"Beep beep beep…"
The instruments whirred to life. Orochimaru's gaze stayed fixed, intently monitoring the chakra fluctuations in both the boa constrictor and Hidan.
He was deeply intrigued by Hidan's technique—Death Controlling Blood. As a true connoisseur of ninjutsu, there wasn't a single technique Orochimaru didn't want to master. But even with his encyclopedic knowledge and peerless expertise, he had to admit—some techniques in the ninja world were simply beyond him.
It wasn't a matter of execution—it was that some techniques couldn't be learned at all.
Bloodline limits aside, there were also unique forbidden jutsu like the Spirit Transformation Technique, or clan-specific techniques like the Nara clan's Shadow Possession Jutsu—which didn't even require basic hand signs to use.
The control required was immense, and though Orochimaru coveted such power, he knew: even if he bypassed the Nara clan's secrecy, mastering the technique would still be nearly impossible.
His strength was in comprehension. In understanding ninjutsu as an art. But these were different—these couldn't be broken down into the standard "Twelve Basic Hand Seals." They transcended learned structure. They operated on instinct, intuition…
Feel.
That alone made him want to scream.
But something the Lamp Spirit once told him echoed in his mind:
"There were no hand signs in the original ninja arts. The 'Twelve Basic seals' were invented by Indra, son of the Sage of Six Paths, as a teaching tool. They're not absolute. If something can't be explained through them—create a better explanation."
"Tsk. That's what it means to stand on the shoulders of giants. Doesn't it feel simple?"
Yes, he was on the shoulders of giants. In the modern ninja world, few could claim the same mastery of jutsu as he did. But that was also the problem.
Indra created the system after understanding the raw essence of ninjutsu. Orochimaru, by contrast, was trying to reverse-engineer things beyond his current capabilities.
The difference between explaining something you've already mastered… and trying to explain what you don't yet understand… was massive.
For now, this meant setting aside direct analysis of "Death Controlling Blood" and instead focusing on observation.
---
"..."
Hidan had finished the ritual. He stood in his circle, his body marked with black and white. Laughing maniacally, he declared:
"Now I'll show you the power of the evil god!"
"Wait—don't be hasty." Orochimaru licked his lips.
Just as he expected, Death Controlling Blood seemed to fall under Yin Release—a jutsu that shaped reality from nothingness. The chakra signatures of Hidan and the snake were slowly syncing, converging into nearly identical waveforms on the monitors.
Interestingly, Hidan wasn't assimilating the snake's chakra. He was approaching it—like he was tuning himself to match it.
With multiple hypotheses racing through his mind, Orochimaru nodded, "Alright. Proceed."
"You're really slow…" Hidan grumbled and slashed his thigh with a kunai.
The python hissed in pain. A wound, identical in size and location, appeared on its own body.
"…Fascinating."
Orochimaru observed the exact moment Hidan inflicted the wound—and the boa responded with mirrored damage. A strange synchronicity of chakra.
"Could this be… genjutsu?"
Theoretically, that was plausible. But genjutsu worked by disturbing the chakra flow within an enemy's nervous system, mostly the brain. This technique didn't follow any of those patterns. The snake clearly wasn't mentally manipulated.
As Orochimaru mused, Hidan continued. He stabbed himself over and over, leaving only minor marks on his own body, but the python was rapidly deteriorating—on the verge of death.
"Tch. Snakes don't scream well," Hidan muttered, bored. He pressed a hand to his chest and gave the serpent one final strike, putting it out of its misery.
Then he turned to Orochimaru, grinning maliciously.
That smile was met with a strange one of Orochimaru's own.
"…Wanna try it?"
"Huh?" Hidan blinked.
Orochimaru took a kunai, sliced a shallow cut into his own arm, and tossed the bloodstained weapon toward Hidan.
Hidan caught it, staring in disbelief. "…What are you playing at?"
"You saw it. I want to experience the power of Evil God myself," Orochimaru said, eyes shining with anticipation.
Hidan hesitated—this was new. Who offered themselves up to test the ritual? But then his mood shifted. Maybe… just maybe… he had converted a new believer for the Evil God.
Beaming with zeal, he brought the blood to his lips, swallowed, and drew a new circle. As the black and white markings reappeared across his skin, he pointed the spike toward Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru! Feel the glory of Evil God"
To avoid serious injury, Hidan carefully targeted Orochimaru's left arm.
As he drove the spike into his own body, Orochimaru felt it—a foreign force twisted the chakra within him, warping its flow. A wound identical to Hidan's appeared on his arm.
"Even I'm not immune…"
The injury stung, but Orochimaru's face only lit up with further excitement. A glow of green chakra pulsed from his palm, healing the wound in seconds.
"You've got some skill," Hidan admitted. "In the Land of Hot Water, I've never seen a healer that good."
"It's nothing."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed as he scanned Hidan up and down. "So, this jutsu… does it require standing in the ritual circle? Could you use it lying down? What if you're unconscious—would it still work?"
"No special pose needed. But I've never tried while unconscious," Hidan said warily. "If I'm using it, I'm already in control of the fight."
"…Interesting. I'm just trying to fully understand your god's power."
Orochimaru gave a grin and casually unsealed a scroll—revealing tools and equipment used in first-generation cell transplant experiments.
"You're okay with that… aren't you?"
_____________________
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