The golden light faded.
A seemingly ordinary long sword hovered before him.
The hilt was pale blue, with a square guard.
As Lucas Moore gently touched it, the Zanpakutō suddenly shattered with a crisp snap.
Shoo! Shoo!
It transformed into a stream of pink light and fused seamlessly with the long sword already at his waist.
"So it fused, huh? Well, that's not bad. Carrying two blades at the waist isn't exactly stylish," Lucas raised an eyebrow.
With a thought, he opened the system panel.
[Dimensional Villain System]
Host: Lucas Moore
Spiritual Pressure: Lv5 (1200 / Medium)
Soul Core: Black-Winged Archdemon (Resurrección)
Zanpakutō: Senbonzakura (Shikai)
Swordsmanship: Exceptional
Hand-to-Hand Combat: Mastered
Shunpo: Mastered
Kido: Mastered
Items: Black Cloak, Soul-Perceiving Gauntlet, Dimensional Cube
"Senbonzakura, huh?" Lucas remained calm. "Not bad. At least it's captain-class."
Senbonzakura.
The personal Zanpakutō of Byakuya Kuchiki, the Sixth Division Captain from the world of Bleach.
When released into Shikai, the blade scatters into thousands of tiny blades that fly in all directions, attacking from every angle.
These blades reflect light, making them look like a whirlwind of cherry blossom petals. Strangely romantic for a weapon of death.
Moreover, in both Shikai and Bankai forms, the blade forms an 85-centimeter circular "safe zone" around the user.
But that "safe zone" isn't enforced by power.
Rather, the blades instinctively avoid entering it.
Lucas could force them through if he wanted to, but doing so might injure himself in the process.
Senbonzakura's Shikai isn't particularly strong by itself.
With only a few thousand blades, the damage it can do is relatively superficial.
But in Bankai...
The blade count skyrockets into the hundreds of millions!
A perfect fusion of offense and defense, creating an impenetrable sphere of carnage.
And if refined further, even the Shikai could approach that level.
Eventually, it could produce billions of blades, with the Bankai nearing trillions.
A sea of cherry blossom-shaped blades, sweeping through everything in its path.
The potential of this blade was... terrifying.
Lucas recalled the system's earlier prompt, saying he could now freely switch between his "Shinigami" and "Hollow" forms.
But what exactly did that mean?
Puzzled, he looked at his reflection and immediately noticed the change.
His once dark green eyes were now black.
The tear-streak markings on his face were gone.
The half-mask of bone that had crowned his head had vanished.
His white ceremonial robe had darkened into black.
Gone was the brooding, alien youth.
In his place stood a friendly boy-next-door.
He looked... almost human.
Lucas touched his cheek and muttered, "My Hollow core and Shinigami soul have both changed. The system must have imbued them with some kind of synergy. Now I can switch forms at will."
Before, trying to use Hollow powers after fusing with Shinigami essence had felt unnatural and clunky.
But now?
He could control both energies as easily as breathing.
"And it looks like I've got myself a new identity," he added, glancing at his unfamiliar reflection.
"I'll keep this one under wraps. You never know when a 'Shinigami form' might come in handy."
With a thought, his appearance reverted.
Skin turned pale, eyes green, markings reappeared, robe turned white, and the bone mask returned.
Lucas stepped out of the tower.
"Time to visit Orochimaru. Let's deal with Nagato's condition first."
Land of Fire.
In a dense forest, deep within an underground lab...
The space was packed with bizarre experimental specimens.
A boy around six or seven was busy collecting data and destroying leftover materials.
Beside him stood a young man, pale-skinned, with long black hair and snake-like golden pupils.
Purple eye-shadow stretched to his cheeks, and a pair of teal magatama earrings dangled from his ears, exuding a serpentine danger.
It was the mad scientist himself Orochimaru.
The boy, Kabuto, handed him a scroll and said respectfully, "All test subjects have been disposed of. The key data is secure."
"You've done well, Kabuto."
Orochimaru touched the boy's cheek affectionately. "I failed to become the Fourth Hokage, and now my experiments are exposed. I'm a fugitive, a dog with nowhere to call home. But at least you stayed by my side. I'm touched."
"You're not some stray dog, Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto pouted. "You'll rise again. And back at the orphanage, you were the one who saw potential in me. I'll never forget that."
"Save the flattery," Orochimaru chuckled. "We need to move. The ANBU aren't a threat, but Jiraiya... he's been chasing me for over a month now. Truly persistent."
"But... I thought you two were friends?" Kabuto asked in confusion. "Is he trying to kill you?"
"Kill? Not quite."
Orochimaru shook his head. "He wants answers. He doesn't understand my vision. Life is short. Only immortality is worth pursuing."
"Even if I told him, he wouldn't get it. And are we still friends? Maybe a little sentiment remains. But if I ever harm Konoha... he'd kill me without hesitation."
Seeing Kabuto's puzzled look, Orochimaru ruffled his hair.
"You're still young. You'll understand someday. You look up to me now, but one day... maybe your ideals will force you to strike down even your mentor."
"Lord Orochimaru, I..."
Kabuto panicked, but just as he was about to respond
A calm voice echoed at the entrance.
"Orochimaru, this lab of yours was a pain to find. I almost got lost."
"Who's there?!"
Orochimaru's expression shifted. He raised a hand.
"Ninja Art Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
A dozen venomous snakes shot from his sleeve, lunging toward the door.
But the young man standing there didn't move.
He let the snakes bite down.
Clang! Clang!
Their fangs snapped against his steel-hard skin.
The snakes recoiled with teary eyes, slithering back in defeat.
Orochimaru narrowed his gaze. "Lucas Moore? The one who killed Hanzo the Salamander in a blink?"
"That's me," Lucas said flatly. "You know who I am, so let's skip the pleasantries. I've got business. You in?"
"If not, I'll just beat you until you agree."
"No need for that."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with fervor. "If you can teach me the secret to immortality, I'll agree to anything."
Lucas blinked. "...Huh?"
What the hell?
He'd come ready to fight and force Orochimaru into submission.
And now this guy was just surrendering outright?
Was this really the same Orochimaru, the man who kept getting killed and coming back, always full of pride?
Lucas felt a wave of disappointment.
"I'm honestly ashamed for you."