- The Reincarnation World Where Only I Know the Storyline
- RWWOKS Chapter 188
“What’s going on?!”
It was rare for Orochimaru to appear genuinely flustered.
In his mind, Hashirama Senju was the strongest being to ever exist. The reanimated First Hokage should have easily crushed the Leaf Village.
But who could explain why he suddenly lost all connection to the reanimation?
Tilting his head with effort, Orochimaru allowed the Kusanagi Blade to slowly slide out from his throat. With the divine weapon in hand, he managed to calm his nerves.
“It must be the old man’s doing.”
Moments later, his link to the Second Hokage was severed as well.
No matter. Orochimaru still had countless reanimated bodies at his disposal—summoning more was never a problem.
“The one who’s going to lose will still be you!”
With that, Orochimaru clashed in close combat with Hiruzen Sarutobi, who wielded the Adamantine Staff.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya had completed his Sage Mode transformation.
First, he severely injured the One-Tails’ jinchūriki, successfully resealing Shukaku. Then, he turned his attention to the demon king Kimimaro, unleashing a relentless assault.
Kimimaro’s strength was undeniable, but not even he could match the Sage-enhanced Jiraiya.
As one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya was already a top-tier ninja. With the added power of Sage Chakra, his combat ability reached the pinnacle of Kage-level strength.
What did this mean?
Even ordinary Kage-level ninjas couldn’t last more than a few rounds against Sage Jiraiya.
Kimimaro, strong as he was, was only able to keep fighting thanks to his formidable regenerative abilities.
“Kimimaro, I’ll help you!”
A familiar voice rang out as Jūgo crashed down between the two.
In his Level Two Cursed Seal state, Jūgo unleashed all of his killing intent. His appearance and demeanor transformed dramatically.
“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you all!!”
With 100% of his killing intent unleashed, Jūgo’s power reached Kage-level. His overwhelming confidence made him believe he could crush anything in his path.
However, Jiraiya quickly demonstrated that confidence was no substitute for skill.
A single Super Big Ball Rasengan sent Jūgo sprawling. Even his regenerative body struggled to recover from the devastating blow.
If not for Kimimaro’s timely intervention, the consequences could have been far worse.
“Be careful. This enemy is extremely tricky,” Kimimaro warned, intending for his friend to analyze the situation rationally and find their opponent’s weaknesses.
But when Kimimaro caught sight of Orochimaru’s precarious situation, any semblance of composure vanished.
Kimimaro tried to rush to Orochimaru’s aid but was completely unable to break through Sage Jiraiya’s defenses, even with Jūgo’s help.
“Get out of my way!” Kimimaro roared in frustration.
His anger stemmed from the sight of Orochimaru in dire straits.
True, the Kusanagi Blade was unmatched in sharpness, capable of even damaging the indestructible Adamantine Staff.
But Orochimaru underestimated Hiruzen Sarutobi’s resolve.
Even with the blade piercing through him, Hiruzen reached out and grabbed his student’s arm.
“It’s over, Orochimaru.”
Sealing Technique: Reaper Death Seal!
The Shinigami appeared behind Hiruzen, its spectral hand passing through his body and reaching into Orochimaru’s.
The icy touch that gripped his very soul unnerved even the usually composed Orochimaru.
Under normal circumstances, Hiruzen would have sealed Orochimaru’s soul within moments. But this time, the two were locked in a stalemate.
After a long pause, the dying Hiruzen sighed and made a fateful decision to change his target.
“Orochimaru, I will take your arms. From now on, you will no longer be able to perform ninjutsu.”
“For someone who seeks to master all jutsu, this will be the ultimate punishment.”
As his words faded, the Shinigami’s blade fell.
Seal!
“What have you done?!” Orochimaru roared in rage.
But Hiruzen could no longer answer.
Standing silently for a moment, Orochimaru regained his composure and let out a cold laugh. “Sensei, it seems I’ve disappointed you once again.”
From within his robes, Orochimaru pulled out the Shinigami Mask he had taken from the Uzumaki Shrine.
His gaze swept over the battlefield before settling on Kimimaro’s near-perfect body.
“Excellent. Now is the time for you to fulfill your purpose.”
Though he could no longer perform ninjutsu, Orochimaru could still wield the Kusanagi Blade.
Seizing an opening, he slashed Jiraiya’s arm and retreated to Kimimaro’s side.
“I will undo the seal on my arms. After that, you will serve as my vessel.”
Hearing this, even Jūgo fell silent. Kimimaro, however, displayed an unusual fervor.
Seeing his reaction, Orochimaru smiled and donned the Shinigami Mask. With practiced ease, he slit open his stomach.
Under Jiraiya’s watchful gaze, Orochimaru retrieved the arms sealed by Hiruzen’s life.
“You’ve truly fallen this far…”
Ignoring his former teammate’s murmured disapproval, Orochimaru—now gravely injured—prepared to flee. Staying any longer would risk losing his life to the Shinigami.
“Kimimaro!” A massive white-scaled serpent emerged from Orochimaru’s mouth.
“I’m ready,” Kimimaro said, spreading his arms in reverent acceptance.
Though his body ached and he felt a faint attachment to life, Kimimaro unwaveringly offered himself to Orochimaru.
In Kimimaro’s heart, only Orochimaru truly understood and accepted him. His very existence was dedicated to bringing his master joy.
As Gaara once said, people fight for those they deem important—even if those individuals aren’t necessarily good.
Sometimes, knowing someone is evil doesn’t change this.
Humanity cannot defeat loneliness.
For some, those fleeting two minutes felt like an eternity.
Jiraiya and Jūgo both mourned their respective friend and teacher, waiting for Orochimaru’s rebirth to signal the next battle.
But then, something completely unexpected occurred.
Kimimaro, bracing for death, suddenly felt an unprecedented warmth in his cells.
He didn’t understand what was happening, but a primal fear welled up within him.
“No… what are you doing? Stop it now!” Orochimaru’s voice rang out in his mind.
Kimimaro was confused, feeling nothing but warmth spreading through his body—a comforting sensation that made him want to sleep.
For the first time since becoming a demon, Kimimaro felt something akin to peace.
He couldn’t help but surrender to it. When he finally regained consciousness, his body was brimming with energy.
The sensation that he could crush the entire world with a mere flex of his hand filled Kimimaro with unease.
“Orochimaru-sama?” he called out tentatively.
No response. It was as if the white serpent no longer existed within him.
Realizing what had happened, panic seized Kimimaro’s heart. A terrible suspicion arose—one he wasn’t yet ready to face.
“Could it be… me?”
At this moment, the two companions nearby noticed something unusual.
Jūgo, having returned to his normal state, cautiously observed Kimimaro, a flash of hope and delight crossing his eyes. “You’re still Kimimaro, right?”
But his question was met with an enraged roar.
“WHY?!!”
Kimimaro stared at his hands in disbelief.
He had hoped to serve as Orochimaru’s vessel, but to his horror, he realized he had underestimated the demonic cells within his body.
To him, the White Phosphorus Serpent was like an irresistible delicacy, and his body had consumed it instinctively.
In simple terms, Kimimaro had devoured Orochimaru.
Body, flesh, chakra—everything had been absorbed by his cells.
The surge of energy was so overwhelming that even Kimimaro’s demon-king-like resilience struggled to endure it.
He needed release—not just from the excess chakra, but also from the raging fire of anger within him.
BOOM!
The ground cracked as Kimimaro suddenly appeared before his enemies.
Enveloped in hardened bone, he delivered a punch. Sage Jiraiya instinctively raised his arms to block.
As the two clashed, Fukasaku’s warning echoed belatedly. “Jiraiya boy, be careful—this one’s incredibly strong!”
Before the words even finished, Jiraiya was sent flying with a single blow.
The mighty sage of Mount Myōboku couldn’t withstand one strike.
He was hurled two kilometers away, crashing into the ground.
The impact forcibly ended his Sage Mode, leaving Jiraiya gravely injured from Kimimaro’s furious blow.
“Get up, boy!” Shima’s voice trembled with fear, her webbed hand pointing to the distance. “If we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late!”
Turning to look, Jiraiya saw a forest of bone erupting violently from the earth.
Dead Bone Pulse: Dance of the Seedling Fern!
Fueled by rage, this technique was Kimimaro’s ultimate move and a testament to his full power.
In just three minutes, the bone forest had engulfed most of the Leaf Village, leaving countless casualties, including many elite ninjas.
Some tried to stop it, but they couldn’t even locate the enemy.
In the end, they could only watch helplessly as the Leaf Village fell to ruin.
[You have significantly altered the fate of the Leaf Village.]
[You have received a Fate Token.]
Another Fate Token in hand, Fang Bo knew Kimimaro had succeeded.
He also received notifications for completing consecutive hidden quests.
However, a problem remained: the bone forest continued to expand, and Fang Bo was now within its indiscriminate destruction zone.
Left with no choice, he activated his Hover Acceleration ability to escape.
After a long flight, the system finally registered that he had exited combat and prompted him with an option to leave the storyline world.
[Space War Complete. Returning to the Reincarnation Space in three minutes.]
[Countdown: 02:59]
[Countdown: 02:58]
[Countdown: 02:57]
Space wars had no mission settlements; all points earned were the total rewards.
Of course, additional rewards lay waiting in his personal storage.
Once back, selling off his haul would net him a significant amount of Story Points.
“Requesting immediate return.”
Accompanied by a faint white light, Fang Bo’s figure slowly vanished from the Naruto world.
Shortly after his departure, the heavily wounded Sand Village forces also retreated.
They had no choice—members of the Root faction had begun to dominate the battlefield.
Both sides suffered massive losses in this battle. Failing to destroy the Leaf Village, the Sand Village shifted all blame onto Orochimaru.
They accused him of assassinating the Kazekage and orchestrating the entire attack. The Sand Village mourned its fallen comrades, along with those lost from both sides.
In response, the Leaf Village demonstrated its stature as the strongest hidden village by sending representatives to negotiate peace with the Sand.
During the talks, both sides strongly condemned the actions of the Sound Village and pledged to pursue reparations for the war.
Under the watchful eyes of countless factions, the Sand and Leaf Villages signed a peace treaty, vowing to become steadfast allies moving forward.
Not long after, Scorpion, celebrated for his battlefield achievements, became the Fifth Kazekage.
In the Leaf Village, Danzō Shimura, who successfully turned the tide of battle, gained the trust of both the Daimyō and the villagers, officially becoming the Fifth Hokage.
The villagers, furious at Hiruzen Sarutobi’s inaction, even proposed erasing his name from history.
However, this proposal was personally vetoed by the Fifth Hokage.
As for Kimimaro’s whereabouts, many began secret investigations.
Some sought vengeance, while others, driven by ambition, coveted his terrifying power.
(Chapter End)