Chapter Forty-One: The Rise of Civilian Ninja

Obito stood at the entrance of the Serpent's Lair, not daring to enter recklessly. The so-called "Serpent's Lair" was, in reality, a normal house surrounded by a massive stone serpent. The serpent's head rested directly above the doorway, casting a menacing and sinister air. That was how the lair got its name.

Obito stared at the stone serpent, guessing that some earth-style expert must have crafted it, likely to curry favor with Orochimaru. Obito knew that Orochimaru himself had no such vulgar taste. Though the man adored snakes and darkness, he would never be so ostentatious.

Deep within the serpent's den, Orochimaru heard Obito's voice. He lifted his head slightly but paid it little mind, continuing the surgery at hand. The operation was simple: transplanting a Sharingan. To contend with Obito, one had to master the power of space, and the Sharingan taken from Kakashi possessed just that ability—a power which originally belonged to Obito himself.

At that moment, a snake's head extended from Orochimaru's neck, and he was transplanting the eye into this serpentine appendage. "The power of Kamui," Orochimaru murmured. Space-time abilities were essential; both the Sage of Six Paths and Kaguya Otsutsuki had mastered such power. Without it, confronting them in the future would be practically impossible.

Orochimaru had previously studied the Fourth Hokage's famed Flying Thunder God technique. Genius as he was, he lacked the unique constitution to master space-time ninjutsu. However, he had found another path.

"The special constitution for space-time techniques is really just the expression of spatial potential within certain genes. Once we decode the relevant genetic sequences, anyone could possess spatial potential." This, Orochimaru mused, was akin to his recent project of turning ordinary civilians into ninjas. At present, a ninja was someone who possessed chakra, and only descendants of the Sage could wield it; no amount of effort would allow an ordinary person to obtain such power.

But by synthesizing chakra into a serum and administering it from birth, it could be artificially introduced and hidden within the body, giving even commoners a chance to become ninjas when they grew up. Yet, chakra had too many flaws, was far too troublesome, and was merely a secondhand energy transformed by the God Tree. Orochimaru held it in little regard.

The deeper he delved, the more he realized that within chakra was a peculiar code, almost like a secret doorway. When faced with certain powers—say, the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, the Sage of Six Paths, or Kaguya Otsutsuki—that doorway would open, nullifying any attack. Moreover, chakra's universal nature allowed those individuals to absorb it without restraint. They were invincible from the start.

Orochimaru, using Sage Mode, upgraded chakra to senjutsu chakra, hoping that the improved quality would erase the secret doorway. Furthermore, he planned to embed a personal marker within it. In the future, anyone could absorb his chakra, but only with his consent. Otherwise, they'd only get the encrypted version. This encryption was not merely a lock—it recognized the rightful owner. If the chakra was outside the owner's body and lacked the proper decryption, it would rampage uncontrollably until it exploded, killing the absorber.

To achieve this, Orochimaru needed absolute mastery of Sage Mode and a deep understanding of its inner mechanisms. He was currently experimenting on civilians, researching how to bestow Sage Mode upon them. With no power foundation and no interference from chakra, he could gradually analyze the principles behind Sage Mode. Only such a method would yield the purest Sage Mode, untainted by chakra's quirks.

Beyond that, civilians would gain a way to strengthen their bodies. If successful, their lives would no longer be so fragile. At that point, the number of soldiers in the Sound Village would no longer be limited by the number of ninjas—everyone could wield great power.

At present, only two people in the world commanded Orochimaru's true respect: Kaguya Otsutsuki and the Sage of Six Paths. There was another, though only half-counted: Madara Uchiha. Since Madara was still dead, he was only half a threat. Once resurrected, however, the world would already have changed dramatically. Orochimaru imagined even Madara would be stunned by this new order.

Outside the Serpent's Lair, Obito called out Orochimaru's name, but as expected, Orochimaru did not appear. Intelligence had once suggested that during Pain's attack on the Sound Village, Orochimaru had gone out to meet him in battle. Clearly, that report was inaccurate. Since Orochimaru did not come out, Obito had no choice but to enter.

He stepped inside, knowing this was Orochimaru's stronghold and undoubtedly perilous. Yet, for Obito, there was no danger—only inconvenience.

The lair was shrouded in darkness. Even with lamps lit, the yellow light was dim, merely adding to the sinister atmosphere. The lair was enormous and sloped downward, with the main structures built underground. Obito advanced cautiously step by step, when suddenly a series of loud bangs echoed through the corridors. He tensed, bracing himself for danger at last... but it was only the lights turning on.

A false alarm.

The lights were no longer the murky yellow but a brilliant, clinical white, illuminating the doors of several rooms. The wall bore the mark: B1.

"So this is the first basement level," Obito realized.

He didn't proceed directly to the second basement, but instead infiltrated every room on B1, wary that Orochimaru might be hiding and preparing to escape. "What are all these things?" he muttered. Inside the rooms, he found cylindrical glass vessels filled with a green, translucent fluid, each containing various organs. The organs still twitched—they were alive.

After a fruitless search, Obito made his way down to B2. Like before, as he reached the second basement, the lights snapped on one after another. Surely, this time there would be some danger?

Again, Obito held his breath, on full alert... but once more, it was only the lights.

He felt awkward—where was the promised danger? Was Orochimaru's lair really this defenseless?

It wasn't Obito's fault. Normally, the Serpent's Lair was riddled with traps and heavily guarded. But Kabuto had gone to see Orochimaru, and upon learning his intentions, had disabled all the traps and withdrawn the guards, leaving only an empty den. Unbeknownst to Obito, he would encounter no resistance at all.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke were racing toward the lair, intending to strike at the critical moment when Orochimaru and the intruder clashed. Naruto had mastered Wood Style: Wood Dragon Jutsu and a range of other Wood Style techniques. Most importantly, he could now draw on the Nine-Tails' power, with Kurama willing to help him kill. Sasuke, too, wielded the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan. United in purpose, they hoped their ambush would succeed.

Suddenly, someone blocked their path—a blonde woman, Tsunade.

"Are you really going?" she asked, her face showing a rare feminine vulnerability.

"Go!" Naruto growled through clenched teeth, ignoring her as he and Sasuke leaped past.

Soon, another figure appeared ahead—white, spiky hair and a face painted with oil: Jiraiya.

"Are you really going?" he echoed Tsunade's words.

"Go!" Naruto repeated, pushing forward with Sasuke. With each person they passed, his resolve only deepened.

The Will of Fire could not bring vengeance; it must be discarded.

At last, Naruto and Sasuke reached the entrance to the Serpent's Lair.

In the deepest part of the den, Orochimaru finished his surgery. The operation was complete. The snake head extending from his neck now bore a single, crimson Sharingan.

"Hisss..." The snake flicked its tongue.