A faint cracking sound made Shiroishi and Orochimaru look up almost simultaneously.
The Ninja Beast Egg belonging to Orochimaru began glowing with intertwining purple and green patterns across its surface, the light pulsing like a breathing lifeform.
The next moment, cracks spread across the eggshell.
Crack!
As the shell shattered, a slender figure emerged sinuously from the broken light.
It was a snake.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "Yet it doesn't seem quite like a snake either."
It was a peculiar creature completely different from any known serpent in the Shinobi World.
Its body displayed scales of pale green and golden patterns, shimmering like dewdrops on apple leaves.
The belly scales were smooth and rounded, while beneath them rested a large red apple that appeared fused with its body.
The snake bore two short dragon horns on its forehead, its eyes gleaming like emeralds.
At the tip of its tail, a half-bitten small apple was embedded in the fruit - an absurd yet harmonious biological structure that left both Shiroishi and Orochimaru with expressions of surprise.
Shiroishi was astonished that this hatchling had emerged in its complete final evolved form.
Indeed, the theory that Ninja Beasts were Tailed Beasts wasn't wrong after all.
With sufficient Chakra or resonance, it was possible to hatch them directly in this state.
"This is...?"
Orochimaru's voice was low, carrying a rare note of awe.
Shiroishi narrowed his eyes and murmured, "Flapple."
Before he could finish speaking, the nine ordinary white Ninja Beast Eggs beside them simultaneously began glowing with the light of hatching.
A series of crisp cracking sounds echoed through the air.
"Crack, crack, crack."
As the eggshells fractured, swarms of tiny insect-like shadows emerged.
Their bodies were tender green, half-embedded in miniature apples, wriggling gently while emitting faint nibbling sounds.
Shiroishi's expression instantly turned profoundly subtle.
"It seems you've been conducting many unusual experiments, Orochimaru-san, though you've accidentally stumbled upon success."
Orochimaru might not have tampered with the egg he was personally hatching, but he must have experimented with these blank eggs, causing such mutations.
The thick-skinned Orochimaru completely ignored Shiroishi's sarcasm and continued asking: "These small insects... seem connected to this snake, or rather, dragon."
Shiroishi slowly exhaled. "Applin."
He paused, lifting his gaze to observe the Flapple coiling in the air.
"And this is one of Applin's branch evolution forms."
Orochimaru stiffened slightly, his eyes immediately flashing with intense interest.
"Evolution?"
"Correct." Shiroishi nodded, his gaze steady, voice carrying an analytical calmness.
"Applin can evolve in three different directions, one of which is Flapple."
He paused briefly before continuing:
"It's not a single organism, but composed of seven Syrupents living in symbiosis. They undergo metamorphosis together, inhabiting a giant apple. While appearing as a snake, it's actually the result of seven insects intertwining and resonating with each other."
"Seven individuals... sharing neural and Chakra systems?"
Though Shiroishi's expression remained neutral, he could sense Orochimaru's burgeoning research desire, especially upon hearing Flapple's fundamental nature.
"The central individual controls the primary consciousness, while the surrounding six coordinate control. When all seven resonate simultaneously, they can unleash their true power."
"However, maintaining complete coordination among seven consciousnesses simultaneously still poses some difficulty."
Just then, faint tremors came from the ground.
The Applins.
They began slowly converging toward Flapple.
One after another, they burrowed into the red apple's body, as if drawn by some psychic wavelength.
A faint resonance hummed through the air.
When the final Applin disappeared into the apple, Flapple's eyes suddenly gleamed.
Seven beams of light erupted from different parts of its body, winding along its scales before converging into an iridescent halo.
"Tsk tsk... truly magnificent."
Orochimaru licked his lips, his intoxicated expression resembling someone admiring a perfect experiment.
"This is practically the legendary Dragon Transformation Serpent... hehe."
He slowly closed his eyes and reached out to touch Flapple's forehead.
Instantly, a wave of resonance swept outward as Chakra flowed between them.
[Ninja Beast Resonance Confirmed]
[Host: Orochimaru]
[Flapple's Inherited Skill Activated - Recycling]
Shiroishi murmured the information: "Recycling?"
[Recycling: Can regenerate and reuse consumed personal items from battle.]
Orochimaru's lips curved slightly: "Regenerating consumption, self-sustaining structure... This Ninja Beast."
Was practically born to complement Orochimaru.
The information continued.
[Activated Skill: Random Light (Dragon Release): Number of beams determined by Flapple's head count. Random power, may double.]
[Activated Skill: Syrup Bomb (Wood Release) - Secretes highly viscous fruit syrup that can restrain and slow enemies.]
"Dragon Release... Wood Release..."
Orochimaru slowly opened his eyes, serpentine pupils gleaming with chilling excitement.
He took a deep breath as his internal Chakra surged violently. With low incantations, his hands began forming rapid seals.
Boom!
The air abruptly solidified, as if all warmth had been drained.
Behind him, dark mist churned as Chakra condensed into form, vaguely outlining a massive silhouette. Though indistinct, Shiroishi's eyes flashed with recognition.
He directly perceived it - the outline of Hydreigon!
Behind Orochimaru's soul, eight gigantic heads slowly emerged, serpent eyes glowing ominously as they flicked crimson tongues.
Flapple coiled around him, its luminous patterns gradually overlapping with Hydreigon's phantom form, creating an eerie resonance.
In that moment, Orochimaru's Chakra flow pattern completely transformed.
His body seemed to restructure itself in harmony with Flapple's life form - flesh, Chakra, and soul merging to erupt into a new equilibrium.
"Hehe... this feeling... exquisite."
He extended his right hand, a mass of viscous syrup bubbling in his palm.
Unlike previous Syrup Bombs, the mucus writhed, divided, and reformed under his control, finally shaping into numerous tiny serpentine shadows squirming across his palm.
Each gleamed with translucent radiance, pulsating with living breath.
Shiroishi watched intently, his eyes narrowing with solemnity.
This syrup was no longer mere Wood Release product, but a bizarre substance blending poison, life, and regenerative properties.
Orochimaru slowly raised his hand, the syrup serpents climbing along his arm like living extensions of himself.
At that moment, his aura completely merged with Flapple's. This bizarre syrup made Orochimaru's abilities even more unpredictable.
The key was that this hatching further confirmed Shiroishi's belief that the resulting Ninja Beast primarily depended on the user.
During the incubation period, Orochimaru must have conducted many strange experiments—otherwise, nine small Applin wouldn't have appeared simultaneously.
"A lifeform capable of controlling regeneration and division, able to transform into a dragon and scatter into insects... Heh, Shiroishi-kun, you've given me quite the surprise this time. It even makes me feel the payment I offered is entirely insufficient."
In fact, among these nine Applin, some might even evolve into the other two dragon forms, completing the entire evolutionary lineage of their family.
To manipulate nine blank eggs into combining into such a Ninja Beast—truly worthy of Orochimaru.
A case of quantitative change leading to qualitative transformation.
"I have shed my serpent skin and ascended into a dragon!"
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