A Fractured World

At the border of the Land of Fire, Orochimaru walked through the dense forest, his destination clear a cave nestled in the heart of the wilderness.

Two days had passed since his last spin. He'd completed his mission for Danzo, but instead of returning immediately, he saw this as the perfect opportunity to take the first step toward something far grander.

Once he confirmed that the area was clear, he slipped into the cave without hesitation.

He drew a kunai, slicing his finger, and watched as a drop of blood fell to the ground. A subtle flicker of chakra, and he activated his Doppelgeist skill. He carefully decided what to imbue into the clone. The new abilities from the gacha were left aside for now. Instead, he transferred his own powers, leaving the clone with only a fraction of his chakra about one-fourth of his own level.

At first, there was nothing. No immediate change. Just the quiet weight of the moment. But then, slowly, the blood began to stir, its magic awakening.

From that single drop, a figure began to materialize a man, his form naked and stripped of anything other than the faintest trace of life.

Without a word, Orochimaru handed over a scroll to the clone. It eagerly took it, unrolling it and pulling clothes from within, dressing with practiced precision.

Orochimaru studied the clone. There it stood a perfect replica of him. He felt a strange stir in his gut at the sight of his own nakedness. But he forced the thought aside, focusing on the task at hand as the clone finished dressing.

He concentrated. Tried to control it. Just a flicker of success, and his own body collapsed to the ground, now entirely absent of consciousness. His presence was in the clone.

The clone's voice, now his own, whispered in the cave. As I expected, I can't be together.

He took the kunai from the ground and slashed the clone's hand. No blood. Not a single drop. His chakra flickered briefly, weak, insignificant, like a dull spark that could be missed if not paying attention.

Trying to shift his presence back, Orochimaru's original body rose, eyes locking onto the clone's. No help, as expected.

Nodding with a sense of finality, the clone turned and walked toward the village.

Orochimaru, alone once again in the cave, reached for the traveling card. His plans had shifted. He had intended to summon first, but now, he changed his mind.

He activated the card.

In the blink of an eye, Orochimaru vanished, leaving behind the Land of Fire and entering another world.

Fujimi Academy.

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the school grounds now teeming with undead. Takashi swung his baseball bat with lethal precision, crushing the skull of a zombie that lunged toward him. It crumpled to the ground, its brain matter spilling onto the pavement.

Kohata, standing a little farther back, took aim with his self-made gun and fired. The shot rang out, and another zombie fell with a single, well-placed bullet to the head.

"Takashi! Watch your back!" Rei shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos. She moved quickly, her spear already in hand. The next zombie approaching her was swiftly impaled, Rei pulling the spear free with a sharp twist as it fell lifeless to the floor.

Saya, in the middle of all the chaos, huffed in frustration, but she stayed back, looking around for any opportunity to assist, though her reluctance was clear due to her lack of ability.

The same went for Shizuka, who stood beside her, clearly worried about the situation. Though her eyes sharpened for a moment before returning to her usual calm expression.

Takashi shouted again, this time his voice a little louder. "Rei! Behind you!"

Without missing a beat, Rei turned, her spear cutting through the air to pierce the head of a zombie coming from behind her. It fell instantly, but there was no time to relax.

Saeko reached near her to help. As she moved, one by one, many zombies fell. Each strike was precise and deadly.

Seeing the number still increasing, she shouted, "Stay close, everyone!"

Just as they were starting to worry about how to escape, they were shocked to see a man appear in front of them, as if he had teleported.

He had long hair and serpent-like eyes.

Without a doubt, it was Orochimaru.

"Where am I?"