Chapter 252: Manhunt on Orochimaru

Orochimaru's Eastern Base

Clank—thud!

A dense array of written seals dissipated, and the heavy iron door—locked away for so long—was forced open, sending the dust coating it scattering to the floor.

[It's been a long time, hasn't it…]

Orochimaru released his hand, an air of nostalgia on his face. Strictly speaking, he wasn't prone to sentiment, but each time he used his Living Corpse Reincarnation [Fushi Tensei], the consciousness of the host body remained in his mental realm, unerasable.

That was one of the reasons he didn't change bodies too often.

The original owners of his previous bodies had all been people of weaker wills who, for various reasons, had voluntarily offered themselves. Because of that, their lingering influence on him wasn't terribly strong.

Kabuto's body, on the other hand, had been a hassle.

That subordinate carried excessive confusion in his heart. Even though he'd willingly offered his body, the remnants of his mind ceaselessly gnawed at Orochimaru.

[Thankfully I got back in time. It seems a lot of the base's seals were sabotaged; if all the "things" inside had escaped, it would've been a huge headache…]

Orochimaru thought for a moment, then turned and looked into a corner, smiling:

"Come out, Suigetsu."

With white hair, violet eyes, and a mouthful of shark-like teeth, Hōzuki Suigetsu stepped from the shadows with a nervous laugh.

"O-Orochimaru-sama, been a while indeed."

"Never thought you'd manage to survive," Orochimaru said with a trace of amusement in his voice.

Facing a bunch of creatures with unlimited regeneration, constantly augmented strength, and ever-diminishing brains, surviving would've been impossible without that wondrous Hydrification Technique.

Suigetsu looked a bit uneasy. "Didn't you abandon this place? Why come back now?"

Gazing at the darkness inside the base—where pairs of scarlet eyes full of rage and brutality were lighting up—Orochimaru remained calm:

"I came to see how the test subjects are doing, and while I'm here, retrieve what's mine."

Sealing those four "monsters" in there had cost him dearly. He'd even left his precious "original body" in the depths of the base.

Fortunately, he'd had plenty of backup cells from that body; otherwise, his experiments after fleeing would have run into huge problems.

But now it was time to reclaim everything.

"Hiss… hiss… hiss…" Countless snakes slithered forth, blocking the base's entrance.

Suigetsu quietly liquefied, flowing off into a corner.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With the third-level cursed seal activated, Jirōbō was a dark purple hue from head to toe, hulking in size and tough-skinned. The sharp protrusion atop his head scraped against the steel base ceiling, spitting out bursts of sparks.

"DIE!!!"

[So that's all the strength they have?]

Orochimaru gave a low chuckle. Possessing Sage Mode now, along with Kabuto's body, he was truly terrifying.

Even Uchiha Itachi—who had once subdued him with genjutsu—would no longer frighten him in this now-ever-active Sage Mode.

As long as he avoided monsters like Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama, and kept his distance from Link, he wasn't even sure who could beat him.

[The taste of true power… so sweet.]

…

Two days later, morning. At Link's house, in the training room.

[How come snapping a photo of Orochimaru turned up Yakushi Kabuto again? Is Purple Hermit being interfered with, or something?]

Without hesitation, Link switched targets. Thinking of Kabuto, he took another shot.

But he got nothing—so Kabuto was dead after all.

Last time he'd taken Orochimaru's picture, it showed Kabuto. Taking one of Kabuto showed Orochimaru.

Meaning that, in this timeframe, Kabuto had bizarrely died and ceded his body to Orochimaru. Now that was interesting.

Link stroked his chin. He'd once branded Kabuto with a Five Elements Seal, so Kabuto ought to have been unable to form hand seals at all.

Yet Orochimaru had genuinely performed Edo Tensei on Uchiha Madara, and according to Tsunade, had even mastered Sage Mode.

[Curious. In the manga, he wasn't interested in Kabuto's body at all, but now he's stolen a body that's had its ability to form hand seals stripped by the Five Elements Seal…]

He recalled how Tsunade had gained Sage Mode through that "original body's" cells—and Orochimaru's sudden grasp of Sage Mode—

That confirmed his earlier guess:

The "original body" was that old one of Orochimaru's that Link had branded with the Five Elements Seal.

[So the Five Elements Seal's real effect is that it draws in natural energy…]

He pondered the seal's further potential and realized it might be very easy to deal with Orochimaru.

Just one Five Elements Unseal and done.

All that talk of "expert in senjutsu," "immune to ordinary physical attacks," "extremely fast regeneration"—none of it mattered against his jutsu.

[Orochimaru, you wouldn't want…] And paired with Hashirama's taijutsu—capable of trading blow for blow with Madara—capturing Orochimaru would be child's play.

Snapping another shot of the location: "Eastern Base," that was familiar. He had seen it before, plus Xiangling had told him the exact location.

Link grasped the photo and stood. "Utakata, Sasuke, get ready. We're heading out."

Within Konoha—or, rather, the entire world—he probably ranked as the strongest person, no questions asked.

Did people not get that he could summon, at any time, the Third Hokage in his prime, Shimura Danzō, the Fourth Hokage, and "mech pilot" Senju Hashirama?

[Well, Danzō was a bit…]

[Next time, I'll check Sasuke's opinion. If it doesn't work out, I might as well not resurrect that old fossil. He's always so eager to jump out and help with Rashōmon—makes me a bit uneasy…]

Shaking his head, Link led Utakata and Sasuke outside the village. Hooking up to his "battery," Utakata, he summoned Earth Dragon, plus Rashōmon: "Get out here!"

Up on the Four Hokage Rock, a moment later, three of them were pulled into the living world.

No matter how you looked at it, Danzō felt out of place. But because he was a Summon, not blacklisted, and was still willing to fight, Link couldn't just bench him.

He'd likely need Old Man Danzō for "other-world" exploration someday.

With that in mind, Link and the three Hokage—plus the 0.5 Hokage—mounted Earth Dragon. In a whirlwind of speed, they rushed toward Orochimaru's Eastern Base.

"Lord First, Lord Third, Link—I'll scout first."

Minato, holding a Flying Thunder God kunai, volunteered. In an instant, his figure vanished.

Shimura Danzō stood there, expression grim. His position really was awkward: even if he regained his armful of Sharingan and Shisui's Mangekyō, how could he match the three Hokage vying for the top?

Strictly speaking, there was no way he could.

Just talking a good game wouldn't let him prove his worth. How could he ever earn his chance at reincarnation?

He felt deeply dissatisfied: The village was sailing toward a new era, a new continent, and he alone was missing that boat.

Though he was happy to see the village flourishing, being left behind like this did sting. Especially since, once again, Sarutobi had swiped his spot.

It really grated on him!

Before long, Minato flickered back, and with both hands on two armor-wearing Hokage, flickered away again.

[Let's have a moment of silence for Orochimaru…]

Link folded his arms on the Earth Dragon's back, shaking his head in schadenfreude.

Summoning Jutsu is gross, right? Shedding one's skin is gross, right? Great—your welcoming committee consists of the Fourth Hokage, most adept at space–time ninjutsu, the legendary First Hokage, and the Third Hokage, master of every kind of jutsu.

Rejoice, because even when they fought Uchiha Madara, they didn't field a lineup like this.

~~~

Patreon(.)com/Bleam

— Currently You can Read 100 Chapters Ahead of Others!