Naruto: Reborn as Orochimaru

Tanigaki was a wandering ninja.

Rogue ninjas were those without allegiance to any ninja village. They roamed between nations, picking up bits of ninjutsu from various places. In the ninja world, many such individuals existed. After gaining power, they resisted being controlled and often ended up taking on diverse roles within the ninja world.

Some sought political influence, infiltrating small nations to claim power. Others craved strength, spending years scheming to seize the secret techniques of minor villages. If they succeeded, they could become prominent figures in small nations; if they failed, they might end up as little more than bandits.

Tanigaki and his group came to the Land of Fire not in pursuit of power or techniques. They were here for profit. With the war creating chaos, it was the perfect opportunity to steal and plunder with little resistance. Killing was a common means to an end.

Everything had gone smoothly—until today. Today, they crossed paths with the long-haired man who changed everything.

Orochimaru. One of the legendary Sannin. A name whispered throughout the ninja world.

Initially, they hadn't recognized the man before them as the famous Orochimaru. Confident in their numbers, they had intended to take on the lone Konoha Jounin. Everyone knew Konoha's Jounin were formidable, but surely eight rogue ninjas together could take him down. After all, a Jounin would carry valuable items that could set them up for life.

But now, Tanigaki regretted it deeply.

The realization of Orochimaru's identity filled him with terror. This was the Sannin who had stood against Hanzo the Salamander and lived to tell the tale. If he had known the man's true identity from the start, he would have fled without hesitation.

When Orochimaru knocked him unconscious, a single thought flashed through his mind: Orochimaru had the Sharingan. How was that possible? The Sharingan was exclusive to the Uchiha, a clan marked by their black hair and dark eyes. Orochimaru's eyes were a golden hue, unmistakably snake-like. How could he possess such a bloodline trait?

But Tanigaki didn't have time to ponder this mystery further.

When he regained consciousness, he found himself in a barren wooden cabin, wrists and ankles bound tightly by cold metal cuffs. Struggling against them proved futile. The restraints were too strong.

He was imprisoned.

"What is this...?" Tanigaki's eyes adjusted slowly, focusing on his comrades who were kneeling on the ground in front of him. They were surrounded by strange markings etched into the floor. An unsettling feeling crept over him.

When his vision cleared, he saw Orochimaru crouched nearby, a kunai in one hand and an unfurled scroll in the other.

With a sharp, deliberate motion, Orochimaru clasped his hands together.

"Summoning Jutsu: Reanimation."

The ground beneath them began to bubble like liquid, spreading over the bodies of his comrades. The earth crept up from their feet to their heads, encasing them completely.

"Ahh!" One of the captured men screamed in agony as the earthy shell enveloped him. Then, just as swiftly, the material cracked and fell away, revealing a figure that made Tanigaki's blood run cold.

It was one of their comrades—Edo, who Orochimaru had already killed earlier. Yet here he was, seemingly alive, with his chest rising and falling as if breathing.

"How... how is this possible?" Tanichuan's eyes widened with shock. His heart raced as he stared at the resurrected Edo. Orochimaru had killed him. How was he now standing before them, alive? Was he truly resurrected?

Before he could piece together what he was seeing, Orochimaru stood and turned, those snake-like eyes narrowing with interest. "Awake already? Perfect timing."

"Perfect timing?" Tanigaki repeated, bewildered. What could he mean?

Orochimaru moved the kunai, now with a seal affixed, to the back of Edo's head, releasing the bindings that had restrained the resurrected ninja. As Orochimaru issued a command, Edo's face twisted with an unnatural expression of rage.

"Kill your comrades."

Tanigaki's eyes widened in disbelief. "What...?" His voice cracked with terror as he turned to look at Edo. The fear in his gut intensified as Edo advanced toward him, eyes filled with hollow, lifeless anger.

"What kind of jutsu is this...?"

---

A few days later, in the same secluded cabin, Orochimaru surveyed the lifeless bodies strewn around. He sighed, feeling a twinge of frustration.

"As expected, there are too many flaws with the Reanimation Jutsu. Even with ample preparation, so many failures..."

Orochimaru's entire mission in capturing the rogue ninjas had been to test this technique. But the results were far from satisfactory. He recalled how Edo's soul had departed for the Pure Land before he could even act. One wasted test subject.

Recording his observations, Orochimaru refined the technique, adjusting it for future trials. But after several days of experiments, all five captives had died. It was time to move on.

The Reanimation Jutsu fell under the umbrella of summoning techniques, but it required no contract. Only the DNA of the deceased was needed, and through precise incantations, their souls could be called back to the living world.

After mastering most aspects of the Flying Thunder God technique, Orochimaru had turned to this more complex art. It was unlike any other jutsu. He needed hands-on experience to refine it, conducting one experiment after another to collect data and make improvements.

However, hunting rogue ninjas to use as test subjects was time-consuming. They weren't easy to find, and capturing them took significant effort. But for now, this was the most secure method. Building a force large enough to support a constant stream of test subjects was impossible in wartime.

With a resigned shake of his head, Orochimaru set fire to the wooden cabin, erasing the evidence of his work before heading back toward Konoha.

"Orochimaru! Orochimaru!"

He had barely made it two kilometers when a familiar voice called out urgently. Stopping in his tracks, he turned toward the sound.

There, in a clearing off the forest path, stood a woman clad in the standard Jounin vest, her expression fraught with worry.

"Tsunade?" Orochimaru said, raising an eyebrow. "What's got you so worked up?"

As he appeared in front of her, Tsunade's tense expression turned into one of exasperation. "You! You've been gone for over half a month without a word! Do you know how worried I've been?"

"Worried? You should know my strength by now."

"This is wartime. Who knows what could happen if you wander around alone?"

"Fine, fine. We can talk more when we're back. Wait, did you come out here alone?" Orochimaru asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Of course I did! With everything going on, I wouldn't trust just anyone to come looking for you."

"Is that so?" Orochimaru's lips curled into a mischievous smile. "Perfect."

"Perfect for what?" Tsunade looked at him suspiciously, catching the glint in his eye.

"I don't think we've ever tried this out in the open, have we?"

"Wait—what are you... Broad daylight, middle of nowhere, and you're—"

Before she could finish, Orochimaru took her hand and led her into the dense forest cover, pinning her ample chest against a tree.

***

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