Without warning, the earth beneath Naruto's feet burst open.
A deathly pale human face surged up, attached to a long, serpentine body that coiled around Naruto in an instant.
Orochimaru's face was inches away; his venomous fangs plunged straight into Naruto's neck.
"Here's a gift!"
Pfft.
But there was no sensation of piercing flesh.
With a soft pop, the bitten Naruto dissolved into white smoke.
Another Shadow Clone?!
Orochimaru's pupils shrank, annoyance flashing across his eyes.
When did the brat swap places with the original?
On a branch not far away, the real Naruto appeared, silently praising his own caution.
As expected, monsters like him don't die easy; their survival tricks never end.
If I'd let my guard down even slightly, I'd already be caught.
Having missed his strike, Orochimaru didn't press the attack on the Naruto atop the tree.
His cold, serpent eyes swiveled toward the base of a nearby tree, where Sasuke lay exhausted and unconscious.
Since I can't catch that slippery fox…
Orochimaru's elongated neck twisted grotesquely in mid-air, then shot toward Sasuke like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Then I'll claim the Uchiha body first.
Tch.
Naruto, perched on the branch, scowled. Cheap move.
He knew full well a Shadow Clone's defenses were paper-thin and couldn't handle the strain of high-level Breathing Techniques.
It wouldn't withstand even a casual blow from someone of Orochimaru's caliber.
To save Sasuke, he'd have to go himself.
In a split second, Naruto weighed the pros and cons.
If he did nothing, apart from losing a B-rank reward and all the mental-strength growth he'd accumulated, the bond he shared with Sasuke would be shattered.
No way. I have to save him. I won't let him die here!
"Water Breathing – Total Concentration!"
"Body Flicker Technique!"
Air cracked like a whip.
At the last possible instant, Naruto slammed himself between Sasuke and Orochimaru.
"Stop right there!"
Empowered by muscle and breath, Naruto seized Orochimaru's gaping upper and lower jaws.
The impact carved two furrows in the ground beneath his feet.
He slid several meters before finally halting.
"Heh… you came after all, Naruto-kun."
The pinned Orochimaru smiled eerily.
A sudden change.
Inside the open mouth, the throat rippled.
A tiny, all-white snake shot out like lightning.
At such close range and speed, even Naruto couldn't react.
Thud!
The white snake sank its fangs into the side of Naruto's neck.
Cold, malevolent Chakra and a Jutsu Seal poured into his veins.
Drip… drip…
Within a dark, dank sewer of the mind.
So this is the Nine-Tails container's inner world… gloomy.
A will-avatar of Orochimaru rose from the puddled floor.
Glancing around, his greedy gaze fixed on the huge cage down the corridor.
I can't use him as a spare body, but…
"Oh? A consciousness fragment?"
A cool voice cut short his musings.
"Did you split off a shard of your soul, or is this some technique-made copy?"
Orochimaru spun.
Naruto's mental form stood nearby, still, radiating an icy presence.
"You actually sensed me…"
Orochimaru licked his lips, surprise flicking into amusement.
"Heh, Naruto-kun, your mental defenses seem rather lax."
His body began shifting, trying to assimilate the space.
Thanks to the Nine-Tails, he couldn't steal the body, but subtle brainwashing was still possible.
"Since I'm in, I'll be taking—"
"How arrogant."
Naruto shook his head. Outside I'd have trouble dealing with you.
But since you've stepped into my mind, don't blame me…
"What?"
Orochimaru frowned, instinct screaming that something was wrong.
He turned into black mist and lunged.
Clank-clank-clank!
Three golden chains burst from Naruto's back, binding the mist tight.
"This is… Adamantine Sealing Chains?!"
Forced back into human shape, Orochimaru stared in shock.
"You've actually awakened the Uzumaki blood's—"
"Thanks to you."
If Orochimaru hadn't pushed Sasuke's Sharingan to three tomoe, flooding Naruto with Yin Release Chakra, he couldn't have unlocked this power.
Damn it… I can't move!
Orochimaru's consciousness struggled, but the chains even siphoned his Chakra.
The more he fought, the tighter they squeezed.
Fine…
His eyes hardened; he chose to sacrifice this fragment to escape.
"Trying to run?"
Naruto smiled. "Since you're here, stay."
A translucent chain shot out of his body.
Unlike the physical Adamantine Sealing Chains, this one ignored every defense of Orochimaru's mind-form and speared his abdomen.
[A-Rank reward – Makima's Nine Chains]
"Aaaaargh!"
Orochimaru's consciousness screamed.
In the forest.
The triumph on Orochimaru's face drained to paper-white.
He yanked back the white snake.
A new body crawled out of his mouth; clutching his chest, he panted.
Disbelief and confusion twisted his features.
In that instant, he'd clearly felt the soul fragment he'd injected into Naruto… severed.
No—worse than severed.
The shard hadn't dispersed; something terrifying had captured and corrupted it.
Even worse, resonance kicked in.
As that fragment came under Naruto's control, an absurd, irresistible emotion surged from deep within Orochimaru.
Looking at Naruto kneeling nearby, every intention to kill, subjugate, or steal his body flipped.
Now he felt only: Follow him. Submit to him.
"Wh-what joke is this?!"
Orochimaru clawed at his own hair, his face contorted.
His features warped between rapture and horror.
Am I under genjutsu? No—my soul! What did the brat do?!
Across from him.
Naruto knelt on one knee, hand pressed to the bite on his neck.
Three black tomoe flamed outward, trying to spread and devour his will and flesh.
Quiet… down!
A golden seal flared around the curse.
A net of golden chains forced the rampaging Cursed Seal of Heaven back into a small patch on his neck.
It settled as a tame, tattoo-like mark.
Naruto lifted his head; pain vanished from his eyes, replaced by clarity.
The sight pushed Orochimaru's dissonance to its peak.
Reason screamed: This boy is lethal—kill him now!
Instinct howled: He is your light, your master, your purpose!
The mental tearing, coupled with massive Chakra loss, crushed his will to fight.
"Uzumaki… Naruto…"
Biting back the urge to kneel, Orochimaru rasped, his voice hoarse and trembling.
"You… are impressive."
"The blood of the Uzumaki… the Nine-Tails container… and this soul-dominating terror…"
"Naruto-kun, don't you wish to know who shaped you?"
"Your parents, your past, the very truth of this world…"
"If you want those answers… come find me."
With that parting invitation—half lure, half face-saving exit—
Orochimaru didn't dare look at Naruto again.
He melted into the ground and fled, utterly routed.
He had to find somewhere—anywhere—to figure out what had just happened to his soul.