Orochimaru stood amid a sea of blood, looking up at Uchiha Sora.
On the young man's face, he saw something both familiar and strange.
Spirit. Edge!
That absolute confidence in oneself—the arrogance of believing oneself to be utterly unparalleled!
Everyone went through such a stage.
But the reality of the ninja world forced people to recognize the truth. Major setbacks would brutally shatter that spirit.
Some people could never recover once it scattered. Others, after recognizing reality, could turn that spirit into an obsession and bury it deep within their hearts.
Orochimaru belonged to the latter.
And the woman he knew belonged to the former.
The feeling Uchiha Sora gave him belonged to neither.
He had thought Uchiha Sora was like himself, a monster who would stop at nothing for the sake of his own obsession.
But there were subtle differences.
Uchiha Sora's confidence was not the arrogance of someone ignorant of the world. Even after seeing reality clearly, he still believed himself unmatched beneath the heavens!
It was a wild arrogance that no amount of suppression could erase.
Now, Orochimaru understood.
It was precisely because he possessed such a temperament that this brat, whom Orochimaru had barely paid attention to three years ago, had been able to grow to this extent in such a short time!
He had fully realized his talent!
Orochimaru spread his arms and grinned. "The old man never taught me such etiquette. Does Lord Sora want me to bow to you like a Feudal Lord's retainer?"
"If you think it necessary, I can learn."
"Just call me Uchiha Sora."
The blood-red sky gradually faded. Uchiha Sora had already seen that Orochimaru was not here in person, so there was no point in using his eye power to pressure him.
Orochimaru's expression remained unchanged