Diarmuid spoke without a hint of modesty, "The way you ask that makes it sound as if Wood Release should be impossible for me. In this world, nothing is impossible for me."
Jiraiya opened his mouth to retort, but the words died in his throat.
Thinking about it, Diarmuid had a point. At least in Jiraiya's understanding, Wood Release was a Kekkei Genkai, according to the First Hokage, it was simply the combination of Water and Earth natures. Jiraiya had never researched Wood Release, nor was he privy to the inner workings of Konoha's secret experiments, so he didn't realize just how excruciatingly difficult it was to develop.
Compared to manifesting a legendary bloodline limit, Diarmuid's self-taught Senjutsu actually seemed more impressive.
This... is suddenly almost acceptable, Jiraiya thought, clicking his tongue and muttering a soft "I suppose so."
He looked up to see Diarmuid holding his breath, his face straining as if he were exerting force against an internal pressure. After a few moments, when nothing happened, Jiraiya was left utterly bewildered.
"What... exactly are you doing?" Jiraiya asked hesitantly.
Diarmuid didn't answer. His gaze remained stern, his focus locked on some internal struggle, as if he were wrestling with an invisible force.
This went on for about two or three minutes until Jiraiya grew impatient. Finally, Diarmuid's expression soured, and he cursed with frustration: "Damn it!"
"What is going on?" Jiraiya pressed.
Diarmuid lifted his arm. The shoots and tender leaves sprouting from his skin remained a vibrant, healthy emerald green, a stark contrast to Diarmuid's own face, which was turning green with annoyance.
"I can't pull it back in!" Diarmuid swore.
"What do you mean you can't pull it back in?" Jiraiya blinked, not quite following. Then, a look of surprise crossed his face. "Are you saying you can't control the Water and Earth energy within you?"
"I'm not sure what the situation is. I can feel the power of Wood Release taking root and sprouting inside me, but I can't command it. I tried to retract these branches back into my body, but it's simply not working..." Diarmuid shook his head, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Logically, a Kekkei Genkai should be like an instinct. Once formed, it's etched into the genetic code, ready to be unleashed at will. For instance, with the Mud Release Diarmuid had developed previously, he could use it as easily as breathing.
Yet, here he was, feeling the Wood Release taking root, but unable to control the damn thing. It was utterly preposterous.
As they spoke, Jiraiya noted with alarm, "Wait, did that branch just get a little bigger?"
Diarmuid inspected it closely, his expression turning grave. "Yes. It seems we have a problem. If I can't get this under control and it keeps growing, I..."
"You might turn into a tree?" Jiraiya finished the thought, looking at Diarmuid with an incredulous stare.
"I can't rule out the possibility..." Diarmuid admitted helplessly.
Of course, Wood Release is the most bizarre Kekkei Genkai of them all, he thought. People transplant Sharingan all the time without these ridiculous side effects, but Wood Release had to be high-maintenance every step of the way.
Just then, a maid whispered from outside the door: "Diarmuid-sama, Sasori-sama sent me to report that Orochimaru-sama has finished his research."
Diarmuid's eyebrows shot up, and his eyes lit up. "Perfect. I was just looking for him. When in doubt, ask Orochimaru, especially about scientific matters. Let's go, let's go!"
Diarmuid led Jiraiya out of the room. Jiraiya was equally eager; the prospect of finally seeing his old friend Orochimaru filled him with excitement. They quickly descended via the hydraulic elevator.
Orochimaru's laboratory was on the seventh floor. The doors slid open, and Diarmuid and Jiraiya stepped out. Rounding a corner, they saw the lab doors wide open.
Two figures were emerging, carrying something between them. It wasn't Orochimaru and Sasori, but Kakuzu and Jūzō.
Taking a closer look, Jiraiya realized what they were carrying.
A person?
Kakuzu held the person's hands while Jūzō gripped the feet. From the way the body slumped, it lacked any muscle tone, and it looked like a corpse.
Diarmuid hadn't looked closely yet, but Jiraiya's face went pale. Ignoring everything else, he sprinted forward. As he got closer, his expression crumbled into one of pure grief, his body beginning to tremble.
He could see clearly now. The "thing" Kakuzu and Jūzō were hauling out was Orochimaru!
Trembling, Jiraiya lunged forward, stopping the two men in their tracks. He pressed his fingers beneath Orochimaru's nose, searching for a breath. Finding none, he let out a soul-crushing wail: "How could you be dead? Why are you dead?!"
Jūzō and Kakuzu were momentarily stunned. Then, understanding dawned on them. Jūzō was about to explain, but Kakuzu, with a flash of dark humor, shook his head silently and lowered the body. "Give them some time..."
Jūzō looked at Kakuzu in disbelief. Isn't your sense of humor a bit much? Still, he kept his mouth shut. I suppose witnessing a legendary Sannin make a fool of himself is interesting enough.
Hearing Kakuzu's words, Jiraiya's grief intensified. Refusing to accept reality, he pressed his hand over Orochimaru's heart. Sure enough, there was no pulse.
"Damn it, you weren't supposed to go out like this..." Jiraiya cursed, his hands glowing with Chakra. Was it Mystical Palm Jutsu?
He began a desperate series of compressions, but his face only contorted further in agony. He could feel it, this was just a shell. Orochimaru's soul had likely already departed for the Pure Land. The body was hollow, empty of life.
His sorrow deepened. Truth be told, he had planned to give Orochimaru a piece of his mind, to demand why he had left Konoha, why he had become a rogue ninja. But now, looking at the corpse of his childhood friend, the man he had grown up with, all his accusations vanished.
His heart was full, but only sorrow reached his lips.
Memories flashed through his mind: their childhood, the way Orochimaru helped him chase Tsunade, their shared mischief... the three of them on the battlefield, entrusting their lives to one another... fighting Hanzo of the Salamander in the Land of Rain and earning the title of the Sannin...
The more he remembered, the more he wept. Two trails of tears flowed from his eyes, tracing the red lines on his face and meeting at his chin.
"OROCHIMARU!!!" Jiraiya cradled the corpse and howled at the sky.
Weren't you researching some new jutsu? How could you just die like this?!
As Jiraiya held the body, sobbing and unable to accept the cruel reality, a cold, slightly amused voice drifted from the lab entrance.
"Why are you shouting my name, Jiraiya?"
"Don't die... Huh???" Jiraiya responded instinctively before his expression froze in total confusion.
Who?Who is talking to me?Am I so grief-stricken that I'm hallucinating?
It was definitely Orochimaru's voice! Was his soul still lingering?
"I haven't seen you weeping like this in many years. The last time, I believe, was the night Tsunade rejected your confession?"
Jiraiya finally snapped out of it and whipped his head toward the laboratory door.
There, a figure leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, a wicked smirk playing on his lips. From the pale yellow kimono to the purple rope belt (shimenawa), it was unmistakably Orochimaru's style.
The build was similar and the voice was identical, but the face... the face was different. It wasn't the Orochimaru he remembered; it was a face he didn't recognize.
"This... this... what is going on?" Jiraiya stuttered, his brain struggling to keep up.
At that moment, Orochimaru raised a hand and, like a master of face-changing opera, wiped his palm down across his face. When his hand cleared, the familiar face of Orochimaru appeared.
"I didn't realize my death would affect you so deeply. Truly, I'm touched. Hehehe..." Orochimaru chuckled darkly.
Jiraiya finally understood. He looked down at the corpse in his arms, undeniably Orochimaru, then up at the living figure who was also undeniably Orochimaru. He yelled: "You bastard, what kind of twisted thing have you researched now?!"
He realized Orochimaru wasn't dead at all.
Jiraiya felt so embarrassed that his toes were practically curling inside his wooden sandals. He had just sobbed his heart out over a corpse, only to find out he'd been played by Orochimaru. He felt he'd lost a massive amount of face.
"Idiot. Can you not understand what you're seeing?" Orochimaru scoffed, then puffed out his chest with immense pride. "I have transcended the shackles of life and death, Jiraiya. The vow we once made before the Memorial Stone... I have achieved the most vital step! Yes!"
Jiraiya looked from the corpse to the living Orochimaru, connecting the dots with the recent events. His eyes widened. "You... you transferred your own soul!?"
"You're not as slow as you look," Orochimaru said, a smirk dancing on his lips.
"You bastard! How could you do such a thing?! This is... this is..." Jiraiya glared at him, momentarily at a loss for words.
Toying with souls and manipulating life and death, there was no way this was a good thing.
"A fool bound by ancient conventions," Orochimaru dismissed him before turning his gaze to Diarmuid. His eyes widened slightly. "And what is this? An original 'Sage Tree Spirit Mode'?"
Diarmuid: "???"
A shadow of annoyance crossed Diarmuid's face. "I've got a problem..."
Meanwhile, over by Jiraiya, Kakuzu spoke in a flat, clinical tone despite the amusement he was hiding. "Jiraiya, can we have Orochimaru's corpse back? Or were you planning on paying to keep it?"
Jiraiya froze. "Paying? You're going to sell this body?"
"Of course. This is one of Konoha's Sannin, Orochimaru... it's worth quite a lot," Kakuzu said without hesitation.
"I... you... this..." Jiraiya felt his entire value system crumbling under the weight of these people's sheer audacity.
This place is a demon's den, he thought. A sane person living here would turn into a lunatic eventually.
He had only been here for three days and was already on the verge of a mental breakdown. For a moment, Jiraiya seriously considered using a Reverse Summoning Jutsu to hide away in Mount Myoboku forever.