Chapter Seventy-Five: Orochimaru Emerges from Seclusion

In the Chronicles of the Land of Sen, it is recorded that during the reign of Matsushita Nichien, the world was threatened by an apocalyptic meteor. On that day, the entire world waited in silent anticipation for the end. At that moment, a divine being appeared, striding through the heavens atop a colossal purple dragon. The meteor crisis resolved itself without any intervention.

...

When Orochimaru emerged from the ground, riding atop a massive purple serpent of chakra, he immediately sensed the presence of an Otsutsuki from beyond the stars, as well as the aura of Uchiha Madara. The two were locked in a great battle in orbit. Orochimaru looked up, his eyes aglow, able to perceive the distant spectacle beyond the sky. After observing for a while, he calculated in his mind and withdrew his gaze.

He looked down at the scene caused by the “purple serpent” bursting through the earth—ground collapsing, cities swallowed into the depths, countless people buried alive—and he smiled faintly. Two centuries ago, he had sensed humans building cities here. Whether that was their fortune or misfortune, he could not say.

“Ox—Dog—Dragon—Rat—Dog—Boar—Snake—Tiger, Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

Orochimaru formed the seals and created tens of thousands of shadow clones, sending them out in groups of three to rescue the buried humans. These people would be of use to him.

The Art of Time could not be powered by chakra alone, he had learned through years of research—it required human spiritual energy as well. And at a minimum ratio of one thousand to one: a thousand units of chakra per one unit of spiritual power. Otherwise, control would be impossible.

Although Orochimaru could control the purple serpent, to wield its full might required meticulous precision—a feat only possible with immense spiritual energy. His own mind was lacking, far less than that of ordinary people, but he had developed an array that could store spiritual energy. In the future, with only the array under his command, he could control the purple serpent at will.

Thus, he needed a vast number of people to fill it with spiritual power.

One of Orochimaru’s shadow clones rescued Matsushita Nichien, the ruler of the Land of Sen, and brought him before the true Orochimaru before dissipating. The clone had already asked Matsushita several questions, so those memories returned with it.

Matsushita Nichien was terrified. The ground had split open, a purple dragon soared skyward, and a divine figure stood upon its head—it was all too mythic to comprehend. He and his entire nation had been swallowed by the earth, only to be rescued by this godlike being.

When Matsushita stood before Orochimaru’s true form, he immediately fell to his knees, bowing low. “Divine one, please, save this world!”

With the world facing destruction, who but such a being could hope to save it? He was surely stronger than any so-called Kage-level ninja.

“Divine one, if you save this world, the Land of Sen will become your most loyal follower. We will even rename our nation in your honor!” Matsushita was desperate. If it meant saving the world and protecting his country, what did a name change matter?

Orochimaru shook his head. “There is no need to worry about the meteor. Gather your surviving people; I have tasks for you.”

The purple serpent now lay quietly on the ground, motionless.

“But, divine one, the meteor is still in the sky! It’s about to fall! Shouldn’t we deal with that first...” Matsushita was truly terrified by the threat of annihilation, and though Orochimaru told him not to worry, he found no comfort in it.

“I understand! I’ll gather my people at once!”

Suddenly, Matsushita had a revelation. Was Orochimaru having him gather the people as part of a plan to save the world? That had to be it—he could not afford to slack off. He even ordered envoys to contact neighboring nations and request their aid.

In reality, Matsushita’s efforts were unnecessary; some of Orochimaru’s shadow clones, having completed their rescue missions, were already heading toward neighboring countries. Orochimaru needed an immense amount of spiritual energy—many people were required.

Having made his arrangements, Matsushita returned to Orochimaru. “Divine one, I have instructed every citizen to touch the purple dragon. Will this save the world?”

He was filled with hope, longing for salvation.

“To save the world? Perhaps,” Orochimaru replied coolly.

His eyes shone with a strange light, yet little else changed. These eyes now possessed the powers of the Byakugan, Sharingan, and even the Rinnegan; Orochimaru had thoroughly studied the pair of Rinnegan he had taken from Uchiha Madara. These eyes had many unique abilities.

Orochimaru watched as an entire nation lined up beside the purple serpent, each person placing a hand upon its scales. The serpent was inscribed with an array designed to absorb spiritual energy, and all who touched it had their spirits drawn out.

“I fear even these people are not enough,” Orochimaru mused. The chakra within the purple serpent was immense, and, as it had been converted from natural energy into Sage chakra, controlling it required proportionate spiritual power. The people of the Land of Sen and its neighbors might still be insufficient.

Orochimaru gazed upward. There was still that one other person he could use.

Matsushita heard Orochimaru's ambiguous answer and nearly wept. Divine one, the meteor is streaking across the sky, ready to obliterate the world—can you not give a definite reply?

He worried that the divine one would simply ignore their plight. After all, even if the world were destroyed, such a being would surely survive. What did the fate of mortals matter to a god? The thought that the divine one might abandon them filled him with dread.

Orochimaru extended his serpentine tongue and bit Matsushita on the neck, implanting a curse mark. This was a refined version of his old seal—one that did not contain his soul, but still allowed the bearer to absorb natural energy.

With a subtle movement of chakra, Orochimaru activated the mark. It spread across Matsushita’s body, and with a rush, Matsushita transformed into a towering gray monster.

“Go. You, too, will provide spiritual energy.”

“But what about the meteor?” Even in monstrous form, Matsushita was consumed with worry.

“That is none of your concern,” Orochimaru replied coolly.

Matsushita obediently went to offer his spiritual energy, too afraid to press the issue any further. He dreaded that one more question might anger the divine one and cause him to abandon the world entirely.

Orochimaru looked up again, yet his gaze was not fixed on the Otsutsuki, but rather on Uchiha Madara. If there was anyone who truly posed a threat to Orochimaru, it was Madara. Over the years, Orochimaru had kept Madara distracted with false rumors: that the Akatsuki had unified the world, that Pain and Obito were locked in civil conflict, that Black Zetsu was weaving plots in the shadows. If Madara ever learned the truth, his wrath would be terrible.

“If I can find a way to leave this deep pool of a world, I’d rather do it myself,” Orochimaru thought. He was already preparing to use this opportunity to set Madara up.

...

High above the earth, Uchiha Madara was locked in combat with the elder of the Otsutsuki clan. The old man was no weakling, matching Madara blow for blow. Both of Madara’s eyes had awakened the Rinnegan. Once, he had willingly given up his Rinnegan, allowing another to use them. By all rights, a person could only ever awaken a single pair. Yet, through sheer force of will, Madara had birthed a second set in this world. Having broken and then remade himself, this new pair was even more powerful.