"How could you possibly do this?!" Orochimaru snarled, his serpentine voice low and furious.
The trump card hidden in his eyes had become useless against Hidan's relentless assault—he couldn't even raise a proper defense through his giant summons.
Hidan sighed, shaking his head in mild disappointment.
"Honestly… why do you people always insist on using force? So troublesome."
Susanoo's colossal right hand lifted, forming a massive, black chakra shuriken shimmering with a warped spatial aura—Kamui's power infused within it.
"Kamui Shuriken!"
The enormous blade spun from Susanoo's hand, tearing through the air itself. Space rippled in its wake as it homed in on Orochimaru.
But Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, was no fool. His reflexes were monstrous.
"Summoning Jutsu—Triple Rashōmon!"
Three titanic demonic gates erupted from the earth, their grotesque visages stacked before him. Each gate exuded an ominous presence and near-impenetrable defense.
And yet—
The shuriken, imbued with the distortion of space, sliced through all three gates like they were paper.
Each barrier fell apart effortlessly before the spinning weapon continued forward, unstoppable.
"Impossible…!" Orochimaru's pupils dilated, disbelief flooding his face. His strongest defense, shredded in an instant. Could the power of the Uchiha truly be this overwhelming?
A single sound followed—
Shunk!
Blood splattered.
Orochimaru's body was cleaved cleanly in half by the Kamui Shuriken. His eyes froze on Hidan, filled with confusion and dread.
Half of his body hit the ground with a heavy thud, those lifeless eyes still wide open—unwilling to close even in death.
Hidan dispelled his Complete Susanoo and casually approached the "corpse." His gaze wandered to the two Edo Tensei figures of Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju standing nearby.
Could I extract their original DNA from those vessels? he mused, though he quickly dismissed the thought. He already knew Edo Tensei's process too well.
Those bodies only looked like the First and Second Hokage—they were merely hosts wrapped in their likeness.
"Come on, Orochimaru, you're not fooling anyone," Hidan said with a smirk, nudging the severed head with his boot. "You're not the type to die that easily."
Moments later, Orochimaru's mangled upper half twitched.
His yellow eyes reignited with a cold gleam, and his split torso began to reform—the severed flesh wriggling as the milky-white substance of his liquefied body reattached.
"Who are you?" he hissed, his voice low and wary. "You seem to know far too much about me… even more than Danzō ever could."
"You don't need to know who I am." Hidan's tone was calm, almost amused. "Originally, I only came to borrow something from you—and maybe discuss a little cooperation. But you didn't seem very welcoming."
"Lord Orochimaru," Danzō finally stepped out from the shadows, his single visible eye cold and calculating. "I told you Hidan was only here to negotiate. You've been… less than hospitable."
"Borrow something? Cooperate?" Orochimaru echoed, his lower half reforming completely as he stood upright.
The fight had drained a massive amount of chakra from him, and repairing his body only worsened it. Even so, his voice held a faint curiosity.
Hidan eyed Orochimaru's regenerating body with mild intrigue.
"That little body-shedding trick of yours is pretty handy. No wonder Kabuto later took it so far."
He smirked. "So? You wanna keep fighting?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. He still had his last resort—the Eight Branches Technique, transforming into the monstrous eight-headed serpent—but even that, he knew, wouldn't guarantee victory against someone like Hidan.
The thought alone sent a chill down his spine. Yet his obsession with obtaining an Uchiha body only burned brighter.
"I don't know what you want to borrow," Orochimaru said warily, "but with your power, I doubt I possess anything worth your attention."
"What I want," Hidan said simply, pointing toward the bound Edo Tensei Hokage, "are the remains of the First and Second Hokage."
Orochimaru's pupils tightened. "And what exactly do you plan to do with them?"
"That's none of your concern," Hidan replied coolly. His tone dropped lower, his killing intent leaking into the air like frost. "All you need to do is hand them over."
Orochimaru felt that murderous pressure clearly—it was suffocating. Cold sweat ran down his temple.
"I understand…" he muttered, forcing a bitter smile. He couldn't afford another battle right now. His next grand experiment was nearing its critical stage; being obliterated halfway through would ruin everything.
Hidan's grin widened. "Good. Then we have an understanding."
He turned slightly, his cloak swaying as his crimson eyes glowed faintly.
"In that case—pleasure doing business, Orochimaru."
The air grew still. Within Hidan's Edo Tensei army, he now had a new cornerstone—Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi himself.
The mere thought sent a thrill through him.
When I finally control the First Hokage completely…
A grin tugged at Hidan's lips.
That'll be the day I claim the power of the Sage—Art Wood Release.
--
"Please, follow me…" Orochimaru said, his tone unusually respectful—he always admired true strength when he saw it.
Hidan nodded, then gave Danzō a sidelong glance. "You can leave."
Danzō accepted the order with silent obedience, turning on his heel and departing without a word.
Orochimaru's snake-like eyes flashed with curiosity. For someone as cunning as Danzō to listen so easily to this silver-haired outsider—it was strange, almost unnatural.
"You have Danzō wrapped around your finger, huh?" Orochimaru said, unable to hide his intrigue. "Did you do something to him?"
Hidan smirked, waving a hand dismissively. "Mind your own business, Orochimaru. We're here to cooperate, not swap secrets. As for Danzō, he's just smart enough to pretend to listen to me. That's all."
Orochimaru's smile curled at the edges, but he didn't press further. He'd seen enough bizarre power plays to know when to let something slide—especially when his own survival was on the line.
--
A while later, they entered Orochimaru's research lab.
"Lord Orochimaru, you've returned—was it a success?" a voice called. A young man with round glasses stepped out from the back room.
Kabuto Yakushi.
Hidan's eyes narrowed as he regarded the so-called "model subordinate." Kabuto looked meek and scholarly, but his calm, attractive face radiated a strange sense of trustworthiness. He was the perfect natural spy.
"Sorry, he lost," Hidan said with a smirk, glancing at Kabuto with obvious amusement. To be able to wander in and out of such a secret lab without issue—he really was Orochimaru's most trusted henchman.
Kabuto eyed the silver-haired boy warily, feeling a chill from Hidan's seemingly harmless smile. Instinctively, he filed Hidan away as a top-tier threat.
"Go on. I'm fine," Orochimaru said, waving Kabuto off. He definitely didn't want his right-hand man witnessing him getting outplayed by a teenager.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto replied, bowing respectfully before slipping away. Orochimaru's word was law; if he told Kabuto to die, the man would probably do it with a smile.
Hidan couldn't help but respect Orochimaru's charisma—no wonder he always had such loyal followers.
"These are the cells of the First and Second Hokage," Orochimaru said, pulling out two vials of blood and passing them to Hidan.
Hidan's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan glinted as he carefully examined the vials. He analyzed the chakra within, confirming they were authentic before sending them straight into his personal storage dimension.
Orochimaru watched the space manipulation with burning envy. His desire for the Sharingan grew even stronger.
Hidan, of course, noticed the greedy glint in Orochimaru's eyes—but he couldn't care less.
He'd already gotten what he wanted, and his mood was good. After all, the ultimate bargaining chip for working with Orochimaru was a body—an Uchiha body. Specifically, Sasuke's.
Why was Hidan doing all this?
Of course, he had a plan—one that would shake everything up.
"So, let's talk cooperation." There was a subtle excitement in Hidan's eyes, though his voice remained calm.
"I'm listening," Orochimaru replied, respectfully keeping his distance. He was eager to hear what Hidan wanted from him.
"First, I want all the intel you have on Ryūchi Cave. Second, you'll continue your research on Hashirama's cells for me. In return, I'll ask you for a favor down the line."
Orochimaru immediately wanted to refuse. He could share intel, but letting Hidan dictate his research focus? That was almost insulting.
But before he could object, Hidan sweetened the deal:
"When it's all over, Sasuke Uchiha's body will be yours."
Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected Hidan to put Sasuke on the table.
"You—But how can I trust you?" Orochimaru asked, throat dry. Hidan's words seemed almost too good to be true.
Hidan chuckled. "Simple. I won't interfere with your Konoha destruction plan. I'll even let you place your curse mark on Sasuke. Is that enough?"
His tone turned glacial. For the first time, Orochimaru felt a chill in his cold-blooded heart.
Who is this guy? Not only did he know all his secrets, he even knew my plans before they began. For the first time, Orochimaru felt truly outmatched—even Uchiha Itachi hadn't left him feeling so powerless.
"…Fine. I accept," Orochimaru said at last, the words tasting bitter in his mouth.
A slow smile crept across Hidan's face. This was the power of strength—if you were strong enough in this world, you could do whatever you wanted.
Orochimaru reached into the shadows and produced a scroll, handing it to Hidan. "This has the location of Ryūchi Cave—one of the three great Sage grounds."
Hidan took the scroll, already making plans.
The Sage Arts of Ryūchi Cave…
He wasn't planning to learn them for himself, but they would definitely be useful for what came next.
"Pleasure doing business," Hidan said with a satisfied nod. Then, as if remembering something, he turned back to Orochimaru:
"One last thing—the old man, Hiruzen Sarutobi, has shown me some kindness. You can't kill him. The rest is up to you."
And with that, Hidan vanished into the swirl of his Kamui.
Orochimaru stood alone in the dimly lit lab, his eyes flickering with a thousand dark calculations…
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