Chapter 66: Something Is Wrong

2 Bonus chapter for 500 PS

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The sudden attack stunned not just the Konoha ninjas who were unfamiliar with Orochimaru's methods, but also his own teammates, Tsunade and Jiraiya, who barely had time to process what was happening.

"This is... What?" Jiraiya muttered, eyes wide.

"A snake... a giant snake! Damn it, don't just stand there! We have to save him!" Tsunade shouted, her voice trembling slightly, though she tried to stay composed.

The giant python Orochimaru summoned was massive thicker than a group of people linked arm in arm and as large as the two snakes he would later use in the Forest of Death in the original series. Its blood-red tongue flickered, and its enormous, cold, vertical pupils sent chills down the spines of anyone who dared to meet its gaze.

It was similar to the fear Sasuke had felt when encountering Orochimaru's snakes for the first time, paralyzing him in fear. But the two remaining Konoha ninjas were slightly older and more experienced than Sasuke had been, and, driven by their instinct to save their teammate, they charged toward the massive beast.

However, despite their courage, their genin-level skills were no match for Orochimaru's serpent.

The giant python reared its colossal head and then smashed it down with brutal force.

Boom!

"AHH!" one of the Konoha ninjas screamed as the earth trembled beneath the weight of the snake's attack.

The ground cracked, debris flew into the air, and dust clouded the area, mingling with the echo of the impact and the cry of their companion.

The deadly potential of the Chunin Exams was never a joke. People often died during these exams, especially in the infamous Forest of Death. If not for the very real risk of death, there would be no point to the waiver that participants were required to sign beforehand. Death was an ever-present reality in the exams, separating those with the fortitude to become chūnin from those too weak to face the pressures of battle.

Many genin never advanced because they lacked the resolve to confront life-and-death situations like this.

Orochimaru understood this. But Tsunade and Jiraiya, still young and relatively inexperienced, hadn't fully accepted the brutal nature of the exams.

"Orochimaru, stop it!" Tsunade yelled, her voice shaky as she saw what was unfolding before her eyes.

"What are you doing, Orochimaru? Just take the scroll and leave them alone!" Jiraiya shouted, alarmed by the unnecessary violence.

They were both only ten years old, still innocent in many ways, and couldn't stand the sight of fellow Konoha ninjas being brutalized, even in an exam meant to push people to their limits.

"At their level, becoming a chūnin just means they'll die sooner on the battlefield…" Orochimaru replied coldly, indifferent to the suffering of their opponents.

"But they're from our village!" Tsunade argued, her voice desperate.

"Yeah, Orochimaru! They're our comrades. You can't just kill them!" Jiraiya added, equally horrified.

Orochimaru frowned slightly at Tsunade's protest. "This is the Chunin Exam," he said matter-of-factly, as though that excused the bloodshed.

"You can't do that! Even in the Chunin Exams, there are limits!" Tsunade cried, now grabbing his arm, her eyes welling up with tears. "Please, stop this."

Orochimaru paused, taken aback by Tsunade's reaction. Her trembling grip on his arm, her tear-filled eyes, and the way she was practically pleading with him caught him off guard. He hadn't expected her to react so emotionally.

"Fine," Orochimaru sighed after a moment, sounding slightly annoyed.

He released his hold on the situation, walking over toward the giant python, which still loomed over the injured Konoha ninjas.

The two remaining ninjas weren't dead one had been severely injured by the python's headbutt, and the other was frozen in fear, unable to move. The one still holding a kunai was shaking so badly that he could barely keep a grip on his weapon.

Orochimaru ignored them for now and turned to the giant snake. "Open your mouth," he ordered.

Hissss.

The giant python, still under Orochimaru's command, obeyed. It opened its massive, gaping maw, revealing it's sharp fangs dripping with saliva.

Orochimaru extended his arm, and from his sleeve, smaller pythons slithered out, entering the larger snake's mouth to retrieve the swallowed ninja.

Moments later, the unconscious Konoha ninja, covered in saliva and trembling uncontrollably, was dragged out of the python's throat by the smaller snakes. He was alive but in a state of shock.

With a dismissive wave of his hand, the khaki coloured python dissolved into a puff of white smoke, disappearing from sight.

Whoosh!

At that same moment, Tsunade and Jiraiya rushed over to check on the injured ninja.

Tsunade knelt down beside the Konoha ninja, quickly assessing his condition.

"Tsunade, how is he?" Jiraiya asked, still shaken by what had just transpired.

After a brief examination, Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief. "He'll live. It's not life-threatening."

"That's a relief," Jiraiya muttered as he collapsed to the ground, the adrenaline finally wearing off. "Damn it, Orochimaru, why are you so bloodthirsty? Do you have any idea how terrifying that was?"

Tsunade looked up from her patient, her face filled with concern. "Orochimaru, what's going on with you? They only asked to see the scroll. Why did you try to kill them?"

Orochimaru, who had been watching the scene with an unreadable expression, suddenly frowned, his mind whirling.

They're right, he realized. They didn't provoke me enough to justify trying to kill them. So why did I feel such bloodlust?

For a brief moment, Orochimaru was disturbed by his own actions. Normally, he was methodical and detached, but this time, it was as if something inside him had snapped.

"Could it be the Sharingan?" he wondered. But he quickly dismissed the thought. With his strengthened body, he was confident that he could withstand the influence of the Three Tomoe Sharingan. It shouldn't have been powerful enough to affect him like this.

Then what could it be? He clenched his fist. Is it possible… am I losing control?

The idea that he could be losing control of his own mind that some hidden impulse was driving him toward unnecessary violence was deeply unsettling.

"I'm… I'm sorry," Orochimaru said quietly, his voice betraying a rare moment of vulnerability. He sat down on the ground, crossing his legs and closing his eyes.

"Orochimaru?" Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged puzzled looks. What was going on with him?

Orochimaru was not the type to apologize easily, nor was he the type to lose control. Yet here he was, clearly disturbed by something they couldn't understand.

"I need to figure this out," Orochimaru said more to himself than to them.

He had always been in control ruthless, calculated, and intelligent. But if something was happening to him, he had to get to the bottom of it. Was it some hidden flaw in the Sharingan's power, or had something within him truly changed?

Orochimaru closed his eyes and entered his own consciousness.

The space inside his mind was dark and eerie. Water dripped from the unseen ceiling, creating shallow pools at his feet. He could feel the oppressive weight of something lurking in the shadows, but it was difficult to pinpoint its source.

He opened his eyes within the space of his consciousness, activating his Sharingan. As the world around him came into sharper focus.