"You've been corroded by the venom of the Yamata no Orochi. No matter how strong your vitality is, your organs will wither away, and you'll die a slow, painful death. Such a shame for such a perfect vessel," one of the Yamata no Orochi's colossal snake heads hissed, its gaze fixed on Kai.
"Hmm?" The serpent suddenly noticed something unexpected—Kai's body wasn't deteriorating as it had anticipated.
The immense vitality granted by the Perfect Sage Body coursed through Kai's organs, washing away the venom. Under the nourishment of this overwhelming life force, his damaged organs began to recover.
With a sharp exhale, Kai expelled a cloud of grayish-black mist from his mouth and nose.
"How... how is this possible? How could you resist the corrosion of the Yamata venom?!" The snake's pupils narrowed in shock, disbelief evident in its voice.
Kai had no interest in answering Orochimaru's question. Fixing his gaze on the Yamata no Orochi, Kai spoke with a calm yet piercing tone, "It seems I underestimated you, Orochimaru-senpai. However, I no longer have the time to play with you."
Kai admitted to himself that he had been careless in dealing with Orochimaru. After all, he had just defeated Uchiha Madara, and compared to Madara, Orochimaru was several leagues below. Kai hadn't expected Orochimaru to pose any real threat—only to find himself caught off guard by the Sannin's schemes.
Kai slowly raised his right hand, his palm aimed at the Yamata no Orochi. A pitch-black sphere materialized in his hand and was hurled toward Orochimaru. In an instant, the ground began to quake violently as the earth itself was drawn toward the black sphere.
Chibaku Tensei!
This was the Heavenly Path ability of the Rinnegan, essentially a manipulation of gravity. Having recently awakened the Tenseigan, Kai's mastery over gravity and repulsion was still in its infancy, and he modeled his usage after the Rinnegan's techniques.
For Nagato, using Chibaku Tensei would cost a tremendous amount of life force. But for Kai, who possessed the Perfect Sage Body, life force was hardly a concern. To him, it was almost trivial.
"What... what is this?!" The sixteen eyes of the Yamata no Orochi narrowed into slits as panic set in.
The gravitational pull of Chibaku Tensei intensified rapidly. Towering trees were uprooted, massive boulders ascended into the sky, and even the ground beneath the Yamata no Orochi began to crack and shift.
Finally, the colossal body of the Yamata no Orochi could no longer resist the overwhelming gravitational force. Its massive form began to rise, and fear gripped the serpent. It attempted to flee but found itself unable to escape.
As the gravitational pull reached its peak, the Yamata no Orochi's enormous body was lifted off the ground. Desperation overtook the serpent as it thrashed wildly, its massive heads swinging in futile resistance. But it was too late. Countless boulders slammed into the Yamata no Orochi, forcing it toward the black sphere. With a thunderous crash, the serpent collided with the growing mass of debris.
The Chibaku Tensei expanded further, completely encasing the Yamata no Orochi within its gravitational prison. Slowly, the massive sphere ascended into the sky.
Kai fully activated his Kagura Shingan, scanning for any trace of Orochimaru's chakra. Yet, there was nothing—no detectable presence of the Sannin. Kai frowned slightly, uncertain if Orochimaru had truly perished. After all, Orochimaru was infamous for his myriad of survival techniques.
With a shrug, Kai dismissed his Kagura Shingan. Even if Orochimaru had survived, it was unlikely he'd dare challenge Kai again anytime soon.
"Of course, it's you again, you bastard."
A sharp, feminine voice rang in Kai's ears. He turned to see Mei Terumi, her striking eyes glaring at him with a mix of anger and exasperation. "You bastard, didn't you leave Kirigakure already?" she demanded.
"Uh..." Kai hesitated, unsure how to respond.
Mei shot him a sidelong glance before pointing at the Chibaku Tensei floating in the sky. "What kind of jutsu is this? Is it going to fall back down?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern. Her worry was justified; if the sphere were to fall, the destruction could devastate Kirigakure.
"It won't. It'll slowly ascend into space," Kai replied calmly.
"Hmm." Mei seemed reassured by his answer, showing no sign of doubting him.
"Well, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave," Kai said, feeling a bit awkward under Mei's gaze. For some reason, her eyes seemed to carry a faint trace of... longing? It left Kai slightly flustered.
"Hmph!" Mei huffed, flipping her brown hair with a flick of her head before walking away.
Kai scratched his nose awkwardly before vanishing from the spot.
What Kai didn't know was that shortly after he left, Mei returned to the same place. Staring at the now-empty clearing, she pouted slightly, stomping her foot in frustration. "That bastard... he runs away so fast. Hmph! Just wait. Once I officially become the Mizukage, I'll go to Konoha and teach him a lesson!"
Although they had moved far beyond the reach of the Chibaku Tensei, Kimimaro still used his Shikotsumyaku to shield Haku, ensuring his safety.
Noticing the pale, almost sickly complexion on Kimimaro's face, Kai frowned. He couldn't help but think of Kimimaro's fatal Kekkei Genkai disease. "Kimimaro, are you feeling unwell?" Kai asked.
Kimimaro's face showed a brief flicker of unease before he replied, "No... no, my lord."
Kai stepped closer, placing a hand on Kimimaro's head with a gentle smile. "Kimimaro, we're comrades. Comrades don't lie to each other, okay?"
"Kimimaro, what's wrong?" Haku asked, his face filled with concern.
"My lord..." Kimimaro's cheeks flushed red. For a moment, he looked like a shy child. "It's nothing serious. It's just that after using Shikotsumyaku, my bones feel a bit sore."
"Bone pain?" Kai frowned, his expression serious. A soft green light emanated from his palm as he placed it on Kimimaro.
Sōzō Saisei: Chiyute no Jutsu! (Creation Rebirth: Healing Hands Technique)
Kai hadn't forgotten the nearly two years he spent learning medical ninjutsu under Tsunade's guidance. However, even with his knowledge, he couldn't detect the root cause of Kimimaro's Kekkei Genkai disease. For now, all he could do was alleviate the symptoms.
After several minutes, Kai withdrew his hand. "How do you feel now, Kimimaro?"
Kimimaro hesitated for a moment before replying, "Much better, my lord. But there's still some lingering pain."
Still some pain? Kai's frown deepened. It seemed that Sōzō Saisei: Chiyute no Jutsu could only temporarily ease the symptoms but wasn't capable of curing the disease.
It made sense. If the disease were that easy to cure, Kimimaro wouldn't have died so young. Even Kabuto, with his exceptional medical skills, couldn't save him.
"There's no other way. I'll have to find Tsunade-nee," Kai muttered.
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