The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, the Oriole Follows Behind

Watching Shukaku before him, who was filled with both caution and panic, a sharp glint flashed in the eyes of Yusuke. As his long blade left its sheath, a crimson tornado of flames instantly engulfed Shukaku's entire body.

"Ryujin Jakka: Matsumyo!"

Wrapped within the fiery vortex, Shukaku let out a blood-curdling howl and began to struggle violently. Yet, no matter how much it thrashed, it could neither extinguish nor escape the raging, burning flames.

The sword technique known as 'Matsumyo' could release a tornado of fire the moment the blade was drawn, surrounding the enemy until they were reduced to nothing but ash. It was perfectly suited for dealing with enemies like Tailed Beasts, who possessed massive bodies and immense vitality and regenerative powers.

After some time, Shukaku realized it could not escape the flames and gave up struggling entirely, instead swinging its two massive claws repeatedly to attack Yusuke.

Facing the maddened Shukaku, Yusuke no longer needed to launch attacks, opting instead to simply dodge. As the flames burned longer, Shukaku grew weaker and weaker, and the frequency of its attacks began to drop significantly.

With a thunderous crash, Shukaku's massive body finally collapsed onto the sandy ground. Because its internal vitality and chakra were nearly exhausted, Shukaku was now on the verge of death.

Absorbing the flames still burning on Shukaku's body back into Ryujin Jakka, Yusuke took out the scroll for sealing, preparing to begin the ritual for the Yin-Yang Seal.

"Yusuke-kun, I wonder if you would mind letting me have the One-Tail?"

Suddenly, a hoarse, low voice rang out in Yusuke's ear. At the same time, a pale figure with snake-like pupils appeared behind him—it was none other than the rogue ninja from Konoha, Orochimaru.

Before Orochimaru had even finished speaking, eight hideous venomous snakes lunged from behind his back, biting fiercely toward Yusuke, who had his back turned.

Hearing that familiar voice, Yusuke felt a sudden shock. At this moment, he had already sheathed Ryujin Jakka, and it was too late for him to either counterattack or dodge.

Feeling a sharp pain in his limbs and shoulders, Yusuke was tightly bitten by the eight venomous snakes.

However, just as Orochimaru thought he had successfully restrained Yusuke, a massive amount of flame suddenly erupted from the wounds where the snakes had bitten him. Not only did it completely vaporize the snakes' venom, but it also spread rapidly along the snakes toward Orochimaru's body.

Seeing this, Orochimaru immediately severed the snakes extending from his back to avoid being set ablaze, and Yusuke took this opportunity to pull away quickly.

After putting some distance between himself and Orochimaru, Yusuke turned and stood firm, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Orochimaru with a murderous gaze.

Although Yusuke appeared calm on the surface, he was already secretly contemplating a strategy in his mind.

Yusuke knew very well that he no longer had enough chakra to continue fighting a Kage-level powerhouse, especially someone as cunning and skilled at survival as Orochimaru, who was notoriously difficult to deal with.

Although the lethality of his Ryujin Jakka was immense, the consumption was equally significant. If he were in his prime, he would not fear Orochimaru. But under the current circumstances, if Orochimaru chose to engage in a war of attrition, he would have no choice but to flee.

It would be a pity, however, to lose the Shukaku he had just worked so hard to subdue, letting Orochimaru reap the rewards for nothing.

"Lord Orochimaru, we are old friends. Isn't it a bit ungracious of you to strike like this?" Yusuke said unhurriedly, straightening his clothes, which had been torn by Orochimaru's snakes.

By now, the wounds from the snake bites were no longer a concern; for minor external injuries like these, Yusuke could fully control his flames to cauterize the wounds and coagulate the blood. Of course, this method of treatment was something Yusuke could only use on himself.

Seeing Yusuke acting so calmly, and unable to discern the true state of his opponent, Orochimaru couldn't help but sigh inwardly that the man was indeed not an easy target.

Extending his snake-like tongue to lick his lips, Orochimaru smiled: "I have no choice. I am not like you, able to cast the Four Purple Flame Array all by yourself. While defeating Shukaku isn't difficult, I wasn't confident in my ability to capture it. So, I had to ask you to do the labor for me."

"Also, Yusuke-kun, now that I have left the village, you don't need to call me 'Lord' anymore."

Orochimaru was already cultivating his own team at this time, such as Kimimaro, Jugo, and the Sound Four. Although these individuals were all talented, they were still young and could not yet assist Orochimaru at this stage. Otherwise, Orochimaru would have simply brought the Sound Four to cast a barrier ninjutsu to trap Shukaku, allowing him to capture it himself.

Yusuke looked at Orochimaru and said slowly: "Mizuki is your man, isn't he? And it was he who leaked the news to you about me coming to Sunagakure?"

Orochimaru showed a look of surprise, then praised: "As expected of Yusuke-kun, to have discovered even that—your senses are truly sharp."

Of course, Orochimaru did not know that this wasn't Yusuke discovering a flaw in Mizuki, but rather that Yusuke, as a transmigrator, already knew Mizuki's background.

"So you guessed that I, possessing the 'Yin-Yang Cursed Seal', wouldn't let Shukaku in the Nara Desert go, and therefore you have been tracking me in secret, waiting to reap the benefits after I finished dealing with Shukaku," Yusuke said.

Orochimaru gave a sinister laugh: "Correct. But Yusuke-kun, you already have the Nine-Tails; how about you let this Shukaku go to me?"

Yusuke smiled: "This is a Tailed Beast, after all. You don't really expect to take it from my hands with just these few words, do you?"

Looking at Yusuke, who seemed to still have confidence, Orochimaru probed: "Do you really still have the strength to fight me?"

"I was hiding beneath the sand layers the whole time; I saw the entire process of you fighting Shukaku. Your chakra should be just about exhausted by now, shouldn't it?"

No wonder he felt Orochimaru looked a bit different earlier; Yusuke had thought Orochimaru's skin tone seemed much ruddier than before. It turned out he had been hiding under the sand, baked by the high heat.

This entire area of the desert had been enveloped by his 'Scorch Release: Ten-Direction Scorched Earth', and the temperature beneath the sand was something even Shukaku couldn't endure. However, Orochimaru had clearly used some kind of ninjutsu to protect his body; otherwise, a normal person would have been roasted alive by such temperatures.

"If it were anyone else, perhaps they would indeed be out of strength. But..."

"I am an Uchiha!"

As soon as he finished speaking, three crimson-gold flame tomoe appeared in each of Yusuke's pupils. Having activated the Sharingan, Yusuke stared calmly at the Orochimaru before him.

Seeing the change in Yusuke's eyes, Orochimaru's pupils contracted violently in shock.

He had long guessed that Yusuke had awakened the Sharingan, but he never expected it to be a version he had never seen before. Although he didn't know what abilities this flame-tomoe Sharingan possessed, it made him instinctively feel a sense of great danger.

"Yusuke-kun, do you know? Right now, you are like a prey with nowhere to run, trying to scare away the hunter through a bluff," Orochimaru smiled.

At this moment, a dangerous light flickered in Orochimaru's eyes, and his entire aura pressed toward Yusuke, as if he might strike at any moment.

Facing Orochimaru's near-intimidating probe, Yusuke remained calm.

"That's right, this is indeed a bluff."

"After all, this pair of Sharingan is my final trump card; I wouldn't want to use it easily unless absolutely necessary."

Hearing Yusuke's words, Orochimaru fell silent.

A moment later, Orochimaru finally abandoned the idea of continuing the attack and compromised: "You should know that I possess many precious ninjutsu, ninja tools, and intelligence. If you let me have this Shukaku, you can name your conditions."

Hearing Orochimaru's words, Yusuke frowned and thought carefully: "It seems Orochimaru is determined to have this Shukaku. With my current lack of strength, it might be better to sell him a favor and trade it for some substantial benefits."

"Besides, Orochimaru really does have many things that I am interested in!"

Deciding not to fight Orochimaru for this Shukaku anymore, Yusuke sighed and complained, "You know, I went to great lengths and made many preparations for this Shukaku. I suffered greatly in the battle just now and almost fell into the hands of Shukaku."

"Moreover, I was just ambushed by you, Orochimaru, and sustained very serious injuries."

Looking at the energetic and talkative Yusuke, Orochimaru coldly interrupted, "Yusuke-kun, just say what you want."

"First, I need ten, no, twenty vials of Hashirama Cells Fusion Liquid."

Hashirama Cells Fusion Liquid was an auxiliary agent developed jointly by Yusuke and Orochimaru when they created the Yin-Yang Cursed Seal. Besides being used to cast the Yin-Yang Cursed Seal, it had many other uses. Although Yusuke also had the formula, he lacked the materials, so he could ask Orochimaru for some to keep on hand.

"No problem." Orochimaru nodded. Although the Hashirama Cells Fusion Liquid was precious, Orochimaru could produce it himself, so it was nothing to him.

"Second, I need to know the specific location of Danzo's Root Organization Laboratory."

For Yusuke, Danzo and the Root Organization were targets that had to be eliminated sooner or later, as they had irreconcilable conflicts with the Uchiha Clan. Danzo's laboratory indeed contained many precious resources that Yusuke hoped to get his hands on.

Hearing Yusuke's second request, Orochimaru frowned, but after thinking for a moment, he agreed.

Even though Orochimaru had defected, he still maintained secret contact with Danzo and was a partner in Danzo's human experiments, so he was very clear about the location of the Root Organization Laboratory.

"Third, I need the specific location of Ryūchi Cave and the method to enter it."

"Fine."

"Fourth..."

"Yusuke-kun, one shouldn't be too greedy." Hearing Yusuke propose a fourth condition, Orochimaru showed an expression of displeasure.

Standard thanks to everyone for your support!!

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