Should Orochimaru Be Silenced?

When the blade's glow faded, it was as if nothing had happened.

Pakura's body was completely unscathed. Only the fireballs orbiting her went out one by one.

Just like her life.

This legendary kunoichi, who should have made her name in the Third Shinobi World War and died in its later stages...

Had died just like that, without a sound.

"A slash against consciousness? So, Kagami, would your secret technique count as Yin Release?" Minato Namikaze asked as he approached.

Ordinary shinobi only knew of the five basic natures, but under Jiraiya's guidance, Minato Namikaze knew that chakra had seven natures.

Besides the usual wind, fire, water, earth, and lightning, there were also Yin and Yang.

His girlfriend was one of the representatives of Yang Release, possessing an enormous amount of chakra and an extraordinary constitution.

The Uchiha Clan excelled most at Yin Release.

Kagami Uchiha nodded and sat down directly to recover his chakra.

With his current amount of chakra, he could use a technique of this level at most two or three times.

"You developed this technique to deal with me, didn't you?"

Sukuna suddenly sneered from within him.

He had clearly learned Sukuna's slash, yet its effect resembled Limitless Void. The intent was far too obvious.

Kagami Uchiha neither confirmed nor denied it, replying calmly, "The defining trait of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan is copying. If you think it looks alike, then it does."

He truly was on guard against Sukuna.

The Seal was secure, and Sukuna showed no signs of escaping.

But Kagami Uchiha had to consider what would happen if Sukuna did get out.

Ordinary ninjutsu was useless against him, but a technique that directly attacked the soul would surely work.

It was not just Sukuna. Most shinobi feared soul attacks, or the Spirit Transformation Technique would not be known as the foremost assassination technique.

"Pakura of Sunagakure's Scorch Release... I've heard of her," Kakashi sighed.

"As expected of you, Kagami."

Kakashi, I still prefer how arrogant and unruly you used to be...

Minato Namikaze smiled and patted both of them on the shoulders. "That was an impressive battlefield debut. Both of you performed very well."

"I thought you'd say that capturing her alive would have been more valuable." Kagami Uchiha shook Minato's hand off and spoke blandly.

Minato shook his head. "I won't ask you to capture enemies alive. That would increase unnecessary risks."

"Remember this!"

His tone and expression turned stern.

"On the battlefield, ensuring your own safety comes first. Understood?"

"Understood!" Kakashi answered energetically.

After a short rest, he squeezed out some of Sukuna's Cursed Energy to restore his chakra.

The technique just now counted as Yin Release and used a greater proportion of spiritual energy, so replenishing chakra with pure mental power was also faster.

The Nine-Tails power bank was still more useful. It possessed both Yin and Yang, allowing rapid recovery of both body and mind.

The last time Kushina went berserk, Kagami Uchiha had collected some chakra leaking from the Nine-Tails.

There was not much of it, nowhere near enough to let him enter Tailed Beast form like Kinkaku and Ginkaku.

Measured in adult Kakashis as a chakra unit, it was probably only around ten or so Kakashis' worth.

Normally, Kagami Uchiha used it bit by bit to study Yin-Yang Release and was reluctant to expend it on ninjutsu.

The command room at the border of the Land of Fire.

Orochimaru watched the group return after being gone for half a day and thought they had come to ask him about information on their mission target.

Then...

More than a dozen intact Sunagakure corpses covered the command room.

After examining them, a Yamanaka Clan shinobi said, "Their brains are intact. We should be able to read some intelligence from them."

A pineapple-headed member of the Nara Clan crouched before Pakura's corpse. "This is... Pakura, Sunagakure's bloodline-limit shinobi!"

"Why doesn't she have any wounds?"

"Genjutsu."

Orochimaru's cold gaze rested on Kagami Uchiha, and his smile was somewhat chilling.

"I assume Kagami-kun was the one who killed her."

No wounds... He had killed a bloodline-limit jonin with genjutsu alone!

You are even stronger than I imagined...

At that, the Yamanaka Clan shinobi collecting the bodies looked up.

"Uchiha... Kagami-kun, correct?"

"Is that so? Did your genjutsu damage her brain?"

"It should have burned it out. You can try and see." Kagami Uchiha did not know the actual effect of the technique either, since it was his first time using it on a person.

Besides, he did not care about the information in Pakura's head. If there was anything he wanted to know, using the Sharingan to hypnotize someone would be much easier.

The Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques were merely scraps from among the Sharingan's many abilities.

Once they left with the corpses, the command room was once again left with only four people, just as it had been half a day ago.

Minato Namikaze immediately bowed at a ninety-degree angle. "Lord Orochimaru, I am truly sorry! Please forgive Kagami's offense!"

Orochimaru's eyes were dark, his voice betraying neither anger nor pleasure. "This is no mere offense... Attacking the Commander-in-Chief on the front lines, Kagami-kun..."

"Behavior like yours could get you taken away by the Anbu for interrogation."

Kagami Uchiha was not flustered in the slightest.

"Leaving aside the fact that you were the one who looked at me with hostile eyes first."

"Lord Orochimaru, getting caught in genjutsu by an eight-year-old brat like me—if that got out, would you still have any face left?"

"I could report only to the Hokage. My teacher should consider my dignity."

Orochimaru leaned forward like a snake preparing to hunt. "There are several old fossils who are quite wary of the Uchiha Clan."

"If they learned that you possessed such strength, how could they possibly sleep soundly..."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Perhaps. What will you do, Kagami-kun?"

Kagami Uchiha also moved closer to Orochimaru, their two indifferent gazes meeting.

"If you want to play, then let's make it bigger."

"Because of Orochimaru's persecution, I would have no choice but to defect from Konoha. At the same time, at least several hundred Uchiha shinobi would follow me."

Orochimaru snorted. "Kagami-kun, do you not know that when your strongest man in history left the village, not a single person followed him?"

"That was because the clan at the time did not know the Uchiha would face so many restrictions."

After a moment of silence, Orochimaru suddenly smiled. "It truly is unfair. Such a powerful clan cannot obtain the status it deserves."

"Kagami-kun, if I become Hokage, how about I groom you to become the next Hokage?"

Hokage...

It could be said that every Konoha shinobi's initial dream was to become Hokage.

Only very few could persist until the end.

If anyone else said such words, it would be nothing but empty promises. But it was different coming from Orochimaru.

The Third Hokage was gradually growing old, Hatake Sakumo had left the village, and neither Jiraiya nor Tsunade wanted to become Hokage.

Orochimaru was already the publicly acknowledged heir to the next generation of Hokage. His achievements were more than sufficient; it would not even be strange if he took the position now.

Only Kagami Uchiha knew that Minato Namikaze would overtake him on the inside track.

"Talk to me once you've actually become Hokage. I think Minato Senior Brother is more likely to become Hokage than you are." Kagami Uchiha spoke bluntly, giving the shameless snake no face at all.

The Uchiha's innate lack of manners was one reason, but more importantly, Kagami Uchiha knew that Orochimaru did not care about how others treated him.

Hearing that, Minato scratched his head sheepishly.

"Haha, I'm still far from it."

"But I will definitely become Hokage!"

As he spoke, the hand behind his back that had been forming seals quietly lowered.

With things so tense just now, he had even planned to help Kagami Uchiha silence Orochimaru.

There was no helping it...

Konoha could not bear the cost of the Uchiha Clan leaving the village. Minato realized how great a loss it would be for the village if the two completely fell out.

Fortunately, Lord Orochimaru had merely been joking. Otherwise, for the village's stability, they could only try to kill Lord Orochimaru.

There was no helping it. It was for the village!

This was the teaching of the Third Hokage!

Orochimaru had no idea that his death omen had been flashing wildly just now. In the first place, he had never intended to tattle.

What he wanted to see most now was just how much power Kagami Uchiha could display on this battlefield.

In only half a day, he had already received his first pleasant surprise.

Scorch Release... He would have plenty to do tonight.