Chapter 12 - Chapter 12: Lair of the Snake—Slime MS Awakens!

Orochimaru's subterranean lair: Damp stone reeked of experiments and regret. Torchlight danced on tanks of horrors—chimeric failures bubbling. Sasuke Uchiha knelt altar-center, cursed seal gnawing, eyes defiant yet tempted.Orochimaru loomed, pale lips curling. "Power awaits, Sasuke-kun. Join eternal evolution."Intruders crashed: Retrieval squad battered but fierce. Naruto Rasengan-primed, Shikamaru shadows creeping, Neji palms ready, Ren Uchiha front goo-lord."Party crashers!" Ren quipped, three-tomoe whirling. Sage—snake vitals?[Orochimaru: Sannin immortality jutsu, 8 snake heads potential, curse mastery. Win con: Predator core overload risk 45%. MS trigger imminent.]Orochimaru hissed laughter. "The slime Uchiha anomaly... perfect second harvest!"Sasuke stirred. "Ren... leave.""Nah, cousin. Snake sushi night." Ren surged—Slime Clone Horde x100 flooded, threads (Kidomaru) webbing supports.Orochimaru shed skin—true form: white serpent titan, eight heads snapping. Mandara no Jin! Poison fangs, acid spits rained.Squad scattered: Naruto clones tanked, Neji Rotation'd, Shikamaru pinned tails.Ren dived central maw—Predator Apex! Head engulfed—glorp. Immortal flesh resisted, but chakra siphoned.[Snake jutsu partial: Regeneration mimic Lv. 1, poison resist 60%.]Orochimaru recoiled, enraged. "Insolent goo!" Kusanagi blade unsheathed—Sword of Kusanagi: Snake Breath—chakra slash bisected clones.Ren reformed, Sharingan straining. Push it. Orochimaru coiled strike—Sasuke-level speed.Pain lanced Ren's eyes—MS Awakening! Black pattern bloomed: Slime Eternal Mangekyou—swirling goo tomoe, infinite stamina glow."New eyes? For you!" Amaterasu Slime Variant—black flames goo-infused, unquenchable ooze spreading on snake scales.Orochimaru shrieked—flames ate hide. "What sorcery?!"[MS unlocked: Amaterasu Goo (eternal burn), Tsukuyomi Slime (genjutsu devour). Mana drain low—slime efficiency.]Naruto: "Whoa, eye upgrade?!"Ren blinked tears—MS cost mitigated. "Tsukuyomi Feast!" Genjutsu locked Orochimaru—mindscape of endless Predator maws devouring snakes eternally.Snake broke free—immortality flexed—but weakened. "Enough games!"Eight-Headed Barrage—fangs pierced Ren's goo form. Acid burned—regen strained.[Overload warning: 78%. Counter: Ultimate fusion.]"Time out!" Ren core-pulsed—All-Absorbed Ultimate: Slime Orochi! Body morphed: Multi-headed slime hydra, wielding Wind Tempest heads, Earth barriers, Vibration roars, Thread whips—Sound Four arsenal maxed.Heads clashed—slime vs. snake apocalypse. Lair crumbled.Squad supported: Naruto Gamabunta summon toad-stomped tails; Neji sealed chakra holes; Shikamaru shadowed necks.Sasuke rose, Chidori crackling—struck Orochimaru's core head. "Not... yours!"Orochimaru spat blood-curse. "This isn't over—Sasuke mine!" Slithered into cracks, fleeing.Ren collapsed hydra—human, MS dimming. [Victory: Orochimaru repelled. Gains: Sannin-tier jutsu scraps, MS stable. Sasuke retrieval: 50%.]Sasuke panted, seal receding. "Why... save me?"Ren grinned weakly. "Family discount. Plus, your emo's entertaining."Naruto tackled-hugged both. "We did it! Teme back!"Neji/Shikamaru fist-bumped. "Mission... success-ish."Guy arrived—Gate 7 aura. "MY STUDENTS! HUG OF SORROW—10,000!"Lair evacuated—Sasuke dragged home. Konoha medics swarmed.Hospital recovery: Ren bunked with Sasuke. "MS club now? Perks?"Sasuke hn'd. "Blindness risk.""Slime fix—eternal." Ren flexed goo-eye patch.Hiruzen visited. "Chunin promotion: All squad. Ren—special jonin track."Ramen feast: Legends born. Naruto: "Slime-MS god tier!"Post-arc: Ren trained MS—Amaterasu clones vs. Neji Kaiten. Power consolidated.[Shippuden horizon: Akatsuki radar. Pain intel incoming.]Orochimaru regenerated distant. "Slime... eternal rival. Harvest evolves."Ren rooftop, MS scanning stars. "Bring it, world. Goo empire rises."Konoha's ultimate anomaly: Unchained.