lightning implied an extraordinary affinity for Lightning Release. Not only that, but lightning could serve as a power source for various high-energy ninja tools. Plus, from what Orochimaru knew, Uzumaki Senshi's Lightning Release jutsu were already top-tier.

Mulling it over, Orochimaru grew even more intrigued.

"Not bad…not bad at all!"

"Could this be some brand-new kekkei genkai?"

"Moreover, can a body that can so easily transition into a pure energy state even 'age' in the normal sense? Energy can weaken or vanish, but it doesn't 'grow old' like flesh does!"

That thought made Orochimaru even more tempted. If he could obtain Uzumaki Senshi's body—if he used it as a vessel—his ninjutsu research might enter an entirely new realm. But he still needed to test whether Senshi's abilities were truly as impressive as they looked, or if it was all style with no substance. Orochimaru eyed him up and down before speaking:

"Follow me. I want to test your capabilities and confirm whether you're worth a long-term contract."

As a scientist, Orochimaru wouldn't jump to conclusions without verifying.

Senshi shrugged. "No problem."

Karin, however, was a bit nervous, since these two had nearly broken into a fight moments earlier.

In an open space, Uzumaki Senshi and Orochimaru stood facing each other. Karin, not far away, clenched her delicate fists, inwardly worrying about Senshi.

Orochimaru let his arms hang at his sides without adopting any particular stance. Among ninja, he was an unusual one—he could unleash bizarre jutsu anytime, regardless of posture.

"Heh—"

"Are you ready?"

Orochimaru spared a glance at Senshi's youthful face. He only knew what Kakuzu had told him and had never witnessed Senshi in action himself, so he didn't truly know how strong Senshi was.

Senshi beckoned Orochimaru with a casual gesture, signaling him to make the first move. Orochimaru, however, chose not to "strike"—he chose to "stretch!"

Swish—

His neck elongated like rubber in an instant, his head lunging forward like a serpentine maw to bite at Uzumaki Senshi.

Whoosh—

Facing the attack, Senshi extended his hand and unleashed Lightning Finger—a technique that fired Lightning Release chakra from a fingertip.

Zzzt-zzzt!

A streak of lightning shot toward Orochimaru's head, but Orochimaru's snake-like neck evaded it with ease. Twisting and turning in bizarre coils, his elongated neck finally sank its fangs into Senshi's throat.

Crackle-CRACKLE!

Zzzt-zzzzt-zzzzt—

Yet in that same instant, the "normal-looking" Uzumaki Senshi transformed again into a body of electrical energy. Orochimaru's bite ended up shocking him to a crisp—burnt inside and out by the high-voltage current.

Simultaneously, a short distance away, Orochimaru tore open his own neck, forcing himself out of that snake-like husk. He had escaped the intense electric shock by discarding his "shell." Orochimaru's jutsu often shared a common theme: Orochimaru spitting out snakes, snakes spitting out Orochimaru, Orochimaru spitting out Orochimaru, and snakes spitting out snakes.

Having abandoned his old body and escaped electrocution, Orochimaru quickly formed hand seals and slammed a palm to the ground:

"Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"

When the technique took hold, Orochimaru opened his mouth, and countless summoned snakes flooded toward Uzumaki Senshi, hissing to bite.

Karin's face went pale at the sight, as the very ground seemed carpeted in snakes. But Senshi showed no concern.

"Lightning Release: Earth Slide!"

Zzzt-la-la!

Zzzt-zzzt-zzzzt—

With the Rumble-Rumble Fruit enhancing his abilities, Senshi's Lightning Release had become exponentially stronger. The moment he cast his technique, the space around him formed a net of lightning that quickly grew denser. Before long, that net morphed into a kind of electric field. No matter how many snakes rushed in, they were all reduced to ash.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Swish! Swish!

Orochimaru's two arms shot out like serpents, aiming to sink their fangs into Senshi.

Zzzt!

Lightning flickered around Senshi. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind Orochimaru. Wishing to prove himself without killing his "client," he had already made a plan.

"Lightning Release: Backhand Chop!"

He drove a punch at Orochimaru's back.

Thud!

A dull impact rang out, and Orochimaru crashed heavily to the ground. Nearby, a huge snake opened its jaws, and Orochimaru emerged from within it.

They exchanged several moves like this, neither able to best the other. Then, suddenly, Orochimaru felt a deep sense of foreboding. It was as though some force had pinned him in place—any attempt at a substitute technique would fail.

That "force" was Senshi's Mantra (Observation Haki–like sense). More precisely, he had locked onto Orochimaru's chakra signature. No matter how many times Orochimaru tried to shed his skin, the strongest chakra source in the area would reveal the location of Orochimaru's true body.

"30 Million Volts: Thunder Beast!"

After locking on, Senshi blasted Orochimaru with a searing bolt of lightning.

"Roooar—!"

A fierce beastly roar echoed through the air. Countless arcs of blue lightning converged into a massive, intimidating thunder beast radiating terrifying voltage. It howled to the skies, then charged Orochimaru's real body.

Orochimaru didn't dare underestimate it.

"Triple Rashōmon!"

Without hesitation, he rapidly wove seals and slammed his hands onto the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three colossal demonic gates burst up from the earth in succession, blocking Orochimaru's front.

Rumble-rumble!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Senshi's thunder beast plowed through all three Rashōmon gates, but by then it had expended much of its power. It was no longer a serious threat. In a flash, Orochimaru summoned another giant snake, which crashed into the beast head-on.

Boom—!

A deafening explosion rang out. Orochimaru vanished from the blast and instantly reappeared in front of Senshi. His strangely glowing eyes were fixed on him with fervent desire. Orochimaru was thoroughly satisfied with Uzumaki Senshi's body—beyond its special traits, his mastery of Lightning Release was astounding. If Orochimaru could transfer his soul into Senshi's flesh, he might unlock countless new jutsu.

Before Senshi could attack again, Orochimaru spoke first:

"That's enough. I've seen enough of your abilities. Next, I want to hire you—to help me with research on ninjutsu and other techniques. Even though you'd just be assisting my research, I'll pay you an A-rank mission rate of 200,000 ryō."

[New Commission Detected!]

[Client: Orochimaru]

[Objective: Orochimaru is very interested in you. Use your special constitution and abilities to assist his research!]

[Reward: 200,000 ryō]

[Mission Rank: A]

[System Reward: 200 Commission Points]

Upon hearing this, Senshi immediately rejected him.

No way!

He didn't want just a one-shot deal. Judging by Orochimaru's finances and his need for research, there was clearly an opening for a long-term hire. Having already tasted the massive rewards from his previous "long-term commission," Senshi wanted more of the same.

"Lord Orochimaru, I have conditions if you want to hire me."

"First, developing ninjutsu and other technical research can take a very long time. Assisting you will eat up a lot of my schedule, so you'll need to pay more for a long-term arrangement."

His meaning was obvious: pay up.

"Second, if I disagree with any particular research project, I won't go along with it."

"Third, if you need biological samples, you're strictly prohibited from cloning my cells."

"Fourth…"

By now Orochimaru fell silent. Was he really hiring Senshi to assist in research, or was Senshi hiring him to do the research? And anyway, did he actually need a long-term contract? Once Senshi was on his turf, Orochimaru had plenty of ways to take control of him…

Just then, Senshi spoke again:

"Orochimaru—I know the reason you joined the Akatsuki."

~~~

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