Chapter 86: Worth it

Kusagakure Village didn't have any exceptionally strong ninjas. Even the village chief, Moriyama Yu, was just an average jounin at best. The strongest ninja in the village was a man named Sanji, a jounin of comparable strength to Moriyama Yu.

When Orochimaru first arrived in Kusagakure, they mistook him for a spy and surrounded him. A fight broke out, but most of his attackers were just chunin. Orochimaru swiftly dealt with them and then had to face Sanji himself.

Sanji was indeed powerful, specializing in Kusagakure's signature confinement techniques, which nearly gave Orochimaru more than he could handle. But without using his more advanced jutsu, like the Sharingan or his summoning techniques, Orochimaru still managed to win, proving himself superior.

And in this world, only the winner's words mattered.

After his victory, Orochimaru was able to explain his real purpose, leading to the business dealings they now had.

---

Back in the Kusagakure reception room, the subordinate who had questioned Orochimaru's strength earlier finally understood why his village chief had been so respectful. If even Supreme had been defeated, then it was clear that this "White Snake" wasn't someone they could afford to cross lightly.

Understanding this, the subordinate took a deep breath and followed orders, preparing the money for the transaction. There was no choice. He had to obey.

The deal itself took place outside the village. Moriyama Yu, well-versed in the unspoken rules of such dealings, brought only two trusted guards with him. Orochimaru, despite his confidence in his own strength, knew better than to take unnecessary risks. He used one of his clones to handle the trade, all while secretly controlling his invisible flies to monitor the area for any signs of betrayal.

Fortunately for both parties, Moriyama Yu had no intention of double-crossing Orochimaru. The deal went smoothly, and Orochimaru couldn't help but feel a bit of respect for the village chief's pragmatism.

With the transaction complete, Moriyama Yu smiled as he held the two iron boxes full of potions. "Mr. White Snake, a pleasure doing business."

Orochimaru gave a casual shrug, tucking the money away. "Likewise, Mr. Village Chief. Until next time."

And with that, Orochimaru vanished using a simple teleportation jutsu, leaving Moriyama Yu standing in the clearing with his new stock of valuable potions.

---

Moriyama wasted no time returning to the village with the potions. Each box contained twenty vials, neatly arranged and wrapped in cloth, giving off an aura of sophistication and high quality. Despite his initial trust in Orochimaru, a part of him had always been wary that the potions could be fake. After all, trusting someone based solely on confidence was a dangerous gamble.

Still, there was something about Orochimaru that exuded certainty, and Moriyama had bet on that confidence being real. Now, the time had come to find out if his gamble had paid off.

"Take one of these to the hospital and test it immediately," Moriyama instructed one of his subordinates, who quickly took a vial and hurried off.

As he watched the man leave, Moriyama's heart was racing. "Five hundred thousand ryo per dose… that man's practically drinking money," he muttered to himself. But it was a necessary expense, one that could make or break the future of Kusagakure's ninjas.

A few minutes later, the test came back positive. The potion worked just as advertised. The wounded ninja who received the treatment showed rapid improvement, his condition stabilizing in mere minutes. Moriyama let out a long, relieved sigh. Orochimaru had delivered on his promise.

"Number nine!" Moriyama called out to one of his aides.

"Yes, village chief?"

"Price each dose at 600,000 ryo. If anyone wants it, they'll have to come to me personally."

"Yes, sir."

"Number six!" he called out to another.

"Yes, sir?"

"Take a vial to the lab and have them analyze it. I want a full report on its ingredients."

"Understood."

With those orders given, Moriyama allowed himself another moment of relief. The potions were worth the money, and he already had a plan to make a profit. He would charge more than what he paid and recoup the costs easily, all while keeping Kusagakure in the black.

However, what he hadn't anticipated was just how much demand there would be for the potions. Even at the increased price of 600,000 ryo per dose, the vials were snapped up by eager jounin who didn't mind spending money if it meant quicker recovery and fewer long-term injuries.

Unfortunately for Moriyama, he only had forty vials. He set two aside for analysis, leaving him with just thirty-eight to sell.

---

Meanwhile, Orochimaru, having left Kusagakure Village, found a quiet place to rest for the night. By the following morning, he was already back on the move, heading to a secluded location where he knew another deal awaited.

He approached a closed iron door and knocked.

"Who's there?" a gruff voice called out from the other side.

The door creaked open, revealing a bald man with a mustache. The man's eyes narrowed in confusion as he looked at Orochimaru's casually dressed appearance. "Who are you?"

Orochimaru chuckled, his familiar hoarse voice cutting through the air. "Don't you remember me?"

The man's eyes widened in recognition. "It's you?"

"Yes, it's me."

The bald man hurriedly stepped aside, letting Orochimaru enter. After a quick glance outside to ensure no one was watching, the man shut the door behind them.

---

Half an hour later, Orochimaru emerged from the building, a satisfied expression on his face. He had just sold 20 weakened Basic gene enhancement serum to this black market dealer, pocketing a cool 30 million ryo in the process.

The black market was different from places like Kusagakure Village. Here, demand was driven entirely by profit and desperation, so pricing could be adjusted accordingly. Orochimaru had settled on 1.5 million ryo per vial, given the rarity of the materials involved and the potency of the product. It wasn't the highest price, but it was more than enough to justify the transaction.

As he glanced at the five money boxes now stored in his space warehouse, Orochimaru gave a small nod of satisfaction. Each box could hold 10 million ryo, and now with five full boxes, he was walking away with 50 million ryo in total.

This trip had definitely been worth it.

******

I'm planning to drop bonus chapters, but we need more PS, also for every 5 ranks we climb in the rankings, I'll be dropping 5 bonus chapters. So make sure to drop your Power Stones here.

Lastly, don't forget to check out the other fanfictions I'm working on;

* One Piece: King Of The World Starting With The Nitrogen-Nitrogen Fruit

* My Hero Academia: Thunder God

*Ultimate Man [JJK X SOL]: Loading Golden Entries at The Start

*Starting With Real Madrid