"Finally, we've arrived," Hidan grumbled. After several days of travel, the group had finally reached Orochimaru's northern base.
"Orochimaru, your base is way too remote," Hidan complained.
The northern base was located on a small, uninhabited island in the middle of the sea between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning. It was one of the most isolated places imaginable.
"That child is not only extremely dangerous but also an invaluable treasure. Naturally, I must ensure he's well-protected," Orochimaru replied.
The four entered the base through its gates, and the first sight that greeted them was row upon row of cells, filled with prisoners and experimental subjects.
Most of the experimental subjects in this base were those who had undergone testing with the Cursed Seal. Their appearances were grotesque, and their personalities had become violent and erratic due to the influence of the seal. However, upon seeing Orochimaru, they all instantly quieted down, like mice encountering a cat.
"Hey! You there! How dare you glare at me like that!"
"Do you want to worship Jashin too?" Hidan shouted as he walked, clearly annoyed by the experimental subjects' covetous stares.
"Shut up, Hidan!"
"Keep quiet!" Kakuzu snapped, irritated by Hidan's incessant noise.
"Hmph!" Hidan snorted in dissatisfaction, hoisting his scythe over his shoulder as he trailed behind the group.
"Alright, we're here," Orochimaru announced, stopping in front of a heavily secured door with dual locks.
As soon as the door opened, a man with orange hair, his body covered in black Cursed Seals, burst out, laughing maniacally.
"Kill! Kill! I'll kill you all!"
He threw a punch at Orochimaru's waist. The blow bent Orochimaru's body into an unnatural shape, but he remained unharmed. Orochimaru's neck elongated, and he sank his fangs into Jugo's neck.
Soon, as Orochimaru absorbed the Sage Chakra from Jugo's body, Jugo reverted from his Cursed Seal state, regaining his sanity.
"Orochimaru?" Jugo looked at him. Unlike the others, Jugo didn't consider himself one of Orochimaru's subordinates. The only reason he stayed here was because of Kimimaro.
"Kimimaro didn't come?" he asked curiously. When not in a berserk state, Jugo was quite gentle.
"His condition has worsened, so he didn't come this time," Orochimaru replied.
"I see..." Concern flashed across Jugo's face, but he didn't press further, knowing there was nothing he could do to help.
"This time, I'm here to borrow the power of the Cursed Seal from you," Orochimaru said, looking at Jugo.
"I don't care about that. Honestly, I don't even want this thing. If you can take it away, take it all," Jugo said as he returned to his cell and crouched in a corner.
"Then let's begin," Orochimaru said, biting Jugo once again and continuously extracting Sage Chakra from his body.
As the Sage Chakra was drawn out, Jugo visibly weakened.
"That's enough for today. Now, which of you will be the first to receive the Cursed Seal?" Orochimaru asked, his neck twisting 180 degrees to look at Kakuzu and Hidan behind him.
Both of them froze, their faces blank.
Damn it!
This is worse than fighting the Raikage! Letting this creepy guy bite my neck... Maybe I should just destroy this whole place!
"Hidan, you go first," Kakuzu said, kicking Hidan forward.
"Hey! Why me?!" Hidan stumbled a few steps, then turned back to glare at Kakuzu.
But Orochimaru wasn't in the mood to waste time. He sank his fangs into Hidan's neck, injecting Sage Chakra continuously.
"I... Ugh! Ugh! I'm done for," Hidan groaned, collapsing to the ground. His body began to swell irregularly, accompanied by overload-induced explosions.
If it were anyone else, they would have died countless times already. But Hidan, being immortal, managed to endure.
"Hehehe," Orochimaru licked his lips. "What an interesting physique. He can forcibly withstand the full power of the Cursed Seal through this method."
"No! Perhaps this physique exists solely for the Cursed Seal."
Ordinary people couldn't handle the Cursed Seal because Sage Chakra was too domineering. Even a small amount could kill a person.
Even the Sage training from the Three Great Sacred Lands was fraught with danger.
But Hidan was different. His immortality allowed him to completely negate the Cursed Seal's side effects.
After about half an hour, the violent effects of the Cursed Seal began to subside. Hidan got up from the ground, jumping around excitedly with a grin on his face.
"This feels amazing! I've gotten so much stronger! I feel invincible now!"
His body had entered the Cursed Seal's second state, turning an earthy color. Wings had sprouted from his back, and his aura had significantly intensified.
"Let's test it out in the training field," Orochimaru suggested, leading the group there.
Once they arrived, Hidan couldn't wait to rush to the center. Holding his scythe in one hand, he arrogantly pointed at Deidara and the other two.
"You three, come at me together!"
"How arrogant," Orochimaru chuckled coldly, showing no intention of intervening.
Deidara glanced at Kakuzu. "Kakuzu, why don't you go? You know my abilities aren't suited for sparring."
"Hmph!" Kakuzu grunted in annoyance but was secretly eager to fight. After all, he was also set to receive the Cursed Seal, so he was itching to test its power.
"Kakuzu, are you coming?"
"Fine. Let me beat you to a pulp!" Hidan charged forward, scythe in hand, his wings flapping to give him a significant speed boost.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing echoed as Kakuzu's right arm, hardened with the Hardening Technique, collided with Hidan's scythe.
The speed and strength... Kakuzu smirked beneath his mask, clearly impressed. There was no doubt that Hidan had been greatly enhanced, leaving Kakuzu quite satisfied.
Foregoing ninjutsu, Kakuzu relied solely on the Hardening Technique to engage Hidan in a taijutsu battle. After all, Hidan didn't use ninjutsu, so it wouldn't make sense for Kakuzu to use it in a test.
The two exchanged blows for several minutes. Gradually, Kakuzu began to falter—not because his stamina was depleting but because Hidan was becoming more accustomed to his new body and growing stronger.
"That's enough," Kakuzu said, stepping back to distance himself from Hidan.
"Tch!" Hidan clicked his tongue in annoyance. He had been thoroughly enjoying himself.
On the sidelines, Deidara nodded in acknowledgment. In his second Cursed Seal state, Hidan's taijutsu alone had reached the level of an average Kage. Though he was at the bottom of the Kage tier, combined with his immortality and Jashin rituals, he could now be considered a truly formidable opponent.
"The Cursed Seal's enhancement to the body is only part of it. It also strengthens the host's chakra," Orochimaru explained.
"Hidan doesn't use ninjutsu, so that aspect isn't apparent."
"Well, I look forward to seeing what Kakuzu can do," Deidara said.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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