Orochimaru's lair was a powder keg, its tension palpable as the Sound Four's hostility simmered and Sasuke's Curse Seal pushed him to the edge. I moved through the shadowed corridors, my hood low over my four eyes, my towering frame a silent threat. My modified body—second heart, expanded lungs, chakra-enhanced muscle—was a weapon honed for dominance, its power amplified by full Snake Sage Mode. My sage abilities—Sage Art: Inorganic Reanimation, White Rage Technique, venomous chakra cloak, regeneration—had crushed the Ryuchi Cave's trials, making me a force Orochimaru coveted. My arsenal—Dismantle, Cleave, Mirror Mirage Technique, genjutsu, medical ninjutsu—was ready for the betrayal I knew was coming. My goals—power, control, freedom—drove me, with Tsunade's Yin Seal and medical ninjutsu a future path to perfect my body. Orochimaru's endgame was here, and I'd break his chains, a Baldur's Gate escape sequence where survival meant outsmarting the dungeon master.
Sasuke's warning had been clear—Orochimaru was planning to bind us, likely through his Living Corpse Reincarnation. The Sound Four were his enforcers, their Curse Seals making them formidable. I prepared, my sage-enhanced senses tracking their movements, my medical ninjutsu stabilizing my body for the fight ahead.
The betrayal came at midnight. Orochimaru summoned us to his throne room, his smile a blade. "Sasuke, Archon," he hissed. "Your power is mine. Submit, or be taken."
Sasuke's Sharingan flared, his Chidori crackling. I activated Snake Sage Mode, scales spreading, my chakra venomous. "Try it," I said, my voice a low growl.
The Sound Four attacked, their Curse Seals transforming them into monstrous forms. Kidomaru's webs flew, Jirobo's earth shook, Sakon's dual bodies struck, Tayuya's flute wove genjutsu. I countered with Sage Art: White Rage Technique, its blinding light and deafening sound overwhelming them. My sage senses navigated the chaos, my second heart keeping my chakra steady. I used Inorganic Reanimation, animating the room's walls into serpentine tendrils that ensnared Jirobo, their venomous chakra burning his skin.
Sasuke fought beside me, his Chidori piercing Sakon's defenses. I wove a Mirror Mirage Technique, twenty-five clones slithering around Kidomaru, their hypnotic movements dodging his webs. My venomous chakra cloak burned through Tayuya's spectral warriors, while my confusion genjutsu disoriented her, breaking her flute's spell. Dismantle, sage-infused, sliced Kidomaru's armor, Cleave cracked Jirobo's arm. My regeneration healed a webbed wound instantly, my medical ninjutsu amplifying the effect.
Orochimaru joined the fray, his Kusanagi blade a blur. I dodged, my sage agility unmatched, and countered with Inorganic Reanimation, animating the floor into spikes that forced him back. Sasuke's Fireball Jutsu clashed with Orochimaru's summons, and I used White Rage again, its sensory overload giving us an opening. We fought as a unit, our synergy a Baldur's Gate party at its peak, but Orochimaru was a god-tier foe.
He laughed, shedding his skin to heal, his chakra overwhelming. "You can't win," he hissed, lunging for Sasuke. I intercepted, my venomous cloak burning his arm, my Cleave grazing his chest. Sasuke struck, his Chidori piercing Orochimaru's shoulder, but the Sannin retreated, his laughter echoing.
The Sound Four fell, unconscious, and we fled, the lair collapsing behind us. Sasuke panted, his Curse Seal flaring. "We're not done," he said, his eyes burning. "He'll come for us."
"Let him," I replied, my sage chakra steady. We parted ways, Sasuke to his own path, me to the shadows. Snake Sage Mode was mine, its advanced techniques my edge. I'd return to Konoha, claim Tsunade's Yin Seal, her medical ninjutsu perfecting my body. My Yin Seal held for thirty minutes now, its chakra reservoir growing. My medical ninjutsu regenerated limbs, a synergy with sage mode's healing.
Konoha's pursuit—Danzo, Kakashi—would hunt me, but I was Archon, a gamer reborn, free of Orochimaru's chains. The world was my battlefield, and I'd carve my path to power.