Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

Orochimaru wasn't joking… and Ye Zi, surprisingly, didn't treat it as a joke either.

He genuinely tested snake venom at Orochimaru's suggestion and the result was the same: it had no effect.

"You never noticed this before?" Orochimaru stared at Ye Zi with a peculiar expression, his eyes filled with curiosity and something far more unsettling as if he wanted to cut Ye Zi open to study his internal structure.

Immunity to poisons was a dream ability for most shinobi, given how often poisons were applied to weapons in battle.

For Ye Zi, the discovery was just as surprising. He'd never realized it because he was always extremely cautious, avoiding being poisoned at all costs.

Facing Orochimaru's invasive gaze, Ye Zi felt a faint chill rise in his heart. After all, he'd seen the horrifying experiments in Orochimaru's lab.

"When I fight, I'm always careful around shinobi who use poison. Until today, I never had a reason to test it… if that bug hadn't bitten me, I wouldn't have known I'm immune to poison," Ye Zi muttered thoughtfully.

The forest's bug venom and Orochimaru's snake venom were both extremely potent, yet neither had an effect on him. The question was: where did the boundary lie?

What about poisons from masters like Tsunade in Konoha or Chiyo from Sunagakure? Could he resist those as well?

Ye Zi also thought of Kotoe's plant-based toxins, he had never tested it, so he couldn't be sure of the result.

While it was reassuring to know that some toxins didn't affect him, underestimating poison was a mistake he couldn't afford. One mistake could be fatal in battle, especially if it involved unknown or highly specialized poisons.

"Come to think of it…" Ye Zi said, recalling a prior encounter. "Last time we intercepted a Konoha team, there was a member from the Aburame clan. He tried his hardest to let his bugs bite me, but they couldn't. If they had… who knows what would have happened."

Imagining that Aburame shinobi witnessing his immune reaction would indeed be an amusing sight.

Orochimaru's eyes glowed with undisguised fascination as he stared at Ye Zi. Slowly, he licked his lips with his unnaturally long tongue, a gesture that sent a clear chill down Ye Zi's spine.

To someone like Orochimaru, Ye Zi was a goldmine of research potential. Other than Shin, Ye Zi was the most unique specimen Orochimaru had encountered.

"Don't look at me like that," Ye Zi said coldly, warning Orochimaru.

"Heh heh…" Orochimaru let out a low, raspy laugh. Although he retracted his gaze slightly, his interest clearly wasn't diminished.

"It could be due to Hashirama's cells," Orochimaru said after a brief silence, his eyes narrowing in thought.

"Perhaps." Ye Zi nodded, agreeing that the Hashirama cells in his body might explain his unusual resistance.

"However, poison is a curious thing," Orochimaru continued, a sly grin forming. "You might be immune to bugs and snake venom, but that doesn't mean you're immune to all poisons."

Turning his head slightly, Orochimaru's voice dropped a tone, half-warning, half-taunting:

"If I wanted, I could develop a poison specifically tailored to counter Hashirama's cells. Don't underestimate poison just because your body is unique."

Ye Zi narrowed his eyes at the not-so-subtle threat but chose not to respond.

Orochimaru casually waved his arm and flung a kunai into the trees, pinning a blue-green snake to a trunk. Without hesitation, he walked over to retrieve the snake's gall and its venom sac.

"I hope you're not seriously trying to test my limits, Orochimaru," Ye Zi muttered, glancing at the snake corpse.

"I'm merely… curious." Orochimaru smiled faintly.

Now that Ye Zi was no longer concerned about bug poison, he moved through the forest much more relaxed, though still cautious.

The dense green environment of Aoki Forest made it nearly impossible to spot the bugs. Even if he were vigilant, it was only a matter of time before he got bitten again.

As they ventured deeper, Orochimaru remained more wary, constantly spotting and dispatching snakes to collect their antidotal gall bladders.

An hour passed. The monotonous scenery remained unchanged, nothing but varying shades of green as far as the eye could see.

Suddenly, Ye Zi stopped walking.

"Wait a minute."

Orochimaru paused and turned toward Ye Zi, asking, "What is it?"

Ye Zi remained calm, gazing toward the two o'clock direction, and said, "There are people, about ten of them."

"Oh?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly with intrigue.

"Do you want to check it out?" Ye Zi asked.

Orochimaru thought for a moment before nodding. "Let's take a look."

With that decision, the two of them silently moved in the direction Ye Zi indicated.

About a kilometer away within the forest stood three men, all appearing to be in their thirties.

Their attire was nearly identical, they wore high-collared cloaks that reached up to cover their noses and each sported sunglasses of different styles.

The man leading the group carried a small stone urn on his back, its lid now open. From the urn, countless black insects swarmed out, splitting into several clusters that hovered in midair, each emitting faint chakra waves.

If Ye Zi and Orochimaru had seen these three, they would immediately recognize them even without seeing the insects. This style of dress and insect usage could only belong to the Aburame clan.

"Chief, do you think we'll find it this time?" asked the long-haired man to the left, his voice calm but expectant.

The leader, Shibi Aburame, nodded slightly, though his tone betrayed uncertainty. "I can't say for sure."

Shibi, a Konoha Jōnin and current leader of the Aburame clan, stretched out both arms as the insect swarm under his control dispersed into the surrounding area, scouting for any anomalies.

The two men accompanying Shibi were also elite members of the Aburame clan, Aburame Shichi, the long-haired man, and Shihui Aburame, a spiky-haired shinobi.

As Shibi's swarm spread further, Shichi and Shihui also activated their Parasitic Insects, releasing them from their bodies to cover the areas Shibi's insects couldn't reach.

Their mission? To track down the "King of Poisonous Insects", a legendary insect believed to have survived for over a hundred years in the Aoki Forest.

This poisonous insect, through countless generations of devouring other toxic bugs, had developed the strongest toxin in the entire forest. There was no equal.

Years ago, Shibi had encountered this insect once but failed to capture it. Since then, its trail had grown cold, and each trip to the Aoki Forest had ended without success.

Although Shibi specialized in chakra-sensing insects rather than poison-based insects, the Poisonous Insect King's unique traits would make it a formidable addition to his arsenal.

The swarms of insects spread widely, covering vast portions of the forest. Yet despite the extensive search, they had yet to sense the presence of the Poisonous Insect King.

Shibi's disappointment showed slightly, but his expression quickly froze.

"Something's wrong."

Before Shibi's words had fully left his mouth, Shichi and Shihui also stiffened in realization.

Their Parasitic Insects had just sensed two powerful chakra signatures moving toward them, Ye Zi and Orochimaru.

The Aburame clan had no idea who was approaching. But for now, they had caught someone's attention, just as Ye Zi and Orochimaru had caught theirs.

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Currently on Chapter 418 - Konoha... The Land of Ruins