Orochimaru agreed. Although to Kabuto and the others in the Village Hidden in the Sound, Orochimaru might seem eternally powerful, mysterious, and full of charm, he alone knew the pain he endured.
Body-switching was not so easy.
Every person's soul and body had a unique compatibility. Otherwise, wouldn't the Ino-Shika-Cho clan's Mind Body Switch Technique be more suitable for possession? After Orochimaru had developed his cruel jutsu and succeeded in his first possession, he had already become aware of its side effects. When he devoured a person's soul, their vast memories, desires, and the full spectrum of human emotions would flood into his own soul, causing him immense suffering.
This was why he later chose only young bodies to possess. The young had less life experience, their memories were less complex. But the unwillingness and curses of those he possessed before their deaths would enter his soul along with their dark side, accompanying him for the rest of his life and causing him endless torment.
But who was Orochimaru? He was a man who would stop at nothing for the sake of eternal life. No amount of negativity or darkness could shake his desire for immortality. So, no matter how unwilling his vessels were, no matter how much their negative energy eroded his soul, he remained unmoved. It was also possible that he had simply not possessed enough people yet. This was only his third body. If he continued down this path, to the eighth, the ninth... Orochimaru would surely die.
Training at the Waterfall of Truth was like a timely rain for a dying man. While it couldn't solve the problem of his soul's disorder after possession, being able to resolve his inner darkness would be a great relief.
Orochimaru summoned a snake, which then spat out a scroll from its mouth. He tossed it to Nagi, who nonchalantly took out a handkerchief to wipe off the slime. Orochimaru's storage space was mostly in the bellies of snakes, as if they were four-dimensional pockets. The only thing Nagi wanted to complain about was that everything that came out was disgustingly covered in snake slime.
The trade was a complete success. Nagi had gotten the Hashirama cells he wanted, as well as Orochimaru's complete cloning technology. This wasn't some shoddy cloning tech like the villages or Madara used; this was black technology that could even clone a Tailed Beast. However, a Tailed Beast cloned by Orochimaru would likely have no intelligence, and the process would be incredibly long. It had been so many years since he had obtained a fragment of the Eight-Tails from the Hidden Cloud, and all he had managed to clone was a giant horn. He hadn't even produced a head. To clone a complete Eight-Tails would surely take many, many years.
But it was worth a try. If he could clone a Tailed Beast without any intelligence or thoughts, it would be the perfect nuclear battery. To have it inside his body as a backup power source... that would be a sweet deal. Nagi decided that after he returned, he would start experimenting with the Three-Tails. He had promised to return it to Mei Terumi after he finished forging his sword, but it seemed he would have to delay that for a while. It didn't matter. He had never specified an exact date anyway.
"Orochimaru-san, take this Flying Thunder God kunai. When you've taken care of your business, we'll set a time, and I'll come and take you to the Waterfall of Truth," Nagi said, handing him a kunai marked with the coordinates.
Orochimaru nodded with a smile and summoned a small silver snake. "Please take this snake, Nagi-kun. It will serve as a messenger between us."
It wasn't strange to use a summoning beast to deliver messages. Jiraiya had used toads to deliver them, and had even sent one of the Six Paths of Pain directly to Konoha using a toad. To put it simply, it was just a form of Reverse Summoning. But since Nagi didn't have a contract with Ryūchi Cave, he needed a snake to stay with him to facilitate the summoning.
"Nagi-kun, your sword seems very special. Interested in a spar?" After the trade was complete, Orochimaru suddenly looked at Raikiri with keen interest.
"It's just an ordinary sword I just had forged. If you're interested, Orochimaru-san, I would be happy to oblige," Nagi said with a smile.
The two of them walked out of the laboratory and onto the surface. After many days, this was Nagi's second time facing Orochimaru. The difference was that last time, Orochimaru had been lusting after his body, and it had been a true duel to the death. A single misstep, and he would have died. Now, while he couldn't say he was guaranteed to win, he was absolutely confident he could protect himself. As for defeating Orochimaru... who knew how many graves he had dug up, how many Kage-level warriors he had resurrected with the Edo Tensei? If the numbers were too great... Nagi could defeat the Raikage, but against this venomous snake, the unexpected was always the number one threat. Even with his hands sealed, he could fight the other two Sannin and a three-tailed Naruto.
Outside, the sun was shining, and a gentle breeze was blowing. They went to a forest, and Orochimaru spat out his Sword of Kusanagi from his mouth. Seeing the slimy blade, Nagi's mouth twitched. He then drew his own Nichirin Blade, Raikiri.
Clang!
After the sound of metal on metal, the two began to spar. Unlike before, this was not a battle to the death. Nagi also wanted to use a real fight to test how his divine weapon compared to the top ninja blades in the world. Currently, the most famous ninja blades, besides the seven from the Hidden Mist, were Orochimaru's Sword of Kusanagi. There was also the Second Hokage's Sword of the Thunder God in Konoha, the Six Paths' treasured tools in the Land of Lightning, and the Uchiha clan's ninja tools left behind by Madara. The last one was with Obito, who hadn't taken it out to use until the Great War. What a waste.
Orochimaru's Sword of Kusanagi was a divine weapon no less formidable than the Seven Ninja Swords. It was incredibly sharp and durable, could extend and retract, and even more absurdly, he could control it remotely, as he had done when fighting the Third Hokage.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew as the two treasured blades, coveted by many in the ninja world, clashed and tested each other. Nagi's sword began to display its abilities. The surrounding light suddenly dimmed, as if a space had been covered by dark clouds in broad daylight. All the light and heat were drawn towards Raikiri, and eventually, the blade formed a yellow, flame-like aura, like a Super Saiyan's transformation.
Orochimaru clicked his tongue in praise, all the while displaying his master-level swordsmanship. The searing light and flames radiating from Nagi's Raikiri continuously burned Orochimaru, causing him damage. Even a light graze from the flames would result in a very serious burn.
Orochimaru frowned at the burn on his arm and leaped back several meters. Suddenly, the Sword of Kusanagi extended, its blade shooting out to a great length. Faced with this sword that could suddenly change its length, Nagi felt a headache coming on. Whenever Orochimaru swung his sword at him, he had to be ready to block, because in the next second, the Sword of Kusanagi could suddenly extend and hit him. He also had to keep a close eye on the tip of the sword, because if it was pointed at him, it could suddenly shoot forward and stab him. It was simply impossible to defend against.
Orochimaru was not, after all, a pure swordsman. While holding his sword in his right hand, his left hand would occasionally release his signature hand-seal-less jutsu, the Hidden Shadow Snake Hands. But most of the snakes were instantly burned to death upon contact with the blade's flames. Nagi's new Nichirin Blade cut through them like tofu. With a casual swing, a pile of charred snakes would fall to the ground. Not only was the blade as fearsome as a lightsaber, but the flames it carried were also incredibly damaging.
Nagi's Flame Breathing, when used with this Nichirin Blade, was much more powerful, achieving a level of power that was usually only possible with Sun Breathing. If he were to use Sun Breathing in battle, its power would probably be doubled. This Nichirin Blade, Raikiri, was practically born for the Sun Breathing style.
"Let's end our match here," Orochimaru said first, sheathing his sword. He then opened his mouth wide and used his snake-shedding technique, instantly healing his burned body. However, this jutsu, similar to Tsunade's Creation Rebirth, came at the cost of dividing his body's cells. And since human cells can only divide a limited number of times in a lifetime, this was probably the reason Orochimaru changed bodies so frequently.
"Alright. Your swordsmanship is truly breathtaking, Orochimaru-san," Nagi complimented, though in his heart, he was marveling at what a venomous snake he was. Paired with the extending Sword of Kusanagi, he was simply treacherous to the extreme.
"Heh heh. You exaggerate, Nagi-kun. My attention is too divided; my swordsmanship has been stagnant for years. It is your swordsmanship that has improved by leaps and bounds. And with that ninja blade..." Orochimaru praised. "Your swordsmanship now probably rivals that of Kakashi's father. I believe it won't be long before you surpass him."
"Your sword must have just been forged. Does it have a name?"
Nagi smiled. "Raikiri."
Orochimaru: "..."
He knew that Kakashi had a ninjutsu that was also called Raikiri...