The door to the surgical chamber slid open.
Sasuke and Tsunade stepped out one after the other.
Sasuke's forehead was completely intact, with no trace that his skull had ever been opened.
Orochimaru asked, "How did it go?"
Tsunade still seemed distracted, her thoughts clearly lingering on the bizarre sight of Sasuke's exposed brain.
"How should I put this…" she murmured. "What happened to him may already be beyond the limits of modern medicine."
Suigetsu threw his hands up dramatically.
"So Sasuke has officially joined the ranks of the freaks in this place? Great. There goes another one of my human friends."
Bang!
Karin's fist smashed Suigetsu's head into a splash of water.
Then she turned to Sasuke, worry written all over her face.
"Sasuke, are you really okay?"
Sasuke nodded.
"I'm fine. I'm still very much human. I haven't become one of the monsters Suigetsu is talking about."
"What happened to me follows a clear pattern."
Orochimaru smiled.
"It seems you've already grasped the essence of your dōjutsu through observing its effects, Sasuke-kun."
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Sasuke sat down on the sofa.
"This ability is an extension of Amenotejikara."
"In the past, Amenotejikara allowed me to swap the positions of two objects in space."
"At its core, that remains unchanged."
"The difference is that before, I could only swap entire targets."
"Now, I can manipulate a localized part of a whole."
Jūgo tilted his head.
"A localized part?"
Sasuke nodded.
"That's right."
"If we regard a person as a complete whole, then the head, limbs, organs—any individual body part—can be treated as a localized section of that whole."
"I can select one section as the target and alter its spatial position."
"Like this."
Whoosh!
Sasuke raised a hand, and the brain enclosed in its membrane reappeared in his palm.
Fortunately, everyone in the room was abnormal enough that seeing someone casually holding his own brain didn't faze them in the slightest.
Suigetsu's watery head reformed with a gurgling sound.
He grinned, showing his shark-like teeth.
"That's one twisted ability."
"But why can you keep functioning normally after removing your brain?"
Sasuke explained calmly.
"Unlike Obito's Kamui, which forcibly separates a part from the whole on a physical level…"
"My technique preserves the structural integrity between the separated part and the body through a special spatial membrane."
"As long as that structural integrity is maintained, functionality is preserved."
Seeing the confused look on Suigetsu's face, Sasuke said, "A heart would be easier to understand."
Whoosh!
A vigorously beating heart, wrapped in a cube-shaped membrane, appeared in Sasuke's right hand.
Suigetsu burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! I get it now!"
"That's vicious!"
"If you pulled out someone's heart and crushed it, wouldn't that kill them instantly?"
Sasuke shook his head.
"Unfortunately, at this stage, this localized swap can only be used on myself."
"I cannot use it on other living people."
Karin adjusted her glasses, her eyes sharp.
"You can't use it on others, but can you use it on inanimate objects?"
"Yes."
Sasuke set the brain and heart aside and looked toward the teacup resting on the coffee table.
"Amenotejikara."
Slice.
The upper half of the cup, wrapped in a cylindrical membrane, appeared in Sasuke's hand.
What was remarkable was that although only the lower half of the cup remained on the table, the tea above the cut line did not spill.
It remained suspended in place as though still contained.
Sasuke slowly tightened his grip.
Crack.
Both the membrane and the glass began to fracture.
Jūgo narrowed his eyes.
"That membrane…"
Sasuke explained, "The membrane's hardness is equal to the hardness of whatever it contains."
"You could say they share the same fate."
"One prospers together. One breaks together."
Crack!
The instant the membrane and the glass shattered, the tea that had been floating above the cut line splashed across the table.
"That's the principle."
Sasuke turned his hand over, letting the broken glass fall into a nearby trash bin.
"That concludes the demonstration."
Suigetsu shrugged.
"If you can't use it on enemies and only on objects, it feels like it's mostly useful for weird party tricks."
Sasuke smiled faintly.
No ability reaches its full potential from the start.
Its true value depends on the user's creativity and understanding.
As for the ways he could apply this to his own body…
He had already envisioned numerous combat applications.
There would be no need to frantically react in the middle of battle.
I can remove my brain, heart, and every vital organ in advance and store them somewhere safe.
Then I only need to bring my eyes and an empty shell into combat.
And if I can freely separate my eyes and limbs as well…
The tactical possibilities become virtually limitless.
But that wasn't what mattered right now.
The priority was reclaiming the Six Paths power he had lost.
Holding his heart in his left hand and his brain in his right, Sasuke stood.
"Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru said, "about your missing left kidney…"
Sasuke cut him off.
"The kidney can wait."
"Orochimaru, I need a quiet place."
"Preferably one that can block all outside sensory perception."
Orochimaru nodded thoughtfully.
"Quiet is easy enough."
"Blocking sensory detection is also possible."
"But the question is—to what extent?"
Sasuke's expression hardened.
"I need a place where even the Sage of Six Paths cannot sense me."
That was the key.
What he intended to do would effectively challenge Hagoromo's authority.
If the Sage interfered, all his efforts could be wasted.
Orochimaru stroked his chin.
"Hm. Blocking the Sage of Six Paths himself…"
"That is a rather difficult request."
"There are only a handful of places in the world capable of such a thing."
"And among those few, there is only one where I have enough influence to make arrangements."
He smiled.
"I'm sure you're already familiar with it."
"The sacred domain of the White Snake Sage."
"Ryūchi Cave."
Sasuke nodded immediately.
"Then we shouldn't waste any time."
"Let's go to Ryūchi Cave."
Orochimaru raised a finger.
"Please give me a few minutes, Sasuke-kun."
"I need to prepare some gifts."
The White Snake Sage valued etiquette above all else.
Anyone seeking her help was expected to bring proper offerings.
"Understood."
Sasuke lowered his eyes for a moment, watching Orochimaru rummage through his cabinets.
Then he asked with complete sincerity,
"Orochimaru… you've helped me twice now."
"By all rights, shouldn't I prepare some gifts for you as well?"
Orochimaru pulled out a treasured, aged wild ginseng root, placed it in an elegant wooden box, and cradled it in his arms.
Turning to face Sasuke, he wore an expression of almost filial humility.
"Sasuke-kun… your words are truly too much."
Enjoyed these chapters? Access 60+ ahead avanced chapters and exclusive content by visiting my Patreon. https://patreon.com/WillOFD129?