Kinomata Orochi

After Minato and the others were sealed inside the crystals Aizen had placed within Orochimaru and Pakura, they tried every method they could think of, but none of them could escape.

With no other choice, Orochimaru had to end the World Training Card early.

As long as its user remained conscious, the World Training Card allowed them to return.

So even though Aizen had banished them to another dimension, they could still escape.

The price was that the remaining time on the [World Training Card] would be reduced to zero.

In the Main God Space, beneath the enormous glowing sphere,

Orochimaru and the others appeared in a sorry state.

"Main God, repair my entire body!" Orochimaru rasped.

Four beams of light, each of a different thickness, enveloped them.

Minato and Kisame's treatment was over almost instantly. It cost them very few points, since all they needed was to recover their condition.

The beams surrounding Orochimaru and Pakura were the thickest, and their treatment took much longer.

[Treatment complete. Treatment points deducted]

Orochimaru looked at the points deducted, puzzled.

"Main God, why were so many points deducted?"

In his experience, treating a third-tier powerhouse cost tens of thousands of points only if they had suffered damage to their soul, genes, or some other such aspect. Otherwise, it cost at most a few thousand. Although this time they had fought as spirit bodies, the battle didn't seem to have caused any deep damage to their souls or genes.

[Treatment details:

Routine physical treatment: 1,000 points deducted

Removal of negative status: "Complete Hypnosis"—3,000 points deducted

Removal of foreign energy from the soul: 8,000 points deducted]

Heh. Complete Hypnosis. Sosuke Aizen—what a terrifying ability. And there was foreign energy in his soul. If not for the Main God Space, Aizen's scheme might have caught him off guard, with unimaginable consequences.

Orochimaru spent a small number of points to keep the foreign energy that had been extracted. The Main God identified it as a kind of evil soul, called a "Hollow" in the language of the Soul Society.

"Sosuke Aizen..." Orochimaru pronounced the name slowly, one word at a time.

"Orochimaru, now that I've fulfilled our agreement, I'm returning to Konoha. Take care of yourself. When we meet again, I hope it won't be as enemies."

Minato left the Main God Space after saying this.

Kisame also left Orochimaru a message privately:

"Nagato wants to meet you. If you change your mind, contact him anytime." Then he returned to his personal space.

Orochimaru understood what Kisame meant. Nagato was inviting him to join Akatsuki.

Ever since the last world mission, Kisame had been firmly on Nagato's side.

After becoming a Reincarnator, Kisame had initially joined Akatsuki only for a hidden mission. He hated being deceived by the man who called himself "Madara Uchiha," and had grown increasingly disgusted with the hypocrisy of the people in the Ninja World.

But after that world mission, Nagato, who had also become a Reincarnator, found him and said this:

"Kisame Hoshigaki, you're a true ninja. I'm sure you've witnessed the suffering and hypocrisy of the Ninja World. Its history spans only a few decades, yet it's filled with killings that treat human lives as worthless, endless hatred, and unceasing war—all of which have caused immeasurable suffering.

"All of this has made us realize that humans are foolish creatures who will never understand one another.

"I want to put an end to this war-torn world.

"But for the world to understand pain and stop fighting, there must be a deterrent—a force that makes every country and every person afraid, so they'll stop warring with one another.

"I used to think that with the Rinnegan and the power of all Nine Tailed Beasts combined, I could become such a deterrent.

"But now I understand that it's nowhere near enough. I must become stronger—strong enough that no one can defy my will. Only then will the peace I hope for come.

"Now that the Main God Space has descended, we, as the chosen ones, must be even clearer about the path we're going to take.

"I want to build a New World without war, hatred, or killing, where people understand one another. Will you walk that path with me?"

Pain's heartfelt words gave Kisame, who had been lost and unsure where to turn, a sense of belonging. He joined Akatsuki in earnest, no longer just for the hidden mission.

So Kisame planned to team up with Pain once his contract with Orochimaru's group ended, and follow his path.

That was why he kept passing messages to Orochimaru: Pain wanted to invite him to join.

But in the end, everyone pursued something different.

Pain sought peace. Kisame sought to live honestly as a ninja. Orochimaru, meanwhile, sought immortality.

That was why Orochimaru was obsessed with researching all kinds of ninjutsu and forbidden techniques. The Main God Space had opened his eyes to endless possibilities. Immortality was no longer out of reach; it had become a real possibility!

Back in the laboratory in his personal space, Orochimaru copied everything he had gained during his trip to the Soul Society into his database.

Three days later, Orochimaru was in the Main God's laboratory.

Inside a white human incubation pod filled with all kinds of unknown fluids, the body of an adult man appeared.

The adult male had a handsome face and a well-proportioned build. His entire body possessed a natural, harmonious beauty.

This was the nearly perfect body Orochimaru had prepared for himself.

Before entering the Main God Space, Orochimaru had once wondered why life was so fragile, and why people died.

He had lived through countless battles and witnessed countless deaths. In the end, he had reached his conclusion: the human body had its limits. No matter how powerful a person became, as long as their body remained fundamentally human, it would inevitably decay and ultimately perish.

So, in theory, as long as one could transfer their mind into another person's body and keep switching to fresh bodies, one could achieve immortality.

That was why he had created the forbidden technique Living Corpse Reincarnation, which allowed him to transfer his mind into another person's body.

After entering the Main God Space, however, his horizons had broadened, and his thinking had changed.

If he had to keep changing bodies, why not create one himself?

So, after studying the Artificial Gigai technology from the Soul Society and Human Transmutation from Fullmetal Alchemist, then combining the cells of Hashirama Senju with the genes of the Uchiha Clan, he had created this body.

"Examination complete. All vital signs are normal. Abnormal fluctuations in consciousness detected!"

Seeing the body he had cloned and cultivated with his own hands, Orochimaru was overwhelmed with excitement. As soon as the examination was complete, he began using a secret technique he had exchanged for and mastered long ago: the Soul Splitting Technique, a technique from an immortal cultivation civilization that could split his soul and send it into another person's body.

As he performed the technique, an immense tearing sensation in his soul assailed Orochimaru's resilient nerves. He could clearly feel his consciousness being split in two.

A moment later, the body in the incubation pod opened its eyes. Three tomoe slowly turned in its red pupils.

"Since you have Hashirama Senju's cells, from now on, your name will be Kinomata Orochi!"