Naruto: I Became Orochimaru's Apprentice-Chapter 43: The Pit

"Is my mind breaking?" That was all he could say before he fell into hell.

Darkness.

It wasn't just the absence of light—it was a living thing, pressing against Teriyaki's skin, filling his lungs like thick smoke. He could feel movement all around him, slithering, shifting, coiling.

Hisses. A constant chorus, layered on top of each other. Some distant, some so close he could feel the vibration against his skin. The sound filled the pit like a twisted lullaby.

Something cold brushed against his cheek.

Then—a bite.

Sharp fangs tore into his shoulder, venom flooding his bloodstream. He gritted his teeth, refusing to scream. The pain was immediate, a burning fire spreading through his veins.

Another bite.

Then another.

The snakes were everywhere. Coiling around his legs, wrapping around his arms, sliding across his neck like living nooses. They weren't just biting him. They were testing him.

Days passed—maybe weeks. He didn't know anymore. Hunger gnawed at his stomach like a beast, but there was nothing else.

So he ate them.

He snapped their spines with his bare hands, tearing into raw flesh, choking down the bitter, rubbery meat just to keep breathing. The taste of blood and venom became familiar, almost natural.

He stopped fearing the bites. His skin had already been punctured so many times it felt like a part of him now. His body was scarred, swollen, feverish.

But he killed them all.

One by one, he crushed them beneath his fingers, cracked their skulls against the stone, tore them apart until the hissing finally stopped.

And then—light.

A trapdoor above creaked open, sending down a beam of pale light that burned his eyes. Footsteps echoed as someone descended.

Kabuto.

The medic studied Teriyaki's broken form, his glasses gleaming in the dim light.

"He survived."

The chains unlocked. His body, covered in bite marks, festering wounds, and dried blood, collapsed onto the stone floor outside. His breath was ragged, his lips cracked.

Orochimaru was waiting.

He crouched down, lifting Teriyaki's chin with a pale finger, forcing their eyes to meet.

"Do you understand now?" he whispered. "The nature of snakes?"

Teriyaki said nothing. His voice had left him. Maybe forever.

Orochimaru chuckled.

"Ah... You're broken. But not completely."

He stood, turning to Kabuto.

"Prepare the next stage."

Kabuto nodded, stepping forward. Before Teriyaki could react, a sharp pain stabbed into his spine.

A needle.

The world blurred. His limbs stopped obeying him. His mind felt like it was sinking, pulled into a deep, black void.

He fell asleep.

Teriyaki awoke to the stench of decay.

His wrists and ankles were bound in thick, rusted chains, chafing against his scarred skin. The stone floor beneath him was damp and ice-cold, the air thick with the scent of mold, rot, and death.

Before him sat a bowl of filthy, rotten food.

It was a sick joke.

Maggots squirmed in the mushy pile of what might have once been rice. The smell alone made his stomach churn. Flies buzzed lazily above it, landing on the blackened edges.

His body screamed for nourishment, but he turned his head away. He wouldn't sink that low.

Not yet.

Days passed. Maybe weeks.

The only sound was the slow, rhythmic drip... drip... drip of water from the ceiling. It echoed through the empty chamber like a twisted clock, measuring the time he was wasting in this hell.

The hunger worsened. His ribs pressed against his skin, his muscles wasted away.

The water became his only relief. He lay beneath the dripping ceiling, catching each drop with his cracked lips.

At first, the hunger burned. Then, it numbed.

His mind drifted. Thoughts became slow, blurred.

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And then, one day... he ate.

His trembling fingers clawed at the rotten food, shoving it into his mouth before he could think.

It was vile. Slimy. Sour and rancid. He gagged, nearly throwing up. But he swallowed.

He had to.

The days became routine.

Rotten food. Dripping water. Silence.

His body adapted, but his mind?

It decayed, just like the food he was forced to eat.

His thoughts became static, his memories faded. He forgot the warmth of the sun, the sound of laughter, the feeling of freedom.

And then—footsteps.

A slow, deliberate clap echoed through the chamber, followed by a voice that sent a cold shiver down his spine.

"How pathetic."

Orochimaru.

Teriyaki didn't look up. His body didn't even flinch.

"So, this is what remains of you?" Orochimaru mused, stepping closer. "A dog eating filth. A wretch drinking scraps from the ceiling."

A cruel chuckle.

"I almost thought you'd be strong enough to die before reaching this point. But no—you endured. Like a cockroach."

The chains rattled as Orochimaru knelt beside him, tilting Teriyaki's chin up with a cold, bony hand.

"And because you've endured, I've decided to give you a wonderful gift."

Teriyaki's cracked lips barely parted.

"...What?"

Orochimaru's grin widened, his golden eyes gleaming with twisted delight.

"I'm sending you away. To a place that suits you. To a pit where only the strongest survive—"

"Ryuuchi Cave."

"That place..." Teriyaki grumbled. "It's where you obtain sage mode-."

"How do you know that?"