How exactly Danzo managed to get his hands on the Scroll of Seals remained a mystery. Did he steal it, or did he acquire it through sheer influence? Orochimaru didn't care; what mattered was that the scroll was in front of him now.
After a quick glance around the room to confirm there was no surveillance equipment, Orochimaru's golden eyes shifted to a deep scarlet as his Sharingan activated, scanning the contents of the scroll he had coveted for so long.
Forbidden techniques were powerful but inherently dangerous, often unfinished, which meant they couldn't be copied and used directly, even with the Sharingan. However, the eye's photographic memory was more than sufficient to record everything. Understanding the jutsu and mastering it could come later.
The first technique he encountered was the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. Orochimaru recognized it immediately as the first significant jutsu Naruto had learned in the original timeline. A remarkable clone technique, far superior to the basic Clone Jutsu, it allowed users with high chakra reserves to create thousands of clones without any medium. Each clone retained the user's experiences, feeding them back once dispersed.
If fewer than four clones were summoned, it was known simply as Shadow Clone Jutsu, but anything beyond that was classified as Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. However, the potential feedback from the dispersed clones could overwhelm a user unprepared for it. For Orochimaru, though, this technique wasn't particularly appealing. He preferred fighting on his own terms and only used clones when absolutely necessary. Even then, Wood Clones were more effective for battle.
With just a quick glance, his Sharingan recorded the technique, and he moved on to the next.
Reanimation Jutsu—there it was. This forbidden technique utilized living sacrifices to summon the souls of the dead and bind them to the world, granting them physical bodies to fight. Its strength lay not only in the summoning but in the fact that the resurrected were nearly immortal, possessing unlimited chakra and resilience. Killing them by conventional means was impossible; only sealing them could end their presence.
The technique could potentially raise an invincible army, limited only by the skill of the summoner and the quality of the sacrifices. The best sacrifices were, of course, infused with the cells of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, who embodied the ideal of the "Sage body."
The technique was also influenced by the caster's power and skill level, more adept practitioners could bring back the deceased with a strength closer to their original state. Additionally, the summoner had control over how strong the resurrected person would be. Too weak, and they'd be useless; too strong, and they could become uncontrollable. Orochimaru knew he'd need to refine the technique further, but even in its current state, it was groundbreaking.
His Sharingan absorbed the details before moving to the next forbidden art.
Flying Thunder God Technique—the unparalleled space-time jutsu that had made the Second and Fourth Hokage legendary for their speed. This one was an immediate priority to record.
The next entry was peculiar: Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags. Orochimaru scanned the description, intrigued but ultimately unimpressed. The technique worked similarly to a shadow clone jutsu but with explosive tags. Each detonation created more explosive tags, leading to a massive chain reaction. While the resulting explosion was powerful, it was risky and difficult to control, which explained why it was forbidden.
The fifth and sixth techniques made Orochimaru pause: Izanagi and Izanami.
Izanagi was a reality-altering jutsu that allowed the user to turn any fatal situation into an illusion, effectively granting them an extra life. However, using it would permanently blind the eye performing the technique.
Izanami, on the other hand, was a counterpart to Izanagi and aimed to force someone to confront their true self. Developed as a way to guide members of the Uchiha clan who had become too arrogant, it locked the target in an endless loop until they accepted their fate. Its ability to be broken by realization alone made it less reliable in combat, which was why it, too, had been labeled forbidden.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. Why are Uchiha techniques in the Book of Seals? But then, the answer came to him. Danzo had used Izanagi in the original timeline, and it was unlikely he'd learned it from the Uchiha themselves. These techniques were probably cataloged when the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara had worked together, creating a record that Danzo could access.
Should I bother learning these? Orochimaru wondered. Izanami had limited application; it was a technique for self-realization, not battle. But Izanagi, despite the steep price of losing an eye, was effectively a second chance at life.
It could be useful one day, he decided, committing the details to memory. The side effects could be mitigated later, if possible.
With that settled, he continued to scan the rest of the scroll.
"Is that all?" Orochimaru muttered as he reached the blank portion of the scroll. It seemed sparse, but that wasn't unexpected. Many forbidden techniques he remembered, like the Eight Gates Release and the Uzumaki clan's sealing arts, were either yet to be developed or held privately. The Reaper Death Seal, for example, was an Uzumaki technique that might not even be known to Kushina at this stage.
With a final review, Orochimaru confirmed that the only truly valuable techniques for him were the Reanimation Jutsu and the Flying Thunder God Technique. Still, those two alone were enough to elevate his power to a whole new level.
A small smirk played on his lips as he closed the scroll.
"These two techniques alone... they're game changers."
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