A New Snake In The Shinobi World

Chapter 19:

[Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining an ant specimen...][Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining...]

Orochimaru's mind churned as the system continued its updates. "Does the same species only count as one specimen?" he wondered aloud.

After listening to the system's explanation, he realized something important. It seemed that in order to complete the task of gene extraction, each unique species would only be counted once, regardless of how many individuals he collected.

For example, if he gathered cells from several humans, they would all still count as one species. The same logic applied to animals: he could collect different varieties of the same species, but they wouldn't count toward new tasks.

That makes sense, Orochimaru mused. It didn't affect his re

Squeak!

The floor panel lifted easily, revealing a secret compartment below.

A massive python, as thick as an adult's calf, reared its head from the dark hole beneath the floor. The creature's body was covered in intricate flower-like patterns, and its golden eyes, with vertical slits, locked onto Orochimaru's. It hissed, flicking its tongue menacingly.

Orochimaru's first instinct was to retreat and defend himself, but something held him back. The giant snake didn't seem to have any intention of attacking him. Instead, it stared at him intently, its gaze almost assessing.

After a few tense moments, the python opened its mouth, revealing something unexpected a scroll. The large serpent dropped the scroll onto the floor in front of Orochimaru, then slithered back into the darkness beneath the house.

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as he bent down and picked up the scroll, feeling its weight in his hands.

A summoning scroll? he wondered. As he slowly unrolled it, the truth became clear.