In the crater, Orochimaru's face gradually darkened. Until now, he had worn a teasing smile, but then he climbed out and stared through the rising dust at Shinji, standing in the center of the testing ground.
That brief exchange had shocked not only the onlookers but Orochimaru himself.
He brushed the dust off his clothes, his expression no longer relaxed.
After surviving the ritual, his power had grown by the day. Sometimes, even he was astonished by how quickly his strength was increasing. Naturally, that growing power had also fed his ambition. Amado's judgment had been right: Orochimaru had indeed developed ulterior motives.
And the fact that he had developed those motives meant that the Kotoamatsukami Shinji had used on him had worn off.
Even so, Orochimaru hadn't chosen to turn against Shinji right away.
For one thing, his condition hadn't fully stabilized yet. He still needed time to adapt to his enormous increase in power. For another, he thought the Research Institute was a good place to stay. Remaining here would make it easier for him to study "divine arts."
Most importantly, he was wary of Shinji!
This clash was less a test than a way of probing what their relationship would be like from then on.
If he won, he could rise from being one of Shinji's subordinates to an equal partner. He wouldn't even need to win outright; merely being able to stand up to Shinji would be enough. But if he lost, he would have no choice but to maintain the status quo and keep working for Shinji.
"As expected of you!" Orochimaru rolled his shoulders and said in a low voice, "I made a mistake just now. I was still trying to test you first. I won't hold back this time!"
At the edge of