Djinn blinked, caught off guard by what Orochimaru had just said. But before he could even process it, he noticed something else—Orochimaru's eyes.
They were glowing faintly gold. Unlike those with pure Ōtsutsuki bloodlines, there was no ringed pattern or visible mutation. At a glance, his eyes seemed unchanged… but the Djinn's keen gaze caught the truth.
The pupils had fragmented into countless tiny points, each shaped like a perfect '8'—the symbol of infinity, the same mark carried by the Serpentis.
This wasn't just a physical phenomenon—it was a soul reaction. A mutation far beyond the norm.
"Do you already have a pupil technique?" Djinn murmured.
He wasn't surprised, exactly. The eye is the organ most closely tied to the brain—more than 80% of information is processed through it. While eyes are fragile and prone to disease, they're also the first to benefit from mental evolution.
Still, curiosity stirred within him. "So… what does it do?"
"The change is only beginning," Orochimaru said slowly, a golden gleam flashing in his eye. "I don't know all of its powers yet. But one of them… fits this situation perfectly."
Djinn raised a brow. "Heh. So you're already scheming again." Then he smiled. "Fine. Since you're confident, I'll let you take the lead."
A good host, he thought, knows when to outgrow their patron.
But Orochimaru just chuckled. "Not quite. There's still something I need from you."
A great host, the Djinn thought, knows how to use every resource.
---
Aboveground, dawn was breaking over Roran.
The towering beam of light had slowly faded, and the tremors shaking the land finally eased.
But deep in the spiritual world of the White Snake, the battle was only growing fiercer.
Freed from its physical form, the dragon vein's mind surged with raw, instinctual power. With an infinite well of natural energy, it had gained the upper hand over the younger, less experienced Serpentis —despite the latter's home advantage.
"This can't go on," Djinn remarked, floating beside Orochimaru in the mental plane. "The little guy's too young. He can't win a head-on clash of willpower."
But he also admired the snake's stubbornness.
The Serpentis, despite nearing collapse, had yet to call for help. Clearly, its former life in captivity left deep scars. It refused to repeat its past humiliation.
"Tch. He's got no choice this time," Orochimaru muttered with a faint smile. "If he wants to fight the dragon vein so badly, then I'll give him a proper battlefield."
He narrowed his eyes—and golden light erupted.
"Sky, Eternally Coiled."
A roaring vortex of wind and energy exploded around them, devouring both the white snake and the dragon vein. Their bodies coiled into a massive ouroboros—an endless serpent devouring itself.
Each time the snake bit into the dragon vein, its body grew longer. Trapped in the cycle, the dragon vein was digested within the eternal ring, inch by inch.
Growth for one meant decay for the other.
Djinn's eyes lit up. "A soul-based ability... that's rare, even across all the worlds."
He tilted his head in thought. "Pupil of Soul Reflection, is it? Interesting. You've patched your one major weakness."
Orochimaru, strengthened by First Hokage cells, already rivaled the best in ninjutsu and Sage Arts. With mental abilities now catching up, he was starting to have no gaps at all.
"It's only a crude form for now," Orochimaru replied. He studied the ouroboros ring. "I still can't sever the dragon vein's connection to external natural energy. If this continues, I might die from over-saturation before it's digested."
He turned toward Djinn, eyes serious. "I'll need your help."
The Djinn nodded once—and immediately took over Orochimaru's body.
---
In the physical world, deep underground…
The natural energy coursing through Orochimaru's meridians surged. Under the Djinn's control, it began flowing in precise paths, refining the body rather than overwhelming it.
If the white snake's approach was raw instinct—devour and endure—then the Djinn's method was calculated. Refine, convert, strengthen.
He activated a technique from another world:
Sun Breathing.
Orochimaru's eyes bulged as searing pain shot through him.
The white snake above ground convulsed violently, writhing through the tunnel like a beast in agony. Orochimaru had used Sun Breathing before—but never at this scale. Never with this amount of energy.
Yet this wasn't just about survival.
Orochimaru steadied himself. "Now's the time."
The Djinn's voice rang out. "Are you really going through with this? If you let your body acquire reproductive capability again, you could cause irreversible mutations."
"You think I haven't considered that?" Orochimaru said calmly, still breathing in rhythm. "Right now, we're drowning in natural energy. But soon… it may all dry up."
The world could barely support beings like Kaguya. Unless he consumed the tailed beasts or ravaged the great sacred lands, there would never be enough energy to sustain further evolution.
And he had no interest in short-sighted destruction.
In this new age, Orochimaru wanted to create—not consume. To grow his power, not steal it.
That meant one thing: open-source evolution.
He would cultivate new life—reproducible life—capable of sustaining its own power. Just as the Djinn once spread adaptive spores across an entire world, Orochimaru now sought to build an ecosystem that fed itself.
"All right," Djinn said softly. "Let's begin."
---
"Bacteria."
The word echoed.
The white snake froze—then thrashed wildly, coiling around the stone pillar at the heart of the chamber.
Its body was trembling. Inch by inch, its flesh began to split apart. Green light spilled from the wounds. Chunks of flesh burst skyward like spores exploding from a mushroom.
In the mindscape, Orochimaru clenched his fists. Chakra flickered violently around his soul body. The pain now was even greater than before—he wasn't just pushing muscles or tearing skin.
He was evolving.
His entire species was shifting.
Before, he could generate wood-style techniques, even reshape his body into tree-like forms—but now he was going further. Incorporating foreign biology into his core being.
"You really don't waste a moment, huh…" Djinn muttered, still maintaining the skill. "Still planning for tomorrow, even while death's staring you in the face."
But he respected it.
He always preferred hosts who pushed boundaries—especially when they dug into his own lore and tools for new meaning.
"Of course, the pain's yours to bear."
---
Crack.
The stone pillar groaned—and shattered under the snake's tightening grip. Gravel fell in torrents, pelting the snake's body.
It didn't flinch.
In fact, it let out a long, hoarse moan—as if the pain offered some relief from the unbearable transformation happening within.
Djinn frowned. "This won't do…"
He returned to the mental plane. "I'm giving control back. No need to suffer like this."
In truth, he hadn't been in full control anyway. Perhaps the white snake was still steering the body through sheer habit—or muscle memory.
"…Fine," Orochimaru rasped.
And then—his eyes opened.
The snake's pupils contracted sharply. Awareness returned. Intelligence.
With a hiss, Orochimaru's form began to twist. Almost reflexively, he began to shed his skin.
This time, it wasn't just healing.
It was transcendence.
Golden chakra flooded the chamber. The old skin fell away in layers—each fragment brimming with residual energy, each one alive.
"...It's working?" Djinn blinked.
Three changes were now unfolding:
1. Sun Breathing was helping Orochimaru refine and balance the dragon vein's energy.
2. Bacterial transformation was pushing his body to accept new biological functions—ones that could propagate power.
3. Shedding, a long-mastered technique, was now accelerating and mutating in response to the White Snake's unique natural energy.
Djinn zoomed in. "Wait… This natural energy isn't ordinary. It's different—like a specialized form of the White Snake Sage's chakra…"
His eyes gleamed.
In the ninja world, natural energy was still barely understood. There were no real classifications—no consistent study. The Djinn himself had only theories.
But what he was seeing now—this secondary evolution through repeated molting—was rewriting everything.
"Keep going!" he urged. "It's working! The shedding is accelerating your adaptation!"
Orochimaru didn't answer. He just screamed—and molted again.
Thousands of glowing shards exploded into the air, filling the chamber with spiraling energy. Some even broke through the roof, scattering skyward.
Djinn followed their flight with his gaze.
"These fragments… They're not just waste. They're viable. Each one carries potential."
Maybe, if planted somewhere… they'd grow.
Into what, he didn't know.
But now wasn't the time.
He refocused, ensuring the transformation continued smoothly. The triple evolution was nearing stability. Unless the dragon vein abruptly cut off its energy flow…
Orochimaru might just succeed.
And with the power of bacteria under his control?
Djinn couldn't help but grin.
Snake-hearted, never satisfied.
Just the way he liked it.
_____________________
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