The Power of Murasame!

The man's voice was intermittent, low, and sluggish. The single word "die" made my entire body shudder, as if the tightest string in my heart had suddenly snapped, sending me plummeting into an endless abyss.

Die?

Would I die?

I lifted my head, staring blankly as the gleaming blade tip moved toward my chest under my very gaze—

And plunged down!

My pupils constricted to pinpricks, fear reaching its zenith. Driven by a force from nowhere, I actually raised Murasame to parry!

Between life and death, the blood-stained blade in my hand suddenly vibrated!

"Clang!"

A curtain of blue lightning erupted from the blade! Like a shield, it firmly protected my body, blocking the lethal strike of the Kusanagi Sword!

At that moment, the electric light on the light screen hissed and crackled! The sound was like a swarm of snakes showing their fangs, spreading terrifying lightning power toward Orochimaru, yet it carefully avoided the area below, as if protecting the blade's master!

"Hmm?"

Orochimaru's voice betrayed astonishment, as if he hadn't expected such a situation. He withdrew the Kusanagi Sword and slowly reached out, attempting to touch the blue light screen of the blade.

With a sharp, tearing sound, fresh blood splattered! Orochimaru looked at his scarred palm, yet his eyes shone with excitement.

"The chakra has actually completed its nature transformation on its own; this is a qualitative change brought about by a quantitative one!" As if he had finally found what he was looking for, Orochimaru's voice carried a hint of madness.

"Truly incredible!"

As for me, I could no longer hear what he was saying.

I only vaguely felt that the blade in my hand had become incredibly intuitive, as if it were no longer a lump of iron, but had become a part of my body, like my own flesh and blood, fused into one with the chakra inside me.

I gripped Murasame tight, and before I could figure out what had happened, another gust of wind struck!

"Clang!"

The Kusanagi Sword collided with Murasame, spraying chakra of two different colors. The heat grazed my cheek, leaving behind thin lines of blood.

My eyes were bloodshot. I rolled to my feet, the light of the blade in my hand flickering, and in the next instant, it flared with blinding electric light!

In a flash, I turned from defense to offense!

Orochimaru looked at me, his eyes sinister, radiating an strange luster.

"That look—are you trying to kill me? Come, I am right here. Try to kill me, my dear disciple—"

Kill?

Kill him?

Yes, kill him!

I seemed to be under some kind of control, completely unaware that Murasame, as if it had a life of its own, had begun to connect and intertwine with the chakra in my body. The indigo light seeped into my marrow, veins, and meridians, beginning to prop up my nearly collapsing body!

The moment Orochimaru opened his mouth, I had already lunged forward!

Rather than being killed, I would kill you first!

I had long since abandoned defense, even disregarding my own life! My speed grew faster, my strength greater, and my physical exertion plummeted. My body, which had been gasping for breath just moments ago, was now like a streak of lightning, not only having the energy to dodge but even the capacity to occasionally counterattack!

The more I bled, the more intense the electric light became. That gentle, compliant chakra had now become a powerful support for my bones and muscles!

Amidst the screeching lightning, I and Murasame were one, advancing and retreating together!

"More and more interesting." Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and lunged forward!

In the next instant, my figure vanished. Orochimaru didn't even see a solid form; his left hand instinctively blocked with the Kusanagi Sword. With a sharp "clang," electric sparks scattered through the air! My figure reappeared, trailing a blue light, flickering in the air before vanishing again in the next heartbeat.

My speed was so ferocious that I could no longer be captured by the human eye.

Orochimaru froze, revealing an expression different from any he had shown before. It was a look of extreme excitement, as if he were seeing something through me.

A genius—this is a one-of-a-kind genius!

This was a bloody battle.

The sound of blades clashing became a continuous roar. Large amounts of bright red blood dripped onto the ground, forming brown spots that stretched on and on!

After a brief, frantic flurry, the two blades crossed for the third time, trembling violently!

This time, my eyes were wide open. Instead of choosing to retreat, I gripped Murasame with all my might, following my instincts, and frantically drained the last of the chakra in my body! Murasame hummed instantly, the electric light intensifying, and I suddenly unfurled a blue curtain of lightning, pressing down with all my force!

It appeared again—the nature transformation of chakra!

Orochimaru's pupils contracted.

If the first time was a coincidence, then this time, it was born from the force of will!

What kind of chakra was this, and what kind of control was this?

"Get down!" I roared, pushing with all my might until the webbing between my thumb and forefinger nearly tore!

With a thunderous boom, the ground beneath Orochimaru's feet shattered, and he was forced into the earth by the pressure of the lightning screen.

For a moment, Orochimaru's expression shifted; his brows locked tight, and a cold glint flickered in his pupils, revealing the frigid chill of the battlefield!

The child before him was stirred into a bloodthirsty frenzy. Despite having large, round, innocent almond eyes, they were now brimming with killing intent. Cold sparks of electricity flickered across his delicate face. For an instant, cruelty and youth collided within him, giving rise to something that could only be called madness.

This was absolutely not the usual Uchiha Akatsuki!

Right now, he was like a wild beast, addicted to slaughter!

Orochimaru was exceptionally excited, swinging his blade as he lunged forward! Uchiha Akatsuki charged ahead just as madly, both of their blades aimed directly at the other's vitals. In the blink of an eye, they would have pierced through both bodies!

This was clearly a situation of certain death, yet neither stopped, nor did either retreat!

After all, in this world, it had always been kill or be killed!

However, just a moment before the blades could pierce flesh, both of them stopped simultaneously!

In the next instant, the electric light vanished!

The child swayed as he took a few steps forward. His cold-blooded gaze flickered for a few seconds before being replaced by confusion and grievance. His small body struggled a few times, and like a dumpling, he flopped onto the ground with a thud, going so limp he almost seemed to melt away...

The blade, stained with blood, also clattered to the ground.

The moment its master lost consciousness, it too dimmed and fell into a deep slumber.

Before him, Orochimaru, who had just been stirred into a fighting spirit, fell silent.

"Hmph, chakra exhausted, I see."

After a long while, he sheathed the Kusanagi Sword, his killing intent slowly dissipating.

Had he known, he would have used more drugs.

He looked at his masterpiece, the corners of his lips curling up, and leaned down to gently scoop up the child on the ground.

"I originally wanted to test your limits, but I didn't expect to see something even more spectacular."

What other surprises are you hiding that I don't know about, Akatsuki?

He leaned close to the child's face, seemingly wanting to do something, but the air around them rippled. Orochimaru frowned, displeased at being interrupted.

"Is everything taken care of?"

"Yes, my lord."

A black shadow appeared out of thin air. He responded, his gaze sweeping rapidly over the unconscious child before settling quietly on the ground.

"They have all been killed, disguised as casualties of war."

"Hmph, if it weren't for the recent surge in missions, those pieces of trash would have been dead long ago." Having finished the vexing business, Orochimaru looked at the child in his arms, his expression shifting from overcast to clear as he commanded, "Send him for treatment, then summon Kusama Shigeo."

"Yes." The shadow turned to leave, but was stopped by Orochimaru.

"You don't need me to teach you how to handle him, do you?"

The shadow nodded, indicating he understood.

"Hmph," Orochimaru chuckled, his tone sinister. "Also, the plan can begin now. You should be very clear on what needs to be done."

"Yes, everything is already prepared."

The man slowly looked up, his gaze fixed intently on the child in Orochimaru's arms.

"Everything is just waiting for your final instructions, my lord."