After Hiruzen Sarutobi's explanation, Jiraiya finally understood.
This result made Jiraiya very dissatisfied, but he was powerless to do anything about it.
After all, erasing memories was no longer an option; it carried hidden risks.
To eliminate this risk, the only choice was to reshape the personality.
If even reshaping the personality was unacceptable to Jiraiya, then there were no other options.
"Make your choice! Looking at the time, this Quiz Test session is almost over."
Ye Chen himself was in a hurry to go home and draw prizes from the blind boxes. Seeing Jiraiya hesitating there with his face twisted like a chrysanthemum, he could only urge him impatiently.
"Tsunade."
Helplessly, Jiraiya could only turn his gaze toward Tsunade.
He didn't know what to do himself anymore, so he habitually handed the decision-making power over to Tsunade.
This was a dependency on Tsunade that he had formed over a long time.
Since the time of their three-man squad, Orochimaru had always been the strategist acting as the military advisor, while Jiraiya himself was just a soldier charging into battle. Only Tsunade was the one among the three who made the final decisions.
"What are you looking at me for? Idiot!"
Tsunade rolled her eyes at Jiraiya helplessly and snapped at him.
"Help me think about it. I don't know how to choose right now."
Jiraiya showed a complicated expression.
On one hand, he didn't want to miss this opportunity; on the other hand, a completely different Orochimaru wouldn't satisfy him either.
"Idiot! Since it's a brand-new Orochimaru, can't you just treat it as getting to know Orochimaru all over again?"
Tsunade crossed her arms over her chest, causing her towering peaks to tremble slightly, and said coldly:
"Anyway, the previous Orochimaru was a damn bastard. Just treat it as if he's already dead."
"But..."
Jiraiya still looked conflicted.
"Hurry up! If you don't redeem the reward soon, I'm leaving."
Ye Chen urged impatiently.
"Understood, my lord."
Nara Shikaku quickly nodded in response and urged Jiraiya:
"Lord Jiraiya, don't hesitate so much!"
"This is already the best outcome! Compared to this, do you really want to keep things as they are and let Orochimaru continue harming innocent lives out there?"
"You should know, according to the intelligence you sent back before, every time Orochimaru goes somewhere, he abducts a large number of innocent civilians for experiments. These are all human lives!"
Minato Namikaze also advised:
"That's right, Jiraiya-sensei."
"If Orochimaru continues to act so recklessly, there will be no turning back."
Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe against the back of his hand, knocking out a pile of ash:
"Hurry up, Jiraiya!"
"Saving Orochimaru's life and giving him a brand-new life..."
"Isn't this already an outcome we wouldn't have dared to imagine before?"
"Indeed!"
"Hurry up, Jiraiya!"
Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu also chimed in.
Everyone in the Hokage Office was trying to persuade him (except for Kakashi Hatake; the little white-haired boy had become even more taciturn since joining the Anbu, and he just stood obediently by Minato Namikaze's side).
Pushed by the pressure from everyone, Jiraiya finally made up his mind.
He turned his head toward Ye Chen and said through gritted teeth:
"I'll trouble you, sir. Let's do it that way."
"Wish granted!"
Ye Chen nodded and closed his eyes, assuming a mysterious and lofty appearance.
This appearance struck awe into everyone. By this third Quiz Test, they had spent more time with Ye Chen.
But each time, their impression of Ye Chen was refreshed, and their internal evaluation of him grew higher.
The abilities Ye Chen displayed each time were things that none of them could have even imagined before.
So, seeing Ye Chen close his eyes as if he were about to perform some earth-shattering technique, everyone instinctively held their breath and waited quietly.
Ye Chen was naturally faking it; something beyond his capabilities like this obviously required the System's intervention.
"System, start working."
"Received! Searching for target."
The System's mechanical prompt sounded, and in the next second, the scene before Ye Chen's eyes suddenly changed.
From the familiar Hokage Office, it turned into a massive geographical image.
Continents, oceans—Ye Chen felt as if he were looking down at the planet from space.
Then, the geographical image zoomed in rapidly. Ye Chen saw the land getting larger and larger, and the details becoming clearer.
The Ninja World continent, the Land of Rice Fields, a certain underground base right next to the Daimyo's city.
Brand-new scenes flashed past his eyes, and Ye Chen heard the System speak again:
"Target located successfully. Target: Orochimaru!"
Inside the underground base, Orochimaru, having changed his clothes, was sitting at a desk, writing feverishly.
The scene Ye Chen saw was very clear; he could even see the words Orochimaru was writing as if they were right in front of him.
[Living Corpse Reincarnation: Living Experiment No. 778, Experiment Purpose:...]
Good lord, he's done 778 living experiments for Living Corpse Reincarnation alone. There must be even more for other Ninjutsu.
Orochimaru, just how many people have you killed?
What a freaking mad scientist, having absolutely no regard for human life.
Ye Chen took a close look at the experimental data Orochimaru had written and couldn't help but complain internally.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru suddenly felt as if he were being watched. Startled, he stood up and shouted:
"Who's there?"
"Ding! Target capture complete. Beginning personality reshaping."
Ye Chen heard a 'ding', and blue light suddenly erupted around Orochimaru's body.
The blue light formed solid and complex chains, binding Orochimaru tightly before he could even react.
Even a member of the Sannin like Orochimaru didn't have time to react before being tied up like a zongzi.
"Personality reshaping in progress: 10%... 30%... 70%... 100%. Reshaping complete."
"Memory reshaping in progress: 10%... 30%... 70%... 100%. Reshaping complete."
As the System's mechanical voice reported methodically, Orochimaru's panicked expression gradually became peaceful, and his tense body relaxed.
Once the memory reshaping was complete, Orochimaru's temperament had entirely changed.
If the Orochimaru who was writing at the desk just now looked like a venomous snake ready to devour someone—slimy and carrying a gloom that gave people goosebumps...
...then the current Orochimaru looked like a pet snake kept at home: quiet, gentle, and full of a charm that made one want to pet him.
The chains formed by the blue light were retracted by the System. Orochimaru slowly stood up from the ground and gently rubbed his muscles, showing none of his previous cold and gloomy demeanor.
"Ding! Target modification complete. Deploy?"
The System prompt sounded, and Ye Chen looked Orochimaru up and down.
Good heavens, if this guy were thrown into the Hokage Office now, Jiraiya and the others probably wouldn't believe it was the same Orochimaru even if they were beaten to death. This is a total transformation!
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