Asuka stopped a short distance away from Orochimaru.
Although Orochimaru looked slightly tired, Asuka knew this venomous snake could strike again at any moment. For safety's sake, he didn't approach any closer.
"Orochimaru-senpai, your ninjutsu is truly unique," Asuka said calmly. "Especially the way you modified your body with that soft physique technique. I think it has great potential for development."
Orochimaru straightened up slightly, clearly intrigued by Asuka's words.
"It seems Asuka-kun has his own understanding of ninjutsu."
"Of course," Asuka replied. "I've always believed that the greatest value of chakra is that it allows humans to explore the unknown."
This time, Orochimaru was genuinely surprised.
Such words were rarely spoken by ordinary shinobi.
In a world constantly consumed by war, most ninja spent their entire lives perfecting techniques meant to kill—whether ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu. In essence, everything existed to eliminate enemies faster and more efficiently.
Even the occasional genius who appeared usually focused on creating more powerful jutsu, simplifying hand seals, or conserving chakra.
Very few people used chakra to explore the mysteries of life.
And Orochimaru happened to be one of those few.
For a long time, he had been fascinated by the forms of life itself. After witnessing the deaths of Tsunade's younger brother and his own student, his obsession with life and mortality had only deepened.
So hearing such thoughts from Asuka inevitably surprised him.
What surprised him even more was that these words came from someone of the Kaguya Clan, a clan known for its violent temperament and reckless nature.
Yet here stood a genius with completely different ideas.
Orochimaru asked slowly,
"So, Asuka-kun… what unknown things do you believe chakra should be used to explore?"
"He's hooked," Asuka thought to himself.
Those philosophical remarks were intentionally said to attract Orochimaru's interest.
But they weren't completely fabricated either.
In his previous life, Asuka had been Colonel Stryker's right-hand man. His expertise in biology had been the reason he earned such deep trust.
After arriving in the ninja world, he was constantly puzzled by the strange "technology tree" of this world.
Chakra was an incredibly versatile energy.
Yet aside from military use, most fields were underdeveloped.
Basic electrical devices had already begun appearing across the ninja world, but progress in advanced technology remained extremely limited.
In fields such as agriculture, transportation, aerospace, and medicine, the world couldn't even compare to Earth from his previous life.
And yet—
This world possessed chakra.
A miraculous energy capable of manipulating water, fire, wind, and earth.
Take medicine, for example.
Techniques like the Chakra Scalpel or Delicate Illness Extraction Technique were nothing short of miracles.
One could penetrate the skin and operate directly on organs without making an incision.
The other could remove toxins—or even cancerous tissue—from inside the body.
These abilities alone far surpassed the hospitals of Asuka's previous world.
Yet the number of medical ninja in the ninja world was extremely small.
Only ninja themselves usually had access to such treatment.
If a civilian suffered from a serious illness and couldn't find a medical ninja in time, death was often inevitable.
There were countless examples like this.
It was difficult to imagine that a world capable of manipulating natural elements still frequently experienced famine and food shortages.
The entire technological development of the ninja world was simply bizarre.
Nearly everything had been invested into warfare.
Civilian technology lagged far behind.
Returning to the present, Asuka suppressed his thoughts and replied calmly.
"There are many things chakra could be used for," he said. "For example… exploring the starry sky."
"Or exploring the essence of human life."
The moment Asuka mentioned the essence of life, Orochimaru's heart skipped a beat.
At this point in time, Orochimaru had not yet become the completely ruthless scientist who experimented on his own comrades.
He had only recently begun to obsess over the mysteries of life.
Deep inside, he still felt somewhat lonely.
Hearing someone else speak about exploring the nature of life stirred something within him.
However, Orochimaru quickly suppressed his excitement.
If the person saying this were a companion—or someone weaker than him—he might have enjoyed discussing the topic further.
But Kaguya Asuka was his enemy.
And an enemy whose strength rivaled his own.
Orochimaru wasn't foolish enough to hold an academic discussion in the middle of a battlefield.
His conversation with Asuka was mostly to buy time to recover chakra and stamina.
Asuka naturally noticed this.
But he also knew something important.
The chance of killing Orochimaru here was extremely small.
More importantly, Asuka had his own plans regarding Orochimaru.
The greatest scientist in the ninja world might become a valuable ally someday.
So Asuka deliberately slowed the battle down.
By revealing his interest in the essence of life, perhaps when Orochimaru eventually defected from Konoha, he would remember this conversation.
Maybe he would even seek Asuka out himself.
Seeing that Asuka wasn't attacking, Orochimaru continued the conversation.
"Then what do you think the essence of life is?"
Asuka pretended not to notice Orochimaru's stalling.
Instead, he exaggerated his tone slightly.
"The essence of life… is evolution."
"Starting from primitive ancestors, humans have continuously evolved."
"We evolved limbs capable of using tools."
"We evolved highly developed brains."
"And eventually… we evolved the ability to control chakra."
"One day," Asuka continued with a smile, "humans might even evolve extremely long lifespans… and bodies far beyond ordinary limits."
He deliberately exaggerated his ideas, making it seem as though he was deeply fascinated with the evolution of life.
By now, Orochimaru had almost fully recovered.
So Asuka suddenly changed his tone.
"But unfortunately, Orochimaru-senpai… you won't live to see that day."
"Because tonight… you'll be buried here."
The moment he finished speaking—
Asuka suddenly pulled out his own spine and swung it forward.
Shikotsumyaku: Clematis Dance
The spine transformed into a long bone whip that instantly wrapped around Orochimaru's body.
The man who used snakes to bind others all day long finally experienced the feeling himself.
Orochimaru let out a low laugh.
"Hehehe… Asuka-kun is very confident."
"But if you think you can keep me here…"
"…you're still not quite qualified."
As soon as he finished speaking—
The body wrapped by the bone whip suddenly cracked open.
In the next moment, it collapsed into a puddle of mud.
Earth Release: Earth Clone
Looking at the muddy remains in front of him, a hint of surprise flashed across Asuka's eyes.
Although he hadn't activated his sensory ability earlier—because he was intentionally holding back—his eyes had been fixed on Orochimaru the entire time.
Yet he hadn't noticed when Orochimaru had replaced himself with an Earth Clone.
It could only be said—
A shinobi who had survived the Second Great Ninja War was not someone easily dealt with.
---------------Author---------------
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