Beyond the borders of Konoha stood the crumbling remains of the Sky Ninja Air Fortress. Once a weapon of terror, now it was nothing but scorched steel and broken stone — a silent monument to the strength and unity of the Leaf.
After long debate, the Konoha Council had decided not to demolish it. Instead, they left it standing as a symbol — a reminder that when the people of Konoha united, even the sky itself could be brought down.
The ruins were thoroughly searched, cataloged, and finally opened to the public. What had once been a battlefield was now a tourist attraction, a place where villagers came to marvel at Konoha's victory.
It was in front of this ruin that Jiraiya fell to his knees, clutching his head dramatically.
"Why did this happen?! Why was I training at Mount Myōboku when the village was attacked?!" he cried out. "Was it because I wasn't in Konoha that the enemy dared to attack?! This is all my fault!"
For a fleeting second, those around him thought they were witnessing heartfelt guilt — a hero regretting his absence in the village's darkest hour.
But then they heard the rest of his words.
And they stared.
So… he's blaming the attack on the enemy's fear of him?
"Isn't this guy… stupid?" someone whispered.
A mother quickly pulled her child close. "Don't look, baby. Staring at fools for too long makes you one too."
Jiraiya flushed bright red, realizing the mockery. He scrambled to his feet, dusting himself off.
"Pfft…"
A quiet chuckle escaped from behind him.
Jiraiya turned sharply. "Hey! What are you laughing at?!"
Orochimaru, his old teammate, raised his hood just enough for his face to catch the light — calm, poised, and annoyingly beautiful.
"Jiraiya," he said smoothly, "you've just returned from Mount Myōboku, haven't you?"
Jiraiya blinked. "B–big sister? Who are you?!"
Before he could say another word, Orochimaru's fist met his head with surgical precision.
Thwack.
"You idiot."
Jiraiya rubbed the bump on his skull. "Ouch! Hey, you've really changed… What happened to you? Have you been taking some kind of… growth pill?"
He leaned closer, squinting, grinning. "Don't tell me you've invented one that makes you taller and prettier! Come on, Orochimaru, share the secret! Just one pill — make me eighteen again!"
"Jiraiya," Orochimaru said flatly, stepping aside in disgust, "I haven't been taking pills. My change is the result of my training in Ryūchi Cave."
"Ryūchi Cave?!" Jiraiya gasped. "How was it? How was the training? How was the food?!"
His expression turned dark, haunted. "You… didn't have to eat bugs, did you?"
Orochimaru's golden eyes twitched. "No. I brought my own food. I had no intention of turning into an insectivore like you."
Jiraiya collapsed to his knees again. "You're so cunning! You should've suffered too!"
Orochimaru ignored him and, with deliberate smugness, pulled out a photograph. "The ones who trained me were the Three Snake Princesses. Here."
He handed the picture over.
Jiraiya's eyes widened. Three stunning women — each elegant, regal, and smiling beside Orochimaru.
"No… this isn't fair…" Jiraiya whispered, staring in horror. "Mount Myōboku was just frogs! Frogs everywhere!"
Memories of Fukasaku's wrinkled face and Shima's nagging voice assaulted his mind. He slammed his forehead into a nearby tree. "Why?! Why did I get frogs while you got beauties?!"
Orochimaru sighed, utterly done. "Are you quite finished?"
Jiraiya, sniffling and drooling, muttered, "If I had even one pretty girl teaching me Sage Mode, I'd have mastered it in weeks…"
"Disgusting," Orochimaru said, stepping back as if Jiraiya carried a contagious disease. "Try acting normal once in your life."
Changing the subject, Orochimaru asked, "Has the Great Toad Sage given you his prophecy yet?"
Jiraiya blinked. "Not yet."
Orochimaru crossed his arms. He could tell from Jiraiya's tone that the prophecy wasn't far off. Within a few years, the great wars between villages would reignite. When that happened, Jiraiya wouldn't have time for prophecy or peace.
Jiraiya frowned slightly. Part of him dreaded hearing it. The Great Toad Sage's prophecies were rarely good news. Did he really want to know his fate — or fight against it?
He looked up at the sky, uncertain. For once, the clown fell silent.
---
Scene Transition — The Laboratory
Far beneath the surface of Konoha, in a hidden chamber illuminated by green light, Orochimaru's latest experiment was underway.
Inside a massive culture tank, a lump of flesh — grown from the Zero-Tails' cells — pulsed and writhed. The flesh absorbed the nutrient solution and natural energy around it, swelling larger with every second.
Beside the tank, Hyuga Mio activated her Byakugan. Veins bulged around her eyes as she gasped.
"Zero-Tails cells are incredible," she murmured. "They're growing at a rate I didn't think possible. Can they… divide infinitely?"
Orochimaru watched, hands clasped behind his back. His eyes gleamed with scientific fascination.
"It reminds me of Hashirama's cells," he said softly. "Even in death, that man's body remains a treasure trove of mysteries."
The growth of the Zero-Tails tissue, endlessly multiplying, reminded him of cancer cells — though far more stable and adaptive. He had already tested them on several animals, observing how the tissue fused with hosts without killing them. Over time, the hosts began to transform, becoming something eerily similar to the Zero-Tails itself.
He couldn't help but admire it. The balance between absorption and survival… perfect.
No wonder Shinno had once sought to merge the Zero-Tails with the Nine-Tails. If not for its inherent weakness, Orochimaru might have believed it possible.
---
"When I finish this project," Orochimaru mused aloud, "I'll head to the Sand Village. Bunbuku — the monk who once hosted the One-Tail — will make an excellent subject for my next study."
Mio blinked. "Another study?"
"Yes," Orochimaru replied. "I want to understand how a Jinchūriki can survive after a Tailed Beast is extracted. If I can sustain their life force artificially, the possibilities are endless."
He turned back to the tank. "If the host dies because their chakra is removed, then perhaps the solution lies in replacing that vitality. The Zero-Tails' tissue could serve as a medium — a substitute life source."
He snapped his fingers. "Mio, remove the tissue sample from the tank. I need to test something."
Hyuga Mio obeyed. Wearing protective gloves, she carefully extracted the writhing flesh and placed it on the central platform.
Orochimaru retrieved a scroll, covered in intricate red markings — the formula for the Reverse Cursed Seal Blood Imprint.
"This is based on the Uzumaki clan's forbidden technique," Orochimaru explained. "The original Cursed Seal Blood Imprint sacrifices the user's life force to curse an enemy. I've inverted it — a reversal. The seal will absorb life energy from another source to replenish the caster's own."
Mio hesitated. "You're going to drain the Zero-Tails' life force?"
"Precisely," Orochimaru said, eyes narrowing. "By combining this with my Transformation of Flesh technique, I can restore vitality rather than consume it."
He bit his thumb, pressing blood onto the scroll. The seals glowed red, the parchment trembling as if alive.
"Reverse Cursed Seal Blood Imprint!"
The sealing script flew from the scroll, wrapping around the pulsating flesh. Orochimaru's body shimmered with Sage Chakra — white horns sprouting from his temples, a pale serpent's tail coiling behind him.
The ground cracked under the pressure of his power.
"Byakugan," Mio whispered, activating her eyes again.
Through her vision, she could see it clearly — the seals were draining the life force from the Zero-Tails tissue. The energy flowed through the air in ribbons of crimson light, converging back into the scroll.
"Orochimaru…" she breathed. "You're… actually pulling life energy directly into the seal."
The flesh convulsed violently, shriveling, blackening, until it crumbled to dust. The once-dark seals now glowed a brilliant red before settling back onto the parchment.
Orochimaru smiled, his voice almost reverent.
"As I suspected. The Reverse Cursed Seal Blood Imprint merges perfectly with the Transformation of Flesh. The formula extracts life force from the Zero-Tails tissue and uses it to restore the caster's vitality."
He tied a cord around the scroll, admiring it like a prized jewel. "This is the missing key to the Regeneration Technique — a way to heal without consuming one's own life."
He turned to Mio, explaining patiently, "The process doesn't extend life, but it prevents the technique from shortening it. In essence, it transfers the cost of regeneration to an external source — in this case, the Zero-Tails' cells."
Mio's eyes widened. "So… with enough of this tissue, you could achieve near-infinite regeneration."
"Exactly," Orochimaru said, pleased by her quick understanding. "Of course, it requires preparation. But the principle works."
He handed the scroll to her. "Take it. If you ever find yourself near death, tear it open. The seal will spread across your body and convert the absorbed life force into regeneration energy."
Mio stared at him. "You'd really entrust me with this?"
Orochimaru smiled faintly — a rare, almost human smile. "You've earned it. Your Byakugan and insight have saved me months of work. You even gave up your career as a ninja to assist me. I should be the one thanking you."
Mio looked down, her voice quiet. "I'm just tired of the shinobi life."
Orochimaru chuckled softly. "You don't even believe that yourself."
He didn't call her out further. He didn't need to.
---
Elsewhere — The Sage Art Division
In another chamber, Mitsu examined a small fragment of Sage Art Explosives resting in his hand — a device so potent that a single piece could blast a crater into the Earth.
He had once doubted whether ordinary explosives could contain Sage Chakra. Now he knew the truth. These materials, born of nature itself, were more compatible with Sage Chakra than with human chakra.
"It's because of Natural Energy," he murmured. "The very origin of all things."
The realization fascinated him. If he could refine this technique further — if he could get the Three Snake Princesses of Ryūchi Cave to forge such explosives — he might create a weapon capable of rivaling even Uchiha Madara.
He sighed deeply. "But without them, it's all up to me. Producing Sage Art Explosives alone is a nightmare."
He set the fragment down gently, gazing at it with both awe and exhaustion.
The world was changing — Sage Arts, Forbidden Techniques, unnatural regeneration — all inching closer to the power once held only by gods.
And somewhere deep beneath Konoha, Orochimaru smiled, already envisioning the next step in his evolution.
---
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)