Charles felt slightly underwhelmed by Orochimaru's abilities, especially compared to the S rank versions, which seemed far superior.
However, with the fusion of the younger Orochimaru and the Sannin Orochimaru, his power had increased significantly.
Along with secret scroll ninjutsu, Orochimaru could now use a wide range of techniques. As an all-attribute ninja, he could use any secret scroll ninjutsu.
Moreover, after further fusions with the "Akatsuki Orochimaru" and "Undying Orochimaru," his power would reach terrifying levels.
Even without forbidden techniques, Orochimaru's overall strength was formidable.
After clicking to claim the ninja, Charles's chakra volume increased dramatically by 50 units, reaching a total of 442 units.
Orochimaru's vast knowledge of ninjutsu was also transmitted to Charles.
As the chakra surged, Charles unintentionally released a powerful aura. The magic circle in the room activated immediately, containing the energy and preventing any leakage.
Within just a few seconds, Charles's chakra increased by 55 units. He had now fully met Odin's requirements, with energy levels even exceeding expectations.
Compared to the last time he met Odin, Charles's internal energy had doubled, while his overall strength had increased more than tenfold. With an additional 200 units of chakra, Charles had essentially become a ninjutsu artillery.
Combined with the Dragon Ring's ability to cast ninjutsu instantly, he was now equivalent to an entire ninja army.
Ding! Congratulations on recruiting S-rank ninja Orochimaru. You have earned the title "Undying Serpent," and an additional ninja deployment slot has been rewarded.
With this, Charles Doyle now had five available deployment slots, more than enough for his current roster of ninjas.
After exiting the system space, Charles controlled his energy, ensuring no further leaks. The magic circle in the room deactivated as everything returned to normal.
Seeing that all was calm again, Charles spoke: "Red Queen, summon Orochimaru, Yamanaka Ino, and Uchiha Sasuke."
"Yes, Master!"
After entering the system space again, Charles placed Guren's ninja card in a deployment slot.
"Please select the location to materialize B-rank ninja Guren."
Charles chose a spot within three meters, and soon, Guren's figure began to materialize in the room.
She appeared with her blue hair tied up, wearing a red sweater under a long green coat with a rope belt around her waist. The coat had one short sleeve and one normal sleeve.
Guren opened her eyes, and upon seeing the man before her, she knelt on one knee and said, "Lord Charles! Please give your orders."
Charles looked at the respectful Guren and said, "Stand up."
"We'll discuss tasks later. You'll soon meet some familiar faces."
"Yes, my lord."
Guren stood up, positioning herself beside Charles, observing everything in the room.
Soon, there was a knock at the door, and Orochimaru was the first to enter.
Upon seeing him, Guren froze and exclaimed, "Lord Orochimaru!"
Orochimaru glanced at her. It seems she is another female ninja who knew him but he did not recognize.
Orochimaru smiled at Guren and then respectfully addressed Charles, "Lord Charles, what instructions do you have for me at this late hour?"
Guren, upon seeing Orochimaru's smile, was momentarily stunned. She wondered if Lord Orochimaru was planning to use her again as a vessel for his reincarnation.
If that were the case, she would gladly accept it. Although she was Orochimaru's first-choice vessel, she had been sidelined ever since Uchiha Sasuke's appearance.
Charles spoke, "I have some tasks to assign to you, but let's wait a moment; the others haven't arrived yet."
Orochimaru nodded and stepped aside.
Soon, Uchiha Sasuke and Yamanaka Ino entered the room. Orochimaru was curious about what mission could require both Sasuke and the Yamanaka girl.
"Lord Charles!" they greeted in unison.
When Guren saw Sasuke, her expression turned cold. In her memory, Orochimaru had been eager to reincarnate and chose Yūkimaru as his new vessel, and with Sasuke's arrival, she was abandoned as a candidate.
Seeing Sasuke again stirred her resentment, even though this wasn't the first time she had met him.
Charles looked at Sasuke and Ino, smiling as he said, "You're both in luck. I've managed to recover some of your lost strength."
With a wave of his hand, a golden light enveloped both of them. In that moment, Charles entered the system space and upgraded Sasuke and Ino's stars.
Ding! Uchiha Sasuke (Shippuden) upgraded to 3-star B-rank. Yamanaka Ino upgraded to 2-star C-rank.
As the light faded, both Sasuke and Ino felt their powers increase. Ino's improvement was particularly noticeable, as she jumped from 1-star to 2-star, doubling her strength.
Sasuke's upgrade from 2-star to 3-star wasn't as significant, given that his power had already been bolstered by merging with other versions of himself from different times.
Still, the increase was substantial, more so than Ino's.
Charles also gained an additional 3 units of chakra from their upgrades.
"Thank you, Lord Charles!" Sasuke said, somewhat at a loss for words. The power Charles had given him with a mere gesture surpassed the gains he'd made through intense training with Orochimaru.
This golden light was different from the power he obtained by merging with his other selves.
Charles addressed them both, "Work hard on your tasks, and your strength will grow even more in the future."
"Yes, my lord," they replied in unison.
"You may go now. Get some rest."
Sasuke and Ino glanced at Orochimaru and Guren, who were standing beside Charles, before taking their leave.
Watching all of this unfold, Guren's eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked at Charles.
Once they were gone, Charles turned to Orochimaru and said, "This time, I've brought back a future version of you. Your power will increase significantly."
"It seems among the Sannin, you're the first to have your strength enhanced."
Orochimaru thought back to when he and Jiraiya supported Tsunade in driving out Mei Terumī.
Perhaps this was his reward.
He wasn't worried about the fusion affecting him negatively and was curious about the future of the ninja world.
After all, experiencing it firsthand would be far more effective than just hearing about it.
Orochimaru licked his lips with his snake tongue and said, "Thank you, Lord Charles!"