Soul Research, Cursed Seal Improvement

"Living Corpse Reincarnation!"

This was the name Orochimaru had given to the forbidden technique currently under research.

A technique that had never appeared before.

A completely innovative technique.

Its function was simple.

It allowed a person's soul to survive within another body, obtaining a brand-new vessel and lifespan by swapping souls.

Ao had not expected that he would be able to participate in the research of this technique.

At this moment, he was sitting upright on a chair in a bedroom deep within the secret base, with a one-meter-long wooden table placed in front of him, upon which lay a dozen scrolls—all data collected by Orochimaru.

He had been observing for four or five days and had roughly grasped this world's definition of the soul.

During this period, he had achieved some results and submitted them to Orochimaru.

In this Naruto World.

The soul was a part of the body.

Compared to his previous life, this was a brand-new concept.

After a human died, meaning their lifespan reached zero, the soul would detach from the physical body and head to the Pure Land.

Ancient texts recorded the full name of the Pure Land as the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

A world belonging to souls, created by the Sage of Six Paths.

The soul had a physical state, existing within the spiritual world as the person's original appearance.

In the real world, it was a beam of light or a semi-transparent body.

It was composed entirely of spiritual energy.

It also belonged to a part of Chakra.

Chakra itself also contained a portion of soul power.

In the Ninja World, there were many forbidden techniques involving the soul, such as the Multi Shadow Clone Technique, Dead Demon Consuming Seal, Adamantine Sealing Chains, Spirit Transformation Technique, Mind Body Switch Technique, Soul Body Separation, Impure World Reincarnation, Samsara Heavenly Life, Kotoamatsukami, Tsukuyomi, and so on.

The scrolls laid out before Ao recorded four techniques: the Multi Shadow Clone Technique, Dead Demon Consuming Seal, Spirit Transformation Technique, and Mind Body Switch Technique.

All of them required the use of power related to the soul.

Orochimaru's idea was to create a technique exclusive to the soul, granting the soul the ability to attack other souls, and by devouring the souls of others, seize their bodies.

It was similar to the "possession" found in cultivation stories.

It required reliance on absolutely massive spiritual power.

However, the measures prepared for the aftermath of the possession were not perfect, and there were no rehearsals for potential anomalies that might occur.

For example, issues like failed possession, soul damage, or failure of spiritual body fusion.

There were no preparations for these, nor were there any countermeasures left in place.

"Knock, knock-knock-knock."

A series of knocks sounded at the door.

It woke Ao, who had just dozed off for a moment, from his sleep.

He rubbed his eyes, stood up, and opened the door.

At the entrance, Anko Mitarashi stood gracefully, holding a bento box.

"Morning. I heard from Sensei that you've been in your room for a day and a night, so I brought you something to eat."

Her gaze swept over Ao's tired face, and the slight bit of resentment in her heart dissipated a little.

"Your body belongs to Sensei, so don't ruin it carelessly, lest Sensei worries!"

"You're used to eating dango, right?"

Anko handed over the bento box she was holding and opened the lid, revealing the dishes inside.

One meat dish, two vegetable dishes, red bean paste, stewed meat, and stir-fried greens. The staple food was dango.

It was her favorite food.

"Thank you."

Ao took it without standing on ceremony and began to eat heartily; his stomach was indeed hungry.

During his days staying with Orochimaru, it was always Anko who delivered the meals.

Orochimaru wouldn't cook either.

Basically, she was responsible for the logistical work.

Orochimaru also liked the food she made very much.

Although simple, it had a unique flavor.

Ao was accustomed to working overtime, and his meal times were never regular.

Aside from her slightly volatile temper, the girl was actually quite decent.

"In a few days, Lord Orochimaru will implant a type of Cursed Seal into us, did you know? To ensure the success of the experiment, we must keep our bodies in peak condition."

Anko reminded him.

Watching Ao wolf down his food, a flicker of joy crossed her eyes; she loved seeing others enjoy the meals she prepared.

It was the greatest compliment to her cooking.

Orochimaru never liked the food she made and often left leftovers, but only Ao would finish every single meal.

"I know, he told me when I first got back."

"Are you sure you want to choose to have it implanted? The risk is huge; this Cursed Seal has never been implanted into a human body before."

Ao cautioned her.

The Cursed Seal was the first suggestion he had proposed, and compared to the one Orochimaru had created himself based on Natural Energy, it had undergone many changes.

First, he had added the communication properties of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, cracking the method to commune with the Death God and applying it to the Cursed Seal. This created a top-down control mechanism, allowing the main soul to monitor the state of the split soul at any time.

This prevented the main soul from being replaced by the split soul.

Then, he added the soul-independence characteristics of the Spirit Transformation Technique, allowing each Cursed Seal to escape independently after the host's death and return to the main body.

Furthermore, he added the soul-splitting characteristics of the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, reducing the cost of splitting the soul to a minimum.

This minimized the damage to the soul during the process of creating the Cursed Seal.

Finally, through the special soul-summoning properties of the Impure World Reincarnation, he added a summoning feature to the Cursed Seal, allowing the power accumulated by the separated Cursed Seal to return to the host's body.

The only catch was that it required the death of the host.

This latest version of the Cursed Seal was, in reality, a prerequisite for the forbidden technique Living Corpse Reincarnation.

Its primary purpose was to improve the properties of the "vessel," making it better suited for the conditions of reincarnation.

"I'm not afraid. As long as Sensei needs it, I can cooperate unconditionally."

Anko said without a moment's hesitation.

The meaning of her existence was to satisfy every requirement of Sensei Orochimaru and to execute all of his orders.

Even if it meant sacrificing her life, she would not refuse.

"I understand... once this Cursed Seal is planted, it is very difficult to change... your soul will be branded with Sensei's mark, and eventually, you might become a part of Sensei..."

Ao fell silent for a moment, but ultimately, he still offered a warning.

The Cursed Seal carried a portion of Orochimaru's soul essence, and under the influence of Natural Energy, it would constantly assimilate Anko's soul, causing both her personality and body to shift toward Orochimaru.

"Isn't that our duty as Sensei's direct disciples? To carry on Sensei's will?"

Anko's eyes lit up when she heard this.

Ao remained silent; he knew that Anko had likely misunderstood something, but her loyalty to Orochimaru was beyond doubt.

Yet, he could not figure out why, in the future, Anko did not defect alongside Orochimaru.

Even if she hadn't been implanted with the Cursed Seal, she would never have betrayed him.

Three days later.

Inside the gloomy base.

The laboratory was brightly lit.

Orochimaru formed hand seals, and his body slumped gracefully to the floor.

A spirit body slowly floated into mid-air.

The physical body, now devoid of its soul, had no defensive capabilities.

Uchiha Ao stood to the side, watching the scene quietly.

At this moment, a single thought from him would be enough to kill Orochimaru with ease.

But he did not do so.

"Begin."

Orochimaru, in his soul form, commanded.

He trusted his own judgment, having handed this experiment over to Ao, confident that Ao would not let the experiment fail just to kill him.

Uchiha Ao nodded.

A pale blue, ghostly light slowly emerged from his hands; this was a scalpel formed from his spiritual energy, which was also a part of his soul.

Using this intangible blade, he severed a piece of flesh from the right arm of Orochimaru's spirit body and sealed it within a scroll.

The next moment.

Orochimaru's spirit body returned to its original state.

It slowly merged back into the body on the ground, which then swayed as it stood up.

A grey-black snake surged from his sleeve and swallowed the scroll containing the sealed soul in one gulp.