Bone Pulse Reforged, the Rebirth of the Strongest Berserker

The lingering stench of blood was thinned somewhat by the sea breeze blowing through the vents into the lower corridor.

Orochimaru stood at the end of the stairs ten meters away. Tiny venomous snakes continuously slithered from his wide sleeves, their cold, slick scales rubbing together as their rustling echoed through the empty dungeon.

To bribe informants and locate this secret holding site, he had paid a tremendous price. He had thought he could easily take away this perfect vessel.

Ye turned around, his dark eyes meeting those cold, vertical pupils without the slightest ripple in his expression.

His gaze shifted from the stairs to Kimimaro, who was still kneeling beside him.

"Let me see what your reborn body... can do."

Ye paused briefly and looked back toward the stairs.

"Go. Drive him out."

The emptiness in Kimimaro's eyes had been replaced by killing intent as he raised his head.

Anyone who dared offend a god had to be torn to pieces.

As he rose, his right hand reached around to the back of his neck, five fingers piercing his skin and locking firmly onto the first cervical vertebra.

His wrist jerked violently. A piercing sound of flesh tearing rang out as he forcibly pulled his entire spine from his back, blood dripping down the vertebrae.

Orochimaru narrowed his golden vertical pupils, about to mock this frail, sickly body, but the smile on his lips swiftly faded when he saw that spine.

The bone in Kimimaro's hand was no longer as pale and fragile as before. It was crystalline jade in color, and in the dim light, dense blue radiance flowed across its joints.

The bones' original brittleness had vanished. His entire spine had become heavy and tough enough to be wielded as a weapon.

After fusing with the source blood essence of the Sage Body, this once flawed Dead Bone Pulse had transformed into a mutant form that surpassed the limits of a Kekkei Genkai.

Kimimaro stepped down, splashing muddy water in every direction as cracks instantly spread across the stone slabs.

The wind whipped at his clothes. In the next instant, he crossed the distance between them, his figure charging straight at Orochimaru's face.

There were no elaborate hand seals and no unnecessary probing—only speed and strength that broke past the limits of the human body.

The jade-colored bone whip tore through the air with a shrill howl, carrying terrifying momentum as it struck directly at Orochimaru's head.

Kabuto stood behind Ye, his hand frozen on the bridge of his glasses as his Adam's apple bobbed.

An outburst of taijutsu at this level had long exceeded the contraction limit human muscles could withstand.

A chill swept across Orochimaru's neck. Cold light immediately flashed from his sleeve as the incomparably sharp Kusanagi Sword slid into his palm.

He bent his knees slightly and held the blade horizontally before him. At the same instant, the jade bone whip smashed into its edge.

"Clang!"

The dull clash of metal reverberated through the dungeon, sending dust cascading from the stone walls on both sides.

The immense force traveled through the hilt and into his arm. The instant the Kusanagi Sword collided with the bone whip, Orochimaru's tiger's mouth split open, blood quickly seeping out.

That sickly body, which had struggled even to stand not long ago, now displayed monstrous strength that forced one of the famed Three Sannin back head-on.

His sword hand had gone numb from the impact. Large sections of stone beneath Orochimaru's feet shattered, and he stumbled back three or four steps before barely regaining his balance.

Ye did not spare another glance for the battle ahead. He walked straight to the edge of the dungeon, picked a relatively flat, dry stone, and sat down.

"Orochimaru."

Ye raised his chin slightly, the mockery on his face utterly undisguised as every word reached the other man's ears clearly.

"Last time I cut off one of your arms... wasn't that enough to teach you a lesson?"

He rubbed the edge of his trench coat, not even changing his sitting posture.

"What? Have you even gotten worse at taking a beating?"

The dungeon fell silent for a brief moment. Only the rustling of venomous snake scales against the ground continued to echo.

The trace of composure in Orochimaru's smile vanished at once. His pale face quickly turned ashen, and the veins at his temples throbbed.

Having his arm severed by this brat outside Konoha Village had been an unerasable humiliation throughout his years on the run.

Jealousy mixed with rage surged to his head, tearing his last shred of restraint to pieces.

"Don't... don't get so arrogant."

Orochimaru laughed in fury, his voice shrill and hoarse. He then clenched the Kusanagi Sword between his teeth and rapidly formed hand seals.

Massive chakra poured out from his body. A chilling aura swept through the dungeon, and even the surrounding air was tinged with a layer of purple poison mist.

"Myriad Snake Formation."

Orochimaru opened his mouth, and countless venomous snakes crawled out in a rush. In the blink of an eye, they gathered into a vast swarm that completely swallowed the ground leading to the stairs.

Every snake opened its mouth, exposing venomous fangs as they surged layer upon layer toward Ye.

The swarm filled the entire corridor, leaving no room to evade in any direction.

Stone slabs shattered in sheets beneath Kimimaro's strength. Orochimaru's killing intent blanketed the entire dungeon, yet Ye remained seated on the stone without even lifting an eyelid.

He watched the onrushing snake swarm, his dark eyes holding nothing but indifference.

"Haku, Zabuza, attack together."

Ye raised a hand and brushed stone chips from his trench coat, casually adding the second half of his order.

"Teach him what rules are."

As his words fell, piercing cold rapidly spread along the ground. The violent chakra released by the Executioner's Blade also swept over the snake swarm, locking onto Orochimaru above the stairs at the same time.