Stepping down from the hospital bed, the little white snake quickly slithered back into his sleeve. Orochimaru felt the slippery little creature, but he didn't feel any repulsion.
Tidying his clothes, he walked out of the hospital ward.
Coming to the front desk to handle his discharge paperwork, Orochimaru soon walked out of Konoha Hospital.
It is worth mentioning that whether doctors or nurses, upon seeing his vigorous and lively appearance, all greeted him respectfully.
Facing these staff members who were either awe-struck or flattering, Orochimaru nodded in response with polite detachment.
Orochimaru, who had not yet set himself against Konoha Village, still commanded a great deal of respect. Although his cold exterior easily made people keep their distance, this aloof and chilly demeanor only made him all the more formidable.
Besides, the Sannin were enjoying immense fame right now, making him the center of attention wherever he went. Under such circumstances, the paperwork was naturally completed without any delay.
"The most urgent task is to resolve the issue of physical energy first, and by the way, see if this newly acquired ability is as powerful as I imagined."
No sooner thought than done; with a slight execution of the Body Flicker Technique, Orochimaru's figure vanished from the spot.
At this time, Konoha Village had not yet expanded to the massive scale of later years, and before long, Orochimaru arrived at the edge of a patch of woods on the outskirts of the village.
Pulling out an Explosive Tag and igniting it, just at the moment when the tag burned down and was about to detonate—
Orochimaru used both hands to compress and absorb the violent energy that was surging in all directions.
In an instant, every single cell throughout his entire body sent a wave of ecstatic satisfaction, causing his pores to open up in sheer comfort.
The high-efficiency energy conversion rate meant that this Explosive Tag was consumed and depleted before it could even last very long.
"Heh heh... truly a remarkable ability, it certainly didn't disappoint me!"
After a burst of fire and light, Orochimaru, once again shrouded in darkness, let out an involuntary, sinister chuckle, his tongue unconsciously licking his lips.
It was much like the ability of the Black King in his memories; external energy could indeed be absorbed by the body.
And after he absorbed the energy of a single Explosive Tag, the craving sensation within his body cells had subsided, and he could also feel that his whole body was filled with strength.
This was no illusion; this physical vessel was genuinely stronger than his original body. As for just how much stronger it was, he would have to wait until the cells were fully saturated with energy to find out.
Thinking of this, Orochimaru once again produced an Explosive Tag and repeated the process.
With the experience from the previous time, Orochimaru completed the absorption very quickly. This time, the energy not only fed his body cells to the full, but the excess energy was also involuntarily stored by the cells.
"So the storage location for the energy is within the cells! It looks like there's still a long way to go, though."
These stored energy reserves could not only be kept for unexpected needs, but simply leaving them there would continuously enhance and transform his body around the clock.
It could also maintain his youth and extend his lifespan—one could say that Orochimaru's dream of immortality had been realized in a single stroke.
Ignited and absorbed yet another Explosive Tag, the cellular energy throughout Orochimaru's entire body could finally be considered more or less stored to capacity; any more tags, and he estimated he would suffer from overload.
After all, the Black King in the original work was a Level 4 mutant, capable of absorbing not only the kinetic energy of various firearms and artillery, but even nuclear energy.
For Orochimaru to have just acquired this ability and be able to absorb the explosive energy of four Explosive Tags all at once was already quite impressive, especially since he hadn't even released any of it back out yet.
If he were to continuously absorb and then release the energy, Orochimaru believed he could outlast anyone for an entire day.
However, when he absorbed and released these energies, it would likewise consume chakra and physical stamina.
Though very little, he had not yet transplanted the white snake cells into his body or transformed his true form into a white phosphorus giant snake; consequently, Orochimaru's regenerative capacity and chakra reserves were not yet as vast as when he appeared in the original work.
"For a decade the dragon's fortune is trapped in a well, but in a single morning he gains power and ascends to the blue clouds."
Who among ordinary butchers wouldn't want to become a dancer? Changing one's fate begins right from this moment.
In the original work, Orochimaru could stir up winds and rains in the Shinobi World even without acquiring this ability, let alone now that he had such a powerful starting advantage.
Although the exact functions of that Life Choice System were still unknown, judging from the beginner's gift pack awarded, this system was by no means simple.
Just as Orochimaru was letting his imagination wander into the future, full of high spirits, a sudden commotion came from behind him.
"Who is it?"
By the time Orochimaru snapped back to his senses, the newcomer had already closed the distance to within ten meters of him.
This caused Orochimaru, who had been feeling pleased with himself just a second ago, to inwardly curse himself for being so careless. For a ninja, such a short distance meant someone could close in with a single Body Flicker Technique, yet he hadn't even noticed.
"Lord Orochimaru, so you were here!"
The newcomer wore a fox mask, and one didn't need to guess to know they were a member of the ANBU.
"Is there something you need?"
Seeing the newcomer, Orochimaru's heart relaxed slightly, but his tone was clearly displeased, and his eyes unconsciously narrowed, the snake-like pupils gleaming with cold light.
"The Third Hokage sent a message: tomorrow, you are to attend Kato Dan's funeral."
The newcomer paid no mind to Orochimaru's tone, as if utterly blind to his displeasure.
Having delivered the Third Hokage's decree, the ANBU ninja didn't even wait for Orochimaru to reply, executing the Body Flicker Technique and departing straight away.
"The Third's decree, is it? Kato Dan's funeral is indeed somewhere I must attend."
Orochimaru didn't find the ANBU ninja's hurried coming and going at all strange.
As the special assassination unit directly under the Hokage, they answered only to the Hokage. They were a sharp blade in the hands of successive Hokages, owing no favors to anyone—similar to the Brocade Guard of the Ming Dynasty.
Muttering softly to himself, Orochimaru also began walking back toward the village. After all, it was the dead of night now, and making a commotion would inevitably attract patrolling ninjas to investigate.
Besides, there was plenty of time in the future; he would have ample opportunity to test things out. The ability was already in his hands, so there was no need to rush for the moment.
Returning to the streets of Konoha, he found a restaurant and had a simple dinner to satisfy his hunger.
When he had just left the hospital, he felt extremely hungry, but after absorbing the energy of three Explosive Tags, his hunger had diminished considerably.
Even though he hadn't eaten for a day and a night, Orochimaru only consumed a normal meal's portion.
"Cultivation can actually reduce hunger? Isn't this practically becoming an immortal?"
It would at least save on rations during field operations in the future. Letting his mind wander with these random thoughts, Orochimaru unconsciously arrived at the residence etched in his memories.
Although Orochimaru had executed many missions and had accumulated quite a bit of savings over the years, he was never very particular about food, clothing, housing, or transportation.
Looking at the residence before him, which looked no different from the surrounding houses, Orochimaru familiarly opened the door.
Fortunately, the interior of the house was kept very clean, unlike some scientific researchers who were slovenly and unkempt. It was evident that his predecessor was also a fastidious person and didn't actually like damp and chilly environments like a real snake.
After washing up, Orochimaru lay down on the bed once more. He intended to carefully plan out his future direction and development.