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Itachi Uchiha looked coldly at Orochimaru. “Orochimaru, what are you doing here?” he asked flatly.
“It seems Itachi-kun doesn’t welcome me.” Orochimaru observed Itachi’s icy expression, then licked his lips again.
“Itachi-kun, care to chat outside?”
Itachi considered for a moment, then nodded. Orochimaru was overjoyed.
Honestly, Orochimaru hadn’t expected Itachi to agree to go outside. He had been prepared to fight him right here.
“Then follow me.”
Orochimaru walked out, and Itachi followed without hesitation. Despite knowing Orochimaru’s ill intentions, Itachi still went along.
The two left the Akatsuki base and arrived at a nearby forest.
The sky was overcast, a light drizzle falling—a characteristic feature of the Land of Rain, where it rained almost daily.
“Itachi, I’m surprised you followed me out here.” Orochimaru turned back, greedily eyeing Itachi’s eyes, wishing he could pluck them out right now.
“What is your purpose?” Itachi asked calmly. Despite his weakened state, he remained composed.
“Your Sharingan, of course. Once I have your eyes, I’ll find a way to help your younger brother awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan in the future. Then, I will possess a pair of Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.”
Thinking of the immense power of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the greedy light in Orochimaru’s eyes intensified.
Immortality and power—these were the two most important things in Orochimaru’s dictionary. He understood that power was necessary for survival.
However, Orochimaru prioritized immortality above all else; Power came second.
“Itachi Uchiha, your talent is exceptional. You would make an excellent vessel.”
Initially, Orochimaru had planned to kill Itachi and take his Sharingan, but now he changed his mind. He wanted Itachi to become his next host for reincarnation.
Itachi, as a vessel, was a hundred times better than Kimimaro.
“Orochimaru, how do you know the secret to awakening the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?” Itachi asked, frowning. Even Itachi himself had only learned this by studying countless Uchiha clan texts and deciphering the Uchiha stone tablet.
“I don’t mind telling you. Shin Uzumaki told me,” Orochimaru said casually.
“Shin Uzumaki?” Itachi’s brow furrowed tightly.
“Itachi-kun, though you are a genius, compared to Shin Uzumaki, you still fall far short. At the age of twelve—he was already invincible in the Shinobi world.”
As Orochimaru spoke, his eyes revealed a mix of envy and jealousy. He too had once been called a genius, but compared to Shin Uzumaki, the gap was immense.
At twelve, Shin Uzumaki could already dominate the Kage of the major villages—At twelve, Orochimaru had only been a Chūnin.
“Orochimaru, Is sneak attacking the only trick you know?”
A flash of cold light—a poisonous snake slithering towards Itachi from behind was decapitated.
Orochimaru had deliberately talked about Shin Uzumaki to distract Itachi, while secretly controlling the snake to attack. If Itachi hadn’t been vigilant enough, he would have fallen for it.
“How perceptive. You even noticed that. It seems Itachi-kun shouldn’t be underestimated.”
A flicker of disappointment crossed Orochimaru’s eyes. He hadn’t truly underestimated Itachi; otherwise, he wouldn’t have resorted to a sneak attack during their conversation.
“Since that’s the case, let’s fight for real.”
Orochimaru’s neck suddenly elongated like a snake’s, his mouth opening wide as he lunged to bite Itachi’s neck.
Seeing Orochimaru’s grotesque transformation, Itachi felt a moment of unease but quickly reacted, blocking the attack with his sword.
At this point, Orochimaru had already modified his body to the extent that he barely resembled a human anymore.
“Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!“
Itachi activated his three-tomoe Sharingan. The moment their eyes met, Orochimaru’s froze.
The scene in Orochimaru’s vision changed. Everything turned blood-red. Giant stakes pierced his limbs, causing excruciating pain and rendering him immobile.
“A Sharingan Genjutsu? Pulling me into an illusionary mental world so easily… Your Genjutsu mastery is truly high.”
Realizing he was caught in a Genjutsu, Orochimaru immediately began trying to break free.
In the original story, Orochimaru was defeated by this very Shackling Stakes Technique and subsequently left the Akatsuki.
But would he be defeated so easily now?
Orochimaru proved otherwise.
he won’t be taken down by a mere Genjutsu! Having anticipated Itachi’s Genjutsu, Orochimaru was prepared.
Breaking free from the illusion, Orochimaru spat out a sword from his mouth—the Kusanagi Blade.
The incredibly sharp Kusanagi Blade sliced through Itachi’s sword instantly, then extended towards Itachi.
“Substitution Jutsu!“
Using the Substitution Jutsu just in time, Itachi evaded the attack, reappearing on a distant tree branch, his gaze fixed tightly on Orochimaru.
Unlike the original story where Orochimaru was defeated by a single Genjutsu, this time he hadn’t fallen so easily.
In fact, as a veteran Kage-level shinobi, how could Orochimaru be defeated by a simple Genjutsu? Even if his resistance to Genjutsu was poor, it wouldn’t be that bad.
Besides, Orochimaru hadn’t undergone his body-transfer reincarnation yet; his spirit hadn’t suffered significant damage, and his resistance to Genjutsu wasn’t weak.
“Itachi, you can’t escape.”
Orochimaru formed hand seals and unleashed the Ten Thousand Snakes Formation. This technique was more akin to a summoning jutsu.
Countless snakes surged towards Itachi. Anyone with trypophobia would likely faint at the sight. Even a normal person would probably pass out seeing so many snakes.
“Orochimaru, you’ve lost your chance.” Itachi remained calm, unafraid.
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“Orochimaru, I told you, infighting among core Akatsuki members is forbidden.” Pain’s icy voice echoed.
Pain had warned him once before. Yet, Orochimaru had immediately disregarded his warning and attacked Itachi. This was a direct challenge to Pain’s authority.
“Pain found out?” Orochimaru glanced at Itachi. No wonder he was so calm. This little brat must have planned this.
Orochimaru was certain Itachi had somehow alerted Pain.
“It seems I can no longer stay in the Akatsuki.”
Orochimaru turned to leave. Pain wouldn’t let him off this time. Even just to make an example, Pain would punish him severely. Orochimaru, knowing his situation, chose to defect.
“Orochimaru, you intend to betray the Akatsuki?” Pain’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.
“Pain, I possess research results that Shin Uzumaki needs. If something happens to me, I can’t guarantee Shin Uzumaki won’t come looking for you.”
Facing Pain’s overwhelming killing intent, Orochimaru remained calm. Though he wasn’t Pain’s match, Orochimaru was confident he could escape. He used Shin as a shield.
If Shin knew Orochimaru was using his name like this, who knows what he’d do. However, Orochimaru did possess research results Shin wanted—specifically, research on the Kaguya Clan’s Shikotsumyaku.
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