Back in the underground laboratory, Orochimaru adjusted his physical condition and prepared himself to receive the ability of "Giving" from the Lamp God.
He understood very well that there were many ways to use the remaining wish power—to grant smaller daily wishes or even to pay off his remaining debts.
Obtaining a Zanpakutō wasn't necessarily the most practical or helpful option for him. But it was clearly what the Lamp God wanted most.
Unfortunately, Orochimaru had no real leverage. He knew that if he made a demand now—or tried to pressure the Genie into a compromise—then next time, the Lamp God might simply hide the leftover wish power altogether.
There was no way to supervise or counteract that. The agreement between him and the Lamp God was far from equal.
Thankfully, the Genie usually didn't abuse this imbalance. He wouldn't scam Orochimaru directly, but he would still skim off most of the excess power for himself.
"Are you ready? I'm going to start," the Lamp God said.
Seeing that Orochimaru had finished sitting cross-legged and was ready, the Lamp God didn't wait for a response. He simply plunged most of his body directly into Orochimaru's.
"—Hhhaah?! Aaaaagh!"
An involuntary scream tore from Orochimaru's throat. His entire body shook violently, curling in on itself as the pain surged through him.
"Huh? That painful?" the Lamp God blinked, startled. He quickly scanned Orochimaru's physical state, but seeing no signs of lasting damage, he let out a breath of relief. Patting his chest, he muttered, "Whew... just a normal reaction. Scared me for a second there."
As Orochimaru had guessed, the Lamp God wasn't simply giving him a Zanpakutō—he was also testing a new ability reproduction method.
Establish an ability card, forcibly activate it, let the host adapt to it... the process hadn't changed fundamentally.
This time, however, the Genie infused the process with wish power—meant to protect the host's body and ensure they didn't drop dead midway.
As for the excruciating pain?
That was just part of the narrative: "Power always comes at a price."
Numbing the pain would've required more wish power, which the Genie clearly didn't want to spend.
A Zanpakutō was an epic-tier ability. Just making sure Orochimaru could safely receive it had already consumed nearly all the remaining wish energy.
In the future, if anyone else in this world wanted to obtain this power, they'd have to complete seven, maybe ten grueling challenges before the system store would even consider refreshing it.
The screaming lasted for about five minutes before it finally stopped. Not because the pain had ended, but because Orochimaru had become used to it—numbed, and just barely enduring it.
After a full quarter of an hour, the transfer of the Zanpakutō was finally complete.
"Haaah... haaah..."
Orochimaru lay collapsed on the floor, panting heavily. His muscles felt limp and useless, his body like a wrung-out rag.
Eventually, he managed to sit up, though his clothes were soaked in sweat—he looked like someone pulled straight out of a river.
He glanced at the Djinn, who floated nearby pretending to be innocent. Orochimaru pursed his lips, but said nothing.
He already knew how cunning the Lamp God could be.
This wasn't the time to lash out in frustration—he wasn't the kind to throw tantrums just because he was in pain. But after suffering through that, if this Zanpakutō turned out to be underwhelming, well... then they'd be having a serious talk.
He was Orochimaru. Not some naive, soft-bellied Hyūga branch member.
"Ahem... well, hurry up and try it out," the Djinn coughed, trying to sound casual.
Orochimaru closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A moment later, a shimmer of light gathered at his arm and began to take form.
"Hiss..."
A small white snake emerged from the light. It slithered up his arm, coiling around it in two tight loops—forming the shape of an '8'.
It flicked its tongue, chasing its own tail, winding back and forth along his forearm like a living bracelet.
The Lamp God stared at the white snake with great interest.
"Oh? It's starting off directly in the 'Initial Release' state... fascinating."
It was only natural, really. Orochimaru didn't have a shikai or any kind of sword-based medium, so his Zanpakutō manifested in its released form right from the start.
What intrigued the Djinn more, however, was whether this Zanpakutō still retained its own will, thoughts, and personality—like a true soul-forged weapon—or if it was fully under Orochimaru's control, bypassing the typical "shallow soul" phase entirely.
He observed for a while longer, but soon let go of the second theory.
After all, Orochimaru wasn't the kind of person who would find amusement in watching something endlessly chase and bite its own tail.
"This is strange," Orochimaru muttered, licking his lips. "It's clearly part of my soul, and I can control it, but… it feels like there's another will inside. No, not just a will—more like a personality."
Thanks to his extensive research into Uchiha mental disorders, he had a solid understanding of dissociative identity phenomena. It didn't take him long to grasp the situation.
"Djinn, you never mentioned that there would be… side effects like this."
To someone like Orochimaru—who valued control above all else—having an autonomous will living inside his own soul was undeniably a drawback.
"Don't overreact," the Djinn replied with a shrug. "Compared to the miracle of manifesting your soul into physical form, a little personality quirk is hardly an issue."
"You do realize, without the Zanpakutō, you'd need a soul at near-six-paths level to accomplish this."
Orochimaru looked down at the small white snake coiled around his arm, chasing its tail in the shape of an "8", and realized—this wasn't a typical summoned creature. This was his soul, externalized. He didn't need the Djinn's power to see it, touch it—it was simply there.
"And let's not forget," the Djinn added, "you still plan to visit the Pure Land to harvest soul energy. What's your plan for that? Keep splitting your soul again and again?"
He pointed at the small snake. "This thing is different from your body but shares your mind and intent. Wouldn't it be ideal to let it handle that task for you? You get stronger without lifting a finger."
Orochimaru frowned. He didn't feel particularly thrilled. Every power came with its own problems, especially when it came to control.
A power born from his own soul, yet not completely under his control? That was a dangerous road to walk.
Still, it was too late to back out. All he could do now was accept it—and quietly decide to avoid relying on this path until he fully understood its risks and benefits.
The Djinn was generous, yes—but his gifts were like pits: deep, enticing, and full of hidden traps.
"Oh, and by the way," the Djinn added with a smirk, "you must've heard it when it first awakened. What's its name?"
Orochimaru answered slowly, "Serpentis."
"Serpentis. Fitting." The Djinn drew a circle in the air. "In one world's culture, the self-devouring snake represents infinity and eternal cycles. Pretty fitting for someone like you."
"...I see." Orochimaru's eyes flickered with interest.
The Djinn shrugged. "So, get to know it well. After all, it is a fragment of your soul."
"I will."
Orochimaru stepped into the training grounds, feeding chakra into the white snake. In an instant, hundreds of serpent-shaped shadows erupted from his hands.
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