"This is White Zetsu," Teizawa said quietly. "You can think of it as the perfect vessel."
"It has no consciousness or soul of its own, so it can contain anyone's soul and power."
"Its cells also possess extraordinary vitality. Its body won't decay or age like an ordinary human body."
He paused.
"You can use it for your reincarnation."
Orochimaru's pupils contracted slightly.
He studied White Zetsu for a long time, the caution on his face gradually giving way to contemplation.
Teizawa said nothing more. He simply placed the scroll beside him.
"This is the contingency plan I prepared for you. Whether you use it is entirely up to you."
Orochimaru stared at White Zetsu in silence.
After a long while, he raised his head and looked at Teizawa.
"Why are you helping me?"
"Because you need me." Teizawa's lips curved upward. "You need my Reaper Mask, my White Zetsu, and my plan. And I... need you too."
Orochimaru said nothing.
He lowered his head and continued examining White Zetsu.
"If you truly intend to use it for your reincarnation, you should act quickly."
Teizawa spoke as casually as though the matter had nothing to do with him.
"Your current body won't last much longer."
He turned and headed toward Sunagakure's camp.
Temari followed behind him.
After taking a few steps, Teizawa stopped without looking back.
"One more thing, Orochimaru. If you want to undo the Reaper Death Seal, recover as quickly as possible. You don't have much time left."
Orochimaru did not answer.
The night breeze drifted from the depths of the forest, stirring his white kimono, his pale hair, and the motionless white figure standing nearby.
He extended a hand and gently touched White Zetsu's skin.
It was cold.
It felt like touching something ancient and mysterious.
Later, Teizawa lay in bed, staring at the roof of the tent.
Temari lay on her side beside him, watching his face.
"Why didn't you just tell Orochimaru that White Zetsu belongs to the Akatsuki?"
Teizawa turned toward her, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"Because he doesn't need to know that much."
He reached out and pulled her into his arms.
"He only needs to know that I can help him. That's enough."
Temari asked no further questions and buried her face against his chest.
Outside, the moon emerged from behind the clouds.
Its light spilled across the quiet, snow-covered ground and the tent where a lamp was still burning.
The next morning, sunlight pierced the thin mist between the trees and fell upon the ancient altar covered in moss and vines.
Teizawa stood at the edge of the altar with his arms folded, watching Orochimaru.
Orochimaru had changed into a clean kimono.
Although his face remained slightly pale, he looked considerably better than he had the previous day.
His hands were still trembling faintly, but his breathing had become much steadier.
He stood at the center of the altar, holding the Reaper Mask.
Kabuto waited in the clearing below.
A White Zetsu body lay at his feet. A large cavity had been carved into its white flesh and filled with sealing formulas.
Kabuto's expression was as focused as that of a surgeon preparing for a critical operation.
Temari stood behind Teizawa, gripping her Three-Star Fan while vigilantly surveying their surroundings.
"Kazekage-dono..."
Orochimaru turned toward Teizawa. His voice was hoarse, but it carried barely suppressed excitement.
"I'm ready. We can begin."
Teizawa nodded.
"Then begin immediately."
Orochimaru took a deep breath and slowly raised the Reaper Mask to his face.
A ghostly light seemed to flash within its hollow eyes.
With a soft click, the mask settled into place.
The air grew heavy.
The temperature plummeted. The wind stopped, and even the insects fell silent.
Orochimaru closed his eyes and began forming hand seals.
"Snake... Boar... Ram... Hare... Dog... Rat... Bird... Horse... Snake..."
He formed every seal slowly and precisely.
Chakra surged through his fingertips and flowed along the sealing formulas into the mask.
The markings on its surface began to glow.
Their color shifted from ghostly blue to deep purple, then from deep purple to dark red.
It was as though some ancient power were awakening.
The ground began to tremble.
Dust trickled from the altar.
An icy presence filled the air, like something was crawling out from deep beneath the earth and slowly taking shape.
The Reaper appeared.
It was an enormous, gray-white apparition with a hideous face.
A short blade was clenched between its teeth, and a long white robe covered its body.
Its colossal form nearly obscured the entire sky.
It hovered above the altar, gazing down at the insignificant human beneath it.
Orochimaru did not raise his head.
He continued forming seals.
The Reaper slowly lifted one hand.
The short blade flashed coldly in the dim light.
Then it violently sliced open its own abdomen.
There was no blood.
There were no organs.
Only clusters of ghostly blue light poured from the wound, like souls imprisoned for far too long had finally found an escape.
Those glowing orbs drifted through the air.
Some were dim, while others shone brightly. Some carried faint traces of consciousness, while others seemed completely empty.
They circled through the air several times.
Then, drawn by some unseen force, they scattered in every direction and disappeared.
A warm current suddenly flowed through Orochimaru's arms.
Chakra coursed through his fingertips more smoothly than ever before.
His hands had been restored.
The hands imprisoned by the Reaper Death Seal for so many years were finally free.
Orochimaru instinctively clenched his fists, then slowly opened them again.
He savored the long-lost power flowing through his palms.
A smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
It spread into his eyes, then across his entire face.
"As expected of the legendary Reaper," Orochimaru said, his voice filled with wonder and a trace of obsession. "These hands... are finally mine again."
Kabuto pushed White Zetsu's body in front of him.
"Orochimaru-sama, the new body is ready."
Orochimaru nodded and began the reincarnation ritual.
Ghostly blue chakra poured from his body like countless fine threads, connecting his soul to White Zetsu's body.
His original body began turning transparent.
It resembled a thin layer of mist gradually dissolving into the air.
Teizawa watched the clusters of souls drifting away.
Several glowed with a bright, comforting warmth, entirely different from the dim and feeble lights surrounding them.
Those luminous souls slowly floated above the altar, forming a silent trail before disappearing into the shadows.
Teizawa's gaze lingered on them.
The souls of the previous Hokage...
The First, the Second, the Third, and the Fourth.
They had been imprisoned within that seal for so many years.
Now, they were finally free.
Orochimaru's reincarnation proceeded quickly.
White Zetsu's body began to transform. Its pale, plantlike flesh gradually became living human tissue.
Orochimaru's soul completely merged with it.
His new body looked almost identical to his previous one, but it was younger and healthier.
It no longer resembled something that might fall apart at any moment.
Orochimaru tested his new arms and legs, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
"Excellent. This body is even better than I expected."
(End of Chapter)
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