Naruto: I Became Orochimaru's Apprentice-Chapter 48: The Risks Of Power

The air in Ryūchi Cave hung thick with power. The scent of ancient chakra clung to the stone walls, heavy and oppressive. Teriyaki knelt on a cold slab of rock, eyes closed, his senses stretching beyond the physical. Natural energy swirled around him, pushing against the boundaries of his mind and body. For weeks, he had immersed himself in the cave's most sacred places—and now, he stood on the edge of true mastery.

The Great White Serpent observed him from a towering coil. Its golden eyes gleamed with cruel wisdom as it spoke, voice as smooth and cold as venom.

"You grasp Sage Chakra well for a human," it hissed. "But power is never without consequence. Do you understand the risks of the path you walk?"

"I do, what makes you think I wouldn't know after all these months?" Teriyaki snapped.

Teriyaki opened his eyes slowly. Yellow, slitted irises reflected the serpent's gaze. "If I lose focus," he said, his voice steady, "Everything will start to fail. If I take in too much of this energy, I turn to stone."

The Great White Serpent laughed softly, a chilling sound. "You know the surface, but not the depths. Let me teach you what your arrogance blinds you to."

The air grew colder.

"Mutation," the serpent began, its coils tightening. "The more you rely on Sage Chakra without balance, the more your body will twist. Your flesh will reshape itself into something less human—scales, fangs, and limbs that no longer obey your will. Do you think Orochimaru became what he was by choice? No. The power changed him. Without restraint, it will do the same to you."

Teriyaki's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

"Petrification," the serpent continued. "If you draw in too much energy without refining it, your body will freeze into stone. And no force can save you. This cave is littered with those who failed. Even you, with your unnatural mind, cannot escape that fate if you falter."

The warning settled deep in his bones.

"And then there is the corruption of the soul," the serpent's voice lowered to a whisper. "The more you let the serpents' power take root in you, the more your heart will twist. Compassion becomes weakness. You will see others not as people, but as prey. What is left of your humanity will slip away."

A heavy silence hung between them.

"I know the risks," Teriyaki finally said. "And I accept them. I won't stop until I master this power."

The serpent's gaze gleamed with cruel amusement. "Good," it hissed. "Then your next trial begins."

The days blurred together as Teriyaki pushed his body beyond its limits.

He spent hours submerged in the Pool of Transformation, balancing on the thin line between mutation and mastery. Each time he dipped into the natural energy, his form shifted further—his skin roughened into scales, his limbs twisted with serpentine flexibility. But through sheer will, he wrestled control back.

Under the Great White Serpent's guidance, he honed techniques only a true Snake Sage could wield.

Sen'ei Jashu: Sage Augmentation.

With a flick of his wrist, snakes burst from his palm, faster and stronger than ever. Their fangs dripped with venom infused by Sage Chakra, potent enough to melt through steel. In this enhanced form, his summoned snakes could extend farther and strike at speeds impossible for the eye to track.

"This is only the beginning," the serpent whispered. "Let your chakra flow through them, and they become an extension of your will."

Slithering Shadow Technique.

By melding his body with the earth, Teriyaki could move undetected beneath the surface. His chakra signature vanished, hidden entirely by natural energy. With this, he became a predator unseen until it was too late.

"Strike when they least expect it," the Great White Serpent instructed. "You are no longer a man—you are a viper waiting to strike."

Sage Chakra Venom.

Channeling his Sage energy into his blood, Teriyaki developed a technique that allowed him to secrete venom with each strike. A single scratch weakened his enemies, paralyzing their limbs and disrupting their chakra flow.

The first time he tested it, a summoned serpent collapsed under the toxin's effect in seconds.

"Even the mighty fall when venom enters their veins," the serpent mused. "Master this, and no foe will stand against you."

By the end of the month, Teriyaki's power had grown immeasurably.

He stood once again before the Pool of Transformation. This time, there was no fear. As he allowed the natural energy to flood his body, the transformation was swift and seamless.

Scales spread in symmetrical patterns across his arms and neck. His eyes glowed a fierce golden hue, slitted like a viper's. Purple markings stretched from his jawline to his temples, evidence of his mastery.

When he opened his eyes, the serpents watching from the shadows lowered their heads in reverence.

"You have surpassed expectation," the Great White Serpent acknowledged. "But your path does not end here. There is still one more power to claim."

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Teriyaki's breath came slow and steady. His mind, once filled with rage and ambition, now burned with cold focus.

"Tell me what comes next," he said.

The serpent smiled.

"To surpass Orochimaru's shadow," it whispered, "you must wield the Perfected Snake Sage Mode. Only then will you have the strength to destroy him. The strength to free yourself."

"How long will that take." Teriyaki murmuerd.

"That all depends on you."