Within the pitch-black sealed space of the Totsuka Blade.
Endless darkness, like thick, deep curtains, tightly enveloped Orochimaru's soul and thoughts. With his body sealed and even his five senses stripped away, he transitioned from initial rage to cold indifference, and finally into deep, pressing contemplation.
He knew he would be revived, not only through the series of backup plans he had left but also by his most capable and loyal subordinate—Kabuto Yakushi. The key was only a matter of time.
However, for Orochimaru, who had spent his life championing boundless power and eternal life, the current state—where he could no longer feel his former immense power, being reduced only to thought—was undoubtedly the greatest torment.
Unable to sense the passage of time, he did not know how long had passed.
After enduring the humiliation of being sealed by a younger successor, Orochimaru sank into profound reflection.
The decades of his life's experiences and memories replayed and flashed within his consciousness like a movie.
Once, twice... ten times, twenty times... even a hundred times...
The uncrowned king of the darkness couldn't help but ask himself a question: After sacrificing so much, giving up everything, was this path right or wrong???
In the continuous curtain of rain, he saw the beautiful figure weeping over a corpse, burying the feelings he had hidden for years deep within his soul!
Under the dark and gloomy night sky, he crossed swords with the dear friend he once laughed and joked with!
In the village of scattered leaves, he killed the elderly figure who had personally guided him onto the path of power!
...
Ancient memories continually touched the ice in his heart.
Orochimaru did not regret—or perhaps it's better to say he would not regret what had already happened—but faint sorrow, subtle emotion, and threads of regret uncontrollably lingered in the depths of his soul.
Left with only his thoughts, he couldn't help but mock himself: "Heh, how long has it been since I've had such a rich range of emotions? This place really will drive a person mad!
It's a pity I didn't have time to experiment with the technique that is even more powerful than immortality!
I was so curious about the power of that jutsu!"
As his thoughts intensely churned, invisible soul fluctuations gradually spread throughout the endless darkness.
Suddenly!
In the darkness of the Totsuka Blade sealing space, a soft white light abruptly flashed, like the first ray of dawn piercing the night. It was so completely out of place with the surrounding space, yet it offered boundless anticipation and hope.
In just a few moments, the speck of light expanded to the size of a person, taking the form of an oval, soft white halo, standing quietly before Orochimaru's soul.
Being a powerful force that once dominated an era, Orochimaru was not only deprived of his five senses, but his soul's perception ability had become stronger and more acute in this endless darkness. The sudden appearance and change of this light, like a visitor from outer space, naturally could not escape his notice.
However, before he could think further, an overwhelmingly powerful attractive force suddenly generated within the white halo.
Orochimaru's translucent, pale-blue soul body was irresistibly pulled into the halo.
Immediately afterward, the soft white halo instantaneously condensed to a single point, abruptly vanishing from the Totsuka Blade's sealed space as if it had never existed, leaving only the boundless darkness—silent, unchanging, and eternally present.
After entering the halo, his surroundings were a kaleidoscope of shifting light and shadow. After experiencing it for only a moment, Orochimaru felt his consciousness blur, and then he became completely senseless.
A somewhat harsh light appeared before his eyes, followed by a sensation of generalized, debilitating weakness. Orochimaru struggled to open his eyes, blinking a few times before he could clearly see the scene before him.
A snow-white ceiling, warm sunlight streaming in from the window on the left, and a faint smell of disinfectant wafted into his nasal cavity.
This is a hospital!
At this realization, Orochimaru frowned. Could this be the hospital in the Sound Village?
How could Kabuto manage this? To choose such a sensitive location for my revival!
...
A stream of chaotic thoughts swirled in his mind. Orochimaru struggled to turn his head and looked out the window through the wide-open, white curtains.
That single glance made his eyes widen in astonishment.
At the edge of his vision was the Hokage Rock, so familiar it couldn't be mistaken.
This is Konoha! How is that possible? What exactly is going on?
A chain of questions flooded Orochimaru's mind.
"Hoo—"
Taking a deep breath, Orochimaru quickly calmed down. Feeling his strength gradually return, he lifted his head, bracing himself to sit up from the hospital bed.
Suddenly, his gaze fell upon his own arms.
They were a pair of delicate, pale-white arms.
Stunned for a moment, Orochimaru's brows furrowed even tighter. He intensely disliked this feeling of things being out of his control. Damn it, why is this vessel so weak!
He picked up the half-full, steaming cup of water on the bedside table and took a shallow sip.
The moist liquid flowed into his mouth and body, and only then did Orochimaru feel much more comfortable.
The corner of his eye caught the mirror next to the cup, his pupils contracted slightly, and his body instantly turned to stone.
The person in the mirror had the face of a six or seven-year-old child, with a pale, sickly look on the small face. His demonic, dark-golden snake eyes were slightly narrowed due to intense surprise.
This was exactly what Orochimaru looked like when he was six or seven years old.
Snapping back to reality, Orochimaru's right hand slightly trembled as he picked up the mirror, holding it up to his face and examining it carefully.
Could it be... could it be that Kabuto didn't revive me, but rather... I was reborn?
As soon as this thought emerged, and comparing it with the Hokage Rock he had just seen, it became increasingly certain in Orochimaru's mind. A sudden, indescribable feeling welled up.
Now, if I get a second chance, should I still walk that path of alienating everyone?
Should I still give up everything?
All the events of his previous life and the questions of his current life surged into Orochimaru's heart.
There was bitterness, pain, helplessness, and regret...
Leaning against the bed, holding the mirror in both hands, Orochimaru was like a gambler who had lost all his savings, only to have his stake returned to him in an instant, giving him a chance to start over. For a moment, he was overwhelmed with mixed emotions: Was it joy, sorrow, or despondency?
He didn't know!
Intense emotions, as if a volcano had suddenly erupted, surged in his long-dormant heart. He tilted his head back and let out a childish, hoarse roar: "Ah—"
Tears, clear and glistening, unconsciously rolled down his pale cheeks and into his lips—they tasted very, very bitter.
"Ah, woo-woo, ah—"
What flowed were not just tears, but the bitterness and sorrow of decades of misunderstanding and alienation in his previous life, and the deep-seated solitude and world-weariness in the depths of his heart that he couldn't dissolve.
The weeping gradually subsided!
The confusion in his eyes was washed away by the tears. He licked his lips, leaving only a hint of an arrogant, superior smile at the corner of his mouth—a smile at how right and wrong, success and failure turn to naught, and a smile at the chance to start over!
With a young body and a mature soul, an unprecedented determination radiated from Orochimaru's eyes.
I have drunk the sorrow and world-weariness, mixed with tears!
I shall be reborn from the endless darkness, rising like a phoenix from the ashes!
As the tears flowed, his state of mind gradually became calm and open. With clear and determined eyes, Orochimaru quickly began to make plans.
First, he needed to figure out exactly what period this is!
Just then, "Knock, knock, knock—" A hurried knocking sound came from the door.
Orochimaru looked toward the entrance, and a familiar, yet somehow unfamiliar, figure walked in.
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