Chapter 74 : Inside the Castle

The ninja on the front was on the verge of using ninjutsu to breach the city gate. However, Orochimaru was almost certain that this individual had undergone a transformation by Shiromari.

Shiromari did not desire survivors. It wished to either stay here, preying upon people, or feast on them in another location.

This loyal summoning beast could be either a devoted companion or a ruthless, bloodthirsty monster deriving pleasure from human consumption. Why else would Kōza Kubisaki have summoned it in his final moments? Hmph!

Nonetheless, this chameleon likely wouldn't stand a chance against the ten thousand snakes. Though Orochimaru's assessment was accurate, his true intention was to acquire the summoning scroll and reclaim ownership of this massive chameleon. If the beast were to sense danger and retreat, there might never be another opportunity to encounter it.

Summoning the Ten Thousand Snakes was necessary, but their power was immense. Orochimaru harboured concerns about maintaining control. Regardless, there was no rule dictating that a ninja could only possess one type of summoning beast.

In the midst of this, Fusaki, under Orochimaru's control, had silently closed in on the group. Viewing these warriors, he perceived them as enemies of his master. As one of the men began to sense something amiss and turned around, he was met with the gaze of Fusaki's crimson eyes, only for a blade to impale his chest.

"Attack!" Fusaki, lost to his instincts, swung his blade, causing confusion amongst the trio. Heads rolled, blood sprayed, and chaos ensued.

"The way of the samurai is quite savage. Allow me to handle this in a more ninja-like manner!" Orochimaru muttered, forming hand seals with grim determination.

"What?! Who are you?"

The warriors at the back swiftly sensed the danger, and a dozen of them pivoted to confront Fusaki.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Orochimaru inhaled deeply before expelling a fierce torrent of flames that engulfed a substantial number of foes. Piercing screams resonated, and the warriors were thrown into disarray.

The intense heat billowed Orochimaru's black robe, but his face remained shrouded, ensuring his identity remained concealed.

"Ah! The devil!"

Amidst the smoke, many succumbed to the sudden onslaught. These individuals were mostly ninja of lower rank, with only two Chunin among them. Such mastery of Fire Style was rarely witnessed, especially within these turbulent times.

Unsheathing the Kusanagi sword from his back, Orochimaru surveyed the panicked survivors with icy resolve. The remaining flames danced upon scorched corpses, reflecting the fear etched across the samurai's faces. Meanwhile, the colossal castle loomed undisturbed in the fiery glow.

Soon, terror gripped some people's hearts, leading a portion of the group to flee. These individuals hailed from diverse backgrounds, and the allure of personal gain overcame their allegiance. Approximately thirty individuals remained.

"Never anticipated I'd reap so many lives in a single strike... Truly..." Orochimaru's first instance of "indiscriminate slaughter" weighed on his conscience. In this chaotic world, rules and morals held little sway. Orochimaru exhaled a resigned sigh, reconciling himself to a future stained with bloodshed.

"Annihilate!"

To secure the treasure, entrance was imperative. Should the group remain outside, the castle's inhabitants would eventually emerge. At the very least, one could lie in wait for a share of the spoils. Orochimaru deemed it necessary to momentarily set aside ethics in favour of profit.

"Poor souls, oblivious to the impending doom."

Whether these words echoed from Orochimaru himself or the castle's very essence remained uncertain. Regardless, Orochimaru produced the Kusanagi sword and hurled it, casting a Shadow Clone Jutsu in swift succession. The torrent of Kusanagi sword swept through the ranks like a plague of locusts.

"Splat, splat!"

Blood sprayed, and Orochimaru brandished the Kusanagi sword, effortlessly dispatching those in his path. Overwhelming strength and unmatched speed proved sufficient to quell the unruly rabble.

A crimson ray seeped into Orochimaru's being, absorbing the life force of the fallen warriors. Despite the substantial body count, Orochimaru's chakra reserves experienced only a modest increase.

"Perhaps they were merely too feeble?" Orochimaru mused, "But it's just as well; at least the endeavour succeeded."

Strolling amidst the shattered corpses, Orochimaru approached the towering city gate. The beast concealed within had yet to reveal its true form, causing a ripple of apprehension within Orochimaru.

However, as Orochimaru hesitated, the city gate groaned open. Faint screams and furious roars echoed from within.

The dismembered corpses that once barred the entrance had vanished, leaving no trace, not even a stain of blood.

Without delay, Orochimaru pressed forward with determination. The gate unexpectedly sealed behind him with an eerie creak.

"The inhabitants within remain alive. I must seize this chance to locate the scroll."

A surge of potent mental power rippled outward, detecting roughly fifty life forces throughout the castle. Orochimaru realized the labyrinthine nature of the castle's design, causing two groups to repeatedly clash. Each sought treasures and training scrolls, oblivious to the underlying turmoil. Stragglers were occasionally ensnared by lurking tentacles, their cries lost to the void.

Evading one such tentacle, Orochimaru advanced stealthily, his gaze fixed on the scroll's perceived location. According to the narrative, the scroll resided within the castle's watchtower, its chakra signature faintly discernible.

"Lord Masamune, something is amiss! We've scoured this area for ten minutes, yet the numbers are dwindling. We've traversed the castle extensively and still found nothing!" Panic spread among the ranks.

"Could Genjiro have slipped away under our noses?" However, the notion was quickly discarded, as escape seemed implausible given the limited exit options.

Amidst the uncertainty, only remnants of Genjiro's tattered attire were discovered nearby.

"Boss, it's chaotic. Kubisaki's subordinates are nowhere in sight, let alone any treasure. It's as if we're trapped!" Similar concerns echoed from the second group.

"Curses! How could this damned castle harbour ghosts? Did Kōza Kubisaki, in his final moments, invoke this curse against us?"

Yet, even as the words left his lips, an ominous growl reverberated throughout the castle. Bricks and stones tumbled, the very foundation quaked, and trepidation surged.

"By all that's unholy! This place is infested with the supernatural!"

A warrior bellowed, punctuated by his attempt to escape through a Fire Style jutsu.

"Boom!"

The ensuing explosion bore a hole through the wall, revealing not masonry but writhing flesh!

"Monstrous aberration!"

Shock rippled through the warriors as a tentacle ensnared one unfortunate soul, dragging him into the fleshy wall.

"Charge!"

Fueled by panic, the group assaulted the walls with reckless abandon. Ninjutsu, explosive tags, and raw force assaulted the structures, pulverizing both fleshy and solid sections. Tentacles were severed, and macabre debris was sent flying.

Yet, not all sections of the castle were flesh, and not all contents were illusions. Amidst the chaos, the castle's entire structure seemed to come alive, infuriated by the assault. The flesh walls regenerated, tentacles surged forth, and the dwindling inhabitants fought a losing battle.

"Quickening my pace is imperative; this beast has unleashed its fury." Orochimaru expertly sidestepped and countered, his strikes precise and calculated.

As skirmishes escalated, Orochimaru's intuition guided him toward his objective—the scroll. Through the mayhem, he recognized the castle's layout was intentionally shifting, manipulating the two factions into continual confrontation. The pursuit of riches and training scrolls clouded their perception, allowing the true peril to elude them. Those who ventured alone were swiftly ensnared by ravenous tendrils.

Swiftly manoeuvring past a lunge, Orochimaru ascended the stairs toward his coveted goal—the scroll.

Within the narrative framework, the scroll was known to lie within the castle's watchtower. Guided by his heightened spiritual senses, Orochimaru pinpointed the fluctuation of chakra indicative of the scroll's presence.

Kubisaki's apparition, tainted by powerful resentment, was an enigmatic Yin spirit, an embodiment of vengeful emotions.

To observe was to recognize vulnerability; to defend was to succumb. Orochimaru bore witness to the Yin spirit's malevolent assault, his constitution insufficient to endure such contamination.

"Tch! Think of me as defenseless, do you?"

"Rest now,"Orochimaru murmured, the soul flame ignited in his palm. It engulfed Kōza Kubisaki's apparition, devouring the lingering resentment.

"Hiss-roar!"

The tormented spectre howled in agony, writhing within the ethereal blaze.The ethereal fire surged, purging the spirit of its malevolent essence. Fiery tendrils licked at its form, reducing it to nothingness.

A triumphant smile curved Orochimaru's lips, "Underestimate the world's heroes at your peril. The late Kōza Kubisaki, a samurai, likely possessed formidable prowess in his prime, perhaps even rivalling Kage-level characters. His path likely mirrored that of Hanzo."

Orochimaru's gaze remained fixed, his lips curling into a self-assured smile. The malignant spirit's agonized wails echoed through the corridor, a testament to its defeat.

"Sigh," Orochimaru sighed in satisfaction, his focus unwavering. "These challenges are but steps on my path. A journey of bloodshed lies ahead, a path I must tread."

With each step, Orochimaru moved closer to his objective—the castle's watchtower, where the elusive scroll awaited. As turmoil raged around him, he steeled himself for the battles that loomed and the secrets that beckoned from the shadows.

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