Chapter 660
Chapter 660: Lucky Orochimaru?
When Orochimaru noticed that Danzo had been slashed in half by Tobirama’s assault and had died as a result, he smirked and looked at the body with ravenous eyes.
He has only one thought racing through his head at the moment: ‘It is finally time…!’
As soon as Shodaime, Nidaime, and Homusubi were able to react, Orochimaru’s body transformed into a gigantic white snake that rushed towards the remains of Danzo’s body.
All of this is being done with the goal of obtaining the greatest number of benefits, beating Homusubi to it, and emerging from this experiment as the sole winner. By benefits, he refers to either the pair of Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan in the eye sockets of Danzo’s corpse or Danzo’s corpse itself, which is extremely valuable due to the fact that Danzo’s corpse has survived the Kekkei Genkai Absorption Ritual.
Awakening the attention of Hashirama, Tobirama, and Homusubi was Orochimaru’s unexpected act…
Tobirama shook his head and whispered, “I knew it… from the very beginning…!” And prepared to employ Flying Raijin to halt Orochimaru from achieving his goals, however, it appeared to be too late.
Orochimaru did not forget to weave specific hand signs while rushing at Danzo’s corpse, and as he did so, he exclaimed mockingly, “Yes… but it’s too late!”.
Rat – Ox – Monkey – Tiger – Dragon – Boar
“Release!”
Just as Shodaime and Nidaime were about to take action and stop Orochimaru, their bodies were stopped in mid-air, seemingly out of nowhere.
And then, before either of them had a chance to react, their bodies began to deteriorate and disintegrate into white paper strips as their souls were finally liberated from the confines of their impure vessels.
“There you have it,” Orochimaru exclaimed with satisfaction. “I’ve released the two of you, you can go and rest in the Pure Land. If I ever need your assistance again, I’ll summon the two of you… but I doubt it would be necessary given that I’m about to obtain the best body for me…!”
In all likelihood, the hand signs weaved by Orochimaru were intended to free the Edo Tensei of both past Hokage so that Shodaime and Nidaime wouldn’t be able to prevent him from obtaining Danzo’s body for himself.
When Homusubi noticed Orochimaru’s deeds, she became alarmed and alerted Orochimaru… “You Idiot… don’t!”
As he approached Danzo, Orochimaru ignored Homusubi’s warning, and instead exclaimed, “Homusubi… this time it’s my win!” as the two of them exchanged a fleeting glance.
His attention was soon drawn away from what Homusubi was saying and the reason for her attempted interruption and returned to Danzo’s corpse.
In the knowledge of everything that Danzo could accomplish with his developed form, Orochimaru’s desire for the evolved body of his adversary had already reached its zenith.
According to Orochimaru, Danzo was able to go toe to toe with Shodaime and Homusubi, which was significant in itself, and the fact that he was able to force all four powerhouses present inside the volcano to unite against him demonstrated just how great the potential of his body had been after undergoing the Kekkei Genkai Absorption Ritual was even more significant.
And, perhaps most importantly, Danzo’s state of mind during the combat was not optimal; he was fighting instinctively, and he had not yet become acquainted with his newly evolved body… Despite all of these obstacles, Danzo was able to demonstrate such raw power and strength…
This only serves to demonstrate how great his body’s potential was and continues to be.
Consider the possibility that none of these issues were present, and that Danzo had a prior opportunity to become acclimated to his newly developed body. In a different scenario, the context and conclusion of this combat would have been radically different, and it is possible that the four of them would have been on the losing end instead of Danzo.
Indeed, it would not be incorrect to speculate that the four of them may have perished in place of Danzo in the first place.
Fortunately, Lady Luck was on Orochimaru’s side this time, and everything worked out wonderfully for him, and thus we find ourselves in this position.
In the face of these possibilities and expectations, Orochimaru grew increasingly eager for Danzo’s body, racing at him at top speed.
Even while their souls were outside of their Edo Tensei bodies, Shodaime and Nidaime’s expressions were filled with concern as they observed their plight… They were able to detect that something wasn’t quite right with Danzo’s corpse for some reason.
The two of them were somewhat familiar with these circumstances, but they were unable to pinpoint the specific problem they were experiencing.
Taking a deep breath, Hashirama said, “Let us leave the difficulties of this generation to the shinobi of this generation; the lesser the amount we interfere in their affairs, the better it is for everyone…”.
A sigh could be heard from Tobirama as well, who agreed with his elder brother’s words.
As a result, the two former Hokage departed the stage…
It’s a shame that Orochimaru was so preoccupied with Danzo’s corpse that he failed to notice the expressions of concern on the faces of the two former Hokage as their souls left for the pure land.
On the other hand, if you think about it, even if Orochimaru had noticed it, it’s possible that he wouldn’t have cared much about it because their anxiety and the reasons for it didn’t matter to him all that much.
As a result, he couldn’t care less about what the other Hokages were attempting to say; the only thing on his mind at the moment is Danzo’s corpse, which he intends to take possession of as soon as possible.
The closer he got to the target, the more clearly Orochimaru was able to see a pair of scarlet-colored eyes, which made him even more ravenous, to the point where he couldn’t stop himself from shouting… “That pair of Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan… it’s mine… that perfect body… it’s mine… they’re all mine!”
Whoosh…!
Orochimaru charged ahead and jumped towards Danzo’s body, which was just a few steps away, making a harsh air-cutting sound in the process…