Sky Curtain: Short Video Commentary on Konoha Villagers

[But if that's all there is to it, he's at most difficult to kill, not exactly terrifying.]

What truly transformed Orochimaru was his approach to bloodline limits.

In the ninja world, bloodline limits are supposed to be the most rigid rule; whether you have the ability is determined at birth. But science has no limits.

Konoha Year 48, Hokage's office.

Minato Namikaze stood by the window, his gaze fixed on the sky, his expression unusually solemn.

Kushina Uzumaki walked to his side and gently took his hand: "Minato, what are you thinking about?"

"...I'm thinking, if bloodline limits can really be copied and passed down through technology, then the rules of the ninja world will indeed be completely rewritten."

He turned around and looked into Kushina's eyes.

"Orochimaru's path is different from that of all other ninjas. While others are thinking about how to use their existing power to become stronger, he is thinking about how to create new power."

Kushina frowned.

"So, was what he did a good thing or a bad thing?"

Minato remained silent for a moment.

"...Technology itself is neither good nor bad, but the people who use it do."

"If he simply wants to use this power to make more people stronger and to make the village more secure, that's a good thing. But if he wants to use this power to overthrow the entire ninja world..."

He didn't finish speaking.

But Kushina already understood what he meant.

Mizukage Village, Mizukage's Office.

Mei Terumi leaned back in her chair, her long legs crossed, her fingers gently tapping the armrest.

"Bloodline limits can be replicated using technology... Orochimaru is truly a dangerous existence."

Qing stood to the side, rubbing her own eyes, and offered a slight hint.

"Lord Mizukage, if this technology really exists, wouldn't that mean..."

Mei Terumi interrupted him before he could finish speaking.

"This means that the status of families that rely on bloodline limits may be shaken."

"But on the other hand, what if Kirigakure could also master this technology?"

"Then we won't have to envy Konoha's Sharingan and Byakugan anymore."

Chojuro whispered a reminder from the side. Although he was still young, he subconsciously felt that this was not a good thing.

"Lord Mizukage, Orochimaru is a rogue ninja. If we cooperate with him, our reputation might be..."

Mei Terumi didn't listen any further and interrupted directly.

"Chōjūrō".

"How many enemies have you seen spare you on the battlefield just because you have a good reputation?"

Chojuro fell silent.

".....No."

"That's right. You only have the right to talk about reputation after you've won."

Orochimaru found a breakthrough in Jugo, whose ability essentially allows him to actively absorb natural energy, but the side effect is that he can go berserk and lose control.

What he did was dismantle, weaken, and redistribute this ability, thus creating the cursed seal.

[Originally, only Jugo could use this power, but Orochimaru mixed Jugo's bodily fluids with his own Sage Chakra to create a device that could be implanted into other people, but the cost was instability.]

[Therefore, you'll see some people use cursed seals to become stronger, while others collapse, and those who stabilize become the successful samples selected by Orochimaru.]

Hidden Rock Village

Kurotsuchi's face was full of dissatisfaction when she saw Orochimaru using the unstable cursed seal for research.

"How dare he just put a half-finished product into someone else's packaging?"

Onoki glanced at her and immediately saw through her little scheme.

"Because he doesn't care whether the person being implanted will get hurt. For the test subject, success means a sample, failure means waste."

"...That's disgusting."

Onoki shook his head helplessly. This was nothing.

"Disgusting as it may be."

"But his thinking was indeed ahead of everyone else."

Orochimaru changed the rule that bloodline determines the upper limit to one that technology can replicate. Once this is achieved, the original rules of the ninja world have already been altered by him.

But if you think he's just a research fanatic, then you're looking at things too superficially.

Orochimaru's fighting style has a very distinct characteristic: he almost never fights fair fights.

Akatsuki's stronghold.

Hidan carried a scythe, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

"Haha! Not a fair fight? That's obvious! Who talks about fairness in a fight?"

[Aside from using a substitute fighter, Orochimaru's actual combat style exhibits a very stable rhythm.]

He won't go all out right away. Instead, he'll first unleash a barrage of snake-style ninjutsu, clones, and substitutions to test your defenses, see how you react, and assess your abilities. Only after gathering sufficient information will he begin his second move.

[A snake coils around you, venom accumulates on your body, and the environment begins to isolate you; you're still standing, but your choices are dwindling.]

Therefore, Orochimaru's battles rarely involve moments where he feels he must win with a single move; he's more like setting up a trap.

From the moment he touched you, you were slowly losing the conditions for victory.

[But just when you think that's difficult enough, Orochimaru's truly outrageous side is just beginning—how did he even survive?]

[It can actually be understood very simply: a broken body can be replaced, and a soul can be transferred, but the most crucial point is that he won't just keep himself in one place.]

[The cursed seal is not merely a tool for enhancement; it is essentially an extension of him. As long as these elements remain, he is not completely gone.]

Konoha Village, on the street.

The villagers' faces turned pale as they looked at the words on the sky.

"What do you mean? Orochimaru... he's invincible?"

"The cursed seal is part of him? Then wouldn't he be able to resurrect as long as the cursed seal exists?"

"This is...this is way too much!"

"Following this logic... as long as one person still carries Orochimaru's cursed seal, they will never truly die. Then... don't we still have Anko in our village? She's Orochimaru's apprentice, could she also have the cursed seal?"

"So, Anko is Orochimaru's spy planted in the village?!"

The Hokage's office.

Tsunade listened to the conversation outside the window, her expression somewhat unpleasant.

As Orochimaru's former disciple, Anko likely carries a cursed seal.

But should we really isolate Hongdou because of this?

Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe and remarked with a touch of melancholy, trying to justify himself.

"I failed to kill him back then, and now it seems that even if I had really gone all out, I probably wouldn't have been able to kill him completely."

Mizukage Village, Mizukage's Office.

For the first time, Mei Terumi's expression became truly serious.

"As long as the cursed seal remains, they can revive... This is no longer the life of a ninja."

Faced with such an opponent, running away is probably the only option.

After all, they're really hard to kill.

Of course, this doesn't apply if you're skilled in illusion.

This also explains why he gets stronger as he gets older.

Because he is not growing alone; he is constantly accumulating talent, technology, and information.

He has someone like Kabuto Yakushi who can take over his system, the Cursed Seal as a tool for mass-producing combat power, and the Impure World Reincarnation as an ability to bring dead powerhouses back to the battlefield.

[With the added advantage of top-tier defense like Rashomon and the dual suppression from summoned beasts, his combat range is no longer something that one opponent can handle.]

Sound Village, underground base.

Kabuto Yakushi's expression changed slightly as he looked at his name mentioned on the sky.

"Lord Orochimaru, Tenbu says I am the successor to your system."

Orochimaru turned his head to the side, a playful glint in his vertical pupils.

"Kabuto, what do you think?"

Dou remained silent for a few seconds, his mind racing as he quickly came up with suitable words.

"...I think you don't need an heir. Because you won't die."

Orochimaru smiled.

The laughter was delightful, but it sent chills down your spine.

"Kabuto, you're getting better and better at talking."