"Good!"
Another Orochimaru, just split out by Orochimaru's splitting jutsu, gave a charming smile and nodded slightly.
"The methods of the older generation of powerhouses mostly have their unique aspects."
"This body is another body I split out using the Earth Release secret technique obtained from Iwagakure last time."
"It took me quite a bit of effort to separate the dark chakra within my body!"
Orochimaru's main body smiled and nodded, waved his hand, and reabsorbed the split body back into himself.
"If it weren't for the support of Yin-Yang Release, I wouldn't have dared to attempt such a risky maneuver."
"However, it seems the result is quite good now!"
Tsunade was utterly stunned. In all her years, she had never met anyone like Orochimaru who dared to play with his own body's power so casually.
"Orochimaru, you scoundrel..."
"I really don't know if I'm crazy or if everyone in this world is crazy!"
"A secret technique that can split out another main body must come with a huge price, right? How could you dare to do it?"
Orochimaru also nodded with a look of emotion, indicating that he highly agreed with Tsunade's point. This action immediately earned him a big eye-roll from Tsunade.
"There are indeed some costs!"
"Similar to Shadow Clones, the splitting jutsu divides the body's power equally between the split bodies."
Tsunade snorted.
"Knowing there's a price, you still dared to do it!"
"We're on the battlefield now. When Hanzo returns, do you think you can defeat him with only half your strength?"
Orochimaru looked at Tsunade with a half-smile.
"Hanzo is indeed very strong. With only half my strength, I might not be his match."
"However..."
"Tsunade, have you forgotten? I still have my summoning beasts!"
Tsunade immediately covered her forehead, speechless.
That's right. If this guy gets into danger, he'll just summon the Nine-Tails. Who could do anything to him?
"Compared to this trivial price, aren't you curious about the benefits of the splitting jutsu?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes at him and said irritably:
"What benefits could there be?"
"It's just an extra body to assist in combat, slightly stronger than a Shadow Clone!"
It wasn't Tsunade's fault for saying that. Apart from the Second Tsuchikage, Mu, who had to unleash his full power to fight the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hozuki, all others in the ninja world only knew that the Second Tsuchikage had such a secret technique that could split out a physical body.
As for its effects, most people thought like Tsunade.
"Tsunade, do you think I would be willing to give up half of my strength for a ninjutsu that's only slightly stronger than a Shadow Clone?"
Orochimaru shook his head, as if to say she didn't understand him.
Tsunade scoffed at his expression and snorted dismissively.
"Hmph!"
"Then tell me, what's so magical about the splitting jutsu!"
Orochimaru extended his palm and slowly curled one finger.
"The first benefit is that these two bodies are both me!"
Tsunade let out a nasal sound, saying absentmindedly:
"Uh-huh, I know, and then!"
Orochimaru looked at her expression and slowly said:
"So... both of me can cultivate and improve my strength. When I recall the clone, my main body's strength will increase exponentially."
"Coupled with the assistance of the dark chakra within my body, you can probably guess the speed of physical enhancement."
Tsunade's expression froze, and she nodded in agreement.
"That's true!"
"With dark chakra, it's indeed possible to allow your two bodies to quickly recover to their current strength."
Orochimaru chuckled and bent his second finger.
"The second benefit..."
"Unless both bodies are destroyed..."
"I will never truly die."
Tsunade's mouth flew open in shock.
"How can there be such an ability in the ninja world!"
Orochimaru shook his head slightly, negating Tsunade's statement.
"While there aren't many creatures in the ninja world with this ability, to my knowledge, there are still three or four."
"Tsunade, you've signed a contract with the Shikkotsu Forest. Haven't you realized that all slugs are just clones of the Slug Sage?"
Tsunade was startled. After recalling for a moment, she nodded hesitantly.
"I seem to remember the slugs mentioning it, and it seems to be true!"
Orochimaru nodded and continued:
"On Summoning Island, there is a summoning beast called the Splitting Hound. When it receives a fatal attack, it can split its body into multiple individuals, distributing the damage while not significantly weakening its strength."
"There's also a creation that can barely be considered Yin-Yang Release, which can split out physical bodies by absorbing chakra. Although its strength is weaker, as long as there's enough chakra, one person can become an army."
Tsunade felt like she was listening to a fairy tale. She had never heard of these things before. If these words weren't coming from Orochimaru, she would have definitely thought the person was crazy.
"You scoundrel, you actually learned such a powerful secret technique from Iwagakure without anyone knowing."
"If not for today's events, were you planning to keep it a secret forever and secretly get stronger all by yourself!"
Hearing Tsunade's sour complaint, Orochimaru looked into her eyes and smiled, shaking his head.
"I didn't plan to hide it from you."
"Sooner or later, you would have found out."
Tsunade's heart fluttered, and she quickly averted her gaze from Orochimaru's.
"I... I was just asking casually..."
"I'll go help Nari pack her luggage. Then I'll have Kato Dan take her back to Konoha."
"I'm leaving!"
Watching Tsunade leave in a flustered state, a strange smile curved Orochimaru's lips. He shook his head slightly and picked up a pen and paper to write a mission request scroll.
...
"This is the specific situation of the mission!"
Inside the tent, Orochimaru handed the scroll to Kato Dan with a serious expression.
"You must deliver this child and the letter to the Third Hokage personally. He will tell you about the subsequent arrangements."
"I will send a squad of ninjas to escort you along the way. You must ensure this child is safely brought back to Konoha, without any mishaps!"
Kato Dan solemnly took the scroll, glanced at the girl wrapped tightly from head to toe beside him, and nodded with a serious expression.
"Lord Orochimaru, please rest assured. I will safely deliver this child back to Konoha!"
"I swear with my life!"
Orochimaru nodded.
"Set off when you are ready!"
"Don't worry about the Wind Country battlefield. I will immediately send someone to get Tsunade there to help Ancestor Sakumo with the Sand Village's problems!"
"Yes!"
Kato Dan bowed respectfully, bid farewell to Uzumaki Nari, who was reluctantly saying goodbye to Tsunade, and left with two escorting Konoha ninja, embarking on the journey back.
"Let's go!"
"You should set off too!"
Orochimaru split out a clone, which then transformed into a kunai, and he handed it to Tsunade.
Tsunade held the kunai with her fingertips, somewhat awkwardly placing 'Orochimaru' into her ninja tool pouch.
"By the way, when we go to Wind Country, what should I call you?"
"I can't still call you by your name, can I?"
"Even though you're both you, I still feel a bit strange about it."
Tsunade mumbled softly.
Orochimaru pondered for a moment, recalling the codename he used in the Akatsuki organization, and slowly uttered a sentence.
"For this body, I plan to have it leave Konoha for a period of time in the future. Naturally, its identity and appearance cannot be used anymore."
"As for the name..."
"Let's call him Kong Chen!"
Tsunade pouted in disdain.
"What a strange name!"
Orochimaru chuckled and casually explained:
"It's the title of an Earth-element divine beast called Teng Snake. I think it suits this body well, so I just took it."
Tsunade rolled her eyes at him and snorted irritably.
"Hmph!"
"You're the only one who knows so much!"
"I'm leaving!"