Chapter 19

[Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining an ant specimen...]

[Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining...]

Orochimaru's mind churned as the system continued its updates. "Does the same species only count as one specimen?" he wondered aloud.

After listening to the system's explanation, he realized something important. It seemed that in order to complete the task of gene extraction, each unique species would only be counted once, regardless of how many individuals he collected.

For example, if he gathered cells from several humans, they would all still count as one species. The same logic applied to animals: he could collect different varieties of the same species, but they wouldn't count toward new tasks.

That makes sense, Orochimaru mused. It didn't affect his research at all. For someone like him, collecting a hundred species was child's play.

"Well, this should be easy enough," he muttered, his golden eyes glinting with confidence.

As he continued walking, something in the distance caught his attention a cemetery. It seemed eerily familiar to him.

After a moment, realization struck. Ah, of course... This was the resting place of his parents in this world. No wonder it stirred a sense of familiarity within him.

With a slight pang of nostalgia, Orochimaru made his way to the Yamanaka Clan's flower shop, purchased a bouquet of white chrysanthemums, and returned to his parents' grave. He laid the flowers before the stone with a sense of quiet reverence.

"Even though I'm not the Orochimaru you once knew," he said softly, bowing deeply in front of the tombstone, "I still owe you this respect. Consider it my filial duty."

After paying his respects, Orochimaru turned to leave. But as he was about to step away, something white behind the tombstone caught his eye. Curiosity piqued, he moved quickly, stepping behind the stone and picking up the strange object.

"What's this? Snakeskin? But... it's white?" he mumbled.

Before he could examine it further, a familiar voice called out from a distance.

"Hey, Orochimaru!"

Looking up, he saw Jiraiya running toward him. Orochimaru quickly stuffed the white snakeskin into his robe, concealing it from view.

"What's up?" Orochimaru asked, his voice calm and even.

"I need to ask you something..." Jiraiya began.

---

"Summoning Jutsu?" Orochimaru repeated, blinking in mild surprise as Jiraiya explained. That's right he had been so busy with his experiments that he had nearly forgotten that all three of the future Sannin had their own signature summons.

Tsunade had already mastered her slug summoning, and now it seemed Jiraiya had learned to summon toads. How could I have overlooked this? Orochimaru mused.

"Tsunade told me you already knew how to summon creatures too, but I didn't believe her!" Jiraiya said, his tone slightly accusing. "So I came to ask for myself. Hey, hey, show me if you can do it!"

"I can't," Orochimaru replied bluntly, not wanting to waste any time.

"What? You really can't?" Jiraiya's disbelief was evident on his face.

"I have no reason to lie to you."

"Hah!" Jiraiya burst into laughter, his pride swelling. "See? I, Jiraiya-sama, had to work so hard to master summoning, and you, Orochimaru, have never even done it before! I knew it!"

Jiraiya's glee was almost palpable as he pranced around, clearly reveling in his victory. Orochimaru, however, had no interest in entertaining his antics. He simply turned and began walking away, uninterested in Jiraiya's childish celebration.

"Hey! Where are you going? Don't leave! Let's have a chat, come on!" Jiraiya called after him, but Orochimaru waved him off dismissively.

"Boring," Orochimaru muttered, making it clear he wasn't going to engage further.

---

Later that night, Orochimaru lay on his bed, his mind racing with thoughts as he stared at the white snakeskin he had retrieved from the cemetery earlier. Though he had acted indifferent during the day, Jiraiya's words had left a small impression on him.

Tsunade probably learned summoning from her family, Orochimaru thought. The slug's size is directly proportional to the amount of chakra used, so she can summon it no matter how small her reserves are.

As for Jiraiya, he had learned the summoning technique from Hiruzen. The fool had used the technique without a contract and had accidentally been transported to Mount Myoboku, the land of the toads. But what about Orochimaru?

There were plenty of scrolls in my parents' inheritance, but none contained the summoning technique, let alone any mention of summoning snakes.

A chilling thought crossed his mind: Could it be that because I'm a reincarnator, the opportunity that should have belonged to the original Orochimaru is gone?

Suddenly, a loud boom echoed through the house, jolting Orochimaru from his thoughts.

"What was that?" he muttered, quickly sitting up. Another thud followed soon after.

This time, Orochimaru pinpointed the source of the noise. It was coming from the living room. In a few quick steps, he made his way out of his room and into the hallway, his senses sharp as he approached the living room.

Boom!

The sound rang out again. Orochimaru's golden eyes scanned the room, searching for the source.

It's coming from under the floor... Is something hitting the floor from below?

A sudden thought struck him. Could there be... a hidden basement beneath the house? It wouldn't be unusual for a ninja family to have secret passageways or basements. Orochimaru's parents might have dug the basement before he was even born, and he simply hadn't known about it.

Without wasting any time, Orochimaru began scanning the floor for any signs of a trapdoor or secret entrance. As a ninja, searching for hidden passages was a basic skill.

After moving a few pieces of experimental equipment into his system's storage, he found the source of the noise a thick wooden panel in the far right corner of the room. The muffled thudding was coming from beneath it.

Orochimaru knocked on the panel, confirming it was hollow. Cautiously, he drew a kunai and slipped his hand into the gap at the edge of the floorboard, ready for whatever might come.

Squeak!

The floor panel lifted easily, revealing a secret compartment below.

A massive python, as thick as an adult's calf, reared its head from the dark hole beneath the floor. The creature's body was covered in intricate flower-like patterns, and its golden eyes, with vertical slits, locked onto Orochimaru's. It hissed, flicking its tongue menacingly.

Orochimaru's first instinct was to retreat and defend himself, but something held him back. The giant snake didn't seem to have any intention of attacking him. Instead, it stared at him intently, its gaze almost assessing.

After a few tense moments, the python opened its mouth, revealing something unexpected a scroll. The large serpent dropped the scroll onto the floor in front of Orochimaru, then slithered back into the darkness beneath the house.

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as he bent down and picked up the scroll, feeling its weight in his hands.

A summoning scroll? he wondered. As he slowly unrolled it, the truth became clear.