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.'
"That wretched old man," Orochimaru spat, voice still laced with disgust, anger and lingering pain. Danzo's final assault had nearly claimed him. The memory of that humiliating near-defeat sparked fury in his chest. "I can't believe he forced me to stoop to this."
He glanced at Tayuya, Sakon, and Ukon's empty husks. "At least your deaths weren't entirely in vain," he murmured, expression unreadable. A flick of his tongue tasted the air. He made the ram seal and suddenly the three corpses of his subordinates burst into blue flames and several seconds later only some ashes were left as proof of their existence.
An ominous hush fell on the scene, broken only by Orochimaru's labored breaths and the faint dripping of fluid from his regenerated form. He tested his limbs in a series of quick, serpentine motions. 'I'll have to be cautious. My condition is precarious.'
But then a slow satisfied grin spread across his face. "Kukuku… That was far too close, but still…" he murmured and looked in the direction of the battlefield. "You are no longer a headache, Danzo." Despite his near death experience, Orochimaru was elated at the fact that an enemy like Danzo was now among the dead.
An angry grin tugged at his lips and defiance was shining in his golden pupils. His fingers curled into a loose fist. "To think my plans would unravel so abruptly. Even after everything, I was still careless," he admitted. "But that won't happen again."
He had lost this battle, but the war was far from over. He still had his research, his knowledge, and above all, his unyielding ambition. "This is only the beginning," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the rustling wind.
For a moment, he stood in silence, gaze wandering across the land. 'I need to weigh my options carefully. If Jiraiya and the others are still at the base, I risk a confrontation I can't afford right now. The sensible approach is to retreat, gather resources and come up with a new plan. If Tsunade dies, I can sneak into the Leaf village and steal her body. But if she somehow survives, then I'll have to get blood samples from her when she's alone and least expect it.'
But suddenly a frown formed on his face. 'No. If she survives, Tsunade won't let herself be caught like that again. I'm sure she'll be much stronger and more cautious. And after everything that's happened between us, she won't hold back against me… This could be my only chance. The metamorphosis of her genes… The data I saw… Her blood sample is more valuable than anyone except me could comprehend. I need it. And this may be the best time for me to get it… But it's also the worst.'
Suddenly he had an idea. A very risky plan came to his mind but due to his greed he decided to go through with it.
—-
Jiraiya and Kakashi stood just outside the underground base, their senses sharp and ready for any lingering threats. They had spent only a few minutes waiting, but neither let their guard down. The battlefield, though momentarily still, was far from safe.
"This is taking too long," Kakashi muttered under his breath, glancing at the rocky mouth of Orochimaru's base.
"They must be finishing up. We can't risk moving Tsunade without making sure there are no traps." The white haired Sannin replied.
The Copy Ninja nodded, but his posture remained guarded, shoulders coiled to spring into action if anything happened.
Jiraiya crossed his arms and spoke. "Once we've confirmed that Tsunade is safe, we'll head to your battlefield. I'm sure they would have plenty of intel that's going to be useful to us."
"Yeah." The copy ninja nodded in agreement.
Suddenly without warning, four people appeared near the two Leaf ninjas. In an eye-blink, Tobirama appeared in a flicker of motion. Shizune and Daichi stood beside him, with the young Genin supporting an unconscious Tsunade in his arms.
'They made it.' Kakashi and Jiraiya immediately strode forward.
Jiraiya exhaled a breath of relief at seeing them. "Thank god, you made it out."
Kakashi eyed Tsunade's comatose form, noticing the unnatural color of her skin and the shallow rise and fall of her chest. 'She doesn't look good. All the more reason to get her back to the village as soon as possible.'
Jiraiya looked at Tobirama and laid out his plan. "Kakashi and I will be right back. I'm going to keep Orochimaru's people contained. They'll have valuable information that we can use. I'll make it quick."
Tobirama nodded. "Get it done quickly. We need to-"
But before Tobirama could finish, Tsunade's body convulsed in Daichi's arms.
A sharp, pained gasp escaped her lips as Tsunade's stomach contorted next second, several long, jagged spikes of wood erupted from her right side—twisting, thorny tendrils of Wood Release that tore through her flesh and shot outward, spearing Daichi's torso.
Alarmed gasps escaped everyone present. Shizune staggered back, nearly losing balance.
"Tsunade—!" Jiraiya cried, eyes wide in alarm.
The wooden spikes protruded from Tsunade's body were angled to skewer Daichi. They slammed into his chest, but to everyone's surprise, they did not pierce him, instead crumpling against his body as though striking an unyielding barrier.
Daichi flinched, letting out a pained grunt, but did not let go of Tsunade. 'All my passive defense skills are certainly doing their job.'
Daichi's heart was hammering in his chest, and his body was pulsing with adrenaline. Though the wood spikes left him unharmed, the sudden movement caused Tsunade's wounds to widen, blood seeping around the wooden protrusions. She groaned weakly, still unconscious but clearly in agony.
"Daichi! Are you alright?" Shizune cried out in horror, her hands moving instinctively to check him.
"I'm fine." Daichi's voice was firm and calm. "Lets focus on her."
Jiraiya and Kakashi rushed forward as Daichi set Tsunade down on the rocky ground. Everyone except Shizune and Daichi were stunned at the sudden emergence of the wooden spikes, but Daichi remained composed.
His hands glowed green as he quickly severed the wood tendrils from Tsunade's body, making sure they didn't grow further. He moved with precision, swiftly cauterizing the wounds left behind while using medical ninjutsu to slow the damage.
"She's mutating," Daichi muttered under his breath. 'Her cells are actively shifting. The more I heal her, the more her body resists. If I keep pushing at this rate, with this same type of treatment I'll do more harm than good. I need a new plan.'
"This… This is insane," Shizune said, trembling. She crouched at Tsunade's opposite side, pressing her own healing palm to Tsunade's collarbone, stabilizing her teacher's rising temperature.
Tobirama was silent as he looked at his brother's granddaughter. His fists clenched in anger as he saw the pain Tsunade was in.
Jiraiya was tense as he looked at his unconscious teammate. His throat went dry and he felt a sense of dread as he looked at her wounded body. "Daichi, what's happening to her?"
Daichi frowned. "The more I try to force her cells to repair themselves, the more they resist. They're rewriting themselves, and my healing jutsu is making them lash out." He winced as Tsunade's vitals spiked, the medical nin's senses reading chaotic fluctuations in her bloodstream.
Shizune clutched Tsunade's wrist, panic flickering in her eyes. "What do we do?"
Daichi took a deep breath, focusing his chakra. "I can numb the pain for now."
He placed a hand on Tsunade's forehead. "I'll dull her pain receptors so she won't suffer too much." A delicate swirl of pale-green chakra flowed from his palm into Tsunade's temples, subduing the neurological signals fueling her torment. Her body's jerky spasms lessened, though her labored breathing persisted.
Tobirama, standing close by, observed the process before turning to Daichi. "Can we teleport her in this state?" His voice was calm, but he asked with urgency.
Daichi shook his head firmly, sweat beading at his temples. "She's far too unstable. If we attempt a teleport, her body might not withstand the sudden shift. Shizune's been keeping her stable this entire time, but since she stopped, Tsunade's body began breaking down again. That triggered this outburst of Wood Release."
"Daichi, is there nothing you can do?" Kakashi asked as he looked at his student.
"If we move her now, the instability in her body could worsen… I need to stabilize her vitals and boost her strength before we use that jutsu on her again." The young medic replied and the disguised Second Hokage nodded.
Jiraiya clenched his fists in silent fury as he looked at the unconscious Senju. 'Damn it. I feel so helpless.'
But as his gaze drifted to the young Genin, he remembered the moment Tsunade took him under her wing. 'You trained one hell of a student, Tsunade. It's because of him, we're here…'
The anger in Jiraiya slowly dissipated and a small shred of hope bloomed. 'Come on Daichi, I know you can pull another miracle out of your hat… You have to.'
Just as Jiraiya was about to speak, an echoing boom from some distance away rattled the ground beneath their feet. An ominous wind gust battered them, carrying faint plumes of smoke. "Something's coming," Kakashi warned everyone.
Tobirama and Jiraiya's eyes immediately snapped to the distance, their battle-honed instincts kicking in.
Something massive was coming.
—--------------
Author's Note:-
Sorry about the near two week delay. I caught a nasty flu and was on bed rest. But now I'm back.
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