"There's a guest. Vacate your room for now," Orochimaru said, gazing at the woman lying on the bed.
As his voice fell, the pink crystal shattered, and the kunoichi inside sat up.
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."
Seeing the pink crystal, Naruto immediately recognized the woman inside.
Her name was Guren—one of Orochimaru's most devoted followers. She was so loyal that she once fought for the chance to become his vessel.
But then again, Orochimaru's subordinates, other than Sasuke, were all fanatically loyal to him.
Clearly, Orochimaru's manipulation skills were ahead of their time.
Although Guren agreed verbally, her eyes stayed fixed on Naruto with a guarded expression.
To her, Naruto was just another new candidate for Orochimaru's next vessel.
And judging by Orochimaru's attitude toward him, he was clearly an exceptional one.
Now being forced to give up her own room to him? Guren couldn't help but wonder if even her status as a vessel was being taken away.
Her gaze toward Naruto slowly filled with hostility.
Naruto also looked at Guren, this kunoichi who wielded the Crystal Release, a rare kekkei genkai.
Crystal Release was both offensive and defensive—a truly practical bloodline ability.
If developed well, it could definitely reach Kage-level potential.
"Handsome blond boy… my room's not exactly the most comfortable. You might want to be careful," Guren muttered with veiled provocation as she brushed past Naruto.
Orochimaru's brows furrowed. "Guren, mind your manners," he warned sternly.
That scolding stung even more.
'Orochimaru-sama actually scolded me—for a pretty boy? Unbelievable!'
Guren clenched her fists and left the room, clearly frustrated.
Orochimaru and Kabuto also stepped out.
Now alone, Naruto walked to the bed and sat down. The surface of the pink crystal was hard—not comfortable at all.
But Naruto didn't care about that. Instead, he accessed the system to claim the reward for collecting twelve different kekkei genkai blood samples.
"System, start the draw."
After a few moments of silence, the system responded.
"Congratulations, host. You have obtained: Perfect Shikotsumyaku Sage Body."
As the system voice faded, Naruto's body began to emit cracking sounds as his bones shifted.
He could feel his entire skeleton changing.
The transformation lasted about five minutes.
When he opened his eyes again, his sky-blue pupils gleamed even more brightly.
His height had suddenly increased by nearly ten centimeters—now standing at around 180 cm.
His proportions were flawless.
Broad shoulders, long legs—he looked like a male model without even trying.
No one would believe that Naruto was only just over twelve years old.
With another perfect Sage Body added to his arsenal, Naruto could feel his physical strength take another massive leap. He checked his updated status:
Name: Naruto UzumakiAge: 12Physique: 79 (Average human: 1)Chakra: 404 unitsKekkei Genkai: Mastered Uzumaki Sage Body, Mastered Wood Release Sage Body, Perfect Shikotsumyaku Sage BodyAbilities: Breath of Wind (Normal Form), Transparent World, Absolute Chakra Control, Sage Mode, Adamantine Sealing Chains, Mind's Eye of the KaguraNinjutsu: Three Body Technique, Illusionary Transformation, Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, Flying Thunder God, Impure World Reincarnation, Sealing Techniques, Spirit Transformation Technique, Wind Release…
His physical and chakra stats had skyrocketed once again.
At this rate, if he kept collecting Sage Bodies, even the Ōtsutsuki Clan would start to look outdated.
As he marveled at his progress, Naruto noticed something in the crystal's reflection—his skin had become even fairer, practically porcelain white.
But his hair was still blond, though noticeably paler.
The next day, Naruto visited the unconscious Kimimaro.
The boy lay motionless on a pale hospital bed, bandaged head to toe, his face bloodless. Naruto had seriously injured him with a single blow.
Even Orochimaru could do little more than barely keep him alive.
Trailing behind, Orochimaru couldn't hide his astonishment at Naruto's overnight growth.
Kimimaro, seeing Orochimaru, tried to sit up—but moving reopened his wounds, causing him to break into a cold sweat.
"Kimimaro, stay down. Your injuries are severe," Orochimaru said gently.
Naruto stepped forward, eyes locked on Kimimaro.
But he addressed Orochimaru behind him instead.
"Orochimaru, the scrolls on Shikotsumyaku ninjutsu… you have them, right?"
"Shikotsumyaku?" Orochimaru raised a brow.
"Naruto-kun, only members of the Kaguya clan can perform those jutsu. Why are you interested in them?"
Naruto turned slightly and gave him a glance. "That's none of your business. Just give them to me."
Orochimaru grinned, then opened his mouth—his tongue unrolling like a snake and producing a scroll from deep within.
The long tongue handed the scroll to Naruto, still glistening with sticky saliva.
Naruto didn't take it immediately. Instead, he used Wind Release to blow off the drool, then picked it up.
Unfurling it, he saw a list of Shikotsumyaku techniques:
Dance of the Clematis: Vine
Dance of the Camellia
Dance of the Willow
Dance of the Larch
Nearly all of them had the word "Dance" in their name.
Madara would probably call this guy a real connoisseur.
Naruto was genuinely intrigued by the destructive power of the Shikotsumyaku techniques—especially the final one: Dance of the Larch.
It could summon a field of gigantic bone spikes from the ground—essentially turning the battlefield into a meat grinder.
Even the nearly-dead Kimimaro in the original story managed to unleash that much devastation.
But now Naruto, with three Sage Bodies and Sage Mode, if he were to cast it…
Even if Iwagakure used the same tactic they used against the Third Raikage—ten thousand shinobi surrounding him—they'd still all be skewered.
At this point, Naruto could finally ignore mob tactics.
No matter how many there were, they'd all just be cannon fodder.
But as he looked at Kimimaro's nearly lifeless form, a trace of concern welled up in Naruto's heart.
He remembered that the entire Kaguya clan suffered from the Kekkei Genkai Disease, which had variable onset ages.
Later in the story, he recalled, a special plant was required to suppress the disease.
Though it could alleviate symptoms, it also weakened one's strength.
The system had said his Shikotsumyaku was "Perfect," but it hadn't confirmed whether he was immune to the disease.
As far as he knew, only two people remained in the ninja world with this ability: himself and the barely-alive Kimimaro.
Just in case, Naruto decided to run a small experiment on Kimimaro.
And the one who knew Kimimaro's body best… was obviously Orochimaru.
"Hey, Orochimaru," Naruto asked, "This thing Kimimaro has—is it Kekkei Genkai Disease?"
Orochimaru looked over, expression a little odd. "The thing he has? Didn't you beat him up yesterday?"