"I'm done!"
Suddenly, Tsunade shouted from the battlefield, voluntarily halting her attack.
"It's been long enough. You should have all the test data you wanted by now, right?"
"Have you reached your limit?"
Orochimaru lowered his hands from forming seals and looked at Tsunade, who had crossed her arms and dispelled her Hōgyoku Mode.
"A battle of this level? I could keep fighting for three days and nights!" Tsunade retorted bluntly. "But since you refuse to go all out and test your full power against me, let's end this fight here."
"It's finally over!"
Seeing the intense battle finally come to a stop, with both fighters halting their attacks, Shizune let out a heavy sigh of relief. She felt a weight lift from her heart.
That earlier attack, where Orochimaru's sword had pierced straight through Tsunade's chest, had terrified her.
If not for Kagetsu's shadow holding her in place, she might have rushed forward to heal Lady Tsunade on the spot.
Though she knew that Tsunade, after activating the forbidden technique, could likely heal such an injury on her own.
Now that this intense and thrilling battle had come to an end, her tightly wound nerves finally relaxed.
"Is the Hōgyoku enhancing your regeneration?" Orochimaru asked, gazing at Tsunade. Her body, which should have been covered in wounds, remained completely unharmed—aside from her torn clothes. She stood there calm and composed, without a single scratch.
During the fight, he hadn't seen Tsunade use medical ninjutsu to heal herself. Each time she was injured, her wounds closed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Tsunade's expression turned thoughtful, as if considering how to respond. Seeing this, Orochimaru immediately questioned his own earlier assumption. It wasn't just regeneration at play here.
"I'm not entirely sure," Tsunade finally said, furrowing her brows as she looked at Orochimaru, who had walked up beside her.
"So, even you aren't certain about the Hōgyoku's power," Orochimaru murmured, narrowing his eyes slightly.
The Hōgyoku's ability enhances a person based on their mind and skills.
Logically, it should have strengthened Tsunade's physical abilities and medical expertise. But now, there seemed to be something more.
"My wounds heal as if it's my body's natural regeneration," Tsunade said, shaking her head. "But I can't help feeling that's not the real answer."
No one was more familiar with medical ninjutsu than her, and no one could more sensitively perceive the subtle changes in her own body.
She instinctively felt that this wasn't the power of self-healing, but this power was hidden beneath the healing, veiled by a layer of darkness, making it difficult to be certain.
"It seems that the power you gained from the Hogyoku far exceeds what we could imagine. You are also an excellent and perfect adapter, Tsunade!"
Orochimaru's eyes brightened at Tsunade's confusion, and he spoke with a hint of meaning.
"A perfect adapter?" Tsunade subconsciously glanced at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's gaze toward Tsunade was unusually gentle and filled with a sense of approval.
"A perfect adapter refers to someone who accepts Hogyoku. It's not just about amplifying one's own power; it also grants power beyond expectations!
This power beyond expectations is something you need to slowly explore, awaken, master, and ultimately grow again!
Your power has already reached its peak with your body, hasn't it, Tsunade?"
"So what?" Tsunade chewed on Orochimaru's words as she asked back.
"This means that your potential has been raised! You still have the ability to grow further and reach the next peak! This is a gift from Hogyoku to the perfect adapter!
It's a reward only a few can obtain!" Orochimaru licked his lips and shared his theory with Tsunade.
"Are you also a perfect adapter?" Tsunade seemed to realize something.
"Of course, Hogyoku agrees with us!" Orochimaru did not hide anything. His personality had changed a lot compared to before, though he was still very different, but when it came to handling many matters, he no longer liked using schemes like Danzo.
Being surrounded by darkness for a long time, his personality underwent significant changes, but now he was a leader and, unless something unexpected happened, would likely become the future Fourth Hokage.
Orochimaru understood Tsunade and believed she would become an inseparable partner in the future. He knew that because of his previous leadership over the Wood Style experiments under ROOT and past mission experiences, Tsunade harbored distrust and doubts about him on certain matters.
Therefore, when possible, he was still willing to be honest with Tsunade.
"So, what kind of power did you gain?" Tsunade asked, slightly curious.
"The Hogyoku combines a certain power mastered by the user with their desires, making it a force engraved in the flesh or soul.
But because the Hogyoku itself lacks consciousness and the ability to think, its judgment is entirely based on your inner desires. So, sometimes, what it gives you may be slightly different from what you actually need.
And a perfect adapter means this difference could be huge! So huge that the power the Hogyoku grants you might be something so unfamiliar, it's almost like a complete transformation.
You'll understand later."
This time, Orochimaru did not directly reveal the power he gained from the Hogyoku. This was his biggest secret.
The Hogyoku combined his deepest desires with the forbidden technique he created for that purpose, becoming a power rooted in his soul!
The Living Corpse Reincarnation!
He had once imagined cutting his soul into fragments as backups of his consciousness, and through cursed seals, selecting talented young ninjas who displayed great promise, finding those who could carry his soul and live without dying. They would become vessels for his reincarnation and revival.
When he accepted the power of the Hogyoku, what he most desired was immortality and to master all the ninjutsu and powers of the ninja world.
The imperfect Hogyoku couldn't fulfill his wish, but it combined with the forbidden Living Corpse Reincarnation technique, elevating this flawed and highly dangerous technique to a level that left Orochimaru mesmerized!
It was the ability to split his soul, not just as a backup, but with the power to seize and replicate!
****
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