With a surge of chakra, the small white snake—once harmless and coiled around its own tail—suddenly swelled in size, transforming into a ferocious beast.
The reinforced ceiling, the stone pillars, the thick foundation—none of it mattered. The snake opened its jaws and let out a piercing shriek as it devoured everything in its path.
Orochimaru was caught off guard. His chakra, usually so precise and controlled, now flowed uncontrollably into the white snake, as if he were a novice.
In an instant, the "Serpentis" had wreaked havoc on the underground laboratory, tearing apart the internal supports and collapsing it from within.
After draining almost all of Orochimaru's chakra, the creature shrank back into its small form, slithered across the debris, and slipped back into his body.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Orochimaru could only watch, expression twitching, as tons of stone and earth came crashing down around him. It was like the sky itself was falling.
He thought back to what the Djinn had told him: "Just a small problem."
Small? More like catastrophic.
…
Dragging himself out of the rubble, Orochimaru looked like a complete mess. He wasn't injured, but his pride certainly was.
"Tsk tsk…"
The Djinn tried to stifle a laugh. It was rare to see Orochimaru make such a rookie mistake.
"It's your first time using the Serpentis's power like this. The destructive potential is impressive… but your control definitely needs work."
Seeing the Djinn's smug face only made Orochimaru's expression darker. Still, as he focused on the presence of the Tail Swallower within him, his irritation turned thoughtful.
Even during his earliest training days, he had never lost control like this. The white snake, born of his own soul and chakra, was clearly far more complex than a typical summoning.
Yet, rather than discouraged, Orochimaru felt intrigued.
This was no different from a Uchiha child struggling to master the Sharingan. The greater the power, the harder it was to wield.
The Djinn was right—the Serpentis's "personality" was stronger than his own, for now. Orochimaru understood that all too well now.
He had been reckless.
Looking over the ruined laboratory, Orochimaru frowned. Still, it wasn't a total loss. Danzo already knew about this location. It was time to relocate anyway.
…
Two days later, tensions erupted again between the Kumogakure delegation and Konoha.
Just as Orochimaru had predicted, the Kumogakure ninja had gone all-in. They were fearless, even suicidal, throwing everything they had into every confrontation.
Their rhetoric grew bolder by the day. It was clear they wanted the peace talks to collapse to avoid paying compensation.
In response, Konoha dropped all pretense. They laid everything bare—Neji's condition, Orochimaru's stance—and openly declared the talks a failure. If Kumogakure wanted to resume negotiations, Orochimaru would have to be invited directly to their village.
The Kumogakure ninja were stunned. They hadn't expected Konoha to call their bluff.
Though they tried to respond with harsh words, it was obvious even to onlookers—they were rattled.
Konoha, ever gracious, offered them reassurance.
"No need to worry about your return trip," they said kindly. "Orochimaru will be escorting your group personally tomorrow."
The embassy ninja were moved to tears… though the dread on their faces only deepened.
---
Night fell.
A new lab.
A new testing ground.
Orochimaru had spent some time training Kabuto, and by the end of it, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Much like Orochimaru himself, Kabuto was a strategic fighter—someone who preferred using his mind over brute strength. He didn't rely on direct confrontation but on calculation and tactics.
This saved Orochimaru considerable effort. All he had to do was refine Kabuto's grasp of combat rhythm, especially in applying senjutsu-based techniques.
By now, Kabuto could hold his ground against a Kage-level opponent—at least until his sage chakra ran out.
"Tomorrow, we'll be leading the ninja team out of the village," Orochimaru said with a faint smile as he glanced at Kabuto. "The time for revenge is near."
Kabuto lowered his head, the reflection on his glasses hiding the flicker of intensity in his eyes.
"Don't forget," Orochimaru added calmly, "nearly a third of Konoha's elite are stationed at Root. Going against them won't be easy. You must be cautious."
"I won't let you down, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto replied firmly.
His growing strength had brought a corresponding rise in confidence. Obstacles that once seemed insurmountable now felt like minor bumps in the road.
"If that recent theft hadn't occurred, I'd feel a lot more confident," Orochimaru mused, licking his lips. "But if Danzo has truly rejuvenated himself using the First Hokage's cells… that could be a problem. Don't underestimate him. His strength once rivaled the Third."
"Even so," Kabuto said steadily, "I believe I can win."
It wasn't arrogance—just a sober recognition of how much he had grown. Orochimaru saw the confidence in his eyes and chose not to argue.
Power is one thing. Experience is another.
On paper, Kabuto's abilities were impressive. But most of his growth had come from the safety of the training ground—not the chaos of a battlefield. And clever people often suffer from the same flaw: they trust their intellect too much. They forget what it's like to bleed.
These lessons, Orochimaru knew, could only be learned through pain.
After forming sage chakra, Kabuto removed the white snake scale from his chest and offered it to Orochimaru—but was met with a shake of the head.
Kabuto blinked in surprise.
"When you attack Root," Orochimaru said, "whether you succeed or fail, you'll be branded a traitor. The village will hunt you down. Keep this—it will extend your stamina."
Orochimaru's gaze was calm but piercing. "If you survive, it's yours. If not… it will return to me one way or another."
Whether Root or the village took it, Orochimaru had ways of retrieving what belonged to him.
Kabuto clutched the scale tightly and bowed deeply. "I won't disappoint you, Lord Orochimaru."
…
After sending Kabuto on his way, Orochimaru brought his hands together. The markings at the corners of his eyes darkened—he had entered Sage Mode.
"Sage Art: Morphing Form!"
Under the influence of sage chakra, his features began to shift. Bit by bit, his face, body, and aura reshaped—until he looked exactly like Kabuto.
Standing before a floor-length mirror, he examined his transformation and nodded in approval.
Even Kabuto himself would mistake him for a shadow clone. No one would be able to tell the difference.
He created a shadow clone in this form, then used sage chakra again to return to his own appearance.
The Djinn smirked. "This is unlike you. I thought you'd send him in as a test, indifferent to whether he lives or dies."
Orochimaru gave him a sidelong glance but said nothing, while the shadow clone—Kabuto's perfect likeness—sat cross-legged and began to focus sage chakra in preparation.
____________________
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