"B-Bastard!"
As the sensation of his soul being devoured arose, Sasuke's Sharingan spun slightly, and the chakra within him erupted. The flesh surrounding him underwent a startling transformation, gradually turning pitch-black like some living beast.
"Oh?" Orochimaru froze for a moment. Looking at these creatures he did not even know how to name, he revealed a strange expression. "Aside from genjutsu, you can also use chakra to influence the flesh in this space? As expected of Indra's reincarnation!"
"Indra?" Sasuke paused, then snorted coldly. "What are you talking about? I don't understand. So die."
The pitch-black monsters, baring their fangs and claws, lunged at Orochimaru, intending to devour him completely.
"Hahahaha! This power, this feeling—Sasuke... everything about you, Indra's soul, the truth of this world, the Sage of Six Paths' secrets—I'll take it all!"
Orochimaru laughed madly. A gloomy chakra emerged from his body, and beneath his feet appeared an intricate sealing array unlike any seen before. Every pitch-black monster that reached him vaporized, while another surge of flesh wrapped around Sasuke again.
"This is a Sealing Technique I created after years of calculations, a seal closest to the frequency of the human soul. Come, stop resisting. Let us become one."
Orochimaru's hoarse voice rang out as two more strands of flesh extended from his body and connected to Sasuke. At once, exhaustion flooded Sasuke's mind, and his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
No... I can't... I can't fall asleep like this! He screamed frantically in his heart and tried desperately to struggle, but it was futile. This drowsiness was like an ancient summons, like the homeland he belonged to, impossible to resist.
The flesh churned, and Sasuke's eyes finally closed. His entire body was completely swallowed by the flesh. Orochimaru laughed wildly, already sensing an endless stream of brand-new