Next came the head, shoulders, and an intact upper body.
A fresh body crawled out of the old one's mouth and tumbled awkwardly onto the edge of the stone slab.
Orochimaru lay on the ground, retching several times.
Mucus dripped steadily from his long hair and skin.
With his secret Substitution Technique, he had finally escaped his severed body.
But changing bodies in such a short span took a tremendous toll on his life force and Chakra.
"The Sharingan isn't even active."
Orochimaru raised his head, breathing heavily.
He stared into Lie Yang's pitch-black eyes, struck for the first time by a sense of disbelief.
"You haven't even used the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Speed and swordsmanship alone were enough to push me this far."
His fingers dug deep into the stone.
He was still smiling, but the composure had vanished from his eyes.
"It seems Akatsuki's attempt to recruit you will probably fail."
Slash!
A razor-sharp flash of steel swept past.
Orochimaru's voice cut off.
A bloody line opened instantly from his left shoulder to his right hip.
Skin, muscle, and bone were severed together.
Blood sprayed out, tracing a long arc through the air.
Only after the wound had split wide open did the searing pain crash into his mind.
"Argh!"
Orochimaru's body arched backward.
His nerves had failed to react in time.
He had not even managed to activate his Substitution Technique.
If Lie Yang had not deliberately steered the blade away from his vitals, this body would have been cut clean in two.
Orochimaru gritted his teeth and opened his mouth again.
His throat expanded violently.
Another fresh body, coated in mucus, crawled out of the ruined shell.
Forcing a second change of bodies drained nearly half his remaining Chakra.
Orochimaru knelt on the stone slab.
He braced