"Finally, we're here," Hidan complained, his voice laced with irritation. The group had spent days traveling to Orochimaru's northern base.
"Orochimaru, this base is way too out of the way!"
Situated on an isolated, unnamed island in the middle of the sea between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, the northern base was one of the most desolate places imaginable.
"That child isn't just incredibly dangerous, he's also an invaluable treasure," Orochimaru replied, his voice carrying a serpentine charm. "Naturally, such a thing needs to be well-protected."
As the four entered the base, the first sight to greet them was rows of prison cells. Inside were countless captives and test subjects.
The experiments in this base were nearly all related to the Cursed Seal, and as a result, the test subjects had grotesque appearances and violent temperaments. Yet the moment Orochimaru appeared, they all fell silent, as if mice before a cat.
"Hey! You there! How dare you glare at me like that?" Hidan shouted at one of the captives, clearly annoyed by their hostile stares.
"Do you want to start worshipping Jashin?" he continued, his voice grating as he swung his scythe over his shoulder.
"Shut up, Hidan!"
"Quiet down!" Kakuzu barked, irritation evident in his tone.
"Hmph!" Hidan snorted, grudgingly falling silent as he trailed behind the group.
"Here we are," Orochimaru finally announced, stopping in front of a heavily secured door.
The moment the door opened, a man with bright orange hair and a body covered in black Cursed Seals lunged out, laughing maniacally.
"Kill! Kill them all!"
The man punched Orochimaru's torso, bending his unnaturally flexible body into a bizarre angle. Unharmed, Orochimaru's neck extended like a serpent, his fangs sinking into the man's neck.
In moments, as Orochimaru absorbed his Sage Chakra, the man's Cursed Seal receded, and his consciousness returned.
"Orochimaru?" the man, Jūgo, muttered, his tone wary. Unlike others, he did not consider himself one of Orochimaru's subordinates. He stayed here only because of Kimimaro.
"Is Kimimaro not with you?" Jūgo asked curiously, his demeanor calm now that his berserk state had subsided.
"His condition has worsened, so I didn't bring him this time," Orochimaru explained.
"I see." A flicker of concern crossed Jūgo's face, but he said nothing more, knowing he could do little to help.
"This time, I'm here to harness the power of your Cursed Seal," Orochimaru stated.
"That's fine. Honestly, I'd rather get rid of it entirely if I could. Take whatever you want," Jūgo replied, retreating to a corner of his cell and crouching down.
"Let's begin." Orochimaru bit into Jūgo once more, drawing out his Sage Chakra.
As the Chakra flowed into Orochimaru, Jūgo visibly weakened, his energy draining.
"That should be enough for today. Now, who wants to be the first to receive the Cursed Seal?" Orochimaru asked, turning his elongated neck to look back at Kakuzu and Hidan.
The two stood frozen, their faces blank with disbelief.
Damn it! This is worse than fighting the Raikage! To let this creepy guy bite our necks... maybe we should just burn this whole place down!
"Hidan, you go first." Kakuzu kicked Hidan forward.
"Why me?!" Hidan stumbled a few steps before turning to glare at Kakuzu.
Orochimaru, however, wasn't in the mood to wait. He swiftly sank his fangs into Hidan's neck, injecting him with Sage Chakra.
"I... What the—?! I'm done for!" Hidan groaned dramatically, collapsing to the floor. His body began to swell irregularly, parts of him exploding from the overload of power.
It was only thanks to his immortality that he survived the process—any normal person would have died several times over by now.
"Fascinating," Orochimaru murmured, licking his lips. "What an extraordinary constitution. He can forcibly endure the full power of the Cursed Seal."
"No, perhaps his body was made for this seal."
Ordinary people couldn't handle the Cursed Seal because Sage Chakra was overwhelmingly potent, capable of killing with the slightest excess. Even the Sage training in the Three Great Lands came with great risks.
But Hidan's immortality nullified the Cursed Seal's drawbacks entirely.
After about thirty minutes, the chaotic energy of the Cursed Seal finally settled. Hidan rose to his feet, testing his strengthened body.
"This feels amazing! I'm unstoppable now!" he exclaimed, grinning as he examined his new form. His skin had turned an earthy gray, wings sprouting from his back. The aura around him was unmistakably stronger.
"Let's test your new strength in the training grounds," Orochimaru suggested, leading the group to the arena.
Once there, Hidan eagerly moved to the center, scythe in hand.
"You three, come at me!" he shouted at Deidara, Sasori, and Kakuzu.
"What arrogance," Orochimaru chuckled, making no move to intervene.
Deidara glanced at Kakuzu. "You take this one, old man. You know I'm not built for sparring."
"Hmph!" Kakuzu snorted, his interest already piqued. If he was to receive the Cursed Seal, he wanted to know exactly how much it could enhance his abilities.
"Fine. I'll crush you," Kakuzu said, stepping into the ring.
Hidan charged, his wings propelling him forward with incredible speed.
Clang!
The sound of metal meeting metal rang out as Kakuzu's hardened arm blocked Hidan's scythe.
Hardening Technique.
This speed, this power! Kakuzu smirked under his mask. The Cursed Seal had significantly amplified Hidan's abilities, and Kakuzu couldn't help but feel impressed.
Without resorting to ninjutsu, Kakuzu matched Hidan blow for blow, relying solely on his enhanced durability and combat skills.
After several minutes of intense sparring, Kakuzu finally stepped back.
"That's enough," he said, creating distance between them.
"Tch!" Hidan clicked his tongue in annoyance, clearly enjoying the fight.
From the sidelines, Deidara nodded in approval.
"With the second stage of the Cursed Seal, Hidan's taijutsu alone is at a basic Kage level. Combine that with his immortality and Jashin rituals, and he's a nightmare opponent," Deidara observed.
"The Cursed Seal doesn't just strengthen the body," Orochimaru interjected. "It also amplifies Chakra. Hidan's lack of ninjutsu hides this, but the potential is immense."
"Then I look forward to seeing what Kakuzu can do," Deidara added.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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