Naruto: Power in Play

Chapter 26

As the first year of captivity drew to a close, Orochimaru's fascination with Ando's Kekkei Genkai had evolved into an unrelenting obsession. The once-casual experiments of physical manipulation had spiraled into explorations of the spiritual plane, driven by a single, audacious ambition: to harness the ability to heal not just the body, but the soul itself.

Ando's resilience became the foundation of Orochimaru's experiments. Time and again, the boy was subjected to genjutsu of extreme complexity—each illusion designed to shatter his consciousness into fragments. Yet, no matter how intricate or crushing the mental assault, Ando's mind always reassembled itself, the pieces snapping back together as though guided by an unseen force.

Leaning over his detailed notes, Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed with a sinister light. "Fascinating," he murmured, tapping his pen against a diagram of chakra pathways. "The mind is merely an extension of the soul, and his Kekkei Genkai seems to preserve it—even under extraordinary duress."

He theorized that Ando's abilities extended far beyond simple regeneration. The power was intrinsic, woven into the very fabric of his being. If his hypothesis proved correct, then Ando's Kekkei Genkai might hold the key to undoing even the most catastrophic spiritual damage imaginable.

"What if this power could repair the damage caused by the Reaper Death Seal?" Orochimaru pondered aloud, his voice tinged with excitement. A future unfolded in his mind—one where no price was too great, no soul too broken to restore.

With this revelation, his experiments grew bolder. A modified version of his cursed seals was etched onto Ando's skin, the dark, writhing patterns designed to siphon spiritual energy directly from him rather than the external world. The initial applications were crude and agonizing, the seals clawing at Ando's essence like invisible talons.

Ando's body convulsed on the cold operating table, his chakra flaring wildly as the cursed seals drained his vitality. Yet, once again, the damage was repaired, defying the very nature of the cursed seal. But his recovery, while remarkable, grew slower with each iteration, barely managing to offset the relentless harm.

"It's not simply resistance to harm—it's a complete reconstruction of his essence. The soul doesn't merely heal; it remembers."

To further test his theories, Orochimaru introduced a new layer to his experimentation: spirit-draining jutsu designed to directly strip away fragments of Ando's soul, reducing it to raw, usable energy which would be contained in the seal itself. The goal was to determine whether Ando's Kekkei Genkai could recover from such a fundamental loss.

The pain was unlike anything Ando had experienced before. Orochimaru's hands pressed against his chest, and a dark, spiraling seal appeared beneath the sannin's fingers. The jutsu burned as if an unseen fire consumed Ando from within. His vision blurred, his senses dulled, and he felt as though a part of him was being ripped away.

When Orochimaru withdrew, silence filled the laboratory. Ando lay motionless, his breathing shallow, his chakra dim and flickering. For hours, his body remained pale and lifeless. But then, to Orochimaru's astonishment, the glow of Ando's chakra reignited. His fragmented soul began to painstakingly rebuild itself. Exactly seven days after falling unconscious, Ando had recovered enough to stand, though the cursed seals' influence prevented a full restoration.

Orochimaru's thin lips curled into a sinister smile. "I was right, even the soul is not immune to your Kekkei Genkai's influence," he mused. "This power transcends the physical and spiritual realms. It's not a Kekkei Genkai—it's a phenomenon."

Unlike conventional Kekkei Genkai, which stemmed from chakra and physical traits, Ando's abilities seemed more akin to those of a tailed beast—a phenomenon triggered by an unknown force, one that Orochimaru longed to obtain.