"The last move... it has something to do with natural energy?"
Orochimaru didn't feel excited—instead, he felt a faint sense of dread.
The genie's tone now was like a cruel child who had just found a new toy.
And unfortunately, his body was that toy.
Human joys and sorrows don't really connect—but the genie was definitely amused.
"Water Breathing: Constant Total Concentration" was the basic requirement to become a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps.
The genie had thought that with Orochimaru's body, there was no way he could handle the constant state right away. Even if he forced it out, at the very least he should've burst seven or eight blood vessels.
Then, the genie could've pushed him harder to study the First Hokage's cells and find ways to strengthen his body.
But instead, Orochimaru's body not only held out—it still had power to spare.
Was the genie wrong in his judgment?
No, Orochimaru's body at this point was definitely weaker than Kamado Tanjiro's when he had first managed "Constant Total Concentration."
The Genie was very sure of this.
His vision was different from normal people. Even the strongest eye techniques in the ninja world, the Kekkei Genkai like the Tenseigan or Rinnegan, couldn't see more than he did.
As for why he misjudged things, The Genie had a guess—it was probably because the two worlds were different.
The Demon Slayer world was barren, and natural energy there was too dull.
In the Demon Slayer Corps, even reaching the level of a Hashira meant fighting only with physical strength. Using breathing techniques at full power could even shorten one's lifespan.
Only Tanjiro was naturally transparent. After entering the Demon Slayer Mark state, he could use natural energy efficiently, almost like a perpetual motion machine, swinging his sword endlessly.
But in the ninja world, things were different.
Natural energy here was rich, and ninja bodies were special. After thousands of years of blending between clans, more or less everyone had some trace of Otsutsuki blood. Those with high affinity could even master Senjutsu.
In other words, while only a very small number could truly use Senjutsu, maybe ninja bodies unconsciously absorbed and released natural energy on their own.
Perhaps it was this energy that made him misjudge Orochimaru's endurance.
Whether that was true or not, The Genie held on to the belief that "experiments are the only way to test the truth." He ignored Orochimaru's cries in his mind and decisively started the attempt.
The Demon Slayer Mark was the ultimate form of Total Concentration Breathing, and in the ninja world, those who could truly handle natural energy were one in a million.
Right now Orochimaru might have that potential, so of course The Genie had to help him.
All of this was for Orochimaru's own good!
Orochimaru, however, suddenly felt a huge sense of danger. Sweat dripped from his forehead, sliding down his face under gravity.
Part of it was his restless mind, but another reason was his rising body temperature.
At that moment The Genie had stopped swinging sword techniques, but Total Concentration Breathing hadn't paused for even a second.
Orochimaru felt his heartbeat speeding up like a pump forcing blood in and out of his body. His eyes turned bloodshot until they were red, his whole body burned like fire, and his mind began to fade.
"The Genie," Orochimaru shouted inside, "if this keeps going, I'll die! I'll die!"
"No, no, you won't. I'm confident."
"You swear? You dare swear?" Orochimaru no longer trusted The Genie. He only trusted the danger sense he had sharpened through countless battles.
The Genie's thought wavered, "Uh… I'm eighty percent sure."
This bastard, arghhh…
In life-and-death moments, most people couldn't stay calm, but Orochimaru managed to hold back his emotions and think clearly. This was the mental strength he had trained through countless crises.
But if this danger was caused by someone else's whim, even one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha would end up cursing.
At that moment, The Genie realized this clearly, so he said, "Alright, I'll give you back control of your body. You handle the breathing technique yourself, since you just learned it anyway."
So this damned experiment wasn't stopping after all, damn it.
Orochimaru vented for a second, then thought, "Better to risk my own life than let someone else toy me to death." He agreed immediately.
The Genie cleanly released control, and Orochimaru took over the breathing without missing a beat.
Once he did, the progress of opening the Madara Mark sped up instantly.
The Genie nodded with relief. He could forcefully copy and use abilities, but since hosts all had different conditions, it was always better for them to use the power with their own bodies.
…
"Orochimaru-sama, what's happening to him?"
By the shore, Guy nudged Kakashi, who was staring intently, and pointed at the raging super-Saiyan-like snake on the lake. "He looks kind of like me when I use the Eight Gates."
Kakashi gave a hum of agreement, adjusted his forehead protector, and locked his Three-Tomoe Sharingan on Orochimaru.
Then he noticed strange markings appearing on Orochimaru's face.
"What's that?"
…
The Genie also saw the change on Orochimaru's forehead and exclaimed with joy, "It worked, yes!"
As expected, Orochimaru's talent wasn't fake. He thought it would take more tries to break through that barrier.
The Genie raised his thumb, ready to praise him. But Orochimaru's head slumped, and he collapsed into the lake, completely unconscious.
The worst part was, his body was still running Total Concentration Breathing on its own, and the just-activated Madara Mark acted like a death sentence, forcing too much natural energy into him.
The Genie had no time to wonder what had just happened. It dove straight into Orochimaru's body, stepped back onto the lake's surface, and unleashed the technique it had been charging up.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
The blade sliced through the air with a terrifying wail. The sharp force split the lake in two, sending water on both sides cascading down like waterfalls into the deep trench.
"Impressive… such a powerful strike."
The Genie couldn't help but marvel. In the Demon Slayer world, even Tanjiro's strongest attack at full power would barely match this.
Looking down at the lake, the markings on Orochimaru's forehead faded away like receding waves.
But if he wanted, he could enter Demon Slayer Mark's Marked Mode again at any time.
Clearly, this body had not only mastered but adapted to the markings—whether you called them Demon Slayer's marks or Orochimaru's serpent marks.
The Genie couldn't figure it out. "We succeeded… so why did his consciousness pass out instead?"
At that moment, a heavy wave of exhaustion hit. Orochimaru's body had clearly reached its limit, craving rest just like his mind. He only managed to stay standing because The Genie was forcing him to.
"Forget it. I'll wait until he wakes up."
The Genie released control, and Orochimaru collapsed onto the lake's surface. Luckily, his body was light enough to float face up, avoiding the risk of drowning.
Splash… splash…
The massive gash on the lake began to close, and water surged back into the trench with a roar.
Just as The Genie prepared to move Orochimaru's body to escape, two figures sped across the water, one after the other.
It was Kakashi and Guy.
They picked up Orochimaru without a word and rushed toward the shore.
"So it's those two."
The Genie rubbed its chin. "That means they saw the whole training session just now."