Chapter 30: Kotoamatsukami
As their words settled, both warriors simultaneously sheathed their blades and began forming hand seals.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The ground beneath Uchiha Douhuan instantly turned to a churning swamp, thick with viscous mud. Within the murky depths, countless venomous serpents slithered and coiled, their forked tongues flickering as they surged toward him.
"Myriad Snake Prison."
Facing this writhing tide of serpents, Douhuan remained unfazed. He formed a final seal, his eyes flashing with electric brilliance.
In an instant, the sea of lightning surged once more. Thick bolts of electricity, each as thick as a tree trunk, lashed out in every direction. The advancing serpents were incinerated in an instant, their charred remains turning to ash before they could even let out a hiss.
The snakes at the periphery froze, their intelligent eyes betraying primal fear. Though they had been bred and modified by Orochimaru, granting them heightened intellect and power, they were still creatures of instinct. And instinct screamed at them to flee from this divine wrath.
As the terrified snakes recoiled, the lightning around Douhuan began to coalesce. From within the storm, an immense humanoid form took shape—an electrified guardian with a towering, muscular frame and a wrathful expression.
"Lightning Release: Immovable Vajra!"
A golden staff of pure lightning solidified in the guardian's grip, crackling with an almost unbearable intensity. The air itself trembled as the massive weapon absorbed the accumulated energy, the sheer heat distorting the space around it.
"Step back!" Kakashi shouted, sensing the overwhelming chakra buildup.
This level of power—he had only seen something like it once before, during the Nine-Tails' rampage six years ago.
Douhuan raised his hand. With a slow, deliberate motion, he clenched his fist.
Above him, the Vajra Staff was hurled forward.
The moment it left the guardian's grasp, the sky itself seemed to split apart. The sheer force of the impact obliterated everything in its path, turning the battlefield into an apocalyptic storm of destruction. Lightning surged, swallowing everything within a vast radius.
When the storm finally subsided, only a massive, charred crater remained.
And within it—nothing but the severed, smoldering corpse of a giant snake.
---
Douhuan stepped forward, approaching the remains with careful precision. He knew better than anyone that Orochimaru was not an easy man to kill.
As expected, the moment he got close, the corpse began to twitch.
Then—squelch—the charred mouth of the snake opened, and a fresh, unharmed Orochimaru slithered out, his Akatsuki robe now drenched in a thick, mucus-like fluid.
"Hssss…" Orochimaru stretched, his unnaturally long tongue licking away the slime covering his pale face. "So this is the power of the Uchiha? Impressive… very impressive."
Douhuan wrinkled his nose. Even for a seasoned killer, this was revolting.
"If I recall correctly," Orochimaru mused, "releasing a technique of that magnitude must have cost you nearly all of your chakra."
"So what?" Douhuan's eyes narrowed in irritation.
Though he had already expected this, Orochimaru's obsessive gaze confirmed what he feared—he had become the new target of the Sannin's twisted experiments.
If it was Itachi in the original timeline, now it's me.
With a sharp snap, Orochimaru's neck extended unnaturally, his entire head launching toward Douhuan like a striking viper.
Just one bite. One bite, and I'll mark him with the Cursed Seal—then his body will be mine!
However—
A piercing hawk's cry split the sky.
Orochimaru's serpentine instincts reacted before his mind could. He froze, eyes widening as he turned upward.
And in that fatal moment, his gaze locked with a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Kotoamatsukami—activate."
A ripple of invisible force surged through the air.
Orochimaru's mind shattered.
All thoughts of experiments, ambitions, betrayal—erased.
A single command took their place.
Absolute, unwavering loyalty to Uchiha Douhuan.
A fleeting moment of clarity crossed Orochimaru's snake-like features.
Then—
Douhuan drew his blade and, in one swift motion, decapitated him.
As Orochimaru's severed head hit the ground, Kakashi and the others arrived at the scene.
"It's over?" Hyūga Ken'ya let out a deep breath of relief.
"Unbelievable… Even Orochimaru wasn't a match for him," Nagai Seiji muttered in awe.
"No." Kakashi's expression remained tense, his eyes locked onto the fallen corpse. "It's not that simple."
As if to prove his words true, Orochimaru's body began to disintegrate. The flesh crumbled into dust, fading away like smoke in the wind.
"What the hell…?" Inuzuka Kaze frowned. "What's happening?"
"He's not dead," Douhuan sighed, sheathing his sword. "Damn it. He slipped away."
"No surprises there," Kakashi admitted. "If he could be killed that easily, he wouldn't have survived all these years."
"Kaze, have Mokumaru track the scent. Orochimaru must have a base nearby. I need a short break, then we'll move out."
---
Meanwhile—Inside Orochimaru's Base
Twenty kilometers away, within a dark, underground chamber—
A large containment tube stood at the center of the room, filled with an eerie, bubbling liquid.
Inside, a pale-skinned body twitched.
Then—
Golden, snake-like eyes snapped open.
With a sharp crack, the containment glass shattered. A new Orochimaru stepped out, mucus dripping from his fresh form.
"Ahh… As expected of the Uchiha," he whispered, stretching his limbs.
Reaching for a nearby scroll, he began scrawling notes with his long fingers.
"Kotoamatsukami… how fascinating. What a terrifying genjutsu. Even I couldn't resist it… though my soul-transfer technique managed to escape the worst of its effects."
He let out a hissing chuckle.
"That means I cannot confront him directly—ever. Not unless I first remove the influence of that technique."
Pausing, he brought a single hand to his chest, feeling the remnants of the curse mark he had attempted to place.
A slow grin curled across his lips.
"Perhaps… he could become my greatest creation yet."
---
Back at the Ruins of Orochimaru's Hideout
Two hours later, fully recovered, Douhuan and the team reached the underground facility.
Ken'ya activated his Byakugan. "No life signatures inside."
"Looks like he ran," Kakashi confirmed. "Let's move in. There might still be something useful left behind."
As they ventured into the lab, the horrific sight of human experimentation unfolded before them.
Even hardened shinobi like them felt sick.
The smell of death was overwhelming.
Uzuki Yugao—the only woman on the team—clutched her mouth, nearly vomiting.
"This monster… he has no humanity," Kaze growled, fists clenched.
"Find any documents we can salvage," Kakashi ordered.
Minutes later, Moonlight Hayate sifted through a pile of scattered papers.
His fingers stopped when he read a certain file.
His eyes widened.
"Kakashi… You need to see this."
Douhuan appeared behind him in an instant, placing a firm hand on the document before Hayate could even speak.
A slight shake of the head. A silent warning.
Hayate clenched his jaw.
He had just found a list.
A list detailing kidnapped children from Konoha—those with kekkei genkai, taken by Danzo's Root and delivered to Orochimaru's lab.
And among them, he saw a name.
A boy from his own clan—a cousin who had vanished four years ago.
---
(To Be Continued…)