Chapter 260: Orochimaru's Collapse
A murderous intent filled the air, and the temperature in Ebizo's tent plummeted. He had only ever taken on three disciples in his life, but all of them had been lost to the White Blood Demon; not a single one was left alive. The puppet army he had painstakingly cultivated had been annihilated twice. The fame he had earned through his brilliant strategies in the first half of his life had been completely destroyed, and the rest of his life would likely be eclipsed by that man's immense shadow.
All of this was because of him, a vendetta with no hope of reconciliation.
Just as Ebizo was consumed by fury, Sasuke, far away in the Konoha camp, had already treated the last of the wounded. He unleashed his Flying Thunder God Technique, and space rippled as he silently arrived at Lab No. 7 in the Land of Waves and opened the door.
"Sasuke-kun, you're here," a hoarse voice resonated from the shadows. Orochimaru's distinctive golden pupils gleamed, emitting an increasingly cold and inhuman aura.
"Orochimaru, you are here." With the sharp perception of the Spiritualization Technique, Sasuke perceived with astonishing clarity that Orochimaru's chakra, and indeed his very soul, had undergone a profound transformation. The human aura was fading, replaced by a cold, almost serpentine quality. Inside the lab, dozens of cultivation tanks were neatly arranged, reflecting a cold, dim light that added to the already grim atmosphere.
"Sasuke-kun, your research into the antidote is quite a success," Orochimaru said, his gaze fixed on Sasuke. "You've snatched more than three hundred lives from the jaws of death; a truly remarkable achievement."
Sasuke's gaze swept over the incubators, finally settling on one labeled "Purple Scorpion." "Compared to your research into the true essence of ninjutsu and the very nature of life, I've only performed a few makeshift tricks."
"Orochimaru, Nawaki has written to you again." Sasuke retrieved a letter and handed it to him. Upon hearing the name, Orochimaru's face lit up with an unusual warmth. It was just a brief greeting, but he read it for a long while.
"After going through life and death, this child, Nawaki, is still so vibrant," he said with a subtle hint of emotion.
"Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru's voice resonated again, in a strangely inquisitive tone. "You say that if death is no longer the inevitable end, but simply a surmountable flaw, doesn't that prove that life itself can be intervened with, saved, or even redefined?"
"Huh?" Sasuke was speechless.
"Nawaki was already heading towards death, but you saved him. This proves that life can be sustained by external forces. With enough knowledge, by mastering the true essence of ninjutsu, we could conquer an even greater death—never aging at all!"
After a brief silence, Orochimaru took out a scroll. "This is the Reincarnation Technique that Dan gave me. Sasuke-kun, you've practiced this forbidden technique too, so you must have figured something out."
"If the soul's immortality can be maintained and then a reincarnation technique can be developed that can take over the body, it's possible to achieve immortality of both soul and body," Sasuke replied, skillfully dodging the question.
"Really?" Orochimaru's golden pupils looked directly at him, as if they could pierce his soul.
Finally, he withdrew his penetrating gaze. An indescribable loneliness took over his face. "I sometimes wonder, if someone never aged, could they forever maintain that powerful, original belief? Like the heroes of legends, who live on forever in their most glorious moments."
Orochimaru's gaze drifted to an old picture frame on the desk. In the yellowed photo, a middle-aged man in a conical hat—a young Hiruzen—had his hand on a black-haired boy's shoulder. On either side stood a white-haired boy and a blonde girl—the Sannin in their youth.
"Orochimaru, I've delivered the letter. It's getting late." A pang of guilt struck Sasuke's heart. He made an excuse to leave. As he was walking out, he paused and whispered, "Take care, Orochimaru."
After leaving the cold lab, he felt uneasy. He thought that saving Nawaki would change Orochimaru, but under the strong inertia of history, while his vision of immortality had changed, his pursuit of it had not. He wondered if Orochimaru's quest for immortality was due to the death of his loved ones, or the collapse of the image of the hero he considered a father.
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