Chapter Forty-Eight: Death and Curtain Call

Orochimaru gazed calmly at Otsutsuki Toneri, whose entire body was enveloped in chakra. Toneri's chakra mode was immensely powerful—a unique transformation that filled Orochimaru with a sense of overwhelming invincibility. Orochimaru readily admitted that he was no match for Toneri. Yet, he had never intended to fight Toneri head-on. The power Toneri drew from the Tenseigan was fleeting, and soon enough it would be depleted.

Once that borrowed power was spent and Toneri was left utterly powerless, taking him down would be the simplest of tasks. As Toneri entered his chakra mode—a transformation unique to the Otsutsuki clan that brought his strength near that of his ancestors—his strength, speed, and senses multiplied many times over. The mighty power surging within him was intoxicating, almost addictive.

Toneri estimated how much chakra he had left; it was enough for three techniques. Each one could shatter the moon itself—defeating Orochimaru, an ordinary mortal, would be child's play. As for Orochimaru's so-called immortality, Toneri scoffed at the notion. Even his own ancestors, including the legendary Sage of Six Paths, had never possessed such flawless immortality.

“Come, let me show you the power of the Tenseigan!” Toneri declared, readying for battle. But just then, he saw Orochimaru form a series of hand seals and press his hands to the ground.

At first, Toneri watched intently, curious to see what jutsu Orochimaru would unleash. But then, to his astonishment, Orochimaru vanished in a puff of white smoke—he had used the Reverse Summoning Technique to escape to the Ryuchi Cave.

Toneri was dumbfounded. Was this how a battle was supposed to be fought? Why wasn't Orochimaru following the script? Normally, after witnessing such a transformation, shouldn't they clash with all their might, matching wits and strength? Orochimaru was truly devious!

Realizing Orochimaru's intention was to wait out the Tenseigan’s power, Toneri hurriedly canceled his chakra mode to conserve energy. But the Tenseigan’s power, being foreign, would dissipate quickly regardless. As he contemplated his impending helplessness, anxiety crept in—he was the last surviving member of the moon’s Otsutsuki lineage.

In this dire situation, his only hope was to continually absorb the Tenseigan’s power. Toneri rushed to the Tenseigan, attempting to draw its energy. Yet Orochimaru’s spiritual clone was causing havoc inside the Tenseigan, thwarting Toneri’s efforts to absorb anything.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru appeared in the Ryuchi Cave. The snakes, who had been tangled together in play, scattered in terror at the sight of him. Orochimaru had killed so many of them in his experiments that his presence alone sent waves of dread through the denizens of the cave. He paid them no mind, casually sitting down on a rock. He had come here simply to pass the time, intending to return to the moon when the moment was right. He had no plans to visit the White Snake Sage, nor did he think the sage would want to see him. Both parties were content to keep their distance.

Yet at that moment, a small eight-headed, eight-tailed serpent crept toward him, intent on a sneak attack. This serpent was none other than the new generation Yamata-no-Orochi, inadvertently created by Orochimaru during his experiments on immortality.

“Hissss...” The Yamata flicked its tongues, cautiously approaching, convinced that Orochimaru had not noticed. It had once feared him for the bloody way it had been brought into existence. But after a period of tutelage under the White Snake Sage, the Yamata had grown arrogant, especially after realizing the strength of its own immortality. Now it sought to kill Orochimaru and prove itself.

It slithered close, baring eight venomous mouths as it lunged at Orochimaru. In a flash, the creature became a streak of light—

Wham. Orochimaru casually caught all eight of its heads in one hand, as effortlessly as grasping a bug. The Yamata was stunned—Orochimaru was terrifyingly strong!

“Let me go!” the Yamata demanded, all eight heads speaking at once, struggling desperately. Orochimaru did not let go; instead, he regarded the creature with interest. Its scales, brighter and whiter than before, shimmered with a lustrous sheen. The Yamata was evolving, growing closer to its legendary form.

“You look rather delicious,” Orochimaru remarked suddenly. He was not a picky eater, and though part of his own genes were serpentine, he had no qualms about eating snakes. The Yamata actually made him crave a meal.

“You want to... eat me?” The Yamata was dumbfounded. At most, it had expected a beating. With the White Snake Sage on its side, what could Orochimaru do to it? Eat it? The Yamata almost laughed. Even if it offered itself up, would Orochimaru dare?

“I’ll have you know, human, that the White Snake Sage stands behind me!” the Yamata declared proudly.

With swift decisiveness, Orochimaru sliced off the Yamata’s heads and tossed them aside. The rest of the body he roasted with Fire Release and ate it.

The eight severed heads quivered uncontrollably on the ground.

When enough time had passed, Orochimaru returned to the moon, reappearing in the chamber of the Tenseigan. The room was silent—no sign of Toneri or his puppet soldiers. Just as he expected; when death was certain, no one would wait for it passively. Toneri had surely fled.

Orochimaru stepped forward and touched the massive Tenseigan—this eye was his now. He then activated Sage Mode to sense Toneri’s location. He had no intention of letting Toneri live. The interval he’d been gone was neither long nor short, but he was certain Toneri could not have escaped the moon.

Upon activating his senses, Orochimaru detected not only Toneri’s chakra, but another presence as well. In a small room, Toneri was nervously performing surgery, sweat pouring down his face. He was merging an Otsutsuki body with a Sharingan.

During Orochimaru’s absence, Toneri had tried to escape, only to encounter a talking Sharingan eye that introduced itself as Obito.

“You need to hurry. I can sense that he’s returned!” Obito, residing in the Sharingan, had detected the ocular power of another eye—Orochimaru, without a doubt.

Obito had no physical form, existing only as a Sharingan. In a final gambit, he had transferred his consciousness into the eye. But an eye alone could not survive, so Obito had made it possible for Toneri to find him. Both understood they could not escape Orochimaru’s grasp. Their only chance lay in feigning death.

Obito would help Toneri transfer his consciousness into a piece of flesh, while Toneri would provide the conditions necessary for the Sharingan to survive. It was a desperate alliance.

“This is as fast as I can go!” Toneri was anxious—his life hung in the balance. As the last scion of the moon’s lineage, he could not die. His surgery involved transplanting the Sharingan into a piece of flesh cut from his own body. One eye and one piece of flesh, both submerged in nutrient fluid—Obito would inhabit the eye, Toneri the flesh. Thus, their fake deaths would be complete.

By the time Orochimaru arrived, the operation was finished. All that remained in the room was Toneri’s corpse, appearing to have committed suicide.

“Will this fool Orochimaru?”

“It should. Your body is genuine—he shouldn’t suspect a thing.”

In the corner, in a vat of green nutrient fluid, the flesh and the eye exchanged thoughts.

But in the next instant, Orochimaru unleashed a Fire Release technique, incinerating them both.

They died, never to return.

Orochimaru spared neither of their lives.