The massive white serpent opened its cavernous maw wider, and from within the creature's throat, a pale human arm stretched forth through the viscous slime that coated its interior. Slowly, deliberately, the rest of Orochimaru's body began to emerge from the snake's mouth, covered in the same translucent fluid that had preserved him during the resurrection process.
The legendary Sannin had returned to the world of the living.
"Orochimaru-sama!" Yakushi Kabuto exclaimed, his voice filled with relief and triumph as he witnessed his master's successful revival.
"Hehe... I must admit, I never expected you would actually resort to using the backup resurrection method," Orochimaru said with his characteristic low chuckle. His voice carried the same sinister tone that had struck fear into countless enemies over the years. As he spoke, he slowly rose to his feet, his body gradually returning to its familiar human form as the effects of the serpentine transformation faded away.
However, the moment of triumph was short-lived.
"Gahh—!"
"AHHHHH!"
Without warning, Orochimaru suddenly clutched his right arm with his left hand, his pale features contorting in absolute agony. An unbearable pain unlike anything he had ever experienced swept through his entire body, radiating outward from his right arm like waves of molten fire. The pain was so intense that he could not suppress the anguished howls that tore from his throat.
Even though his resurrection had been successful, the spiritual wound inflicted by the Zanpakuto remained as devastating as ever. This was not an injury that could be easily healed or dismissed through conventional means.
"Damn it all!" Orochimaru cursed through gritted teeth.
Large droplets of cold sweat began forming on his forehead and rolling down his face as his entire body trembled from the overwhelming pain. His usually composed expression was replaced by one of pure torment, his facial muscles cramping and spasming as he struggled to maintain any semblance of control.
"What in the world is happening to me?" Orochimaru gasped, his breathing labored and uneven.
As he focused his attention on his right arm, trying to understand the source of his suffering, he discovered something truly horrifying. The pain seemed to alternate between two distinct sensations - one moment, it felt as though his arm was being sliced apart by an impossibly sharp blade, each cut precise and merciless. The next moment, it felt as though the same area was being seared and burned by intense flames that consumed everything in their path. This cruel cycle of cutting and burning continued endlessly, creating a torment that penetrated far deeper than mere physical sensation.
This was pain that reached into the very core of his being, affecting not just his body but his soul itself. It could not be reduced through meditation or willpower, and it showed no signs of stopping or weakening on its own.
With his left hand trembling violently, Orochimaru raised his right arm to examine it more closely. Through clenched teeth, he stared at the limb that appeared to be in perfect physical condition. From the outside, there was nothing wrong with it whatsoever - no visible wounds, no obvious deformities, nothing that would explain the excruciating agony he was experiencing.
"Orochimaru-sama!" Kabuto called out, his voice filled with concern as he watched his master's suffering.
"Kabuto," Orochimaru managed to say through the waves of pain, "prepare the laboratory immediately. I need to determine what exactly is wrong with this arm before we can proceed with anything else."
"Yes, sir!" Kabuto responded without hesitation, immediately moving to set up the necessary equipment and materials.
Orochimaru forced himself to endure the constant agony as he made his way to the experimental area. Every step was a struggle, every movement sent fresh waves of pain coursing through his system, but he was determined to find answers. He had to discover a way to recover from this condition as quickly as possible, because if this situation continued unchanged, he would not only be unable to perform ninjutsu effectively in combat, but even simple daily activities would become nearly impossible to manage.
The initial round of experiments concluded relatively quickly, but the results brought nothing but devastating news for the legendary snake ninja.
His right arm was completely ruined.
Despite subjecting it to various experimental tests and attempting multiple different recovery methods, nothing had been able to reduce the pain even slightly. Even more troubling was the discovery that his right hand could no longer perform even the most basic functions. Simple actions like picking up a cup or holding a writing brush were now beyond his capabilities, and the complex hand movements required for forming ninja seals were completely out of the question.
Apart from maintaining its normal outward appearance, his right arm had essentially become nothing more than a useless decoration attached to his body.
For someone of Orochimaru's pride and abilities, this reality was absolutely unacceptable.
"Crack!"
In a moment of desperate fury, Orochimaru used his left hand to forcibly break his right arm at the shoulder joint, separating it from his body entirely. "Bring me one of Shin's arms immediately!" he commanded, his voice strained with both pain and determination.
Kabuto glanced at his master, whose entire body was now drenched in sweat from the intensity of his suffering, and quickly retrieved a pale, lifeless arm from one of the storage containers. This particular limb was identical in construction to the arm that had once belonged to Danzo, designed with the same cellular modifications that allowed for the implantation of Sharingan eyes.
Of course, this replacement arm currently had no Sharingan embedded within it.
"Quickly... please, quickly..." Orochimaru urged, his voice becoming weaker as the pain intensified to nearly unbearable levels. His vision began to blur and darken as his body struggled to cope with the overwhelming sensory assault.
The surgical procedure to attach the new arm was completed with remarkable speed, but to Orochimaru's dismay, the excruciating pain did not subside in the slightest. If anything, the agony seemed to have increased as his nervous system adjusted to the foreign limb.
Over the course of the following days, Orochimaru subjected himself to countless experimental procedures and surgical modifications. He tried attaching numerous different arms, each with varying cellular compositions and genetic modifications, desperately searching for some combination that might provide relief from his torment.
Finally, after an extensive series of trials and errors, he managed to discover a partial solution to his predicament.
Through careful analysis of the experimental data, Orochimaru determined that arms with higher concentrations of Hashirama cells were capable of providing some degree of pain relief. The legendary First Hokage's cellular material seemed to have properties that could partially counteract whatever force was causing his suffering.
However, even this discovery came with significant limitations. The Hashirama cells could only barely reduce the pain to a more manageable level - his right hand still remained incapable of forming the complex seals required for ninjutsu, and for all practical purposes, it was still little more than an ornamental appendage.
"This situation cannot continue indefinitely," Orochimaru muttered to himself, his voice hollow with exhaustion and frustration.
The constant torture had begun to take a severe toll on his mental state. His eyes had developed a permanent scarlet tint and were now perpetually bloodshot from the strain. The irony was not lost on him that if this condition persisted much longer, he might spontaneously awaken a Sharingan without ever needing to undergo the transplantation procedure he had originally planned.
Yakushi Kabuto frowned deeply as he set down the test tube he had been examining, his analytical mind working through the complex problem before them. He remained silent for a long time, carefully considering all the variables and potential solutions available to them.
"The danger posed by Hashirama cells increases exponentially as their concentration increases," Kabuto finally observed, his voice thoughtful and measured. "Therefore, we must find a precise balance point - one that suppresses your pain to a relatively tolerable level while simultaneously preventing the Hashirama cells from growing beyond our control and overwhelming your system."
He paused, mentally reviewing the extensive experimental data they had collected over the past several days. "Based on all of our previous test results, let me calculate the optimal cellular concentration..."
While Kabuto continued his analytical work, picking up various pieces of laboratory equipment to conduct additional experiments, Orochimaru found himself teetering on the edge of complete mental breakdown. The constant, unrelenting pain had pushed him to his limits, and he could feel a dangerous, uncontrollable bloodlust beginning to rise within him. Rather than risk harming his valuable assistant in a moment of madness, he decided to leave the laboratory and find other outlets for his violent impulses.
After what felt like an eternity, Orochimaru finally returned to the underground facility. His clothes were torn and splattered with blood - though whether it was his own or belonged to some unfortunate creatures he had encountered during his absence remained unclear.
"Orochimaru-sama, please try this newly developed arm," Kabuto announced as his master entered the laboratory. The skilled medical ninja carefully removed a fresh limb from one of the specialized cultivation vessels and approached his master with cautious optimism.
Orochimaru had become quite practiced at the procedure by now. With mechanical precision, he used his left hand to remove his current arm and attach the new replacement, while Kabuto stood ready to assist with the necessary bandaging and medical support.
"How does this one feel?" Kabuto inquired, his voice filled with hope that this latest attempt might finally provide the relief they had been seeking.
Orochimaru closed his serpentine eyes and focused all of his attention on the sensations coming from his right arm. Slowly, gradually, he began to notice that the soul-deep agony that had been his constant companion was beginning to weaken. The pain didn't disappear entirely, but it continued to diminish until it reached a level that was actually manageable.
"Hehe... excellent work, Kabuto," Orochimaru said, his voice carrying genuine satisfaction for the first time in days. "The pain hasn't been completely eliminated, but it has been reduced to a level that I can reasonably tolerate."
He opened his eyes with a mixture of surprise and relief, gingerly touching the fresh bandages that covered his right arm. The constant agony was still present, but it had been reduced to a dull, persistent ache rather than the overwhelming torment he had been experiencing. Most importantly, this level of discomfort was something he could live with - it wouldn't drive him to madness or prevent him from functioning in daily life.
Kabuto handed over the detailed experimental data he had compiled during the development process, and Orochimaru now had the mental clarity necessary to review the information carefully and understand exactly what had been accomplished.
"If we were to continue increasing the concentration of Hashirama cells beyond this point," Kabuto explained, "I believe we could suppress the pain to an even greater degree, possibly eliminating it almost entirely. However, doing so would significantly increase the risk of the Hashirama cells growing beyond our control and taking over your entire system."
The implication of Kabuto's words was crystal clear. Unless Orochimaru was prepared to risk being transformed into a tree-like creature, he would have to accept the current level of pain reduction as the best possible outcome. The discomfort had already been greatly reduced compared to what he had been experiencing, and pushing the treatment any further would create dangers that far outweighed the potential benefits.
Orochimaru set down the research documents with an expression of clear displeasure. He had reached the same conclusion as his assistant - the concentration of Hashirama cells could not be increased any further without creating unacceptable risks to his survival and humanity.
"Actually, there is one other potential solution we haven't fully explored," Kabuto said carefully, his words trailing off as he hesitated to voice the complete thought.
Despite his assistant's reluctance to elaborate, Orochimaru immediately understood what he was referring to. The technique known as Living Corpse Reincarnation - the process of transferring his soul into a completely new body - might provide a way to escape the spiritual damage that was causing his suffering.
However, this solution came with its own set of significant complications and uncertainties. Orochimaru now understood that the injury he had sustained was fundamentally spiritual in nature, affecting his very soul rather than just his physical form. He could not be certain that transferring his consciousness to a different body would actually heal this type of damage, or if the spiritual wound would simply follow him into his new vessel.
Furthermore, the specific body that Orochimaru had chosen as his next vessel was Uchiha Sasuke, who was currently residing safely within Konoha Village. In the immediate future, Orochimaru had absolutely no desire to venture anywhere near the Hidden Leaf Village, not when there was a significant chance of encountering Shihouin Naraku again. The memory of his previous defeat was still fresh and painful, and he had no intention of risking another confrontation until he was fully recovered and prepared.
As for sending his subordinates to retrieve Sasuke, that option was equally problematic. Yakushi Kabuto was far too valuable and necessary to risk on such a dangerous mission - he was currently responsible for Orochimaru's medical care and safety, and could not be spared for extended operations. As for his other followers, Orochimaru considered them to be largely incompetent and completely incapable of successfully completing such a crucial and delicate task.
Therefore, the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique remained nothing more than a theoretical possibility with no practical means of implementation in the near future.
However, as Orochimaru continued to consider his options, a slow smile began to spread across his pale features.
"In that case," he said, his voice taking on a tone of dark amusement, "perhaps it's time to pay a visit to a doctor. Someone with the medical expertise necessary to properly address the problem with my arm."
"A doctor?" Kabuto responded with obvious confusion, not immediately understanding his master's meaning.
After all, Kabuto himself was widely recognized as one of the most skilled medical practitioners in the entire ninja world. The number of people whose healing abilities exceeded his own could literally be counted on the fingers of one hand. Who else could they possibly turn to for medical assistance?
There was Shihouin Naraku, of course - that individual possessed medical knowledge that was indeed superior to Kabuto's own abilities. However, seeking treatment from their former enemy would not result in healing, but rather in them being cut down again before they could even explain their purpose.
Orochimaru extended his long, serpentine tongue and slowly licked the corner of his mouth in a gesture that was both predatory and nostalgic. "It has been many years since we last met face to face. I'm quite confident that Tsunade won't refuse a reasonable request for medical assistance from a former comrade and teammate."
Tsunade? Now Kabuto understood his master's intentions. They were going to seek out the legendary medical ninja known throughout the world for her unparalleled healing abilities.
From a purely practical standpoint, it was actually an excellent plan. Tsunade's medical expertise was legendary, and if anyone possessed the knowledge and skill necessary to address Orochimaru's unique condition, it would certainly be her.
"Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said carefully, "I don't question Tsunade's medical abilities in the slightest, but do you truly believe she will be willing to help us? Given our history and the choices we've made?"
"Hehe..." Orochimaru's smile widened, taking on a confident and somewhat predatory quality. "Oh, Tsunade will be willing to help us. In fact, I'm absolutely certain that she will be more than eager to provide her assistance once she understands the full situation."
The way Orochimaru spoke suggested that he possessed some form of leverage or knowledge that would ensure Tsunade's cooperation, though he chose not to elaborate on the specifics of his plan. Whatever strategy he had in mind, he seemed supremely confident in its effectiveness.
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion