UK:GSW Chapter 342 – Kikyo: Huh? I Became a Mom?
Without a doubt, there was now a fundamental difference between the Orochimaru of the main world and the Orochimaru of World No. 2 — the one from the original story.
If it were the original Orochimaru, upon learning that another version of himself had died, he would not think it was "deserved," but rather that the other lacked strength, and that was why he had been killed by his disciple.
In other words, their moral standards were entirely different.
This was understandable, because the greatest tragedy the main world Orochimaru had experienced was Nawaki's death. Before he could go any further with human experimentation, Hashirama cell research, immortality research, and other inhumane experiments, Uchiha Kei had forcibly interrupted him, directly leading him into an entirely new scientific world filled with endless knowledge.
After that, Uchiha Kei even resurrected Orochimaru's inner regret — Nawaki. Although resurrected in the form of a Heroic Spirit, existing only in a genjutsu world, resurrection was still resurrection. Compared to the cruel shinobi world, what was so bad about a genjutsu world? Didn't Nawaki look quite happy now?
Moreover, when Nawaki and Tsunade met, it wasn't just Tsunade who was saved — Orochimaru, who had witnessed it all, was as well.
After this, with endless research topics and boundless knowledge surrounding him, Orochimaru fully devoted himself to study. He found his purpose and pursuit in life decades earlier than he would have otherwise.
Furthermore, in the learning space, all the NPC teachers arranged by Uchiha Kei were great figures with strong moral character, noble integrity, steadfast will, and deep conviction.
Through accelerated time in the learning space, he was able to study for many days in a row without the need for sleep. This meant that, from his subjective perspective, Orochimaru had already spent many more years in study than the outside world had experienced.
Under such circumstances, how could Orochimaru not be influenced?
It should be noted that in the original series, Orochimaru underwent a major transformation during the Shippuden era — from before his death to after his resurrection — and by the time of Boruto, he had even become a maternal "Aunt Snake" figure.
This proved that Orochimaru was not some immutable existence "set in stone" — as long as the conditions were sufficient, he could change rapidly.
His current reaction merely confirmed this point.
After having this thought, Orochimaru considered the intel on the other version of himself — information not provided by White Zetsu, but obtained from the traverser Naruto and his group.
Human experiments, experimenting on his own village comrades, defecting after being exposed and becoming an S-rank missing-nin, returning years later to launch the Konoha Crush, killing the Fourth Kazekage and Third Hokage, abducting Uchiha Sasuke… and that's without mentioning how many people he killed or how many innocents suffered — truly a pure disaster of a person.
No wonder Kei-kun had that gloating expression. Even if it were him now, he would also think that the other "him" got what he deserved.
Orochimaru thought so inwardly and once again sighed — it was all thanks to Kei-kun. Without him, how could he have found his life's goal and pursuit? How could he have had such a good research environment and endless knowledge to study? Otherwise, he would have ended up as a missing-nin who killed his teacher, only to be slain by the disciple he had trained.
No… could that "disciple" really be called a disciple? Perhaps. But to that world's Orochimaru, he was more of a coveted reincarnation vessel!
Recalling the intel about that Orochimaru's forbidden reincarnation technique — a method to extend life by taking over another's body — Orochimaru shook his head silently, feeling only regret for that other "self's" downfall.
Orochimaru had considered this forbidden technique himself, after all. Before Uchiha Kei had introduced the genjutsu game, he had still been moving along his original life path, so naturally he had pondered its feasibility; otherwise, he wouldn't have perfected it in the future.
However, he had only thought about it and never acted, because it wasn't necessary. The other "him," lacking Uchiha Kei's involvement, had resolutely walked down this wrong path.
Yes — even without doing the research himself, Orochimaru could confirm that this was a wrong path. After learning and researching so much new knowledge, his current insight and knowledge base were far beyond what they once were.
He also had some research into the soul, since the existence of Heroic Spirits in the genjutsu world was an excellent research subject.
Thus, Orochimaru could conclude that the other him's reincarnation technique definitely had side effects — most likely, the soul would be continuously weakened and torn during the process, leaving it more and more fragile.
This meant that while he could maintain his youth for a time by occupying other bodies, life would not be eternal. Eventually, his soul would be worn down to the point that reincarnation would be impossible. In the process, he would also lose memories and knowledge, gradually turning from a genius into a mediocre man.
True immortality had to start from oneself — or even from advancing an entire civilization. Whether it be Heroic Spirit transformation, mechanical ascension, or psionic ascension, all were far better than reincarnation methods.
With Heroic Spirit transformation as a fallback option, Orochimaru felt that the other him's reincarnation technique was simply garbage — and utterly wrong.
Of course, Orochimaru only thought the other him was pitiful. He did not look down on him, because that other version did not have his privileges, had no one who understood or shared his ideals, and could only advance alone. The achievements he had made were already the limit under such constraints.
Unfortunately, a lack of conditions was still a lack of conditions. In the end, he died at the hands of the disciple and vessel he sought to possess.
Yes, Orochimaru had deduced all of this himself in just a few breaths.
Then, Orochimaru turned to the frightened, trembling Karin and smiled gently.
"You don't need to be afraid like that. I can more or less guess how the other 'me' died. Although it is regrettable, that was his own failure — no one else to blame."
"Also, now that you are here, you need not worry. I am different from the Orochimaru in your memories. Though we are the same person, we are from different worlds, and our personalities differ greatly."
"So, once you reach another world, you don't need to worry so much. Just follow Kei-kun's arrangements."
"Your friends will also be properly taken care of. As for the rest, you will gradually understand once you are there."
After speaking, Orochimaru called over a puppet clone, drew a tube of blood from each for inspection and research, and then left with the others.
Once Orochimaru left, the tense Karin relaxed slightly. Clearly, the psychological shadow from his oppressive presence was so deep that just standing before him threw her mind into chaos.
After Orochimaru left, Karin recalled his words and felt increasingly uneasy. In her limited imagination, "another world" could only mean the land of the dead.
But whether she resisted or not was meaningless, because next, Uchiha Kei and Minato Namikaze led the Snake Team through the dimensional gate.
As a side note, Kei was actually a little disappointed with Orochimaru's earlier reaction. There had been plenty of fun to be revealed step by step, but Orochimaru had figured it all out himself and showed no interest in digging deeper.
Still, there was time. Soon, the Orochimaru of World No. 2 could put on an "instant revival" act — after all, he still had a soul fragment on Sasuke Uchiha, which could allow him to revive at any time.
This referred to the Cursed Seal of Heaven on the back of Sasuke's neck — something Orochimaru had created. It could be implanted in chosen targets, granting them mutated senjutsu chakra to unleash power beyond their limits.
At this stage, Sasuke already bore the Cursed Seal of Heaven left by Orochimaru, and within such cursed seals, Orochimaru could also leave behind soul fragments — one of his "three burrows of a cunning rabbit."
If his main body met with misfortune while away, he could revive through these soul fragments in cursed seals.
In the future, Orochimaru would indeed revive through Sasuke's cursed seal — only to be promptly killed by Itachi Uchiha.
Later, Sasuke would revive him again using the cursed seal on Anko Mitarashi, one of Orochimaru's former subordinates. It was then that his personality underwent a noticeable change.
Now, Sasuke was still in a state of being parasitized by Orochimaru's soul fragment, and Orochimaru could even see the outside world through Sasuke's vision.
Uchiha Kei did not interfere with this, for obvious reasons — although the Orochimaru of World No. 2 had committed many evils and was disliked, his harm was limited to his own world.
Thus, Kei didn't mind letting him be of use.
Of course, he would not receive the same treatment as the main world's Orochimaru. Kei intended for him to first see the world's changes, to realize the differences and possibilities, and to understand the main world Konoha's power — so as to pave the way for future negotiations.
For someone who feared power but did not admire virtue, he must first be intimidated — made to understand his own insignificance.
And so, with the Snake Team members in tow, the great undertaking of crossing worlds was completed in Karin's confusion and mental haze.
Once the transfer was complete, Minato once again entered his golden form and brought them directly back to the main world's Hidden Leaf Village.
After everything was done, Minato immediately left, returning to World No. 2's Konoha with Uchiha Kei's puppet clone — their diplomatic mission there was not yet finished.
Then, what Karin saw was Uchiha Kei's true self smiling at her, along with Tsunade and Kikyo curiously examining her and the unconscious Snake Team members.
Karin could also sense powerful chakra nearby — cold and sharp like Sasuke's Sharingan — clearly belonging to the Uchiha.
"Why are there so many Uchiha? And… where is this? Is this Konoha? But why are there so many people? And why are there so many powerful auras?"
Karin was shocked. She could sense the vast population of the main world's Konoha, and among the chakra signatures, many were overwhelmingly powerful — each making her heart tremble.
The Uzumaki clan's powerful sensory ability now left Karin disoriented and overwhelmed.
At that moment, noticing Karin's unstable state, Kikyo approached with a warm smile and a gentle voice.
"Relax, relax! Don't let your strong sensory ability overwhelm you — you have to take control of it instead."
"Come, don't rush. Follow my rhythm, deep breaths."
Hearing Kikyo's words, Karin instinctively followed along. The unpleasant sensations from her sensory overload eased significantly.
But as her mind relaxed slightly, she suddenly realized — this girl's voice felt very familiar, as if from long ago. It was warm, filled with affection.
However, unlike the confident, lively tone she was hearing now, the precious voice in her memory had always been full of fatigue — sometimes pained and weak, even tinged with despair — and clearly older.
That was… her mother's voice.
As the sealed memories began to resurface, the blurred face in her mind became clear, gradually overlapping with the girl before her.
There was still a difference — in her memory, her mother had been haggard and exhausted. Near the end of her life, illness had left her weak and in pain. Not yet thirty, the age when a woman should be at her most beautiful and mature, she had already appeared aged, her skin withered and wrinkled, her body covered with bite marks, her life force severely drained.
The only thing that hadn't changed was that even in her final moments, her mother had been gentle, urging her to live on bravely.
And that mother in her memory was now standing before her — young, never subjected to the torment of the Hidden Grass Village's scum, saved from the start, healthy and happy.
Now, such a mother appeared before her, even younger than Karin herself.
Karin froze, her wide eyes quickly welling up with tears that spilled uncontrollably.
Opening her mouth, she wanted to say something, but no words came — only silent tears.
Seeing this, Kikyo was startled and flustered.
"Uh—huh? Why are you suddenly crying? Wait, what's going on? Why cry when you see me? Um, Kei-nii, what's going on? What's with this Uzumaki girl?"
Clearly, Kei had not told Kikyo about Karin's identity. Smiling, he explained:
"Because, this Uzumaki Karin is your daughter from a parallel world. Which means I'm sort of her stepdad. That's why I had my clone bring her here to see you right away."
Kikyo: "!?"
Tsunade: "Huh?"
The Uchiha watching from the shadows: "…"
At this moment, everyone who heard this was stunned, their minds going blank.
In fact, Kikyo herself felt as though she had entered a strange philosophical state, her mind filled with the "Born from Mom" BGM, leaving her almost unable to think.
Seeing this, Uchiha Kei nodded inwardly in satisfaction. This collective, stunned reaction was exactly what he wanted to see!
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