A New Snake In The Shinobi World

Although Orochimaru was powerful, he couldn't recklessly storm an enemy village.

An enemy's base camp was filled with secret passages, hidden traps, and most critically, sealing techniques.

While Orochimaru feared no shinobi, seals and barriers were an entirely different matter.

In the ninja world, the most miraculous and dangerous power wasn't ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu.

It wasn't forbidden jutsu or summoning techniques either.

It was sealing techniques.

Seals were a form of power that defied conventional logic.

They didn't require immense strength to wield and were, in fact, the most efficient way for a weaker ninja to defeat someone stronger.

No matter how powerful a shinobi was, if they were caught in a seal, the outcome was the same: they would be trapped, rendered powerless.

Even Kaguya Otsutsuki, the supposed progenitor of all chakra, had been sealed. If someone like her couldn't escape it, then Orochimaru had to tread carefully.

Revenge for the sake of killing a few weaker ninjas wasn't worth the risk.

For this reason, after Jiraiya and Tsunade left, Orochimaru decided to lie low for a while.

His focus shifted to building his strength and assembling an army before making his next move.

As for improving his own power? The path forward was clear.

With his Sage Body now granting him exceptional life force and physical capabilities, his physical development didn't need further enhancement for the time being.

That left pupil power, the spiritual aspect of his strength, as the next area for growth.

Orochimaru had already incorporated the genes of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Obito into his experiments.

However, neither of them was a direct blood relative of each other, or of Orochimaru, so the fusion of their abilities hadn't been enough to push his spiritual power to the level of an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

This limitation meant Orochimaru still couldn't manifest a fully realized Susanoo.

It was one of the main reasons why, during his battle with the four Kage-level shinobi, he hadn't used his full power.

But Orochimaru knew he was close, just a hair's breadth away from unlocking the complete Susanoo.

He needed one more breakthrough.

There were many ways to bridge the gap: obtaining the chakra of a tailed beast, acquiring the empty shell of the Ten-Tails, mastering senjutsu from Mount Myoboku or Ryūchi Cave, or even integrating the genes from another Mangekyo Sharingan user.

Unfortunately, his experiments in Konoha had been interrupted before he could gather these resources.

Of course, Orochimaru knew that enhancing pupil power didn't have to be a slow, step-by-step process.

If sufficient genetic material was obtained, it was theoretically possible for someone to leap from a basic Three-Tomoe Sharingan all the way to the Rinnegan, as had happened with the Sage of Six Paths.

But Orochimaru wasn't an Uchiha. He wasn't the reincarnation of Indra. His path to power was fundamentally different from theirs.

Even with his talent for gene fusion, advancing his pupil power required careful, methodical progress.

This was like creating a series of experimental serums—Basic, intermediate, and advanced. Rushing to combine them could cause rejection, destabilization, or outright failure.

It was for this reason that Orochimaru hadn't yet forced Nagato to awaken the full power of his Rinnegan.

Back in Konoha, Orochimaru had already developed a serum to stimulate the Rinnegan's latent abilities. But without the strength of an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan himself, Orochimaru knew integrating that power prematurely could lead to failure.

This wasn't just about genetics, it was about synchronizing with the fusion process itself.

Now, with Nagato ready, Orochimaru decided the time had come to begin.

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"

Hearing Orochimaru's instructions, Nagato didn't hesitate. He took the potion and drank it in one gulp.

To Nagato, Orochimaru was their savior. Doubting him was out of the question.

Minutes later, Orochimaru motioned Yahiko and Konan to step aside with him.

Bang!

The glass test tube fell to the ground and shattered.

"Ahhh…!"

Nagato clutched his eyes, letting out a guttural scream as immense spiritual power surged from his body.

The force was so overwhelming it felt tangible, radiating outward in waves.

"Nagato!" Yahiko panicked and rushed forward, trying to pull him back.

Boom!

A powerful repulsive force exploded from Nagato's body, sending Yahiko flying backward.

Orochimaru didn't react, but Konan quickly caught Yahiko before he hit the ground.

"What… what is this power?" Yahiko muttered, his eyes wide with shock.

"Relax," Orochimaru said with a faint smile. "He's fine."

Despite Orochimaru's reassurance, Yahiko and Konan couldn't help but worry.

Nagato's Rinnegan had been transplanted into him by Uchiha Madara when he was a child.

At the time, the power of the eyes had been sealed, as Nagato's young body wouldn't have been able to handle their immense chakra.

Now, Orochimaru was helping him unlock that dormant power.

In the original timeline, Nagato's Rinnegan had only fully awakened after Yahiko's death. But now…

While Orochimaru wasn't sure how much of the Rinnegan's power this potion could unlock, it was already clear that Nagato's abilities—like Shinra Tensei—were beginning to emerge.

"Fascinating," Orochimaru murmured.

As powerful as Nagato's Rinnegan was, he had never been able to fully harness its true potential. The eyes were originally Uchiha Madara's, and much of their power remained untapped even in the later stages of Nagato's life.

But that didn't matter to Orochimaru.

Once the Rinnegan's power was unsealed, he would be able to extract and replicate it for his own purposes.

Even if Nagato couldn't wield their full power, Orochimaru was confident he could create a fusion serum to integrate the Rinnegan's abilities into himself.

Minutes passed, and the chaotic energy surrounding Nagato began to settle.

In the open field outside the Sound Village, Nagato slowly regained his composure.

Seeing this, Yahiko and Konan glanced at Orochimaru for approval.

When he gave a small nod, they rushed forward.

"Nagato, are you okay?" Yahiko asked anxiously.

"Are you hurt?" Konan added, her voice filled with concern.

Nagato shook his head, though he still seemed slightly dazed. "I'm fine… but… my power…"

"Your body isn't strong enough to fully support the Rinnegan's potential," Orochimaru said as he approached. "However, at this level, you should be fine. How does it feel?"

"Powerful… unbelievably powerful," Nagato admitted, still trying to process the change.

"Good. Learn to control it slowly. If you need guidance, come to me," Orochimaru said, turning back toward the village.

"Thank you, Lord Orochimaru!" Yahiko and Konan said in unison.

Orochimaru didn't look back, merely raising a hand in acknowledgment as he walked away.

---

Meanwhile, in a dark underground chamber…

"Hmm?"

Madara's eyes suddenly snapped open.

Though he had given his Rinnegan to Nagato long ago, he still retained a connection to their power.

"What is it, Madara?" asked White Zetsu, noticing the sudden shift in his demeanor.

"The Rinnegan… its power has awakened."