Should I continue being a villain in the ninja world after transmigrating?

Chapter 18 The Curse of Contradiction

Looking at Orochimaru's corpse lying on the ground, Zeref remained silent. After waiting quietly for a moment, he suddenly spoke again: "Orochimaru, this is a warning. I will not allow you to make any moves against Mavis. Otherwise, I will not show any mercy next time."

If a third person were present at this moment, they would certainly find the scene before them quite eerie.

A young man dressed in a black robe, with a cold face and bloodshot eyes, was speaking to a corpse on the ground, sending a chill down one's spine.

Even more terrifying, however, was that Orochimaru's corpse on the ground suddenly moved, as if a snake were shedding its skin, and Orochimaru crawled out of his old body.

Orochimaru, who was hit by Zeref's attack, did not die!

Orochimaru, having successfully dodged the damage using his unique ninjutsu, stood up from the ground.

Even though he was nearly killed by Zeref's sudden attack, Orochimaru showed no anger on his face.

Instead, he laughed out loud: "Hehehe, how ruthless. Talking about showing mercy, if it were an ordinary ninja, they would probably be dead in an instant. Is this what they call magic? It's amazing."

After saying that, Orochimaru even stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, his eyes trembling slightly with excitement.

Speed, power—Zeref's magical attack had just impressed Orochimaru.

Zeref's eyes were still red, proving that his killing intent towards Orochimaru had not completely disappeared.

He looked at Orochimaru, who was unharmed, without any surprise in his eyes.

Whether from his own observations or from the Konoha villagers' alarmed reaction, this man named Orochimaru was indeed very powerful.

Therefore, it was impossible for him to be killed so easily with a single blow. Moreover, Zeref's gaze fell on Orochimaru's shed body on the ground, and it seemed that Orochimaru had quite a few tricks up his sleeve for escaping.

"If you make a move against Mebbes, you'll have a chance to see what it means to show me no mercy."

Zeref chuckled, his tone even somewhat gentle: "In Ishgar, I am known as the most terrifying and cruel dark mage, and that's not entirely unfounded."

This is already a blatant threat.

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed involuntarily. In the entire ninja world, he was a top ninja, and no one had ever dared to underestimate him like this.

At the same time, he was also thrilled by the absolute confidence in his own power revealed in Zeref's words.

The more powerful the magic, the more worthwhile it is for him to study and master!

Orochimaru lowered his eyelashes, concealing the thoughts and calculations in his eyes. His mind was in turmoil. Although he was also very interested in Mavis, he did not want to break off relations with Zeref at the moment.

After all, compared to Mavis, who is clearly biased towards Konoha, Zeref, who is willing to cooperate to some extent, is a more suitable partner.

"That's right, a partner." Orochimaru thought with some regret.

He deliberately brought up Mavis just now, indeed with the intention of testing Zeref. After all, if he could subdue Zeref, he could control the knowledge and power of magic at will through Zeref.

For Orochimaru, the best partners are those lying on the lab table.

Unfortunately, while Orochimaru was very satisfied with the strength Zeref had just displayed, he also had to suppress his desire to attack Zeref with great regret.

Orochimaru's keen sixth sense told him that Zeref's strength and danger far exceeded his youthful appearance.

The instant Orochimaru met Zeref's icy, murderous gaze, he had a strange intuition that Zeref might actually be able to kill him!

Orochimaru, who always prioritizes maximizing profits, quickly and decisively chose the safest approach – cooperation!

Moreover, Sasuke is now his biggest target. Even after learning about magic as another power system, Orochimaru's fervor and thirst for the Sharingan have not diminished in the slightest.

Having made his decision, Orochimaru decisively said, "I understand. I will not lay a hand on her."

"At least until I get the power of the Sharingan," Orochimaru silently added to himself.

"However, even if I don't make a move, the ninja world is very dangerous, hehehe." Orochimaru curled his lips into a half-smile and said, "Battles between ninjas are also very brutal."

"Hmph!" Zeref sneered through his nose, a complex look flashing in his eyes as if he had thought of something. He said, "Stop with your foolish ideas. Whether it's strength or willpower, Mavis is very strong..."

"Oh?" Orochimaru couldn't help but lick his lips, his eyes gleaming. That Mavis was quite a powerful figure too.

At this point, Orochimaru was becoming increasingly interested in magic, which was different from the ninjutsu power system.

The study of ninjutsu alone had already captivated him for his entire life, let alone another mysterious and powerful force from other worlds.

Suddenly remembering something, Orochimaru asked with great interest, "By the way, what is the god Ankhseram?"

Orochimaru still remembered the topic that Zeref and Mavis had discussed, which seemed to be the core issue between Orochimaru and Mavis.

Zeref frowned in displeasure, but remembering that he still wanted to learn more about the ninja world from Orochimaru, he briefly explained the contradictory curse.

"what!"

Zeref had only said it casually, but Orochimaru's reaction was unexpectedly excited.

"Ankhseram's curse! A contradictory curse! How could such a thing exist!" Zeref looked at Orochimaru with some surprise, who was trembling with excitement and staring at him with wide eyes.

Frowning slightly, Zeref carefully observed Orochimaru's unusually abnormal reaction, almost suspecting that Orochimaru was about to pounce on him.

Those who knew about the Curse of Contradiction, except for Mavis, were all eager to stay away from him, fearing that the curse would take their lives. Zeref had never seen Orochimaru so excited as if he were extremely eager.

Wait, a thirst?

The moment this thought crossed his mind, Zeref paused for a moment. He stared at Orochimaru's eyes again, confirming that he saw longing and desire in them, and a sudden realization flashed through his mind.

This Orochimaru is actually envious and jealous of the contradictory curse on him!

This realization filled Jelf with utter disgust and rage. He clenched his fingers, almost wanting to attack again—how dare he! How could he!

Orochimaru suddenly felt a chilling killing intent, and his burning brain finally cooled down a little.

He pressed his shoulders, using all his self-control to regain some composure.

"You have had a long time to research magic, which is why you are so powerful, hehehe. Please forgive me, I'm just a little envious," Orochimaru said, unable to contain his excitement.

Orochimaru was more than just envious; he was absolutely dying of envy!

No need to change bodies, no need to go to great lengths to preserve his soul; his original body remains in peak condition and will never die—isn't this the immortality he's always dreamed of?!

Orochimaru completely disregarded the fact that the more one respects life, the more likely one is to take another's life.

This is no curse at all; it is clearly a blessing from the god Ankhseram!

It's fortunate that Orochimaru didn't fully reveal his inner thoughts, otherwise Zeref might not have been able to contain his anger and would have fought Orochimaru to the death on the spot.

Even though Orochimaru didn't say it aloud, Zeref vaguely sensed Orochimaru's yearning for immortality brought about by the curse of contradiction.

He looked at Orochimaru with disgust and said, "You have no idea how lucky you are. It's so unfair. Why is it that someone like you is so lucky to be spared from the curse of the god Ankhseram? Thinking about this, it's really not easy to suppress my killing intent towards you."

Orochimaru was taken aback, pondering the meaning behind those words, and then he understood. Was Zeref so averse to the curse of contradictions?

“It’s ironic, isn’t it? The immortality I crave most is something you’ve discarded like trash…” Orochimaru said, looking at Zeref with some resentment.

The contrast and irony are stark: Zeref, who is cursed to be immortal and wants to die, and Orochimaru, who can only try to achieve eternal life by constantly changing bodies.

What is honey to one is poison to another.

"Human lifespan is so short, yet the world holds so many mysteries. Whether through ninjutsu or magic, I must attain immortality!" Orochimaru's eyes revealed an intense desire for eternal life.

"Sasuke, you will eventually come to my side. Hehehe, with the Sharingan, it will be easier to study the power of magic..." Orochimaru thought passionately.