Although Orochimaru was already obsessed with human experimentation, many of the truly forbidden projects still hadn't begun. His current status wasn't high enough—he lacked the materials and equipment. To take the next step, he would at least need to become one of the Three Legendary Sannin.
But that didn't stop his obsession with immortality. Even if he couldn't experiment on humans yet, aside from Living Corpse Reincarnation, he had more or less already devised most of the ninjutsu he would later create.
And just recently, after burying himself in research, he finally learned about Arata's situation.
Having once been classmates, Orochimaru considered himself fairly familiar with Arata Itsuki. Originally, he thought Arata was just an ordinary ninja with no kekkei genkai—someone whose achievements would never compare to his own. After all, Orochimaru, despite being born a civilian, possessed unmatched scientific talent.
But the same Arata he once dismissed had suddenly skyrocketed in power—strong enough to kill Zoshirō, an opponent even Orochimaru wouldn't want to face head-on.
That alone stirred Orochimaru's interest. Then, after obtaining Arata's information from the Third Hokage, he learned about Arata's explosive speed and the lightning-style armor jutsu comparable to the Third Raikage.
Orochimaru's research had hit a bottleneck. If he could acquire the Raikage-style Lightning Armor as a reference, perhaps it would open new breakthroughs in cellular modification.
He also wanted to know how Arata suddenly gained such speed. It did not match any of his existing scientific understanding.
"I heard Arata-kun possesses a technique similar to the Lightning Armor… so I came to borrow it for a look."
As he spoke, Orochimaru approached with clear killing intent radiating from him. By now he was already elite-jonin level, and that pressure was enough to paralyze most shinobi.
But his targets today weren't normal ninja—one was Tsunade, his old teammate; the other was Arata, hardened since childhood through constant battles. Neither reacted to the intimidation.
Arata instantly understood. Orochimaru wanted his Lightning Mode. And the one who leaked the intel? Arata didn't need to think—Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō were the only candidates.
Deliberately feeding his information to a mad scientist—Arata saw through the intention immediately.
Tsunade didn't know how Arata obtained his jutsus, but any ninja's trump card was never meant to be handed out. Orochimaru's request—paired with his killing intent—was nothing short of a threat.
Tsunade stepped forward before Arata could speak.
"Orochimaru! Sounds like you're itching for a beating."
Her fist clenched tightly. If someone used the Byakugan, they'd see how much chakra she was packing into that punch. She was clearly planning to start with raw monstrous strength.
Orochimaru only gave a sly grin.
"My my… such a loving couple. Arata-kun, don't tell me you plan to hide behind a woman?"
Arata hadn't intended to bother with him, but even a low-tier taunt works sometimes—he wasn't about to let a woman shield him.
Then the system popped up again.
[Ding! Based on the host's current situation, the system provides three options:]
[Option 1: Ignore Orochimaru's provocation and let Tsunade fight for you.
Reward: Three-Tomoe Sharingan]
[Option 2: Duel Orochimaru—win or lose, it doesn't matter.
Reward: Lava Release (Kekkei Genkai)]
[Option 3: Defeat Orochimaru within thirty seconds and make him submit.
Reward: Genjutsu Resistance]
[Rewards will be determined based on your actions.]
Recently, the system had been appearing more and more frequently. Arata suspected it was triggered by major canon characters—someone with heavy plot relevance must be nearby.
After reading the three choices, he dismissed the first immediately. Three-Tomoe Sharingan was a joke at this stage—and he refused to hide behind Tsunade.
The second reward, Lava Style, wasn't appealing either. Arata hardly used chakra-based ninjutsu anymore; it would be pointless.
But the third reward—Genjutsu Resistance—caught his attention.
Despite his overwhelming physical power and his Thunder Fruit compensating for ninjutsu, he had a fatal weakness: genjutsu.
If he ever ran into someone like Uchiha Itachi, he could easily be crippled in a fight.
That was the real reason he accepted the Uchiha clan's ninjutsu scroll—hoping to find ways to counter illusions.
And now the system was offering him the perfect solution.
But defeating Orochimaru in thirty seconds was not easy. Orochimaru was infamous for being unkillable. He could be knocked down, but eliminating him fast? Extremely difficult—he was the type to stall endlessly with substitution bodies.
However, Arata already had a plan.
The moment Orochimaru saw the change in Arata's expression, he knew the taunt worked. He prepared himself, wanting to personally witness Arata's Lightning Mode.
The next instant—Arata's entire body turned into lightning.
Every inch of his skin became crackling blue arcs—completely different from the intel. The reports only stated he coated himself with lightning; transforming into lightning itself was never mentioned.
This was altering one's biological structure—something even Orochimaru had never imagined possible.
But Arata wasn't done.
Orochimaru saw only a blur—and then a stabbing, tearing agony erupted in his gut.
"Impossible!!"
His body modification was complete. Physical attacks shouldn't hurt him—his altered physiology should have dispersed the impact.
But as he flew backward, he managed to catch a glimpse—
Arata stood where Orochimaru had been, right fist extended, still crackling with electricity.
And covering that fist was a layer of pitch-black energy, so dark that one glance felt like it would swallow your consciousness whole.