A certain gloomy underground cave.
Accompanied by the dripping sound of water droplets hitting the ground, the door at the deepest end of the chamber finally creaked open, and a boy—barely in his teens—stepped out.
"You are..." Kabuto stared suspiciously at the childlike figure before him, uncertainty flashing in his eyes.
Normally, after Orochimaru performed his Rebirth Technique, his appearance would shift to his own familiar form.
But now... he still looked exactly like Gen'yumaru.
'Could it be... the rebirth experiment failed?'
With that thought, Kabuto's fingers tightened around his kunai. If this "Gen'yumaru" made even the slightest move, Kabuto was ready to strike without hesitation.
"Kabuto, what's wrong? Don't recognize me?"
A raspy man's voice came from the mouth of the boy, and the next second, Gen'yumaru's lips parted—his tongue slithering out, extending over ten centimeters long.
Seeing that, Kabuto immediately lowered his guard.
"Orochimaru-sama, I thought your rebirth had failed."
Orochimaru, now in Gen'yumaru's body, revealed a sinister smile.
"It wasn't a complete success. For now, I haven't fully gained control over the Three-Tails' chakra within me. I must admit, even without the beast's consciousness, the chakra of a tailed beast is far from easy to handle."
He spoke without reservation about his current situation, which rather moved Kabuto.
"Orochimaru-sama, is there anything you need me to do?" As Orochimaru's loyal follower, Kabuto would never betray him as long as his master lived.
Orochimaru instinctively flicked his tongue, clearly pleased with Kabuto's response.
Leave a little room for trust, and future dealings will go smoothly.
Of course, Orochimaru wouldn't reveal everything about his current state. The last thing he wanted was to be taken advantage of right after transferring bodies.
"Clean this place up," Orochimaru instructed.
"If all goes well, this body will serve me for a long time. The chakra of a tailed beast truly is fascinating—it constantly restores my injuries, and its recovery rate is far beyond my expectations."
"As you command, Orochimaru-sama."
Kabuto immediately headed to the inner laboratory to organize the valuable experimental instruments.
He didn't trust the clumsy Otogakure (Sound) shinobi outside—if they broke anything while cleaning, Orochimaru's wrath would be inevitable.
Did anyone really think Orochimaru wasn't strapped for cash?
Experiments were money pits. Each of Orochimaru's projects burned through tens of millions of ryo. Fortunately, he never lacked for "materials" (humans), which saved him a significant portion of the expenses.
After efficiently packing up the equipment, Kabuto returned to Orochimaru's side.
"Orochimaru-sama, what are our next steps?"
"Next, I plan to pay a visit to Konoha... and see Uchiha Sasuke. I've had my eyes on his Sharingan for a long time."
Orochimaru believed that his inability to fully control this body stemmed from insufficient spiritual power.
From his past research, he knew that the Sharingan greatly enhanced a person's mental and spiritual strength. If he could obtain it, not only would his spirit be fortified, but he would also gain the legendary eyes themselves—a perfect twofold reward.
Kabuto hesitated.
"Orochimaru-sama, Sasuke's Sharingan currently has one eye with two tomoe and the other with three—still far from the Mangekyō level you desire. Moreover, Konoha's current power is formidable: they not only have Tsunade and Jiraiya, but also Kamizuki Hikari, who can stand against Akatsuki on his own. For the two of us to go there alone might be... dangerous."
Orochimaru didn't seem angered by Kabuto's honest concern.
"I suppose I didn't make myself clear. I'll be going alone this time."
Seeing Kabuto's puzzled expression, Orochimaru continued,
"I don't fear Jiraiya or Tsunade. As for that mysterious Kamizuki Hikari... I want to test his strength for myself. If he truly is as powerful as rumored, perhaps we can negotiate. Believe me, Kabuto—I don't die so easily."
"If you're confident, Orochimaru-sama, then I won't stop you. Just... please be cautious. That man's power is terrifying beyond reason."
Remembering the battlefield where he had once investigated Kamizuki Hikari's handiwork, a chill ran down Kabuto's spine.
---
Kirigakure.
Terumi Mei—deep in slumber moments ago—suddenly snapped her eyes open.
Her hand instinctively touched her abdomen as she sat up, gazing into the distance.
'Three-Tails... could it be you sense a fragment of your chakra coalescing elsewhere? Has something gone wrong with the seal?'
Unable to shake the thought, Mei threw on a robe and switched on the light. She walked to the window and stared westward.
Somewhere out there, she felt... something unpleasant had stirred.
After a while, no explosion or disturbance came. She closed the window, turned, and sat back down on the bed.
Lifting her nightwear slightly, she revealed her smooth, pale abdomen.
She placed her right hand upon it, and her chakra flared softly. In the next instant, Mei found herself standing upon a vast ocean, and beneath her feet swam a massive turtle-like creature.
"Three-Tails?" Mei called out to him.
"Terumi Mei, I sense someone stealing my chakra!"
Though the beast's mouth did not move, his voice echoed directly in her mind.
"What do you mean?" Mei pressed. "Is there a problem with the seal?"
The Three-Tails shook his massive head.
"The seal is intact. That chakra mass was turned into a chakra bomb. Anyone who dares tamper with the seal will face a catastrophic explosion. Besides, that chakra lacks consciousness—it shouldn't be capable of taking anything from me on its own."
Mei frowned slightly. "Then what's going on?"
The Three-Tails rumbled, "Based on the timeline, my resurrection should occur two years from now. But someone has deliberately accelerated it. Back then, I sensed a faint chakra of the same nature as mine, but I ignored it. Now I realize—someone must have cultivated a fragment of my chakra separately. If this continues, they'll siphon away a portion of my chakra's source... weakening me even further."
Among the tailed beasts, the Three-Tails already ranked near the bottom in power, and he took that quite personally.
He was never the strongest—but losing even more of his essence? His existence as a tailed beast was getting downright miserable.
Unlike the worried Three-Tails, Mei's eyes lit up at his words.
"If that's the case... doesn't that mean this person could also be treated as a tailed beast—a target for Akatsuki?"
During the previous sealing of the Three-Tails' chakra, Mei had spoken cordially with Hikari, and she remembered what he'd told her about Akatsuki.
Of course, awareness alone didn't close the power gap.
The Three-Tails paused for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"When you put it that way... it doesn't sound too bad. Farewell!"
*Whoosh!*
Mei was abruptly cast out from the mental realm. Staring at her familiar bedroom ceiling, she didn't know whether to laugh or curse.
'You damned turtle... can't you act like a human?'
----
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