Several visible arcs of electric current zipped across the ground, racing rapidly toward the unsuspecting ninjas. The electricity surged through their bodies, instantly electrocuting them to death.
Naruto and Sai landed on the ground.
"Seventeen taken out, Maki!" Naruto called out. "You can come out now, it's safe."
Maki stepped out from behind the trees, walking toward the dead attackers with dissatisfaction on her face.
"You overdid it, Senior Naruto," she said with a pout. "I put in a lot of effort to get them to kill each other, yet you just killed them all directly."
Naruto shook his head and checked their bodies to confirm they were dead.
"Shouldn't we continue our journey already, Senior Naruto?" Sai said as he prepared to summon some birds to carry them away.
"Let me say it again—we have to cross through the Land of Fire to reach the eastern coast. I did this to prevent anyone from tracking us. We'll talk about it once we reach the coast..."
As the group continued forward, Maki suddenly asked:
"Oh right, Senior Naruto, where exactly do you plan on taking us? Is there anything special about the coastline?"
Naruto nodded.
"That's right. We're heading for the Land of Waves. Sai doesn't currently have enough Chakra to transport us directly across the sea," his brow furrowed. "Maybe I should contact the Toad Sage at Mount Myoboku and ask him about Kiri."
Sai shivered involuntarily at the memory.
"Do we have to leap off skyscrapers into whirlpools again? Or fight against massive statues? Are we going to battle members of Akatsuki again too?" he asked.
"Ugh, I really hope not..."
Maki raised one curious eyebrow.
"Are you really planning to show me your hometown? Seriously?"
Naruto nodded.
******
Sasuke stood atop Orochimaru's serpent corpse, covered in blood, and released the second stage of the Cursed Seal.
"Too easy," he murmured to himself. "I should go find Suigetsu now..." He turned to leave when a sharp pain shot through him, doubling him over. A strange new power was surging through his body.
"Finally feeling the effects, are you?" Orochimaru's voice echoed once more as his body began regenerating itself. "Even the air is laced with White Snake poisons."
Only now did Sasuke notice the pool of blood beneath him emitting a nauseating stench.
"I possess an Immortal Body, boy. You cannot kill me... Now, you belong to me!" With that, he lunged at Sasuke, swallowing him whole. At that moment, Sasuke activated his Sharingan.
To his surprise, he hadn't been swallowed into Orochimaru's stomach but instead found himself in a bizarre space—endless, fleshy walls stretched in all directions, and the ground beneath his feet felt like raw meat.
"What place is this?"
"My inner sanctum," Orochimaru's voice came from within the flesh walls. "This is also where I perform soul transference. The transference ritual has already begun."
Countless snakes erupted from the fleshy walls, coiling tightly around Sasuke's body. Looking around, he saw countless corpses scattered across the endless expanse.
Seeing Sasuke about to be completely swallowed, Orochimaru laughed smugly as his ritual created a fleshy cocoon.
Yet Sasuke remained calm. He activated the Sharingan, locking eyes sharply with Orochimaru. He realized he was caught in a genjutsu.
"Again... just like last time," he thought. As soon as Orochimaru began imagining taking over Sasuke's body, he grew ecstatic and burst into wild laughter.
"That Sharingan... that Sharingan belongs to me!"
He took a step toward Sasuke, ready to initiate the body transfer ritual.
Just then, Sasuke suddenly tore free from his bindings. His face remained unreadable.
"This is impossible! This space I created—how could you possibly break free?!" Orochimaru shouted.
"Orochimaru," Sasuke cut him off coldly, "my eyes and your ninjutsu..."
"You already know what happens next, don't you? After all, you've experienced it before." The entire space shook violently. Even Orochimaru felt his own body beginning to decompose.
This won't happen! I won't die here! I am Orochimaru! I cannot die! I am destined to unravel all mysteries of the world and control everything!" he roared at Sasuke, and the whole space plunged into darkness.
******
The room grew quiet again. A few seconds later, Suigetsu cautiously peeked inside and saw Sasuke standing over Orochimaru's corpse.
"Uh, man... is it over?"
Sasuke didn't answer him. Seeing Suigetsu's shaken look, he didn't press further. He stepped into the room, muttering under his breath,
"Well then, looks like it's done."
With that, he stepped over Orochimaru's body.
Kabuto stood frozen in the doorway. When he saw the scene inside, he froze instantly. Suigetsu found Kabuto's shock amusing, and as they walked out together side by side, he couldn't help but ask,
"Just who exactly are you anyway?"
Sasuke and Suigetsu both halted and turned, smirking in unison.
"What do you think?" Sasuke said. Then he activated the Sharingan, trapping Kabuto in a genjutsu that replayed the battle in real-time.
Kabuto staggered back in terror.
"Orochimaru is dead," he stared fixatedly at Sasuke. "No, actually..."
"I killed him. I've taken his place." Sasuke finished for him, then continued walking away with Suigetsu.
Suigetsu had initially wanted to kill Kabuto—he'd been trapped in that jar for so long because of him—but after thinking it through, he realized Kabuto was just a coward—strong only under someone else's protection. Without Orochimaru, he'd soon be hunted down by his enemies.
Thinking of this, he asked Sasuke,
"So what now? Where do we go?"
"We still need two people," Sasuke answered. "Jugo in the north, and Karin in the south."
"What?" Suigetsu complained. "Do we really have to bring them along? I can't stand those two. We don't get along."
Sasuke smirked coolly and narrowed his eyes.
"I just need you to follow my orders. I'm not expecting you all to get along."
Suigetsu gave an exaggerated eye-roll.
"Fine, if you're going to be like that, I'll go along with it—reluctantly. But why did you even bring them? You already know what kind of people they are, don't you?"
"Because they're obedient," Sasuke said flatly. "Unlike *some* people."
Suigetsu smirked and vanished, reappearing behind Sasuke to ruffle his hair playfully.
"Alright then, boss. Let me make one thing clear—you victory over Orochimaru wasn't about strength. His body was in really bad shape at the time, and you caught him at a weak moment. Under normal conditions, you probably wouldn't stand a chance."
"What are you trying to say?" Sasuke asked impatiently.
Seeing how little Sasuke seemed to care about his own predicament, Suigetsu chuckled.
"Haha, I'm just messing with you. Don't take it too seriously. But seriously, your performance back there was impressive. So those rumors actually hold up."
He walked away from Sasuke.
"I've heard your name for a long time. I heard your team took down my senior, Zabuza. But before we go looking for the others, though, mind if we make a quick detour? I want to check something out."
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