Chapter Fifty-Five: Competing to Absorb Energy

The power of the Grael Stone vein was ferocious, forming a green tornado of energy that blotted out the sun, stirring up howling winds and raging tempests. Though it was daytime, hardly any light reached this place, casting it in deep gloom.

"The power of the Grael Stone vein..." Orochimaru longed to understand the principle behind such a vein, hoping to achieve an entirely new Sage Mode. Each Sage Mode, after all, was a direct method of harnessing natural energy. It was not limited to chakra, but rather represented a new system of power—one that, in his eyes, should have been the true evolutionary path of this world's civilization. Chakra, ultimately, was a foreign element.

"This sealing power feels so familiar," Orochimaru mused, his brow growing heavy. The power sealing the Grael Stone vein was the same as the force that had brought him back to life.

To this day, there were only two powers Orochimaru found familiar. One belonged to the Realm of Death and the Mansion of Rebirth. The two were originally one; their separation, and the force that accomplished it, was familiar to him. The second was the power sealing the Grael Stone vein. Though that seal had been broken, traces of it remained mingled in the green energy storm of the Grael Stone, like red streaks slashing through the green—impossible to miss.

Twice already, and counting the force that had revived him, it made three appearances in total. This mysterious power had once been active in the world, but was now exceedingly rare.

Orochimaru leapt down from the moving fortress, striding toward the heart of the energy storm. This scene made Shikamaru, Sakura, and Rock Lee frown.

"Orochimaru really is fearless," Shikamaru remarked, his brows relaxing a little. With both Haido and Timsey having perished in the green tornado, Orochimaru’s willingness to jump in could only mean arrogance or confidence—and Shikamaru thought it was the latter.

"Hahaha! What a fool! He’s walking straight into the tornado—he’s done for!" Sakura clapped her hands in delight, convinced that her village’s destruction would finally be avenged.

Though Rock Lee instinctively doubted Orochimaru would die, he let himself believe it, swept up in the joy of the girl he liked. "Yes! Sakura, we’ll finally avenge our Hidden Leaf Village!" He smiled at her, their gazes meeting in shared happiness.

Shikamaru put a palm to his forehead, overcome with the urge to throttle the two of them. What was he supposed to do? He was finding these so-called comrades more and more unbearable, and found himself tempted to switch sides and join Orochimaru. Their thought processes seemed increasingly abnormal to him.

Orochimaru stepped into the green tornado, his robes flaring in the tempest. The energy was wild, threatening to tear him apart, but three Grael Stones flew from his bosom and began to orbit him, shielding him completely from harm.

"Is it only those with royal blood who can absorb this power?" Orochimaru understood: that was not the case. Ordinary people simply did not know how to channel or absorb the energy; thus, they could not use it.

Only those with so-called "royal blood" could innately merge with the Grael Stone, hence the legend persisted.

"Let me feel it for myself," Orochimaru said, opening himself to the Grael Stone vein’s power. This force was said to be able to destroy the heavens and the earth, though that was an exaggeration. On the whole, it was inferior to the power of the God Tree—one tier below.

Uchiha Itachi and Kisame were at the heart of the energy, and when they saw Orochimaru enter and sit cross-legged to absorb the Grael Stone vein's power, they were amused.

"Orochimaru, you’re just asking for trouble," Itachi said.

He and Kisame had already been here for some time, absorbing the energy and consolidating their gains. Orochimaru, newly arrived, was far behind.

The three did not immediately come to blows, for the Grael Stone vein's energy was surging forth in torrents; absorbing as much as possible was the true priority.

"Kisame, there’s not even enough energy here for the two of us—no way we’re letting Orochimaru have any," Itachi said.

Kisame and the sharkskin blade on his back gulped down energy greedily. He grinned, baring his sharp teeth. "Then let’s make sure Orochimaru doesn't get any!"

Having already mastered the method of absorbing the Grael Stone’s power, Itachi and Kisame created a powerful suction and, working together, covertly disrupted Orochimaru’s efforts. It should have been easy to prevent him from absorbing anything.

Sure enough, as soon as the thought arose, the energy tornado grew even more violent, roaring like a wild beast, making it all but impossible to absorb.

"Look! Orochimaru may not be dead, but he’s clearly not getting anywhere!" Sakura exclaimed from atop the moving fortress, brimming with joy.

Fresh from the Ninja Academy, she was still a child. Rock Lee looked on and saw the green tornado grow even more savage. Orochimaru, caught in its heart, was unable to absorb a single drop of power and even had to divert attention to defend himself from the chaos.

"It’s true! Orochimaru’s getting nowhere!" Lee confirmed.

Suddenly, two shrill screams rang out. Sakura and Rock Lee leapt from the moving fortress, their bodies no longer under their own control.

Shikamaru withdrew his shadow, feeling much better now that those two annoying companions were gone. Still, when he looked toward Orochimaru, his expression grew grave; Orochimaru really was in a tough spot.

"You won’t let me absorb it?" Orochimaru laughed.

Energy raged around him, transforming into violent attacks that tried to strike him down, but the three Grael Stones intercepted every blow. These stones did much more than simply carry green energy.

"If they can shield me from energy attacks, they can surely help me absorb as well."

And so they could. Orochimaru experimented with ways to wield the Grael Stones, and before long, the situation within the green tornado was completely reversed.

Orochimaru used the three stones to stir the tornado, drawing all the energy to himself. Itachi and Kisame were no match for him.

Though they too could influence the tornado, without Grael Stones their effect was minimal. Bit by bit, Orochimaru wrested control away from them.

Infuriated, Itachi and Kisame redoubled their efforts, but Orochimaru deliberately whipped the energy into even greater frenzy, far beyond what they could absorb. Their influence waned until, in the end, they could no longer affect the storm at all.

Sakura and Rock Lee, who had jumped off the moving fortress, clambered back up, glaring furiously at Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru, what’s your problem?" Sakura demanded.

Rock Lee subtly positioned his body in front of Sakura, watching Shikamaru’s shadow with intense vigilance.

"Guarding against me, are you?" Shikamaru thought. This mission had shown him the true nature of so-called comrades—utterly exasperating.

"I have no problem at all," Shikamaru replied.

Sakura’s dissatisfaction only grew. "What kind of attitude is that? Are you really going to betray us?"

Lee gritted his teeth. "Shikamaru, I never thought things would come to this."

The two of them looked so woeful it almost seemed real.

Shikamaru was at a loss for words. Come to what? Betrayal? Are you two out of your minds?

He had no desire to engage with them further, turning his gaze back to Orochimaru for fear that, if he kept talking, he would lose his self-control.

"Shikamaru, I misjudged you!" Sakura went on. Seeing him look toward Orochimaru, she sneered, "Orochimaru will die in that tornado!"

Smack!

Before she could finish, Sakura slapped herself across the face—Shikamaru had used his shadow to control her.

"Shut up already," he said, unable to bear it any longer. He’d wanted to hit Sakura for ages.

When would they ever learn to understand anything?