"How could this be?" Sasuke's face turned incredibly ugly. He wasn't a fool; on the contrary, with his Mangekyo Sharingan, he could see many things that were otherwise invisible. For example, he clearly saw that the current Orochimaru was nowhere comparable to the past Orochimaru. The majestic and steady aura, the sharp and yet extremely cold eyes - more importantly, he saw the terrifying strength of Orochimaru's spiritual energy.
It seemed that Orochimaru had not only fully recovered from his past soul damage but had become even more powerful due to the breakthrough after being broken. Sasuke could be sure that not even his Mangekyo Sharingan would be effective against Orochimaru. He knew Orochimaru wasn't boasting. Even if Itachi were to be revived, he would still be helpless against Orochimaru.
"Tsk, tsk, it seems that not only us have good opportunities, even Orochimaru does. To be precise, anyone has this chance." Ryoha said as he glanced at Orochimaru. Honestly, he was a bit disappointed at first, but Orochimaru being affected like this was something he didn't expect. Now, it seemed that everything had undergone a significant change, but no one knew.
It appeared that Orochimaru was very cautious, knowing how terrifying his eyes were. He had hidden so well and only appeared at this moment. Ryoha had noticed him a long time ago; otherwise, he wouldn't have mentioned Kabuto during the Five Kage Summit.
However, at that time, Ryoha didn't pay much attention to Kabuto nor did he notice him. Coupled with Orochimaru's excellent concealment, Ryoha didn't notice him at that time. Now, Orochimaru had come out on his own, and Ryoha started to pay attention to this guy.
"Sasuke's body?" Jiraiya was in an uncertain mood at this moment. His gaze showed excitement, happiness, and undisguised anger. Obviously, he was happy that Orochimaru was resurrected, but he was angry that Orochimaru's existence was constantly snatching their bodies, conducting wicked research.
"Jiraiya, you don't need to worry this time because this body belongs to him. It's truly a long and thorough search. I didn't expect the body most suitable for me, Orochimaru, to be around for so long without being discovered," Orochimaru said, removing the snake skin on his face to reveal the true appearance of this body.
"It's Kabuto!" Tobi exclaimed, the first to do so. He didn't expect that Kabuto, who had been planning to launch the Fourth War with him all along, was Orochimaru. It seemed that Orochimaru had deceived everyone.
"That's right, even I was deceived by Kabuto. I didn't expect that not only does Kabuto's body have a powerful healing and recovery ability, but even his soul has a self-healing capability. However, the speed of soul recovery is slow, but it's enough for me."
"I think even Kabuto himself didn't notice this. Because he hasn't experienced soul damage, at most he has been mentally exhausted. It's just that he thinks his physique is special and has astonishing recovery power, without thinking in this direction."
"Not only that, Kabuto also possesses many abilities, such as the Uzumaki's, Hozuki's, Jugo's, the Sound Five's, and many others. More importantly, he obtained so many abilities, especially the Uzumaki clan as the descendant of the Sage of Six Paths himself. Combined with his special physique. This greatly enhanced his soul self-healing ability. Finally, I got his body and found out that I can now learn Sage Mode, which I couldn't learn before."
"I completely mastered the natural energy of the Jugo's clan, and with various combinations, the soul recovery ability of Kabuto's body was greatly enhanced. Finally, I activated Sage Mode, with the help of the Great White Snake Sage on par with the Great Toad Sage and the Great Slug Sage. If I had learned Sage Mode before, the Great White Snake Sage could have helped me recover earlier, just a bit slowly."
"Now, with my special physique, Sage Mode, and the help of the Great White Snake Sage, it didn't take much time. Not only did my soul fully recover, but the damage I suffered before may have been restored and I became even more powerful."
"Now, not having the Sharingan doesn't matter to me anymore. After going through so much and going through many mistakes, I finally found the path that suits me the most. This path is absolutely the right one for me, allowing me to know all the truths in the world and obtain all the power in the world."
(Orochimaru received assistance from the Great White Snake Sage, not just like the original story where he only got the White Snake. The Great White Snake Sage is on par with the Toad Sages and the Slug Sages, making them exist at a level far apart.)
"It's truly unexpected. Orochimaru, let me see what you're capable of now," Ryoha said, feigning disinterest, thinking the battle would end this way today. But seeing Orochimaru appear sparked his interest, and he casually released a water dragon to attack.
"Ryoha-kun, compared to me, you are the truly unbelievable one. At such a young age, your power is already said to surpass the existence of the Sage of Six Paths," remarked Orochimaru. Despite hiding during this period, Orochimaru was aware of the happenings in the ninja world. He knew about Ryoha and Tsunade developing Holy and Dark Releases that surpassed everything, creating a miraculous glow in the ninja world's sky. He was also aware that Ryoha had effortlessly swept through the Cloud Hidden Village and destroyed the Konoha. So, although Orochimaru had made significant strides in power during this time, he didn't lose his rationality, thinking he could take Ryoha's body.
Today, Orochimaru didn't hide his identity. He appeared here to join the alliance of the Five Great Ninja Villages and the Akatsuki. Although he had allied with them a long time ago under the identity of Kabuto, this was a different time.
If he showed his identity during the battle, he might be perceived as having ulterior motives, and it could potentially isolate him. In that case, dealing with Ryoha would be greatly affected. It was better to come out openly, admit his identity, and demonstrate the power he possessed today, increasing his leverage in negotiations. At the same time, he was eager to personally join the battle and experience Ryoha's terrifying Dark Release.
"Truly a cunning snake," Tobi couldn't help but exclaim, unsure if he admired Orochimaru or cursed his cunningness. Regardless, Orochimaru's inclusion, despite the tremendous boost in power, added a significant force to the side of the Five Great Hidden Villages and the Akatsuki.
"Dance of the Seedling Fern!" Orochimaru said as he saw Ryoha approaching him. He wanted to experience Ryoha's strength firsthand, so he used a move obtained from Kimimaro's cells. However, its power was not comparable to Ryoha's previous display. Not even Kimimaro's original version could match up, let alone this modified version. Nevertheless, this sight gave a glimmer of hope to the Five Kages. It seemed Orochimaru's research, although twisted, had some effect.
"Dance of the Seedling Fern? This move won't work on me. Dark Release: Engulfing Darkness." Ryoha didn't need seals. Originally meant for defense, he instantly activated a technique to hide, ready to appear at any moment. It transformed into a vast web that covered the entire Bone Forest. The Dance of the Seedling Fern was corroded and consumed completely in the blink of an eye."