I simultaneously traverse countless worlds

In the next instant, Li Mo appeared in front of Uchiha Obito, ignoring the opponent's instinctive use of the Wood Release: Wood Insertion Technique. He pointed directly at Obito's face with one hand. At this moment, besides using the Shadow World to seal off the surrounding space and prevent Obito and Black Zetsu from escaping, he did not completely prevent Obito from using the Mangekyou Sharingan, in order to test the power of Kamui.

Do you think Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu might be able to turn the tide?

If Obito Uchiha were the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki and Black Zetsu were still lurking within him, Li Mo would have unhesitatingly gone all out to quickly kill his opponent. However, Obito Uchiha was someone who couldn't even use Susanoo and relied entirely on the space-time jutsu Kamui to display his power, so Li Mo really didn't take him seriously.

Seeing that the dozens of wood-style ninjutsu tree branches turned into ashes before even getting close to Li Mo, Obito Uchiha could only disregard the depletion of his eye power and use his Mangekyou Sharingan's Kamui to create a spatial defense. He was horrified to discover that the spatial jutsu, which even his teacher couldn't handle in the past, was now being used by Obito with a single finger, producing a sound like shattering glass. The intense depletion of his eye power forced him to retreat immediately.

Li Mo didn't stop Uchiha Obito's actions. The other party couldn't escape the [Shadow World] that Li Mo was seriously using. His attack was just to test the effect of [Kamui], proving that unless it was a Kage-level ninjutsu mastered and prepared for it, ordinary Super Kage-level ninjutsu ninjas couldn't do anything about [Kamui]. Breaking through space is still quite difficult in the ninja world.

At this moment, Obito Uchiha, who had created some distance, finally had time to observe the surrounding situation. He was then astonished to discover that Black Zetsu, who had not appeared to help besiege Li Mo, was now at the edge of the [Shadow World], clearly looking like he was preparing to escape!

"Absolutely? You bastard, are you planning to escape alone?!"

Seeing Black Zetsu betray his teammates, Obito Uchiha was so angry that the veins on his forehead were throbbing. He had almost had his Kamui protection broken by his opponent, which had depleted a lot of his Mangekyou Sharingan's power. His only remaining Mangekyou Sharingan was throbbing with pain. However, Black Zetsu, who wanted to team up with him to fight the enemy, actually tried to run away without saying a word, which made Obito Uchiha roar.

Even if Obito himself had the chance to escape, he might have chosen to run away directly, but that doesn't stop him from treating others with double standards. Besides, in his eyes, Black Zetsu was just a useful tool left behind by Madara Uchiha!

"I'm trying to see if I can break through this barrier spell..."

Faced with Obito Uchiha's roar, Black Zetsu had no choice but to offer an explanation. In reality, it had no intention of explaining anything at all. However, it had just realized that it was truly unable to escape this inexplicable barrier, so it had to consider fighting alongside Obito Uchiha, otherwise it would not have a good ending at all.

"Enough with the nonsense! Seal it!!!"

However, Li Mo clearly didn't have time to listen to Black Zetsu and Obito Uchiha's chatter. He appeared directly in front of Black Zetsu and used a specially designed barrier technique to freeze Black Zetsu's mind instantly, sealing him away.

This was a technique Li Mo specifically used to deal with Black Zetsu. It combined barrier techniques from the Naruto world with extraordinary knowledge from other worlds, modifying it so much that even the Uzumaki clan, the original owner of the barrier technique, couldn't recognize it. Not only did the seal completely freeze the opponent's mind, but the diamond-shaped crystal that was sealed looked like amber, and you could clearly see the shrunken Black Zetsu inside. That disguised pitcher plant monster look was really not good.

Li Mo carefully stored this precious sample he had captured in his [Shadow World]. He had decided to take some time to study Black Zetsu more thoroughly and see if its true nature was as he had guessed.

"Damn it... open it now!!!"

On the other side, Obito Uchiha, who had just been righteously reprimanding Black Zetsu, now tried to run away without hesitation. However, even though he activated his Mangekyou Sharingan [Kamui] with all his might, and his eyes were already bleeding tears, he still couldn't escape.

Li Mo saw Obito Uchiha's struggle but did not stop him. Did he really think that the power of the [Shadow World] could be broken so easily?

In fact, as Li Mo fully integrated the power of Li Mo from other worlds into his [Shadow World], the [Shadow World], which initially leaned towards [Shadow Power] and [Shadow Escape], has actually begun to transform into a real world that encompasses Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. As a result, its power and potential have been greatly enhanced.

Comparatively speaking, Obito Uchiha's current strength is really insignificant. When he went to deceive Nagato and Konan, he had to use Madara Uchiha's name and Kamui to play tricks. If his Mangekyou Sharingan were intact and he had activated Susanoo, Li Mo might have given him a slightly higher opinion. But the current Obito Uchiha has almost no strength. At least in front of Li Mo, apart from observing the Kamui, capturing him would be an easy task.

In just a few blinks of an eye, Li Mo bypassed the spatial protection of [Kamui] and directly gouged out one of Obito Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan. He then knocked Obito unconscious with a single blow, used a binding technique to capture him, and sent him to a space renamed [Portable World], waiting for Li Mo to have some free time to carefully study the two precious samples.

After carefully storing his two spoils, Li Mo didn't turn and leave immediately. On the contrary, the range of his [Portable World] suddenly expanded, and then he casually looked in a certain direction, saying in a very calm tone:

"Tsk, Mr. Orochimaru, you've been observing from the sidelines. Are you free to come out now?"

Chapter 41 Orochimaru is discovered

"I never expected that the Land of Water would produce a powerful figure like you!"

As Li Mo looked in a certain direction, a figure slowly emerged from the ground with a slightly sentimental voice. The figure wore pale yellow clothes, had a thick purple shimenawa rope around its waist, cold and gloomy pupils, and an exceptionally pale face. It was none other than Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha.

When Li Mo first discovered Orochimaru's presence in the Land of Water, he didn't find anything strange about it at all!

If Li Mo hadn't appeared, Orochimaru's storyline in the original Naruto anime would have involved constantly establishing various secret bases in the ninja world, recruiting children with bloodline limits and talents, and later even establishing the Sound Village.

Even though this ninja village isn't large in scale, it has a considerable number of ninjas. Orochimaru even trained characters like Crystal Release: Crimson Lotus and Kaguya Kimimaro, who were at least near-Kage or even Kage level. Most of the other Sound Ninjas have been modified, and their Genin and Chunin can even rival ordinary ninjas of the same rank from the Five Great Ninja Villages. However, it clearly lacks mid-to-high-level combat power, and the total number of ninjas is only about the size of a small ninja village.

However, Orochimaru's establishment of Otogakure was purely for creating a public image. What he really wanted was immortality. To achieve this, he learned all kinds of ninjutsu and developed techniques such as the Orochimaru-style Substitution Technique, the Reanimation Jutsu, and the Cursed Seal. He even survived until after the Fourth Shinobi World War.

It's no exaggeration to say that Orochimaru is undoubtedly the top scientific genius in the Naruto world. However, in a world that values ​​the Otsutsuki bloodline, the probability of Orochimaru advancing to the Super Kage level or even the Six Paths level after reaching the Kage level is extremely slim. Furthermore, his contract with Ryuchi Cave, one of the three great sacred sites for summoning beasts, and his failure to master the Snake Sage Mode have blocked his path to Sage Mode.

This has put Orochimaru at a bottleneck in his ninja career. Even though for more than 99% of ninjas, becoming a Kage-level ninja is already a dream come true, for Li Mo, who knows about the Fourth Shinobi World War, Kage-level ninjas are only the strongest in the early version of the Naruto world. In the Fourth Shinobi World War, the real players are those at the Super Kage level or even the Six Paths level.

Orochimaru, in particular, was unaware of this situation. Pursuing immortality rather than mere power, he did not put much effort into researching bloodline limits. Instead, he was thinking about the immortality of the soul, using the excellent ninjas he nurtured as vessels to continuously perform soul transfers in an attempt to achieve immortality.

Orochimaru, who had not yet undergone his first soul reincarnation, happened to witness Li Mo's battle with Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu while on his way to the Land of Water to find some promising talents. He then carefully hid himself, but was discovered by Li Mo!

……

"...I must say, he truly lives up to his reputation as the cold-blooded Orochimaru."

Looking at Orochimaru standing before him, Li Mo's gaze held a hint of amusement. With a touch of admiration, he produced another thumb-sized, rhomboid crystal, and gazed at Orochimaru with interest, remarking, "Speaking of which, I really admire Lord Orochimaru. To directly use your own soul for experiments, aren't you afraid of having your soul fragments found and targeted?"

Indeed, Li Mo greatly admired Orochimaru. This number one scientist in the ninja world actually experimented on his own soul in pursuit of immortality. Techniques such as the Cursed Seal and the Reanimation Jutsu were the results of Orochimaru's research in the field of the soul.

This is undoubtedly an amazing achievement. Even though Konoha Village has S-rank forbidden techniques related to the soul, such as the Spirit Transformation Technique and the Reaper Death Seal, ninjutsu in the soul domain is undoubtedly extremely risky. For example, ninjas who use the Reaper Death Seal are trading their lives for one, and many ninjas who practice the Spirit Transformation Technique die because their souls leave their bodies. Orochimaru's ability to research a new forbidden technique in the soul domain shows his extraordinary talent.

The problem is that even though Li Mo's strength has reached the Six Paths level, he doesn't dare to perform any major surgery on his own soul. Even the [Seed of Blazing Sun] only condenses a trace of soul power, so it won't endanger the safety of his own soul. On the other hand, Orochimaru is very unrestrained in cutting his own soul for experiments. For example, the rhombus-shaped crystal in Li Mo's hand is a fragment of Orochimaru's soul that is sealed. It is a backup plan left by Orochimaru on Mitarashi Anko with the [cursed seal].

According to Li Mo, Orochimaru's soul is already showing signs of damage. It is predicted that if he continues to create the Cursed Seal and use the Reanimation Jutsu, his soul will suffer a major defect, which is why he was defeated by Itachi Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan genjutsu.

Otherwise, would Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, really be that weak?

Anyway, Li Mo didn't really believe that Kage-level ninjas were that weak. Even if Uchiha Itachi had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, he wasn't Uchiha Madara. To KO a veteran Kage-level ninja with a single move using Mangekyou Sharingan genjutsu would be impossible unless Orochimaru himself had a problem. Even if Uchiha Itachi went blind from exhaustion, he could probably only manage to take down a veteran Kage-level ninja together.

Now that Orochimaru Lengjun is standing in front of Li Mo, he can confirm that his guess is true. The other party's soul has begun to have problems, which has led to a sharp weakening of his resistance to illusions and the like!

"A fragment of my soul? That's my soul, it's truly unbelievable..."

Upon hearing Li Mo's words, Orochimaru's eyes narrowed sharply as he stared intently at the rhombus-shaped crystal in Li Mo's hand. His pupils even began to resemble those of a snake. He could clearly sense that it was indeed a fragment of his own soul, a familiar feeling that was impossible to fake.

As someone who personally created the [Cursed Seal] and developed forbidden techniques in the soul realm such as [Reanimation Jutsu], Orochimaru naturally possessed unique insights into the soul. Even though his own insights and decisive methods led to a deficiency and weakening of his own soul, Orochimaru's vision remained. He could even vaguely perceive his own subconscious yearning for that missing fragment of his soul, causing him to involuntarily question his past actions.

Undoubtedly, Orochimaru's initial research into the soul realm, including the Cursed Seal and the Reanimation Jutsu, was aimed at enabling his soul to be continuously reincarnated into superior bodies in order to achieve immortality. However, now that he sees Li Mo, this mysterious powerhouse, holding a fragment of his soul that he separated back then, the self-important Orochimaru finally realizes that he may have taken the wrong path.

Of course, Orochimaru was now looking at Li Mo with even greater caution, his mind racing as he pondered who this unfamiliar powerhouse was and why he couldn't leave even using the Reverse Summoning Technique. Many thoughts flashed through his mind.

"That's right, here you go. Remember to keep your soul safe from now on!"

As Orochimaru pondered the identity of the unknown powerhouse before him, having obtained the soul fragment contained in the [Cursed Seal] he had previously scattered, and began to connect it to something that had happened in Konoha Village, Li Mo did something that astonished him: he directly tossed the rhombus-shaped crystal containing his soul fragment to Orochimaru, who was not far away.

Now, Orochimaru found it even harder to understand the other party's thoughts. However, realizing the importance of the soul, he could not give up his own fragment of soul and directly used an earth clone to catch the rhombus-shaped crystal!

……

"...Sir, what do you intend to do?"

After staring at Li Mo for several seconds, Orochimaru, having carefully put away the fragment of his soul, slowly spoke. He didn't believe that Li Mo's earlier gesture of goodwill was merely a gesture without any other demands, so he cautiously inquired.

Even though Orochimaru was crazy enough to cut his own soul during his research, he was not arrogant enough to look down on everyone. On the contrary, he always treated those with real potential, ability, or strength with respect. And it was obvious that Li Mo's strength far surpassed Orochimaru's. He even felt a sense of fear when facing a predator of a higher position when he was just observing from the sidelines.

An ordinary person would probably think it was some kind of illusion, but a ninja who has been trained for a long time and experienced the battlefield has great faith in his own feelings. Orochimaru, a senior Kage-level powerhouse, is even more so. He can keenly sense his own premonitions, unlike the various aftereffects that might occur after ten years or so due to the loss of his soul. At this time, Orochimaru still maintained the cold demeanor of one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, and naturally would not be so tactless as to take it for granted.

When faced with a gift from a powerful person, you can choose to accept it or not, provided you bear the corresponding consequences. Having witnessed the defeats of Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu, and having begun to realize the importance of his own soul, Orochimaru was naturally unwilling to give up the fragment of his soul in the other party's hands. Moreover, after seeing the scene of the other party's attack, Orochimaru did not think he could refuse the gift offered by the other party.

Upon hearing Orochimaru's respectful words, Li Mo raised an eyebrow and smiled, looking at Orochimaru with a hint of admiration in his eyes. He then spoke directly, revealing his intentions to Orochimaru:

"Yes, you can call me Li Mo. Of course, I'm here to recruit you!"

Chapter 42 Recruiting Orochimaru

Recruit Orochimaru!

This was the first thought that arose in Li Mo's mind after seeing Orochimaru, unlike when he faced Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu, where he simply regarded them as test subjects and reserve materials.

The reason is simple: Orochimaru is one of the few ninjas in the Naruto world whom Li Mo counted who studied ninjutsu with a scientific spirit, unlike the so-called protagonists who rely on bloodline power and cheat codes. He can be said to have changed his destiny through his own efforts.

Of course, Orochimaru's research into the realm of souls went awry and resulted in the mutilation of his own soul, which is another matter, but his outstanding scientific research ability cannot be denied.

To be fair, Orochimaru's research capabilities are truly formidable. So far, he has developed techniques such as the "Cursed Seal" that borrows natural energy and the "Reanimation Jutsu" that affects the soul. In the future, his abilities may even become astonishing.

In the original Naruto anime, even with the aftereffects of his missing soul, Orochimaru was able to hold his own against other Kage-level shinobi when he first appeared at the beginning of the story. He even managed to kill the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, through his schemes. Later, even during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Orochimaru would occasionally claim to have come back to life and lived until the peaceful days after the war ended.

If we include the poorly-ended Boruto storyline, Orochimaru later even developed the mechanical Nine-Tails and raised his own descendants. His research and teaching abilities were truly outstanding, placing him among the top tier in the ninja world. However, in a ninja world that values ​​the Otsutsuki bloodline, Orochimaru, who was unaware of the inside story, simply stumbled into many pitfalls in his research on the soul realm. Otherwise, if he had known about the Otsutsuki clan and been more cautious in his research on the soul, he might have had a considerable chance of becoming a top-tier powerhouse at the Kage level or even the Six Paths level during the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Knowing how rare such a scientific genius was, Li Mo naturally didn't want to let him go. He ruled the Rainbow Country and might take over the Water Country. What he lacked wasn't henchmen with kunai and ninja swords to fight, nor officials at all levels who could handle government affairs. What he truly lacked were top-tier experts who could stand alone, and talents with sufficient scientific research capabilities. These couldn't be mass-produced in just a few years.

Even though Li Mo used various means to poach many researchers from countries like the Land of Craftsmen and the Land of Fire, there wasn't a single top-notch research genius who could shoulder the responsibility. As for top talents like Orochimaru, who possess both strength and research talent, they were something that could only be encountered by chance.

Now that Li Mo has encountered Orochimaru, he naturally has no intention of letting him go. Orochimaru's scientific talent is indeed worthy of Li Mo's recruitment, and Li Mo is also very curious about how Orochimaru would react if he knew about the Otsutsuki clan...

………………

"Lord Li Mo, you intend to recruit me?!"

On the other side, after hearing Li Mo's words, Orochimaru's snake eyes suddenly expanded before returning to human eyes. His gaze towards Li Mo was somewhat strange and inexplicable. Nevertheless, Orochimaru still asked questions, hoping to gather more crucial information from Li Mo, who seemed relatively easy to talk to.

As for the stupid move of directly refusing the other party's offer, Orochimaru would never do that. The other party is obviously much stronger than you and has cut off your escape route through reverse summoning and other means. Wouldn't it be suicide to refuse rashly?

Having witnessed Li Mo's recent defeat of Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu, Orochimaru didn't think of him as a soft-hearted person.

Even though Orochimaru was quite far away just now, and with the concealment provided by the [Portable World], he was still able to roughly estimate the strength of Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu. In any case, they were definitely stronger than elite Jonin.

Don't be fooled by how easily Li Mo dealt with Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu. A typical Kage-level ninja would have been unable to hold them back, and might even have been killed instantly by Obito's Kamui. Orochimaru, though unclear on the details, judged from the duration of the battle that Li Mo possessed a significant advantage in strength. Naturally, he underestimated the combat power of Obito and Black Zetsu, given that the two sides hadn't actually fought. His assessment of an elite Jonin was already quite cautious.

Of course, Orochimaru didn't care about those two unlucky guys who had fallen flat on their faces. He was now looking at Li Mo and quickly assessing the situation in his mind. The other party's idea of ​​recruiting him made him suspicious, and he also wanted to test out some key information!

"That's right! Mr. Orochimaru, after you left Konoha and after your defection, you have been constantly researching bloodline limits, forbidden techniques, and even the soul realm. Even if you have gone astray somewhat, you are still a rare research talent!"

Faced with Orochimaru's cautious attitude, Li Mo disregarded the other's thoughts and directly expressed his admiration for Orochimaru. He then revealed his current title, demonstrating his sincere desire to recruit Orochimaru: "As the current Daimyo of both the Land of Rainbows and the Land of Water, I am naturally willing to recruit Mr. Orochimaru as the head of the biological research department..."

That's right. Li Mo had no intention of hiding his identity from Orochimaru. In any case, giving him a [Seed of Moonlight] would be enough to control him. Hiding his identity was a last resort when one's strength was insufficient; with enough strength, one could simply ignore it.

For example, Obito Uchiha, who pretends to be "Madara Uchiha" and acts like a ghost, in the original Naruto storyline, except when he finally becomes the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki and doesn't hide his identity, he always has to wear a mask like "Madara Uchiha" or "Tobi". One of them has to rely on Madara's reputation to maintain appearances, while the other character is just venting, using all sorts of outrageous behavior to release his negative emotions, otherwise he would eventually become mentally ill.

On this point, Li Mo set aside his prejudice against Uchiha Obito and expressed understanding for his actions of concealing his identity. Obito had previously gone to the Land of Rainbows and appeared as a daimyo, which was also because he knew the custom in the ninja world. If you want to have your own power and territory, there is no faster way than plundering.

Strictly speaking, Li Mo is someone who wouldn't back down when he should. When he faced graduation exams at the Ninja Academy in Kirigakure, he would never gamble with Kirigakure's moral integrity until the very last moment. After obtaining the cheat ability of the [White Mist Space], he was very clear-headed at the beginning and didn't choose to participate in the Third Shinobi World War or establish territory in the Shinobi World. Instead, he went to the very distant Rainbow Country.

As it turns out, Li Mo's choice was indeed correct. His strength at the time was not enough to compete in the Third Shinobi World War. He might have been able to grow rapidly with the help of the [White Mist Space] cheat, but the emergence of a new strongman who did not belong to the Five Great Shinobi Villages would likely have resulted in him receiving the same treatment as Hanzo the Salamander from Amegakure. If it weren't for his strength and the fact that Amegakure didn't have much to offer, the combined attack by the Sannin of Konoha might have made Hanzo the Salamander a mere historical figure.

Therefore, Li Mo's choice was very wise. There are four major ninja villages on land alone, and another major ninja village, Kirigakure, in the ocean. If they discovered that Li Mo was very strong, he could at most only infiltrate the Akatsuki organization or underground bounty hunters. It would be almost impossible for him to build a powerful force. At most, he could reach the level of Orochimaru's Otogakure. He would not be able to match the power of any major ninja village at all.

Right now, Li Mo seems to care. Even if he reveals his identity to Orochimaru, he has enough power to face the siege from all sides. Besides, if Orochimaru doesn't agree, how could a dead man leak this information to the five great ninja villages?

……

"The daimyo of the Rainbow Country and the Water Country?!"

Orochimaru was genuinely flustered by Li Mo's revelation. He had never expected Li Mo to be a Daimyo, which was completely contrary to the norms of the ninja world. Even someone as composed as him found it unbelievable.

After all, while the daimyo of the various ninja countries certainly have their own methods, and even the ninja villages sometimes have to negotiate with the daimyo, they still outwardly maintain a very respectful attitude towards the daimyo (for example, during the Fourth Shinobi World War, the Allied Shinobi Forces even sent Kage-level shinobi to protect the daimyo of the five great nations). However, the Kage-level shinobi and high-ranking officials of each village understand that the relationship between the ninja villages and the daimyo is very complicated and is not simply a matter of cooperation and confrontation.

However, most of the daimyo and nobles in various countries are people who have little power and are arrogant. Ordinary ninjas would not maintain a certain degree of respect for those daimyo. For example, the kage of each ninja village has different attitudes towards the daimyo. Close cooperation between the daimyo of the Land of Lightning and the Hidden Cloud Village is relatively rare. It is also not common for the daimyo of the Land of Wind to even cut the funding of the Hidden Sand Village. Normally, the two sides have a certain tacit understanding and ignore each other.

Orochimaru originally thought that Li Mo was the leader of some secret organization or a descendant of a ninja clan that existed in the Warring States period. However, he never expected that Li Mo would claim to be the daimyo of the Land of Rainbows and the Land of Water. That was like turning a pig into a tiger, something that was hard for the original inhabitants of the Naruto world to imagine. Even Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, found it hard to believe.

Seeing Orochimaru's astonished expression, Li Mo felt a mischievous glint in his eyes. Fortunately, he intended to recruit Orochimaru and had no intention of continuing the conversation. He cleared his throat and then turned to Orochimaru, issuing his final ultimatum: