Naruto: Drop System

In just a few moments, the chakra of both Orochimaru, a Kage-level ninja, and Kabuto, who wasn't afraid of Kakashi, had been mostly drained by the branches wrapped around them. Yagyu didn't drain all their chakra. Once they were in a weakened state, he stopped the chakra absorption and released the Silent Strangle Jutsu that had bound them.

Even though they were freed, neither attempted to flee. They both knew that in their current condition, escaping was impossible.

Orochimaru, who had left fragments of his soul in the Cursed Seal of Heaven on both Sasuke Uchiha and Anko Mitarashi, was not terribly afraid of death. Furthermore, from the earlier conversation, Orochimaru had discerned that Yagyu wasn't here for Sasuke but for him.

Calming himself quickly, Orochimaru, his mouth concealed by bandages, let out his raspy laugh again. "Such a powerful Wood Release and chakra. It's clear you're not one of those clones infused with Hashirama's cells. It seems the long-dormant Senju clan is ready to return to the pinnacle of the ninja world."

After this flattery, Orochimaru went straight to the point. "Since you haven't come to take Sasuke and have spared us both twice now, I assume you need my help with something, correct?" His tone was filled with certainty.

"As expected of one of the Legendary Sannin, you remain so rational in a situation like this," Yagyu complimented before stepping closer to Orochimaru. He reached into the inner pocket of his black cloak with a smile and said, "I've come this time to propose a trade, Orochimaru."

With that, Yagyu pulled out a mask—a ghastly, white demon-like mask.

"What's that?" Orochimaru's one visible eye was filled with confusion. At this point, he hadn't yet discovered the Reaper Death Seal or how to break it, so he had no idea what this mask was.

But Yagyu's next words shook Orochimaru to his core.

Casually handling the mask, Yagyu chuckled, "This is the Shinigami Mask, the only way to undo the Reaper Death Seal."

Orochimaru abruptly stood up, his pupils dilated, and he stared intently at the mask in Yagyu's hand. His breathing quickened, and his body trembled slightly. If not for his remaining rationality suppressing his impulses, both Yagyu and Kabuto were certain Orochimaru would have lunged at the Shinigami Mask.

Both Yagyu and Kabuto understood Orochimaru's feelings well. Yagyu, being a time traveler, and Kabuto, as Orochimaru's most trusted assistant, knew how obsessed Orochimaru was with immortality and learning every ninjutsu—far more so than anyone else could imagine.

Orochimaru would give up anything for immortality and to master all ninjutsu. For him, losing the use of his hands, thanks to Hiruzen Sarutobi's Reaper Death Seal, was a fate worse than death.

Now, with the opportunity to regain his hands right in front of him, the fact that Orochimaru was able to restrain himself was remarkable.

Yagyu, observing Orochimaru's rapid breathing, didn't back away. Instead, he held the mask even closer, watching Orochimaru's reactions through his eyes, which are said to be the windows to the soul.

But this action prompted Orochimaru to quickly regain his composure.

"What do you want?" Orochimaru asked, staring directly into Yagyu's eyes.

There was no need for probing—Orochimaru already knew that the mask and Yagyu's words were true. Undoubtedly, the deal Yagyu wanted to make required one of Orochimaru's jutsu, and there was only one jutsu he knew that Yagyu might be interested in.

If that weren't the case, Yagyu wouldn't have brought out the Shinigami Mask, nor would he be so eager to help Orochimaru regain his hands.

"As expected of a prominent figure like you. Impressive self-control," Yagyu praised, acknowledging how Orochimaru had quickly recovered his rationality without trying to steal the Shinigami Mask. Yagyu then tossed the mask to the wide-eyed Kabuto and continued, "The Reaper Death Seal involves offering one's soul in a pact with the Shinigami to sever and take the enemy's soul. The Shinigami Mask, on the other hand, allows one to make a deal with the Shinigami to exchange one's soul to reclaim a soul previously consumed by it."

"If you want your hands back, Orochimaru, you'll need a sacrifice—someone willing to die for you—who will wear the mask," Yagyu explained.

"My terms are simple: I want the soul of the previous Hokage to be freed at the same time your hands are restored."

"So that's it. Your goal is to rescue the souls of your predecessors?" Orochimaru said, his gaze fixed on the Shinigami Mask in Kabuto's hands. He then glanced at Kabuto, who briefly showed a hint of surprise before his expression turned resolute. Beneath his bandages, Orochimaru smiled with satisfaction.

He nodded to Yagyu, saying, "Agreed. I'll do it."

"I'm not finished yet, Orochimaru," Yagyu smiled, continuing. "After the previous Hokage's souls are released, I want you to use the Edo Tensei to 'revive' them so that I can have a conversation with the First Hokage."

Hearing this, Orochimaru's pupils contracted, and he glanced deeply at Yagyu. He had already guessed Yagyu's true intentions. The conversation was just a pretext—what Yagyu really wanted was likely the more advanced Wood Release techniques from the First Hokage.

Could it be that the forbidden scrolls in Konoha didn't include the First Hokage's Wood Release techniques, or perhaps they had been lost?

This thought brought Orochimaru a brief moment of delight, and his wariness toward Yagyu diminished significantly. Outwardly, though, he maintained his calm demeanor and nodded, "A trivial matter. I agree."

"Then let's begin," Yagyu said, his eyes now on Kabuto, who was holding the Shinigami Mask.

Orochimaru, too, looked toward Kabuto.

Under their watchful eyes, Kabuto showed no fear. He removed his glasses, preparing to don the Shinigami Mask.

At that moment, Orochimaru suddenly spoke, "Kabuto, go fetch Guren."

Kabuto hesitated briefly but then nodded, "Yes, Lord Orochimaru."

After leaving the dimly lit room, Kabuto soon returned, bringing with him a woman with light purple hair.

Yagyu recognized her—her name was written in his journal. She was Guren, one of the key figures in the Three-Tails arc in the original series, and she possessed the Crystal Release kekkei genkai.

She had once been a potential vessel for Orochimaru's next reincarnation. If not for Orochimaru's urgent desire to obtain Sasuke Uchiha's body, believing he could reincarnate in time, Guren would have been his new body.

"Lord Orochimaru!" Guren knelt before Orochimaru as soon as she entered, her gaze filled with fervent admiration for the man on the throne.

At this point, Guren hadn't yet realized her true purpose. Her dream, like Kimimaro's, was to become Orochimaru's vessel.

She regretted not arriving in time for Orochimaru to choose her as his reincarnation vessel, instead using Yūkimaru. She also resented Sasuke Uchiha for taking her place as Orochimaru's confirmed next vessel in three years.

Looking at Guren kneeling before him, Orochimaru asked gently, "Guren, has Kabuto explained everything to you?"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru," Guren replied without hesitation. "I'm willing to give my life to restore your ninjutsu."

"No regrets?" Orochimaru's tone remained gentle. "If you're unwilling, I can choose someone else for the task."

"I'm willing, and I don't trust anyone else," Guren said firmly. She stood, snatched the Shinigami Mask from Kabuto, and stared at Orochimaru with determined eyes. "My life belongs to you, Lord Orochimaru. I'm already satisfied to have lived this long. If neither Kimimaro nor I could become your vessel, then let me serve you in this way, as he did."

With that, Guren decisively donned the Shinigami Mask.

Witnessing this, Yagyu couldn't help but feel a twinge of respect for Orochimaru. When it came to manipulation, no one in the ninja world could rival Orochimaru.

Even Uchiha Madara, who brainwashed his pawns, still left them with curse marks as a precaution. But Orochimaru relied solely on his charisma, inspiring his followers to die for him without question.

Even Anko Mitarashi turned against him not because Orochimaru became a rogue ninja, but because he didn't take her with him when he left Konoha.

Beyond Anko, there were loyal followers like Kimimaro, Guren, Kabuto, and later Mitsuki in Boruto.

And those were just the key characters—there were surely many in the Sound Village who would die for Orochimaru.

Compared to Orochimaru, Yagyu felt that his use of knowledge about the future and his own nurturing abilities seemed inadequate.

Standing before Orochimaru, Yagyu didn't dare to call himself a "master of manipulation."

Even though Orochimaru had many willing to die for him, it was clear he didn't fully trust all of them. After Kimimaro's death, his trust extended only to Kabuto and Guren.

More importantly, Guren herself didn't trust anyone else, choosing to sacrifice her life to ensure that Orochimaru regained his hands.

Whoosh!

The moment Guren put on the Shinigami Mask, a blue chakra aura enveloped her body.

The chakra quickly converged on the mask as if magnetically drawn to it.

Soon, the blue aura faded, and a spectral figure appeared behind Guren. It rapidly expanded, forming the shape of a deathly figure with disheveled white hair, dressed in a wide white robe, and holding a small knife in its mouth.

This Shinigami could only be seen by Guren, just like the Reaper Death Seal could only be seen by its user.

Even so, Orochimaru could feel an icy, bone-chilling presence in the air. His mind replayed the moment when his hands were severed from his soul by the Shinigami.

The unbearable pain of having his hands rendered useless, causing his body to deteriorate and forcing him to reincarnate early, seemed to return in full force.

Since entering the ninja academy, Orochimaru had grown accustomed to the pain of battle. As a Genin carrying out missions, he had become used to all kinds of injuries and had faced death many times.

But none of those experiences compared to the pain dealt by the Shinigami's blade. Even the agony of tearing his own soul apart paled in comparison to the Shinigami's strike.

Orochimaru, who feared neither Yagyu, nor Uchiha Itachi, nor Pain, still harbored fear for this unseen Shinigami.

Yagyu, oblivious to Orochimaru's thoughts, felt the temperature in the room drop. His red eyes flickered with a solemn gleam.

He couldn't see it!

Yagyu couldn't see the Shinigami.

There was no doubt now that this Shinigami existed on the same level as the Sage of Six Paths, whose soul could move freely between the worlds of the living and the dead—a being from another dimension.

But were the Shinigami and the Sage of Six Paths from the same realm as the souls of the dead?

If they were, that would be good news.

The Shinigami required the Reaper Death Seal or the Shinigami Mask to manifest in the world of the living, meaning it had limitations.

This suggested that the Sage of Six Paths' soul might also need to pay a price to intervene in the world of the living and couldn't act freely.

Moreover, Yagyu had already revealed his Wood Release abilities. If the Sage of Six Paths were truly as omnipotent as some believed, then he should have noticed Yagyu by now and possibly realized that Yagyu possessed Asura's chakra.

Yet, the Sage hadn't confronted Yagyu, meaning that he either couldn't or had been deceived, like everyone else.

Either way, it was good news for Yagyu.

All he needed to do was maintain his current image, and once he reached a Six Paths-level power, he wouldn't need to fear the plans or scrutiny of the forces behind the scenes.

Slash!

At that moment, the sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed through the room.

Though Guren hadn't moved, a deep gash suddenly appeared on her abdomen, and blood sprayed out.

"Aaaahhh!" Guren let out a heart-wrenching scream as her body collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony.

Above her, five blue spirits materialized. As soon as they appeared, four of the spirits vanished.

The remaining spirit flew straight toward Orochimaru and merged with his body.

In the next instant, Orochimaru's hands began to glow with blue light.

"They're back… My hands…" Orochimaru stood, watching as his fingers regained their full mobility and the chakra pathways in his arms reconnected. His voice trembled with excitement, "My ninjutsu… has returned!"

Meanwhile, Guren, who had been writhing on the ground, fell still.

A blue spirit drifted from her body and quickly vanished, confirming that her soul had been taken by the Shinigami.

Yagyu walked over to her lifeless form, retrieved the Shinigami Mask, and turned to face the now-composed Orochimaru, who was watching him intently. With a calm smile, Yagyu said, "Our power levels are worlds apart. Don't seek your own demise, Orochimaru."

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