Following Orochimaru's gaze, Menma saw Sasuke Uchiha standing up again, no longer registering any pain. He could clearly feel that his connection to the Heavenly Curse Seal had become excruciatingly weak.
"Sasuke has mastered the Two-Tails' chakra," Orochimaru hissed, his eyes gleaming with naked greed. "And without becoming a Jinchuriki. Without spending much time at all."
If Orochimaru could acquire that kind of power without the burden of the seal, it would be no less valuable than stealing Sasuke's body.
"Hey, mysterious masked man," Orochimaru smiled, shifting his gaze to the shadow clone wearing the Four-Star Mask. "What do you say? Want me to give you Tailed Beast chakra too? I could join your Four-Star Village and work for you."
The shadow clone—Menma—let out a scoff of pure derision. "Join us only to betray us? Just like you did with Akatsuki?"
Menma had zero confidence in his ability to control Orochimaru. The man's survival instincts and research capabilities were unparalleled. Even using Kurama's chakra to restrain him wouldn't work; Orochimaru manipulated souls, not just bodies.
At the mention of Akatsuki, Orochimaru's smile froze.
Menma didn't give him time to process it, patting Sasuke's shoulder instead. "This is the chakra of the Two-Tails. Show me what you're worth."
Sasuke was a useful weapon. Menma wouldn't let him waste himself on Orochimaru. As long as Sasuke could fight Itachi Uchiha in a battle bloody enough to flood the Pacific, he'd remain a sharp blade aimed squarely at Konoha.
"Two-Tails is plenty. Give me three minutes," Sasuke said, feeling the immense power thrumming through his veins. He looked down at Orochimaru with disdain.
Whoosh—!
A sonic boom shattered the air. The ground beneath Sasuke's feet crumbled as his body vanished from the spot.
In the next instant, a fist expanded rapidly in Orochimaru's vision.
"His speed… it's impossible to track!"
Before Orochimaru could even compare Sasuke's current strength to his previous state, he was sent flying backward, face twisted in agony. He smashed through a dense line of trees, kicking up thick clouds of dust.
Whoosh!
Before Orochimaru could catch his breath, Sasuke reappeared above him.
His heel drove down like a battle axe, using his thigh as the handle.
BOOM!
Orochimaru was slammed into the ground, his body contorted on impact. The terrifying force collapsed the earth, carving out a massive, semi-circular crater.
"Cough… Cough! As expected of Tailed Beast power. I almost died," Orochimaru wheezed, lying in the crater as Sasuke stepped onto his chest.
He thought of Naruto Uzumaki's recent rampage. Now Sasuke possessed this power too. Pure envy coiled in his gut, though he hadn't even used his full strength yet.
"Although it's strong, this power is rootless," Orochimaru choked out, trying to regain his footing. "It isn't as potent as the Heavenly Curse Seal I gave you. That power is yours! You can develop it, grow stronger, eventually master Sage Mode!"
Seeing Orochimaru still trying to trade his soul for dominance, Sasuke's face twisted with disgust. His hands flew through hand seals.
"Your desperate look is truly ugly, Orochimaru. One of the legendary Sannin," Sasuke said.
A shrill chirping of birds echoed through the clearing.
"Chidori!"
Sasuke didn't hesitate, driving the lightning attack straight into Orochimaru's chest. Enhanced by the Nine-Tails' chakra, his palm pierced directly through the snake's flesh. Lightning enveloped Orochimaru completely.
"Ah!" Orochimaru let out a feeble, rattling scream. His head drooped, and he collapsed weakly to the ground, looking for all the world like he had breathed his last.
Sasuke pulled his hand free, frowning as he flicked away the strange slime clinging to his fingers.
"No blood. Just slime. Is this thing even human?"
He kicked Orochimaru's body a short distance in front of Menma and returned to the shadow clone's side, a smug expression on his face.
"Three minutes was overkill. I only needed a minute and a half."
Menma's face was hidden behind the mask, revealing nothing. "You used chakra to enhance your body, but not to attack. That's a low-tier application."
Sasuke's expression darkened, but before he could retort, Menma continued.
"But forget it. You finished a minute early. I'll barely consider you passed."
Menma's tone shifted. He raised his hand and snatched an arm reaching toward his mask.
"Orochimaru wasn't dead at all. You didn't notice."
"What?" Sasuke spun around, eyes widening in disbelief.
Orochimaru's elongated body was stirring. He had somehow raised his head and opened his mouth. Just like before, a brand-new body slithered out of that gaping maw.
"Hehehe… I didn't expect you to catch my fake death," Orochimaru rasped, the new body fully emerged. "So, how about reconsidering letting me join you?"
Orochimaru, now caught, had very little chakra left. His lower body, previously retaining legs, had transformed into a long, thin snake tail.
Ignoring the question, Menma yanked his arm.
The immense force ripped his entire body out of his shed skin and flung him into the air.
"I'll only demonstrate this once," Menma said, his voice cold. "This is how you use Tailed Beast chakra."
Golden-red flames instantly enveloped his entire body. Six sharp spikes, like sword blades, formed from the burning chakra.
Then, with incredible speed, they pierced toward Orochimaru in the sky.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Although there were only six spikes, the velocity was so extreme it looked like a thousand were thrusting out simultaneously. In an instant, Orochimaru's body trembled and was torn apart. Blood and mangled flesh splattered across the earth.
The chakra spikes were too fast, too powerful. Orochimaru couldn't repeat his previous trick of using his body-replacement technique. He could only quickly revert to his true form—the White Phosphorus Serpent—and launch his front half forward.
After landing, he didn't even threaten Menma, immediately burrowing into the ground.
Haku, standing to one side, formed a hand seal, ready to give chase.
Menma waved a hand, stopping him. "Don't kill him yet. We'll need him later."
Menma didn't want Orochimaru dead just yet. Dead, the man couldn't be resurrected in time via the Heavenly Curse Seal. Or perhaps, if resurrected later, he'd be too weak to continue his plan to crush Konoha.
After all, Menma already had his men in position. He was just waiting for the plan to begin so he could turn Konoha upside down.