In the forest by the large lake in the Village Hidden by Rain, bloodline ninjas have gathered for a Kage-level arena-style competition.
"There's no topping the best, and no one second to the worst." It's usually the case that where there are people, there's a hierarchy and a ranking.
It's the same for ninjas.
If they were from the same village, achieving this would be simple. Even if they didn't know each other well, just stating their ninja rank or how many missions they'd completed for each rank would give everyone a general idea.
They come from the same place, undergo the same ninja assessments, and the mission standards are the same. It's not that difficult to gauge a fellow villager's standing.
Although this sometimes leads to bias. For instance, former Root ninjas always viewed Konoha ninjas with a sense of superiority.
But now, Nagato, as the leader of the Akatsuki Organization, has summoned one bloodline ninja from each of his affiliated forces. These ninjas, from different villages and with different bloodlines, can't all be judged the same if a ranking is to be made.
After all, they're all Kage-level in their own villages. Without having fought directly, no one will simply yield. This is true even for the bloodline ninjas from weaker villages.
So, after a day of gathering, Orochimaru... oh, no, it should be Genie Lamp at that time, suggested holding a Kage-level power assessment.
Subjectively, these bloodline ninjas were reluctant to agree to this proposal.
They aren't Genin anymore, and unlike the Chunin exams, their Ninjutsu and fighting styles are no longer immature. Maturity means limited room for growth, and if this information were exposed, they could be targeted and potentially killed in the future.
But regardless of the various reasons they didn't want to participate, Nagato and "Orochimaru's" orders were absolute.
These two are the strongest in the ninja world, even more powerful than Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara at the end of the Warring States period. Who would dare disobey their command?
The matches proceeded one after another with ample time to recover, and if someone was seriously injured, excellent medical ninjas from the Village Hidden by Rain were available for treatment. The process was very swift.
In just two days, most of the duels were completed, and now it was time for the battle to determine the champion, the strongest.
"To think two brats won..."
Troy, a Kage-level ninja from the Village Hidden in Clouds and a user of Magnet Release, was a robust, middle-aged ninja. As he watched lightning and bone spurs clash in the forest, his expression was none too pleased.
"What is Darui even doing? It was one thing to beat me, but now he can't even beat a younger kid."
"Although Storm Release has some advantage over Magnet Release, it's not very effective against the Corpse Bone Pulse."
Kari, a Explosion Release ninja from the Village Hidden in Stone, had hair styled just like a Super Saiyan. His expression was calm. "Furthermore, that white-haired young man from the Kaguya clan is a rare genius, both in his fighting spirit and his bloodline's awakening."
"Coolface is right, this brat is trouble."
Momiji, with her blue hair, held a crystal flower in her palm. Staring at the bone spear that tore through the forest and shattered the lightning, she said in a deep voice,
"That bone spear actually managed to break through the crystal I created."
Crystal Release, while lacking offensive power among bloodline abilities, excels in defense. Its toughness far surpasses the iron walls and sand barriers created by Magnet Release. Yet, even so, it was as fragile as glass against those bones.
The Corpse Bone Pulse is the mark of the Kaguya clan from the Village Hidden in Mist. After this clan arrived in the Land of Iron, ninjas from various countries became more familiar with it, but they had never seen one this powerful.
The bloodline ninjas present offered their opinions and guesses.
"This young man is indeed somewhat unusual..."
Suddenly, a strange voice reached everyone's ears. Amidst the chaotic discussions, it stood out with unusual clarity.
They all looked in the direction of the voice, and their faces changed. "Orochimaru..."
Even though they had never met him in person, they recognized him instantly.
It wasn't just his appearance, but more so a unique aura. In their senses, there was nothing, yet they could see it with their eyes. Through this ordinary organ of vision, they could clearly perceive his immense power.
Though they were all ninjas, they immediately understood that they were on different levels of existence.
This gap in life-force made even the most defiant bloodline ninjas instinctively lower their heads, even wondering if calling him by his name would cause displeasure.
Orochimaru, of course, wasn't concerned with such trivial matters. He watched Kimimaro and Darui fighting in the forest, a flicker of interest in his eyes.
Battles of this caliber meant little to him, but the content displayed within them was quite engaging.
"As Genie Lamp said, I can meet this young man later..."
Orochimaru licked his lips and turned his gaze to the bloodline ninjas beside him.
"It's very good that you responded to the summons and participated in this martial arts gathering. I will give you rewards. If you have any questions about bloodline Ninjutsu, feel free to ask, and I will provide guidance."
"Bloodline Ninjutsu? Guidance?"
The bloodline ninjas from various villages exchanged confused glances. They didn't quite understand.
They acknowledged that Orochimaru was very strong, and having studied under the 'Ninjutsu Doctor,' he knew many forbidden Ninjutsu. But bloodline limits... it's either you have it or you don't. If a ninja like Orochimaru knew one or two of them, it would be normal, but to guide all of them? This was perhaps too arrogant.
Especially the bloodline ninjas who had defected from the Village Hidden in Mist, their expressions were conflicted and very odd.
The rebellion in the Land of Water stemmed from the insurmountable gap between bloodline ninjas and regular ninjas. If the latter could learn bloodline Ninjutsu, would such conflict have occurred?
But even with that said, might makes right. No one dared to challenge Orochimaru.
For a moment, no one spoke, and the atmosphere was silent.
"Tsk tsk... such deeply ingrained prejudices!"
Orochimaru was not surprised by the reaction of these bloodline ninjas. It could be said that in this ninja world, no one knew better than him how difficult it was to master a bloodline limit.
But that was only true for his past self. In the future, he would break these prejudices.
Orochimaru's gaze shifted to Troy from the Village Hidden in Clouds. "I recall your bloodline is Magnet Release, correct?"
Troy, who was pointed out, took a few steps forward and nodded with a grave expression. "Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
It wasn't the first time he had met Orochimaru. During a past conflict between the Village Hidden in Clouds and Konoha, he had witnessed how he defeated the Fourth Raikage.
Even though he was already very powerful then, he hadn't expected him to make such rapid progress and reach this level.
"Magnet Release, a combination of Wind and Earth Chakra..."
Orochimaru opened his palm, his five fingers slowly rotating. countless fine iron particles gathered, forming a sphere above his palm.
"This is Iron Sand..."
He dropped the iron ball and, in the same manner, condensed golden sand, copper sand...
After piling up more than ten iron balls at his feet, Orochimaru suddenly showed a look of realization, to everyone's astonishment. "I remember now. You're not like Rasa, who fought using magnetism. Perhaps this kind of Ninjutsu is more suited for you..."
With a snap of his fingers, wisps of metal powder floated up from the ground, gradually condensing into thumb-sized spheres.
Invisible magnetic force converged near Orochimaru's arm, forming what appeared to be a chaotic yet orderly magnetic field.
The next moment, a metal sphere appeared in front of his palm. With a downward flick of his index finger, it went from stationary to a high-speed projectile, a sharp sonic boom erupting.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Everyone's vision blurred. A white light flashed, and a beam tore the entire forest in half, leaving a scorched path. After a few seconds, the sound of the explosion finally caught up.
Everyone subconsciously swallowed. Even Kimimaro and Darui, who were in the midst of a fierce battle in the forest, couldn't help but stop and stare in astonishment in that direction.
They had no choice but to stop. If that explosive attack had accidentally hit them, they would have been no different from these trees.
Among them, Kimimaro, in particular, couldn't hide his shock beneath his cold expression.
Though not intentional, after being sealed by that mysterious person, his Corpse Bone Pulse had become much stronger. Even the clan leader at home was slightly inferior to him in a spar, only able to win through experience.
But even with his destructive and incredibly sturdy bones, they were no match for the attack just now. It was truly shocking.
Kimimaro frowned in thought and quickly realized who the owner of that attack was. With the real target appearing, he lost interest in the battle. He glanced at his enemy, who only knew how to hide, snorted, and headed towards the large lake.
"Hey, don't go! Our fight... isn't over yet!" Behind him, a dark-skinned boy panted as he chased after him.
...
By the large lake of the Village Hidden in Clouds, Troy could barely contain his excitement. He took a deep breath before asking, "Lord Orochimaru, is this truly Magnet Release? Can I perform it too?"
The process just now was very slow, with almost no concealment. He could easily sense the amount of Chakra used was less than that of a B-rank Ninjutsu, yet the power was undeniably S-rank.
This completely overturned Troy's understanding as a Magnet Release ninja, and even dealt a blow to his pride. He knew that he hadn't learned Magnet Release until at least a few years ago, and his current mastery far surpassed his own.
He couldn't even understand the method he used. While bloodline Ninjutsu, including Magnet Release, didn't require hand seals, this was perhaps too abstract.
Orochimaru heard Troy's question and simply smiled. "This is indeed Magnet Release, and you can do it too, but your physical strength might not be enough."
The right-hand rule and Lorentz force are not that difficult. Even someone like Troy, with zero prior knowledge, could grasp the concept after a few days of intensive teaching.
But while the theory could be understood, the body couldn't withstand the knowledge.
However, before Troy could be disappointed, Orochimaru added, "Although that's the case, with the help of some tools, you should be able to achieve a similar effect. It's just that with the magnetic force away from your body, your control will be reduced, and the power will be less than what you saw, perhaps... only about fifty percent."
"Fifty percent... that's already very good," Troy said quickly.
"Oh... I see. Then what about the others..."
Orochimaru turned his gaze to the bloodline ninjas who were showing envious expressions and smiled, "Does anyone doubt my understanding of bloodline Ninjutsu now?"
Indeed, the demonstration just now made it impossible to doubt his profound knowledge. However, unlike Troy, who was already captivated, they were still suspicious of his motives.
"Don't make that face..."
Orochimaru saw the wariness of these bloodline ninjas and smiled nonchalantly. "This is an exchange, and I am also learning from you."
Saying this, he turned his gaze to Momiji, the Crystal Release ninja, and said, "Show me your Ninjutsu."
Although his tone was gentle and not commanding, Momiji dared not refuse and instinctively performed her most proficient bloodline Ninjutsu.
In an instant, six crystal clusters suddenly rose and sealed a large tree in front of them.
"Interesting..."
Gold light flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. "It's also a combination of Fire and Earth elements, but not Lava Release. Crystal Release is truly special."
He opened his palm, and two elemental Chakras were expelled from his acupoints. Following his previous observations, he constantly adjusted the Chakra ratio and fusion method. In just five minutes, it transformed into a cluster of purple crystals.
Seeing this, everyone understood. He wasn't just teaching; he was also stealing techniques. This was what he meant by "learning something."
As bloodline ninjas, their first reaction should have been disgust, but now there was only shock. This was even more profound than knowing Orochimaru was a 'Ninja God'-level powerhouse.
After all, the latter only meant that another incredible powerhouse had emerged in the ninja world. Such figures would always appear over time; it was just a coincidence that they were born in the same era.
But the ability to master bloodline Ninjutsu in such a short time was different; it signified that a boundary had been broken.
"Why, when you're already so strong, do you still want to learn Crystal Release?"
As a Crystal Release ninja herself, Momiji could tell this wasn't some trickery but genuine.
But precisely because of this, she was very confused.
If he already possessed Crystal Release, and his interest was piqued, offering a few words of guidance would be normal. But to deliberately learn a Ninjutsu that wouldn't improve his own combat power, just to guide others? That was too... mischievous.
Or was he simply someone who loved to teach?
"Indeed, if it's just about manipulating crystals or iron sand, there are plenty of ways."
Orochimaru casually extinguished the crystal, and a wave of strange Chakra fluctuations spread out. Within a few breaths, countless crystal shards and metal cylinders rose from the ground, forming a dense forest maze around them."
By using Senjutsu, imitating bloodline limits is the easiest method."
Orochimaru smiled and looked at Kimimaro, who was catching up. "But this method cannot be widely promoted."