Whoosh.
Under the power of Ryūjin Uchiha's dōjutsu, pitch black flames erupted across Orochimaru's body. The fire clung to him instantly, devouring flesh and fabric alike. A sharp, ragged scream tore from his throat, no longer calm, no longer composed.
Under normal circumstances, Orochimaru could have used the Orochimaru Style Body Replacement Technique to shed his body like a discarded shell, escaping the Amaterasu flames in an instant.
But six days and six nights inside Tsukuyomi had shattered his mental stability.
His chakra pathways remained intact, yet his will could no longer coordinate them. Even a basic ninjutsu required clarity of thought. At this moment, Orochimaru's consciousness was fractured and disoriented, barely able to process reality.
And so he burned.
The inextinguishable black fire consumed him bit by bit under Ryūjin's indifferent gaze.
Still, what Ryūjin did not see was that at the very last moment, Orochimaru forced the final sliver of his awareness into action. From within the burning mass, a small white snake slipped free and burrowed silently into the earth.
Shielded by the larger body and masked by the chaotic flare of Amaterasu, it escaped unnoticed.
Ryūjin watched until nothing remained but scorched ground.
Even so, he did not truly believe Orochimaru was dead.
He had seen enough of the anime, and knew enough, to understand how difficult that man was to eliminate. As long as the Cursed Seals Orochimaru left behind in the world remained, resurrection was always possible.
Whether Orochimaru had already planted such marks during this period, and on how many individuals, was unclear.
But Ryūjin did not delude himself.
"Yeah right," he muttered to himself. "If he survived, I'll just kill him again next time."
He dusted off his hands casually, as if finishing routine work, then used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared into the forest.
By the time he rejoined Kakashi Hatake and Kimura Kunan, his expression was as still as calm as ever.
They briefly discussed the mysterious group that had pursued them.
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Just finished a Presentation, and I low-keyinely think I flopped it 😭