But the price was clear.
Kabuto had completely abandoned his human form and nature, becoming something suspended between man and serpent—between self and other.
"Ugh—!"
"What… what is that monster?!"
"That's a success?! That's worse than death!"
"He has Orochimaru's face on his stomach?! I'm going to have nightmares!"
"This is the 'self' he was searching for? A monster stitched together with someone else's face?"
Across the shinobi world, waves of shock, revulsion, and disbelief erupted.
Even in a world accustomed to bloodline limits and grotesque transformations, this kind of direct, visceral bodily fusion was deeply unsettling.
Orochimaru, however, was watching with shining eyes.
"Hmm? It actually… stabilized?"
His tongue slid across his lips again.
"The form is crude. The fusion method violent. The side effects obvious… But under such rough conditions, achieving this degree of cross-species cellular coexistence…"
He smiled faintly.
"I must admit, that 'Kabuto' driven by obsession carved out a rather… interesting path."
Karin grimaced and took half a step back.
"Ew! It's hideous! A face on his stomach and horns on his head? That's uglier than the failed test subjects I've seen!"
Then—
Almost simultaneously, she and Orochimaru turned to look at the real Kabuto standing beside them.
They both wanted to know—
What was the reaction of the man watching his own monstrous "future"?
Kabuto stood quietly.
He adjusted his glasses.
The same gentle smile rested on his face, as if untouched by turmoil. Behind the lenses, his eyes calmly observed the grotesque figure on the screen.
No fear.
No disgust.
Not even visible shock.
It was as though he were reviewing an unusual case study concerning himself.
The Heavenly Screen continued.
Now fully transformed into the monstrous "Serpent Kabuto," he displayed chakra reserves, mastery of forbidden techniques, and knowledge of hidden secrets that surpassed even Orochimaru at his peak.
Yet—
He still seemed unsatisfied.
Or perhaps… deeply insecure.
Within a shadowy cavern laboratory, Serpent Kabuto manipulated dangerous apparatus while muttering in a hoarse voice that carried traces of Orochimaru's tone.
"Not enough… still not enough. Orochimaru-sama… No. Orochimaru fell because he wasn't cautious enough. He fixated on certain goals and ignored potential risks… and was devoured by a mere Uchiha brat."
"I will not repeat that mistake."
On his distorted face, extreme caution mingled with greed.
"I need greater power… more hidden trump cards. Enough to counter any unforeseen variable. Enough that no one can ever corner me to death."
Strangely, some across the shinobi world could almost understand that logic.
After all—
Kabuto had clawed his way up from betrayal and manipulation at the very bottom.
But the next scene—
The method by which Serpent Kabuto sought to "reinforce" himself—
Sent the entire shinobi world into an uproar.
The screen showed Kabuto appearing in secret, sacred places throughout the world.
Burial grounds.
Memorial shrines.
The resting places of famous shinobi and clan ancestors.
Using advanced stealth techniques, barrier-breaking methods, and his inhuman sensory abilities, he slipped past defenses undetected.
And then—
Under the stunned, widening eyes of the world—
Serpent Kabuto began digging up graves.
Not crudely.
Not recklessly.
But with professional precision—locating burial points, excavating with chakra scalpels and controlled techniques, carefully extracting remains… or funerary items imbued with residual chakra or hidden information.
"My God—what is he doing?!"
"He's… grave robbing?!"
"That's the resting place of a former Mizukage of the Hidden Mist!"
"That direction—that's the memorial of past Raikage in the Hidden Cloud!"
"Our Sand Village's secret technique clan cemetery!"
The reaction was instantaneous.
From Kage to elders to common civilians, anyone who recognized the graves of their own heroes felt blood rush to their heads.
This was beyond insult.
Desecrating the dead was a crime considered worse than murder in the shinobi world.
It was a violation of history, honor, and legacy.
"Serpent Kabuto—you monster!"
"Defiling the dead! You deserve death!"
"Find him! Tear him apart!"
"Even the dead can't rest because of him!"
Rage erupted everywhere.
At this moment, Serpent Kabuto's hatred index skyrocketed to the absolute peak.
The leadership of every major village immediately ordered inspections of important tombs and shrines, strengthening guards.
Emergency communications flew between nations, confirming losses and even discussing the possibility of joint operations to hunt down this new "enemy of the shinobi world."
Outside Orochimaru's base—
Karin clicked her tongue in fascination.
"Wow. Grave robbing? Gross… but kind of efficient, right? If powerful people die, their bodies might still contain something useful."
Her thinking was entirely detached from conventional morality. Only practicality mattered.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, watched with undisguised interest.
As for the real Kabuto—
He maintained his gentle smile.
Adjusting his glasses, he murmured softly:
"Collecting 'materials'… Impure World Reincarnation?"
"Indeed… one of the most direct methods of reinforcement."
On the Heavenly Screen, Serpent Kabuto stood at the center of a ritual altar inscribed with eerie formulae.
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