Chapter 291: The Damn Evil Scientist
"I've arrived."
High in the sky, a summoned bird glided through the clouds. Tonbo Tobitake looked down at the commotion below.
Boom! Boom!
Crash!
The four-tailed Naruto was currently locked in a fierce battle with Orochimaru. Just like in the original story, Naruto was surging with malevolent chakra, wrapped in a deep crimson shroud that left him looking more like a beast than a human.
Tonbo had no intention of showing himself just yet. Sai, who was also flying in the distance, hadn't noticed him at all—it was as if Tonbo simply didn't exist in that space.
Voom!
Below them, Orochimaru, who had lost the use of his hands, was holding his own against the four-tailed Naruto using only his modified body. In fact, he seemed to be overwhelming Naruto.
"That's just... a bit much."
Tonbo watched Orochimaru literally vomiting up a new version of himself and felt a wave of nausea. This guy—when he was cool, he was incredibly cool, but when he was gross, he was truly revolting. Without the filters or stylized art of the anime, the scene was raw and visceral, far more violent than anything on a screen.
Tonbo could feel Naruto's current state. The neural threads he had planted in Naruto's body felt the boy's emotions: pure, mindless rage. Naruto's physical body was being scorched by the high-density heat of the Nine-Tails' chakra.
At that moment, Naruto condensed a high-density chakra sphere in his mouth and swallowed it. On the other side, seeing this, Orochimaru actually smirked, looking quite delighted. Tonbo thought he had misread the expression for a second.
Suddenly, a familiar sensation flooded Tonbo's perception—coming directly from Orochimaru.
Then, he witnessed an impossible scene. Orochimaru's hands, which were supposed to be soul-dead and useless, seemed to find a sudden spark of vitality. They moved, weaving the hand signs for a Summoning Jutsu.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Triple Rashomon erupted from the earth just as Naruto released his high-density energy beam.
Is it possible Orochimaru recovered the soul of his hands? No, even if this real world differs from the original plot, the deviation shouldn't be this massive. If Orochimaru regained his hands, Sasuke wouldn't stand a chance against him, Tonbo thought with alarm.
Could it be that in this reality, Sasuke was actually going to be taken over by Orochimaru? Would he have to step in and fix the timeline himself? What a pain.
RUMBLE!
The chakra beam collided with the Triple Rashomon. When the dust settled, Orochimaru was planted head-first in the ground. Naruto, looking like a feral predator, watched with animalistic suspicion.
Squelch!
Orochimaru emerged from the ground right in front of Naruto, the Kusanagi Sword darting from his mouth and piercing the Tailed Beast form, sending Naruto flying. The Kusanagi Sword extended like a growing staff, and Orochimaru's neck stretched right along with it.
Tonbo watched as Orochimaru's head extended all the way up to his level, while the sword continued to push Naruto back toward Tenchi Bridge.
"Thanks to the little gift Tonbo Tobitake left behind, this was much less troublesome than expected," Orochimaru murmured to himself, a glint of amusement in his eyes.
Hearing this, Tonbo froze. At the same time, he sensed the specific signature on Orochimaru's body.
That's... the signature of the neural threads I left on Sasuke...
Tonbo watched Orochimaru's hands, which immediately reverted to their dead, grayish state after the jutsu. He remembered the neural coordinates he had placed on Sasuke a couple of years ago that had suddenly vanished. He had assumed Orochimaru had simply found and destroyed them.
Based on that fleeting aura, Tonbo realized what had happened. Soul-dead hands indeed cannot weave signs; the lack of a spiritual connection causes a sensation deeper and more agonizing than phantom limb pain. Even if Orochimaru regenerated physical hands, they would be quickly scorched by that spiritual agony.
However, if Orochimaru had researched Tonbo's neural technology and achieved some results, he could have created a set of artificial nerves to control his hands. By using his brain to force manual control, he could perform simple hand signs—though the nerves would be "burned out" by the soul-void agony shortly after.
"You sly fox, Orochimaru! The safety measure I gave Sasuke didn't protect him, and instead, you just took it for yourself? You damn evil scientist, stealing my patents!"
Tonbo was fuming! He had wanted to see how the "real" Orochimaru would handle Naruto's chakra cannon without the use of his arms. In the original series, fans always complained about him using signs there being a plot hole; here, the guy was using Tonbo's own inventions as a patch for the logic!
He was genuinely annoyed that his curiosity wasn't satisfied.
"Though, I have to admit, that guy is in a league of his own when it comes to research." Tonbo conceded that much. Fine. You can work for me in the future.
He imagined a future where he was the Director of a major department and could work Orochimaru to the bone. Suddenly, the idea didn't seem so bad. He just had to ensure Sasuke wasn't actually possessed—but with the Sage of Six Paths watching, that was unlikely. Still, he'd keep an eye out.
Roar!
Naruto grabbed the Kusanagi Sword that failed to pierce him and flung it away, descending further into madness.
"Naruto!"
Sakura and Yamato ignored the lingering Kabuto and rushed toward Naruto. Sensing Sakura, Naruto let out a roar so powerful the very air seemed to vibrate.
Boom!
"Here I come... Instant Release!"
Sakura was never one for patience. She activated her "Black" state, appearing before the Tailed Naruto with explosive speed. Before the beast could react, she slammed a fist into its face, pinning it to the dirt.
"Captain Yamato!"
"Hokage-Style Sixty-Year-Old Technique: Kakuan Entering the Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands!"
A wooden array erupted around Naruto. Pinning the beast down with Sakura's strength, Yamato initiated the sealing. Naruto's tails lashed out, striking Sakura.
Thump! Thump!
In her Instant Release state, Sakura moved like a blur, instantly clearing the area. Naruto's tails hit himself. As he reeled, Sakura was back in position. Yamato's seal finished, activating the First Hokage's chakra stored in Naruto's necklace. Slowly, the Tailed Beast shroud receded.
Seeing this, the black marks on Sakura's skin faded, and she quickly crunched down on a soldier pill. She panted heavily. Her body wasn't yet capable of maintaining Instant Release for long periods. During her fight with Sasori, she had relied on the Mitotic Regeneration jutsu to keep going. Now, her Strength of a Hundred Seal hadn't accumulated enough chakra to sustain that kind of healing. Otherwise, she would have crushed Kabuto right then and there.
"Heh, it seems I'm no longer needed. I'll be taking my leave."
Seeing their focus on Naruto, Kabuto smiled and vanished, giving them no chance to continue the fight.
"Naruto..." Sakura looked at Naruto's raw, blood-red skin and immediately began applying medical ninjutsu. The reason she had been so "violent" earlier was her absolute confidence in her own healing skills. She could beat Naruto half to death and bring him back perfectly fine—it was the most efficient way.
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