"Aaaaaah!"
The remaining mass of white flesh that had been Yamata no Orochi writhed frantically, like a venomous snake tossed into boiling oil.
Orochimaru's upper body emerged from the middle of the mangled flesh. He clutched his head with both hands as black blood seeped from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. His face was twisted beyond recognition.
"It hurts... It hurts so much!!!"
His scream came out warped, like someone scraping his bones with a dull knife.
Having his soul forcibly torn out of someone else's body and then scorched by Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu lightning hurt a hundred times more than any physical pain.
"What kind of monster are you?! You're not human!!!"
Orochimaru glared at Lin Zi with bloodshot eyes, his voice filled with fear and hatred.
Lin Zi casually hopped down from the limp snake head and brushed the snake blood and scraps of flesh from his pants, looking completely at ease.
"Having your soul torn apart doesn't feel good, does it? You're the one who's been chopping souls into pieces, and now my senjutsu has forcibly kicked you out of a body. Hurts like hell, doesn't it?"
He walked up to the writhing mass of flesh and crouched down, amusement in his golden, slit-pupiled eyes.
"Who told you to be so greedy, barging into someone else's home without even knocking? Serves you right."
"What... You're all right?!"
Tsunade was the first to react. Gripping her recently dislocated right arm, she stared wide-eyed.
"You... You scared me to death! I thought that bastard had really swallowed you!"
Jiraiya plopped down on the ground, unable to maintain Sage Mode. He wiped his face.
"Damn... You're okay? That damn Orochimaru... Good. As long as you're okay..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned on the Adamantine Staff and shakily got to his feet. He looked Lin Zi over three times, as if checking that he still had all his limbs.
He opened his mouth, but in the end, all he managed was, "You brat... Never mind. As long as you're okay."
Minato Namikaze slid the Flying Thunder God Kunai back into his belt. The cut on his palm was still bleeding.
He gave a wry smile, relief finally showing in his bright blue eyes.
"You scared me to death, Orochimaru-senpai. Please don't do that again. We were all worried about you."
Lin Zi stood up, brushed the dust from his knees, and shrugged at the four of them.
"I told you, I'm not the Orochimaru you know. That guy thinks he can swallow me? Not a chance."
"All right, everyone, stand back."
Lin Zi raised his right hand, palm up.
Golden and jade-green lightning danced between his fingers like a pack of tamed snakes, crackling softly.
He stared at the mass of white flesh still writhing on the ground, the corner of his mouth curling into a dangerous smile.
"This guy thinks he can run? It's about time I gave him a good, long sealing."
"Sage Art: Snake Imperial Thunder!"
Boom!
Golden lightning transformed into countless tiny snakes and raced across the ground toward the mass of white flesh.
This time was different. A trace of scarlet Tailed Beast Chakra wound through the lightning, driving into Orochimaru like red-hot chains and pinning him firmly to the ruins.
"Aaaaaah!"
Orochimaru's body sprang out of the flesh as he screamed, convulsing all over. His pale skin blackened and blistered under the lightning.
"You... You absolute monster! Why does your senjutsu carry the power of the Nine-Tails?!"
"I didn't know you'd studied Tailed Beasts. You've got a good eye."
Lin Zi tilted his head, his black ponytail swaying in the night breeze.
"Unfortunately, I can't kill you right now, but I can seal away your chakra and ninjutsu for a while. Think of it as a lesson."
The lightning surged into Orochimaru. His white flesh spasmed violently, filling the air with a nauseating burnt smell.
A sickly green soul wrenched itself out of his body. It thrashed wildly in midair like a moth caught in an electric net.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
The spectral soul suddenly burst into a cloud of green mist, broke free of the lightning net, and streaked into the night sky like a stray dog.
Several seconds later, his venomous voice drifted back from the distance, thick with bitter resentment.
"I'll find out... what you really are... We'll meet again!"
"Sure. I'll be waiting."
Lin Zi waved at the night sky, still wearing that easy smile.
But then Lin Zi's body swayed. He looked down at his palm and frowned slightly. His fingertips were turning transparent, like ink bleeding into water, fading bit by bit into tiny specks of light that drifted away on the night breeze.
"Okay, don't crowd around me."
He looked up at the four of them, his tone calm.
"That guy took a bite out of my soul and damaged its foundation. I... can't hold on anymore."
Minato stood frozen, still clutching his Flying Thunder God Kunai.
"What do you mean?"
"Just what I said."
Lin Zi flicked his fading wrist, scattering the specks of light in a faint arc.
"The Orochimaru in your world used Living Corpse Reincarnation to tear into my soul. He didn't succeed, but I was still hurt. So I have to go..."
"Go? Go where?!"
Jiraiya rushed forward first, reaching out to grab Lin Zi by the shoulder, but his hand passed right through.
All he caught was a handful of warm specks of light. The golden fragments rose between his fingers like fireflies he couldn't hold and floated toward the night sky.
"Hey!!"
Jiraiya's voice turned hoarse at once. His eyes reddened, and his whole body trembled.
"You... Explain yourself! What do you mean, you can't hold on?! Are you going to die?! Huh?!"
"Idiot, stop shouting."
Tsunade turned away, her voice heavy. Her good left hand pressed against her injured right arm.
"His body... is disappearing..."
She clenched her teeth, unable to force out the rest of what she wanted to say.
Leaning on the Adamantine Staff, Hiruzen Sarutobi walked over step by step.
He looked at Lin Zi's blurring face and the motes of light spilling from his limbs. Suddenly, he remembered the black-haired boy who had watched butterflies outside the forest many years ago.
The bloodshot veins in his eyes had yet to fade, and now a cloudy sheen of tears veiled them.
"You..." Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his mouth. "Are you leaving too?"
Lin Zi looked at him and suddenly smiled. It was a faint smile, so faint it almost blended into the drifting lights.
"Old man, I told you. I'm not the Orochimaru from this world."
He paused, his gaze passing over the four faces gleaming with tears, and sighed softly.
"But... thank you for believing me from the start."
Minato stood at the back. Suddenly, he bent forward in a deep bow, his forehead nearly touching his knees. The hem of his Hokage Cloak fluttered gently in the night breeze.
"Thank you."
Minato's muffled voice came from below, choked with barely suppressed sobs.
"Thank you for saving Kushina... and me."
Lin Zi looked at the four of them and at the specks of light drifting away from his body. Suddenly, the scene felt strangely familiar.
"All right, don't make this feel like a funeral."
He waved a hand. More than half his body had turned transparent, and even his black ponytail was beginning to dissolve into specks of light.
"I'm just going back to recover. It's not like I... won't be coming back."
His final words were as soft as the wind, but everyone still heard them.
Jiraiya stood there, still on his knees, with a few specks of light fading in his hand. He blinked, tears still on his face and snot nearly dripping into his mouth.
"What?! You're recovering?! You're coming back?!"
He sprang to his feet, wiping his face as he swore.
"Couldn't you have explained that?! Damn Orochimaru! You scared me to death!"
As he cursed, he suddenly burst out laughing, his shoulders shaking.
Tsunade had been looking down, but when she heard that, she slowly lifted her head. A flash of relief crossed her eyes, then gave way to fury.
"Next time we meet, you're getting beaten up! You jerk!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long breath. The cloudy sheen in his eyes slowly faded. He put on a stern expression and deliberately lowered his voice.
"Orochimaru! As a shinobi, making sure your message is clear is of the utmost importance! What kind of conduct is it to be so vague?!"
"Now, now..."
Lin Zi looked at his increasingly transparent body and smiled as though he couldn't care less.
"Don't worry about the details... old man..."
He turned toward Minato, who stood at the back. His golden, slit-pupiled eyes glimmered amid the fading lights like two stars about to burn out.
"Fourth Hokage..."
His voice softened.
"You felt it just now, right? I borrowed the power of a blond kid."
Minato paused, then nodded, looking at him earnestly with bright blue eyes.
"Yeah, I felt it. That chakra... it was warm. What's going on, Orochimaru-senpai?"
"I fulfilled his request."
Lin Zi's smile grew somewhat mysterious, yet tender.
"Next... he might come by for a while. Try to get along with him."
"Him?"
Minato's pupils contracted slightly, as if he had guessed who Lin Zi meant. His lips moved faintly.
"Could it be..."
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