Chapter 388: Two Villains, Each Harboring Their Own Schemes

"Hueco Mundo?"

Orochimaru chewed on these two words,

opening his mouth wide to spit out a bone mask that was on the verge of shattering, its edges still crumbling away.

This was Aizen's sincerity: a Hollow mask brought from Hueco Mundo to the ninja world at great cost.

It was just that...

The laws of the world were different; although Aizen had done his utmost, he still could not prevent the Hollow mask from dissipating.

Fortunately, his own intuition was correct.

The Necromancer Orochimaru would certainly be interested in Hollows, especially since this mask came from a powerful Adjuchas.

"Hueco Mundo, are there many undead creatures like this one?"

The corners of Orochimaru's mouth curled up, his snake-like Dark Gold pupils reflecting Aizen's shadow.

He did not care about being used, just as he had calmly accepted Danzou's solicitation back then; did he not think at the time that he might be betrayed by Danzou later?

Of course he had thought about it,

but it was not something Orochimaru took to heart.

He only cared about things that interested him; as for concepts bound by worldly shackles, the Will of Fire, the female bodies for Living Corpse Reincarnation, or being a traitor reviled by all—none of it mattered.

"Enough for Mr. Orochimaru's research."

Aizen pushed up the frames of his glasses, the reflection on the lenses obscuring his gaze.

An ambiguous answer.

In fact, despite the seemingly gentle atmosphere of the negotiation, both sides were probing each other.

Orochimaru, the enemy who had once destroyed Konoha, appeared nakedly at the Hokage Building, not even bothering to conceal the deathly aura radiating from his body.

Once the Shadow Organization or other ninjas were alerted,

this negotiation would be declared a failure.

A partner who could not even conceal Orochimaru's aura had no value for negotiation at all.

But until now,

on the bustling streets below, the crowds were moving, and Konoha, which had regained its vitality due to Aizen's measures, was filled with the clamor of voices.

Yet no one noticed the conversation on the rooftop.

Orochimaru appeared to be thinking, but in reality, he had already made his decision the moment he appeared; he laughed, his voice raspy: "Breaking the obstacles of the space barrier? That is truly a crazy and bold decision."

"Even in a different world, Aizen, you are an outlier who is not accepted, aren't you?"

"That is a very rude way to put it; I am a Soul Reaper captain within the Gotei 13 who protects the safety of the Soul Society, and my colleagues all like me very much."

In the end, Aizen obtained Orochimaru's help in exchange for a monthly payment of the undead materials of five Adjuchas.

Lowering his head, on the palm of his right hand was a mark left by a small cursed snake that had bitten him, said to be a means of intelligence contact.

Three black Tomoe circled it.

If Mitarashi Anko were present, she would surely go berserk.

Heavenly Cursed Seal.

Once branded, one could never escape Orochimaru's control, and he could even use the Cursed Seal to be reborn directly within the body of the person he had cast it upon.

In particular, this Heavenly Cursed Seal was completely different from the original version, infused with Orochimaru's insights into necromancy, making its effects even more powerful.

"A mere parlor trick..."

Aizen's gaze was calm, his body emitting a faint white light; this was his state of having his Soul Reaper spirit body exit his Gigai.

The Gigai slumped to the ground.

The Cursed Seal in his palm had vanished.

Aizen opened his palm and discovered that even after leaving the Gigai, the black Tomoe were still rooted in his palm like a brand.

"How truly interesting, Mr. Orochimaru!"

There was no panic, nor was there fear.

Aizen, who had always treated everything with gentleness, saw a rare gleam of spirit appear in his eyes, and he laughed loudly: "I look forward to our continued cooperation."

On the other side, a black snake covered in scales and cursed runes appeared beside Orochimaru, accompanied by summoning smoke.

"Lord Orochimaru, the advance team has found a Golden-level contaminated zombie; we are unable to defeat it."

The speaker looked with awe at Orochimaru, who sat in the seat of honor.

He had destroyed Konoha with thunderous means, promoted civilian ninjas, and transformed the ninja village into a ninja Empire.

The strongest in the ninja world. "Understood. Send me the map coordinates later; I will go solve it."

A smile played on the corners of Orochimaru's mouth; although he radiated a cold, deathly aura, it did not hinder his extremely unique personal charisma.

He was not indecisive like Hiruzen Sarutobi,

nor did he make ninjas into cold tools devoid of emotion like Shimura Danzou.

Orochimaru was like a mentor who taught according to the student's aptitude, excavating the value of those he instructed.

"Now, the meeting is adjourned."

The crowd gradually dispersed,

and Orochimaru's smile faded slightly as he stared at the summoned cursed snake.

These cursed snakes,

were all products created by necromancy, each one imbued with his mental will; they could be said to be extensions of Orochimaru's own limbs.

"Aizen, is it? Such clumsy methods really disappoint me..."

The cursed snake that had negotiated with Aizen

had been subjected to a very shallow Genjutsu; although it could manipulate the five senses, it could not cause Orochimaru any trouble at all.

Necromancer,

a destitute Mage who, if he fails to kill his opponent outright, is so weak in the early stages that he can only stitch together a few skeletons, can quietly piece together an entire Undead Legion.

Orochimaru today is clearly already capable of revealing the existence of the Undead Sea to the world.

The Cursed Snake used to transmit intelligence,

is merely the weakest creature within the Undead Legion, one that can be created with a casual flick of the hand.

Pop.

Orochimaru flicked his finger, crushing the Cursed Snake that Aizen had afflicted with 【Kyoka Suigetsu】, causing it to burst into a cloud of Blood Mist.

Yet, unexpectedly, that faint ripple of Genjutsu did not vanish with the death of the Cursed Snake.

Instead, like maggots on a bone, it followed the final, weak mental tether, attempting to entwine itself within Orochimaru's mind.

At the critical moment, Orochimaru snapped off his little finger and channeled necromantic energy to attach to the severed digit,

and a lively, jumping Cursed Snake was created.

Hum.

That Genjutsu from Kyoka Suigetsu was applied to the newly created Cursed Snake.

"Hahahaha..."

Orochimaru suddenly began to laugh, saying in a low voice, "I underestimated you, Aizen-kun, my deepest apologies."

Navy Alliance Fourth Division,

Aokiji looked helpless as he stared at the game map 【Jiangjunzhong】 that had been claimed by others, feeling indecisive.

According to the conventional rules among players, whoever finds a monster nest first gets to keep it.

This is done to avoid players killing each other and causing conflict; after all, there is a penalty system, and if players kill too much, there will be very severe punishments.

Especially the Navy, which displays the 【Justice Will】, strictly follows these conventional rules.

However,

the zombies inside Jiangjunzhong were actually Dark Gold-grade 【Ghost Generals】.

Furthermore, the player who discovered the tomb first was a Pirate faction hostile to the Navy, the Straw Hat Pirates.

In this situation,

the conventional rules began to become ambiguous.

That is just Aokiji; if it were Akainu, he probably wouldn't even hesitate and would directly unleash 【Magma Demon Meteor Volcano】 to control the field.

"Long time no see, Nico Robin."

Exhaling a cold mist, Aokiji looked at the Demon Child being protected behind the Straw Hat Pirates.

He never expected that the survivor of Ohara he had let go back then would also become a player, and it appeared she was standing on the opposite side of the Navy.

In his mind, the artillery fire and flames that swept through Ohara emerged, along with his dear friend who had desperately tried to stop him, only to be killed by his own hand...

He became increasingly lost.

How exactly should the 【Justice Will】 be upheld? (End of chapter)