After settling Kabuto's affairs, Orochimaru wasted no time. Channeling his own chakra as a medium, he began summoning the soul fragment from the Pure Land.
Chi chi chi...
With a faint sizzle, a swirl of illusory mist rose and dissipated. Moments later, a glowing blue soul form appeared in the underground laboratory.
Unlike before—when it was merely a clump of light—it now resembled a full human figure, just like the reanimated Third Kazekage.
However, compared to Orochimaru's own body, this soul form looked... bloated. Its frame was smaller, but its belly bulged grotesquely, like a giant python that had just swallowed an entire ox—round and distended.
Orochimaru fell silent.
Only now did he fully understand what Djinn had meant when he described it as "greedy."
The soul, though keeping its mouth tightly shut, still couldn't stop leaking shimmering energy from its lips. With every second, little streamers of soul matter puffed out involuntarily.
Strangely, Orochimaru felt a twinge of shame watching it.
But alongside that emotion came something else: hunger. A powerful craving rose from the depths of his soul the moment he summoned the fragment back into himself.
The transformation began instantly.
A chill rushed through his being, followed by an overwhelming wave of hunger—so intense it spread to every cell in his body. Even someone as composed and calculating as Orochimaru, one of the fabled Sannin, couldn't resist it.
Kabuto watched in alarm as Orochimaru collapsed to the ground, curled in on himself and trembling with need. Despite being warned beforehand, the sight still stunned him.
Quickly, he rushed over and lowered Orochimaru into the nutrient tank.
Clatter...
As the tank filled with pale green fluid, Orochimaru's body stretched and twitched. Biting down on the ventilator, he panted like a beast, releasing bursts of bubbles into the liquid.
The nutrients were rapidly consumed, turning the solution cloudy within moments.
Kabuto's eyes widened. The rate of absorption was far beyond what he'd anticipated.
Panicking, he cranked the nutrient circulation system to full power. But even that wasn't enough.
Without hesitation, he dismantled two other nutrient tanks in the lab, rerouting all available supply lines into Orochimaru's tank. The extra equipment was hastily installed onto backup inlets to increase intake threefold.
Only then was the nutrient level barely maintained above minimum levels.
The frenzied devouring lasted three full days and nights.
Kabuto remained in the lab the entire time, watching anxiously. When the consumption finally slowed, he let out a long breath of relief.
In just three days, Orochimaru had consumed as much nutrient solution as an average jōnin would in twenty days. The lab's reserves were meant to last two months, but at this rate, they'd be gone in a few more weeks.
Even if the pace dropped, Orochimaru was still burning through supplies two to three times faster than normal.
"We'll need to prepare more nutrient solution," Kabuto muttered, frowning.
Nearby, Djinn rubbed his chin thoughtfully, keeping a close eye on Orochimaru's state.
He had never told Orochimaru the full truth: separating body and soul for too long carried great risks.
Changes in experience and perception could lead to a second personality forming—or worse, the soul fragment challenging the original for control. Under the pure energy of the Pure Land, soul fragments could grow rapidly, sometimes to dangerous levels.
But clearly, Orochimaru had defied those odds. Not even the slightest instability had occurred.
Djinn's eyes narrowed.
"So… even this was within his capacity."
"The chakra soul bodies in this world are fascinating," Djinn mused silently.
"Perhaps the people here are even more suited to wield Zanpakutō than I originally thought."
In the world of the Soul Society, Shinigami must go through both the Shikai and Bankai stages to fully awaken their Zanpakutō. There is no separate sword spirit—the Zanpakutō is a part of their soul.
But Orochimaru... he might not need any of that.
He may bypass those steps entirely.
---
Root Base — Deep Underground, Secret Laboratory
Danzo leaned heavily on his cane, its sharp tap echoing through the chamber.
"How is the experiment progressing?" he demanded.
The lead researcher snapped out of his work and responded quickly,
"My lord, we've made significant progress with the transplantation of First Hokage cells. We discovered—"
"Spare me the babbling," Danzo interrupted, scowling.
"Tell me plainly: how long until I can undergo the transplant?"
The researcher hesitated, wiping sweat from his brow.
"The procedure can begin at any time, and we're confident in the success rate, but..."
"But what?"
Danzo's chakra surged with menace. The lab fell into fearful silence. Even the strongest among the staff flinched, paralyzed by the oppressive pressure.
The head researcher staggered back and braced himself on the edge of a table. His voice trembled.
"We can perform the transplant… but we won't achieve the same results as Lord Orochimaru. We believe there's a flaw in the base data—Orochimaru may have deliberately misled us."
Danzo's expression darkened as he considered the possibility.
He had suspected something was off. Orochimaru's data had seemed too convenient. And the Third Hokage—Hiruzen's—leniency had only made things worse.
Sensing Danzo's pause, the head researcher allowed himself a subtle sigh of relief.
He had gambled on Danzo's known distrust of Orochimaru and Hiruzen. Shifting blame toward them might just save his life.
After all, no fool would be placed in charge of a Root-level experiment without being cunning enough to survive.
Scientific ignorance alone wouldn't get someone killed—political ignorance would.
Root had long since weeded out those who didn't understand the true game.
The experiment had been progressing smoothly… until the final step, where everything stalled. The timing was too perfect. Even the lead researcher suspected Orochimaru had intentionally planted a trap—to waste Root's time and resources.
Danzo suddenly fixed him with a hard stare.
"Are you lying to me?"
The chief researcher collapsed to the ground, shouting,
"No! I swear I'm not!"
Danzo snorted.
"Whether Orochimaru's data is flawed or not, I don't care. If the transplant experiment isn't improved within a month..."
His voice turned to ice.
"...I'll make all of you disappear."
With that, Danzo turned and walked out without another word.
The researcher slumped against the table leg, gasping. But he still felt a little lighter—alive, at least, for now.
---
Outside the lab, Danzo's expression turned grim.
He already knew the researcher hadn't lied. His own agents embedded in the lab had confirmed it. His outburst had been nothing more than a calculated pressure tactic.
There was no doubt now. Orochimaru had sabotaged the data. Even if he had agreed to cooperate with Root, he wouldn't be so generous as to provide accurate information.
"Hiruzen may make his move soon... We can't afford to keep watching him alone."
Danzo's eyes gleamed coldly.
"We need to return to the source—Orochimaru himself."
He turned to one of his men.
"What's Orochimaru been doing lately?"
____________________
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