c130: Don't Touch Me
"Did it just… speak?"
Orochimaru leapt toward Uchiha Gen, golden eyes wide, his voice filled with the childlike wonder of a scientist stumbling upon a new specimen.
A sword a sword had spoken. With clear will, tone, and autonomy.
What sort of principle…?
"Wusheng, no need to hide."
At Gen's words, the silver-white Kusanagi blade shimmered slightly. A faint ripple passed over the metal, and miniature facial features slowly surfaced just beneath the hilt.
"Fascinating…" Orochimaru muttered, crouching low to examine it. "Miniaturized facial structure… consciousness… it's alive. How did you bind a soul to a construct of steel?"
Uchiha Gen remained calm. "My new bloodline limit grants souls to dead objects, effectively animating them."
He didn't plan to hide it. Homitz and Zhu Rong would both be used on the battlefield soon anyway. Better to reveal the foundation now and control the narrative.
"Giving souls to dead matter?" Orochimaru repeated, intrigued. "That's not even transmutation... That's beyond the Yin-Yang Release theories we know."
"Exactly."
"Can it be used on corpses?"
"No. It fails every time with biological remains. The reanimation is unstable. Corpses are already stained with biological memory, I can't overwrite that."
"Any inanimate object, though?"
"In theory, yes. So long as it's void of residual chakra or soul fragments."
Orochimaru stroked his chin, murmuring, "This potential… If refined, it may surpass conventional puppetry, even Sasori's human puppet arts."
"More than that," Gen added, "I can also absorb enemy souls purify and reshape them into functional spirits."
"Wait," Orochimaru blinked. "If that's true… you're severing them permanently from the Pure Land?"
Gen nodded.
"That's monstrous," Orochimaru said softly, though there was no disgust in his tone only awe.
"Maybe. But who can say what the Pure Land really is?" Gen's voice dropped to a philosophical murmur. "Heaven? Oblivion? I don't believe it's all peace and light."
He looked ahead, eyes narrowing.
"Some souls don't deserve peace."
Orochimaru smirked. "Your mentality is brutal. No wonder you developed a power like this."
In another world, this boy might have been a perfect weapon of the Foundation…
"Just being realistic," Gen replied, shrugging.
"No judgment here. I'm planning to learn Edo Tensei soon. I'll figure out the truth of the Pure Land firsthand."
"Best of luck," Gen said dryly.
Then Orochimaru's tone shifted subtle, smooth, and deceptively friendly.
"Gen... how do you think your teacher has treated you?"
That tone… it instantly reminded Gen of how people in his previous life sounded right before asking to borrow money.
Still, Gen didn't hesitate.
He answered honestly. "Honestly? Pretty well."
He looked over. "I might've gotten here on my own eventually, but you smoothed the road and opened the doors. That matters."
Orochimaru's face softened just slightly.
Even he, infamous for betrayal, despised ungratefulness. Perhaps that's why he'd clashed so deeply with Hiruzen. Or why he'd one day have such a twisted relationship with Kabuto and Mitsuki.
Obito, though that boy had no gratitude for anyone. Kushina had treated him kindly, and yet…
"Well said," Orochimaru murmured. "Then…"
He extended a hand. "Give me some of your cells."
There it was.
Gen deadpanned. "…"
He knew it. The warm tone was a setup.
Orochimaru chuckled. "Such an intriguing kekkei genkai shouldn't go unstudied."
"Fine," Gen muttered. "But since we're already giving, I'll donate more. You're researching cloning, aren't you?"
"I am," Orochimaru said, expression sharpening with enthusiasm. "Self-replication, body preservation, consciousness transfer there's immense potential in replicating a host body from scratch."
"Then I'll donate a batch when we get to the lab," Gen said, already resigning himself.
"Oh and about my kekkei genkai," Gen added. "Eventually, others will find out. I'll just say it awakened with your help."
"I don't mind," Orochimaru said easily. "A mutually beneficial narrative."
With that settled, Orochimaru glanced at the sun, now piercing through the early mist.
"We've wasted too much time. We should accelerate."
Gen smirked.
"I have an idea."
He formed a hand seal. "Zhu Rong."
A red light flashed. A small glowing orb appeared above his palm, then expanded rapidly. Within seconds, a massive red dragon with a serpentine body and ember-like scales took shape in mid-air at least ten meters long and glistening with heat.
Its presence radiated heat. The air shimmered around it.
Orochimaru's eyes lit up. "That's… not a typical summon."
"It's an elemental construct," Gen said, hopping up behind its horned head. "A pure chakra entity animated with a soul. My own creation."
"Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating." Orochimaru leapt onto the dragon's back, seating himself some distance behind.
He reached out with curiosity to stroke the creature's spine.
"Don't touch me or I'll burn your face off!" Zhu Rong snarled, nostrils flaring as it snorted twin puffs of flame.
"Zhu Rong," Gen said calmly, placing a hand on the dragon's brow. "He's my teacher. Be civil."
Zhu Rong's lip curled but said nothing more.
"Apologies," Gen said politely. "He's got a bad temper. Don't take it personally."
Orochimaru's lips curled into a half-smile. "I understand. My hands are cold, and my eyes… disturb most living creatures."
"Hmph!" Zhu Rong grumbled. "If he weren't your teacher, I'd roast him like a rat."
Gen glanced back. "Sensei, please stop looking at him like a test subject."
"I'll try," Orochimaru said, genuinely amused. "But he's… quite a specimen."
"Alright," Gen said. "Let's go."
Zhu Rong's crimson eyes gleamed. Without warning, the dragon dropped its floating hover and accelerated violently forward shooting through the sky like a flaming meteor.
"Whoa—!" Gen leaned back, grabbing the dragon's horn for balance.
Orochimaru, caught mid-shift, nearly flew off the back. Only his snake-like flexibility saved him he coiled around the dragon's body, anchoring himself just in time.
Had he fallen from this height several hundred meters, it wouldn't kill him, but it would've ruined his dignity.
"Zhu Rong! What was that?!"
"That was insane!" Gen shouted against the rushing wind.
The dragon pretended not to hear, eyes forward.
Orochimaru chuckled. "It's fine. A little prank."
This one's temperamental, he thought. A dangerous companion, but useful…
"If you act up again, I'll discipline you," Gen said, swatting the top of Zhu Rong's head.
The dragon grumbled but stopped pushing.
It tilted its head backward and gave a soft growl, rubbing up against Gen like a cat seeking approval.
Then, just as the sun began to crest over the mountains, golden light flooded the skies. The clouds turned crimson and gold, a rainbow arcing behind them. The air sparkled with early-morning frost catching sunlight.
Orochimaru and Gen both looked toward the horizon.
For a moment just one they said nothing.
Behind them, a crimson dragon carved a burning trail through the sky, flying straight into the rising sun.
It was a scene both majestic and surreal.
A sign that war was coming.
And that a new legend had taken flight.
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