He reached out the moment he awoke?
Shen Mo lounged on his bed, watching Ikaros handle the communication.
"Sir, I have awakened," Orochimaru's raspy voice crackled through the connection.
"Hello, this is Assistant Ikaros," she replied, her tone as serene as a breeze, though Shen Mo found her calm expression utterly adorable.
Orochimaru, however, wasn't charmed.
An assistant?
He'd seen Ikaros's role in the Membership Badge's vision, but Shen Mo's words echoed in his mind: his strength fell far short of qualifying as an assistant.
Meaning…
This assistant's power dwarfed his own.
"Miss Ikaros," Orochimaru said, his usual sinister edge replaced by cautious respect, "I'd like to purchase some Level 3 Lich-exclusive cans."
No wasted words. With an unknown entity like Ikaros, prudence was his only option.
"Please hold." Ikaros ended the call and turned to Shen Mo.
Hiju, who'd been dozing on her little bed, hopped onto Shen Mo's shoulder with practiced grace.
"You two," Shen Mo said, half-amused, half-exasperated. "This isn't a first-time buyer. Just send him the cans remotely."
"…"
Ikaros blinked, realization dawning. Hiju's tail flicked against Shen Mo's neck, her soft mews tinged with displeasure.
They'd been cooped up for two days.
"Fine, if you both want to stretch your legs, let's go," Shen Mo said with a helpless smile.
Hiju was restless, and Ikaros was curious about the new client. She usually sat clutching her watermelon, waiting for messages—either a workaholic or just bored.
Shen Mo, too, was intrigued to see Orochimaru post-lich transformation.
With a snap of his fingers, they appeared before him.
Orochimaru stood in the same forest clearing, his appearance restored, though subtly altered. Freshly disturbed earth betrayed his recent emergence from the coffin.
"Sir," Orochimaru greeted with deep respect, then turned to Ikaros, bowing slightly. "Miss Assistant."
Ikaros returned a polite half-bow, her watermelon making the gesture comically awkward.
Shen Mo studied Orochimaru. "Few liches care about their appearance. Most are withered elders by the time they turn."
"I believe a youthful mindset matters," Orochimaru replied, his smile surprisingly clear, not the usual sinister smirk. "Besides, I don't see myself as dead—just existing in a unique form."
Shen Mo peered into his soul, surprised to find the gray of chaotic neutrality tinged with a faint white, leaning toward order.
"Your mindset's shifted," Shen Mo noted, curiosity piqued.
"Death changes perspectives," Orochimaru said, gazing at his hands. He didn't hesitate to bare his soul to Shen Mo. "I once thought death was the ultimate fear, the ultimate power. Now I see it's just a state. Existence lies in consciousness, in will."
Orochimaru knew, by mortal standards, he was dead. His heart no longer beat, his flesh destined to decay. Yet his soul danced within this vessel, growing brighter, more vibrant.
"You've found your purpose," Shen Mo said, reading his thoughts.
"Indeed."
Orochimaru lowered his hands, his smile natural, almost warm, as if Shen Mo were the only one who could truly understand him.
And perhaps he was.
Unrestrained, Orochimaru poured out his heart. "I've achieved immortality. My long-term goal is to become your assistant, to follow you through endless worlds, chasing infinite truths. But for now… I want to reshape this broken, rotting world. This is my homeland. I want it peaceful, beautiful, orderly, and strong."
His ambition hadn't wavered. He craved truth, eternal life, and the power to remake the world with his undying arts.
Now, he saw a path.
"You truly believe…" Shen Mo's smile turned playful, "that turning this world into a haven for the undead is a beautiful choice?"
"Why not?"
Orochimaru raised his eyes to the sun, its light harsh but bearable. His smile faded, replaced by a rare, earnest intensity.
In his hoarse voice, he spoke slowly. "When I left Konoha, I realized wherever there are people, there's conflict. Lives are lost, bringing pain to the living, which spawns more wars. Death is the root of suffering, the decay of this world. But if—"
His eyes gleamed with fervor, almost madness.
"If no one could die, no matter how they fought or raged, if even the dead could return, then hatred and war would lose meaning. People would live in harmony! Regret, pain—all would vanish. Together, we'd explore the world's truths, making it prosperous and powerful…"
Orochimaru closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, his voice trembling with longing. "How beautiful that would be."
Shen Mo stared at Orochimaru, now a self-proclaimed savior of the world.
Words failed him.
Orochimaru sought to forge the Naruto world into a civilization of undead—a kingdom ruled by a wise Lich King.
The terrifying part?
His vision wasn't entirely impossible.
Overcome the madness that mortal minds faced in undeath, the vulnerability of undead to true destruction, the inconveniences of their state…
A civilization led by an enlightened Lich King could, in theory, thrive with immense potential.