Chapter 15 – The Sensible Orochimaru
Seeing the sudden smile on Yuto's face, Orochimaru felt a chill inside, a bad premonition rising sharply.
"Orochimaru, rogue ninja of Konoha."
His golden eyes flickered, but he still answered honestly. When he said "rogue ninja," he even stressed the word, certain that since Yuto had been sealed away by Konoha shinobi, his feelings toward the village could hardly be favorable.
Still, with Hashirama here under his control, Orochimaru felt a sliver of confidence. If anything went wrong, he could simply use Edo Tensei to make Hashirama attack.
"A rogue of Konoha? How delightful."
Yuto's smile did not fade. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Hashirama and said lightly, "This state of Hashirama hardly holds even a tenth of his true strength. To call him Hashirama is wrong—it's more like a puppet of Hashirama. Watch."
As his words fell, Yuto snapped his fingers.
A tearing sound rang out, like cloth being ripped.
Before everyone's eyes, Hashirama was instantly shredded to pieces.
"No awareness. Can't even dodge the simplest attack."
Yuto shook his head, a flicker of regret in his eyes.
When?!
So strange—was this some bloodline ability?
Orochimaru's whole body tensed, a chill running down his spine. Even now, he could not sense the slightest chakra fluctuation.
Meanwhile, Mei Terumi and Ao's faces lit with excitement. According to legend, Lord Yuto could summon unseen phantoms to fight for him. The shredded Hashirama must have been their doing.
"No need to be so tense. Just a small trick. Bloodline eyes like the Byakugan or Sharingan can faintly see them. And those four little ones behind you—if they call upon that special chakra within their bodies, they too should sense it."
Yuto's amused voice carried as his gaze swept toward the Sound Four.
Orochimaru's pupils shrank. That "special chakra" was surely the power of the cursed seals. For Yuto to even perceive that—terrifying.
But from the way he looked at the Sound Four, Orochimaru faintly guessed Yuto's intentions. Composing himself, he spoke evenly:
"If Lord Yuto requires anything, please say the word."
Yuto gave him a look of approval, eyes gleaming faintly.
"Having been sealed so long, much of my strength has run dry. You won't mind if I take a little chakra, will you?"
Orochimaru's eyes flashed cold. No one knew better than he the true nature of the cursed seal's power—and its side effects.
As for that nonsense about Yuto's power being nearly depleted after decades sealed away? Orochimaru didn't believe it for a second.
Since Yuto's revival, Orochimaru had watched closely, looking for any flaw—any weakness of this so-called immortal body. But there was none. No frailty in the flesh, no sign of mental exhaustion. He looked as if he had merely awoken from a nap.
Even without lifting a hand, the pressure rolling off him told Orochimaru everything—within Yuto was an endless, terrifying well of power.
That was the reason he obeyed so honestly.
Recalling what he had once read in Konoha's secret archives, Orochimaru's tongue flicked across his lips.
The true immortal body. A bloodline limit that could devour all forms of energy.
Perhaps it was time to witness it firsthand.
As Yuto and Orochimaru's gazes fell upon them, the Sound Four felt their eyelids twitch. A wave of bleak despair rose in their hearts once again.
More and more, they wondered if coming here had been a grave mistake.
Even so, their bodies obeyed. Step by step, the Sound Four walked up to stand before Yuto.
"You four little ones, unleash the power inside your bodies."
Yuto's voice was calm, yet it left no room for defiance.
In his final battle against Madara and Hashirama, he had noticed something peculiar. At that time, he had not been able to confirm it before being sealed—but now was the perfect chance.
The Sound Four exchanged glances, then turned toward Orochimaru. Seeing him nod slightly, their resolve hardened.
At once, they ignited the power of their cursed seals.
Boom!
Four surges of cold, sinister energy erupted violently, twisting the air.
Dark, jagged markings spread across their skin, wrapping each of their bodies in grotesque patterns. Though the designs differed, their auras all rose sharply—from that of ordinary chunin to the level of elite chunin in an instant.
Watching this, Mei Terumi and Ao's expressions changed. Neither of them had expected Orochimaru to conceal such a trump card.
Ao's face grew tense, his thoughts racing. Orochimaru's purpose here clearly went beyond just acquiring that single scroll.
If not for Lord Yuto, perhaps they truly would have fallen into his trap.
Mei's tongue flicked across her crimson lips, her eyes flashing with the faintest glimmer of killing intent.
But just when they thought the transformation was over, the Sound Four's unstable chakra surged yet again.
Their strength leapt a full stage higher—reaching the level of jonin.
The aura they released grew darker, more wicked, and their eyes gleamed with flickers of madness. At this moment, their forms could hardly be called human.
Mei and Ao's faces turned grim—not because the Sound Four's strength threatened them, but because of what this revealed about Orochimaru.
The ability to control the dead. The cursed seals that could mass-produce power.
These were not things that could be taken lightly.
(End of Chapter)
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