Two figures darted through the trees, their movements swift and silent, though their forms were anything but natural. Human torsos fused with writhing snake tails, Orochimaru and Kabuto were fleeing witnesses to Madara's defeat and subsequent flight.
"Menma, you truly surprise me every time," Orochimaru hissed, his voice dripping with a mix of terror and fascination. "You're getting more terrifyingly powerful by the minute."
"I never thought even my masterpiece," he continued, glancing back, "the culmination of so much hard work, would fail to defeat him. Worse, I never thought he would be controlled."
Just the memory of Menma's three-in-one form—the Sharingan, the Rinnegan, and the Sage Mode body—made his tongue flicker with envy. He wanted that power. He wanted that vessel. But after this battle? That desire had been snuffed out, replaced by pure, instinctive fear. He didn't even dare to covet Sasuke anymore.
He had seen it firsthand through the Impure World Reincarnation. He had watched as Menma, with a simple glance, unraveled the legendary Madara Uchiha and rewrote his mind like a scroll.
This eye technique, which attacked the spirit and soul directly, was the one ability Orochimaru feared most. He wasn't afraid of death—he had cheated it countless times. But having his soul attacked, twisted, and controlled? That was the true end.
As long as his spirit remained intact, he could be resurrected. But if Menma shattered his mind?
Orochimaru didn't want to find out. He fled at top speed, not daring to look back. He didn't want to become a puppet, a mindless drone. He still wanted to pursue the meaning of life, to devour all the knowledge the world had to offer.
Hearing his master's mutterings, Kabuto, sprinting right behind him, analyzed the situation with cold logic.
"Lord Orochimaru, the problem is that we moved too hastily. We weren't fully prepared."
"Many powerful ninjas couldn't be resurrected using the Impure World Reincarnation technique, even with their remains found. If we had taken more time to gather a larger army, we could have slowly ground Menma down."
Kabuto didn't understand why Orochimaru had been in such a rush to cooperate with Obito. They hadn't even had time to secure DNA for the strongest jinchuriki and Kage of the past.
If they had been fully prepared, resurrecting every legendary ninja from history, Kabuto didn't believe the Four-Star Village could have defeated them.
Orochimaru suddenly stopped, narrowing his eyes as he scrutinized Kabuto. "Are you dissatisfied?"
To be honest, Orochimaru's decision to rush into the alliance with Obito was driven by self-interest. He hadn't wanted to see Konoha destroyed, or rather, he hadn't wanted to see his only remaining comrade, Tsunade, die. He had even harbored thoughts of avenging Jiraiya.
Just as Tsunade had devoted herself to the village after Jiraiya's death, Orochimaru's heart had also undergone a significant change. The desire to steal Menma's body had merely been an excuse to justify his actions to himself.
Sensing the dissatisfaction in Orochimaru's tone, Kabuto immediately bowed his head respectfully. "I don't."
Though he said the words, Kabuto did harbor a trace of resentment and confusion. The Orochimaru of the past wouldn't have acted so rashly without proper preparation. However, he quickly suppressed those feelings.
"So, should we change our target back to Sasuke?" Kabuto asked, changing the subject.
"No. We shouldn't provoke the Four-Star Village anymore," Orochimaru replied, his voice flat. He couldn't afford to.
He planned to go into seclusion, hiding away to conduct his research and continue pursuing his goals. "We'll continue our previous cloning research. We'll use Shin's clones to continuously transplant the Sharingan obtained from Danzo. As long as we have enough, we can cultivate a perfect Uchiha vessel capable of awakening the Sharingan."
Orochimaru would restart his experiments, spending the necessary time to slowly cultivate the body he desired.
Shin was a boy with a special constitution; his body wouldn't reject transplanted organs. Orochimaru had been using him for Sharingan transplant experiments. Danzo's arm, covered in Sharingan eyes, had first been transplanted into Shin's arm to eliminate rejection. Only then was the arm grafted onto Danzo.
"Okay..." Kabuto's expression suddenly froze before he could finish.
A figure descended from the sky, landing heavily on the ground with a dull thud. The earth cracked under the impact.
It was Menma.
"Orochimaru, why are you leaving without even showing your face?" Menma's voice dripped with mockery. "You've given me such a generous gift of Impure World Reincarnation bodies; I was planning to thank you properly."
"And besides," Menma smiled, a chilling expression on his face, "I've already agreed to your request to join my Four-Star Village."
Hearing Menma's words, Kabuto immediately drew his kunai, aiming it at Menma and stepping in front of Orochimaru.
"Lord Orochimaru, please go! I'll do everything in my power to hold him off!"
Orochimaru didn't hesitate. He completely ignored Menma and quickly turned, fleeing into the distance.
"Kabuto, I'm leaving this to you!"
Orochimaru had once wanted to join the Four-Star Village because he was confident in his survival skills, believing Menma couldn't harm him. But now, that confidence was shattered. He didn't want to end up like Madara, manipulated by others.
"Sacrificing yourself to let your superior escape?" Menma chuckled, a dark amusement in his eyes. "I didn't expect the 'Thousand-Faced Spy,' Kabuto, to actually be loyal to someone."
Seeing Kabuto—still in his "baby snake" stage, not yet having shed his skin and become a dragon—willing to sacrifice himself, Menma became interested.
"Lord Orochimaru gave me a reason to live," Kabuto declared, stalling for time as he rapidly formed hand seals. "I will naturally repay him with everything!"
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Seven or eight coffins erupted from the ground. A pile of Impure World Reincarnated Jōnin from various villages emerged. These were the last of Kabuto and Orochimaru's reserves.
"Is this all you have?" Menma scoffed. "How boring. You don't even know Ryuchi Cave Sage Mode."
Looking at the attacking Edo Tensei Jōnin, Menma didn't even bother activating the Rinnegan between his brows. His eyes merely turned slightly red.
He immediately activated his Body Control eye technique: Nagatsu Hiko-no-Mikoto.
A massive amount of ocular power emanated, instantly seizing control of the surrounding Edo Tensei ninjas.
Kabuto's body, moving uncontrollably, walked right up to Menma.
Orochimaru, who had run far away, stiffly turned around and ran back at an even faster pace.
Seeing the two astonished figures standing before him, Menma said nothing more. The nine-tomoe Rinnegan between his brows glowed faintly red, activating his control ability fully.
Two pale red chains extended from their chests to Menma's hands.
Simultaneously, he implanted a new set of memories and perceptions into their minds—a focus on pursuing "hedonistic technology," a drive to research for the sake of Menma's vision.
"Scientific talent should be used in the right way," Menma murmured, looking at them. "Not in pursuing the hollow meaning of life or cheap immortality. Those are crooked paths."
He had specifically come to chase down Orochimaru and Kabuto for their scientific genius.
The two, their memories and perceptions altered by the control ability, unknowingly accepted the new information. Finally, they stood respectfully before Menma, their faces filled with the fervor of idol worship.
"Lord Menma! We will strive to make this world as prosperous as you envision!"
Looking at Orochimaru and Kabuto, whose minds had been successfully altered, Menma nodded slightly.
"I look forward to your research that will change the world."
---