009 Serpent Pattern

“The last move is related to natural energy?” Orochimaru felt no delight—instead, a faint sense of unease crept over him. The Genie’s tone now was far too much like that of a mischievous child who had just discovered an entertaining new toy. And unfortunately, his body was that very toy.

Human joys and sorrows do not always align, but the Genie was indeed somewhat pleased. The “Water Breathing: Total Concentration Constant” was the threshold required to become a Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps. He had assumed that, given Orochimaru’s constitution, it would be impossible for him to adapt to the Constant State all at once; if he managed to force it, at the very least, seven or eight blood vessels should have ruptured. Afterward, the Genie could spur Orochimaru to study the First Hokage’s cells more enthusiastically and develop a method to strengthen the body.

Yet, Orochimaru’s body not only withstood the strain, but still retained energy to spare. Had he misjudged something?

No, Orochimaru’s physical strength at this moment was indeed not on par with Tanjiro Kamado’s when he first achieved the Total Concentration Constant. The Genie was certain of this. His perspective was unlike that of ordinary people—even the most advanced dojutsu in the Shinobi World, the Tenseigan and the Rinnegan, could not perceive more than he could.

As to why he had miscalculated, the Genie had his suspicions; perhaps it lay in the difference between the two worlds. The Demon Slayer world was barren, its natural energy sluggish and inert. Even those who reached the level of Pillar in the Demon Slayer Corps fought by relying solely on their own physical strength, and using the breathing techniques at full power could even shorten their lives. Only Tanjiro, gifted with innate transparency, could efficiently harness natural energy after entering the Marked State, wielding his sword as if powered by a perpetual engine.

But the Shinobi World was different. Natural energy was abundant, and the physical constitution of ninjas was somewhat unique. After a thousand years of intermingling, nearly everyone possessed a trace of Otsutsuki blood; those with high affinity for natural energy could even master Sage Mode. In other words, even if the number of such individuals was rare and insufficient to master Sage Mode, ninjas' bodies might unconsciously draw in and exhale natural energy.

Perhaps it was this very energy that had caused him to misjudge Orochimaru’s endurance.

As to whether this was truly the case, the Genie, adopting the mindset that “experimenting is the only way to verify truth,” ignored Orochimaru’s protests within his consciousness and decisively proceeded with his attempt.

The Breathing Mark was the highest secret of the Total Concentration Breathing techniques, and in the Shinobi World, those able to harness natural energy were exceedingly few. Now that Orochimaru might possess this potential, naturally the Genie intended to help him along. All this, of course, was for Orochimaru’s own good!

A tremendous sense of crisis immediately surged within Orochimaru. Beads of sweat gathered on his brow and, drawn by gravity, traced lines down his cheeks. Part of it was due to his unsettled mind, but another reason was the rising heat within his body. The Genie had ceased performing sword techniques, but the Total Concentration Breathing continued without pause. Orochimaru felt his pulse quicken further, as if his heart had become a pump, forcefully pushing blood throughout his body. His eyes became bloodshot, their whites turning red, and his entire body seemed to ignite, burning with an intense heat. His consciousness began to blur.

“Genie,” Orochimaru screamed inwardly, “if this continues, I’ll die! I’ll die!”

“No, no, I’m confident you won’t.”

“You promise? Can you really guarantee it?” Orochimaru no longer trusted the Genie at all; he relied only on the crisis sense he had honed through years of adversity.

The Genie’s response was hesitant: “Uh, I can guarantee with eighty percent certainty.”

This bastard, damn it all…

At the brink of life and death, most people would lose their composure, but Orochimaru managed to suppress his emotions and remain calm—a mental fortitude forged through countless brushes with danger. However, if such a crisis was the result of someone else’s whim, not even one of the Legendary Three of the Leaf could hold back a curse.

The Genie realized this deeply at that moment and offered, “How about this—I’ll return control of your body to you, and let you operate the breathing technique yourself. After all, you’ve just learned it.”

So, this accursed experiment wasn’t going to stop after all. Damn it.

Orochimaru vented his frustration for a moment, but then, thinking, “Better to risk my own life than die at someone else’s hands,” he agreed decisively.

The Genie relinquished control without hesitation, and Orochimaru continued the breathing technique seamlessly. Once Orochimaru took over, the progress toward activating the Mark rapidly accelerated.

The Genie nodded in satisfaction. He could forcibly replicate and use abilities, but since the hardware conditions varied from host to host, it was always better for them to wield the power themselves.

…

“Lord Orochimaru, what’s happening to him?”

By the lakeshore, Guy nudged Kakashi, who was staring intently at the lake, and pointed at the furious, Super Saiyan-like serpent figure on the water’s surface. “He looks just like me when I open the Eight Gates.”

Kakashi nodded in agreement, adjusted his forehead protector, and fixed his three-tomoe Sharingan on Orochimaru.

Then he noticed peculiar markings beginning to emerge on Orochimaru’s face.

“What is that?”

…

The Genie noticed the changes on Orochimaru’s forehead as well, exclaiming with delight, “It worked! Fantastic!”

Orochimaru’s talent was indeed remarkable—he had thought it would take several more tries to break through that barrier.

The Genie raised a thumb, just about to offer praise, when Orochimaru’s head suddenly lolled to one side and he collapsed into the lake, losing consciousness completely.

Worse still, his body continued to operate the Total Concentration Breathing unconsciously, and the newly-activated Mark, like a death sentence, was channeling an excess of natural energy into his body.

The Genie had no time to ponder what had gone wrong. He plunged back into Orochimaru’s body, once more treading the lake’s surface, and unleashed the technique he had been charging up to its utmost.

“Water Breathing: First Form—Water Surface Slash!”

The blade sliced through the air with a terrifying wail, its razor-sharp aura cleaving the lake in two, the waters parting to either side like waterfalls pouring into a chasm.

“Amazing, what a powerful slash.” The Genie was filled with awe. In the world of Demon Slayers, even Tanjiro at his peak could do no better.

Looking down at the lake, the Genie saw the markings on Orochimaru’s forehead recede like a tide. But so long as he wished, he could enter the Marked State again at any time.

Clearly, this body had now mastered and adapted to the Mark—or more precisely, to Orochimaru’s own serpent-mark.

What he couldn’t understand was, “If the awakening succeeded, why did Orochimaru lose consciousness?”

At that moment, an overwhelming exhaustion surged forth. Orochimaru’s body had clearly reached its absolute limit and, just like his consciousness, yearned for rest; only the Genie’s forced control kept him standing.

“Forget it, I’ll wait for him to wake up.”

The Genie released his control, and Orochimaru collapsed weakly onto the lake. Fortunately, his body was light enough to float face up, thus avoiding the fate of drowning.

Splash… splash…

The gash carved into the lake’s surface began to heal, water from all around rushing back with a roar to fill the chasm.

Just as the Genie considered making Orochimaru’s body flee, two figures skimmed rapidly across the water toward him—Kakashi and Guy.

They hoisted Orochimaru onto their backs and, without a word, dashed for the shore.

“So it was those two,” the Genie mused, stroking his chin. “Looks like they witnessed the entire training session just now.”