Land of Grass.
Moonlight flooded the night sky.
Its pale glow illuminated the ground, revealing the mouth of a pitch-black cave. From deep within, dull explosions echoed again and again, shaking the surrounding mountains.
Crack—!
The mountainside suddenly split apart.
Countless fragments of rock burst outward as the entire mountain trembled on the verge of collapse.
A long-haired man was blasted out amidst the flying debris. Even as he was sent flying, his gaze remained fixed on the crumbling rock wall, his hands forming hand seals at blinding speed.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Thick white smoke erupted.
A massive brown python was summoned into existence.
Before the serpent could even react—
A lean, youthful figure burst out from the fractured mountainside and slammed a fist straight into the python's head.
The punch was overwhelming.
The python, summoned for no more than a few seconds, had its skull shattered instantly. Its body collapsed into smoke and vanished.
That brief instant…
Was enough.
The summoner landed safely on the ground.
The long-haired man stood calmly, not sparing the dead summon even a glance. He raised his head, staring at the faintly glowing figure in the smoke, and slowly licked his lips.
"The greatest creation…"
"…has finally been born."
Greed filled his eyes as though he were gazing upon the most precious treasure in the world.
"This chakra…"
Throughout history—
This was the first experimental subject capable of perfectly integrating Hashirama's cells.
The smoke gradually dissipated.
A black-haired boy landed on the ground, bare-chested.
He was strikingly handsome—so much so that most people would instinctively feel goodwill toward him at first glance. Yet the aura emanating from his body made it impossible to ignore his presence.
It was—
An overwhelming amount of chakra.
Across the entire ninja world, only a handful of people could reach such a level.
The boy tilted his head slightly, staring at the long-haired man with clear, innocent eyes—pure and blank, like those of a newborn.
"Who…"
"…are you?"
His voice was simple and unguarded.
The long-haired man was unnaturally handsome, his pupils vertical like a serpent's. A cold, repulsive aura unique to snakes clung to his body.
In the entire ninja world, there was only one man like this.
One of Konoha's Legendary Sannin.
Orochimaru.
"Hm?"
Hearing the boy's question, Orochimaru frowned slightly, his hoarse voice carrying a hint of scrutiny.
"Looks like the experiment still carries some risk. Brain cell damage, perhaps?"
"..."
The boy tilted his head again. The frightening aura surrounding him slowly receded.
"Akihara Kagura."
Orochimaru spoke the boy's name.
The effect was immediate.
The boy's eyes sharpened in an instant.
The ground beneath his feet exploded outward as he kicked off, accelerating violently toward Orochimaru. His palm thrust forward—
A wooden spike burst from his hand.
The attack was sudden.
Too sudden.
In the blink of an eye, the spike was about to pierce Orochimaru's skull.
Orochimaru reacted instantly, raising two fingers.
Black curse markings spread across the boy's body in an instant, forming a binding seal that froze him in place.
---
Cursed Binding Seal
A technique prepared in advance by implanting a curse mark inside the target's body. When activated at a critical moment, binding formulas manifest to completely restrain movement.
To prevent any possible accidents, Orochimaru had already planted the seal within the boy.
Even so—
What had just happened was dangerously close to disaster.
Now that the boy was restrained, Orochimaru finally relaxed. The eerie smile returned to his face.
"Looks like it still works…"
Boom—!
The boy's chakra erupted again.
The violent surge alone produced an overwhelming pressure that made the air tremble.
Under the impact of that chakra, the binding curse marks began to dissolve.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
Orochimaru's figure retreated rapidly.
The boy broke free through sheer chakra output alone. He glanced at the distance between himself and Orochimaru, and the confusion in his eyes gradually faded.
"…Lord Orochimaru?"
Clarity returned.
Unease and guilt appeared on the boy's face.
"I'm sorry, Lord Orochimaru. My body lost control just now. I couldn't restrain myself. Fortunately, you used the curse seal to stop me…"
"That's normal."
Seeing the boy stabilize, Orochimaru nodded slowly.
A smile returned to his face.
"Most subjects implanted with Hashirama's cells experience similar side effects. At least you survived."
"How do you feel?"
"Better than ever."
The boy stretched his arms, clenching his fists as he felt the strength within them.
"My stamina is incredible. My chakra is abundant. Even my perception has improved significantly…"
"But…"
"My Kekkei Genkai feels strange."
He raised his palm.
A wooden spike emerged effortlessly.
"This power is extremely strong. I don't even need to consciously activate it…"
"That's only the most trivial aspect of your bloodline."
Orochimaru's smile deepened as he stared at the wooden spike.
"I'll teach you true Wood Release ninjutsu."
"…Still more training?"
The boy's voice carried a hint of grievance.
"Lord Orochimaru… I thought that once the experiment succeeded, you would use Living Corpse Reincarnation and take my body as your next vessel."
"Not yet."
Orochimaru's expression turned meaningful.
Living Corpse Reincarnation was the immortality technique Orochimaru created himself.
By transferring his soul and forcibly occupying another body, he could gain eternal life—along with the host's power and knowledge.
Orochimaru had already used the technique twice.
The first time was purely experimental.
The second was the female body he currently inhabited—perfectly compatible with his soul and capable of fully expressing his strength.
By his calculations, this body could still be used for several more years.
Discarding it now would be a waste.
Perfectly compatible vessels were rare.
Moreover, Living Corpse Reincarnation required a minimum interval of three years.
He also wanted the boy to learn more ninjutsu.
When the time came to take the boy's body, Orochimaru would gain not just power—but accumulated knowledge.
Compared to a half-finished product—
Orochimaru preferred perfection.
As for betrayal?
That was not a concern.
He had watched the boy grow up.
Akihara Kagura was an orphan.
Orochimaru understood such children well.
Give them a little warmth, and they would rush toward you like moths to a flame—even if it meant burning themselves.
In theory, Kagura should have been the same.
Reality, however, was different.
Kagura was an exception.
A system prompt echoed quietly within his mind.
---
[System Notification]
[Task: Assist superior Orochimaru in a human experiment — Completed]
[Reward Obtained: Genetic Modification Technology]
---
End of Chapter 1