The Adventurous Gamer Ninja - Daichi Hekima [Vol. 02]

Chapter 378 - Orochimaru's Dangerous Gamble.

The snake ventured over a ridge of broken stone, half slithering, half crawling, until a particular scene came into view. There were three bodies on the battlefield. Tayuya, Sakon, and Ukon. His subordinates.

He expanded his senses and quickly realized that they were alive but on the brink of death.

'So Kakashi was too strong for them huh? As I expected... Hm.. He must have left them alive to be taken back for interrogation.' Orochimaru felt a tinge of annoyance but it swiftly morphed into elation. This was an opportunity for him.

'Yes. This is my chance. Even though they're near death, they still have some chakra left. Perhaps I'll be able to extract enough to restore a portion of my strength and maybe use those jutsus. But this will also most certainly kill them.'

For a breath, the snake hovered in hesitation. Then survival instinct overcame any sentiment. Orochimaru slithered forward, stealthily approaching Tayuya's body.

The woman's red hair was matted with dust, her battered flute lying several paces away. A faint glow of the curse mark still lingered on her neck, pulsing with residual negative energy.

'Yes. This will work.' He sank his small fangs into Tayuya's shoulder, injecting a minuscule portion of his chakra to pull out what remained of her energy, vitality and the remaining power inside the curse seal.

The experience was grotesque and numbing, but Orochimaru had endured far worse. With each passing moment, he felt his lifeforce expand, gradually reconstituting the fraction of his soul and chakra that had survived.

By the time Orochimaru was done, Tayuya was no longer among the living.

"Hhssss..." The snake hissed softly, finishing with Tayuya and then sliding across the rocky ground to Sakon and Ukon's conjoined forms. 'I can salvage more from them.' Orochimaru repeated the process—fangs piercing cold flesh, absorbing the leftover energies.

The vile taste coated his mouth with a stinging bitterness that would have revolted most creatures. But Orochimaru's soul latched onto it with greed. 'This is a far better death than the one you'll get at the hands of the Leaf ninjas.'

Gradually, the snake's scaly skin glowed with a dull radiance, signifying his strength was returning.

At last, Orochimaru felt the power gathering in his serpentine core. It was far from his peak condition, but enough to attempt his reformation technique. He retracted his fangs and slithered back a pace, the lifeless bodies of Tayuya, Sakon, and Ukon were now drained of all residual chakra and lifeforce.

Orochimaru let the cursed energies swirl inside him, combining with the scraps of his soul that had fled Danzo's sealing jutsu. 'Yes. This should be enough. Let us see if I can... re-emerge.'

Slowly, the white snake's body grew as though inhaling a massive breath. Its pale scales bulged, contorting in an unsettling metamorphosis.

Then came the final transformation. The snake's jaws unhinged, and from its maw, a slick shape began to push outward. Orochimaru's head followed by torso, glistening with foul fluids. With a wet, tearing sound, the Snake Sannin's arms, head, and chest appeared out of the snake's mouth.

He forced more of himself out, ignoring the searing ache coursing through his newly formed muscles. Finally, Orochimaru stood on trembling legs, half-crouched, drenched from head to toe in mucus and leftover curse residue. The small white snake that had been his shell lay motionless, shriveled on the ground. Moments later it died and turned to dust.

The Snake Sannin quickly examined his condition. 'Not as perfect as I'd like, but it will have to do for now.'

For a moment, Orochimaru closed his eyes, inhaling the crisp night air. He flexed his fingers, wiggling them to ensure they obeyed him. 'I can move... good.'