The Vanishing Totsuka Blade (The Biggest Foreshadowing in This Novel So Far)
Itachi emerged from the cave entrance, leaving the darkness behind, and intently observed the strange phenomena outside.
The first thing that catches the eye is the figure of the giant purple snake.
The massive body of the Manda coiled between the mountains, its head held high. With each breath, it stirred up a shockwave powerful enough to overturn the forest, and with each impatient flick of its tail, the mountains beneath its feet emitted a dull groan.
Its blue snake eyes peered impatiently through the mountain mists, scanning its surroundings.
Itachi's gaze froze the moment it fell upon the giant purple serpent.
"That's... Manda."
He whispered the name, feeling the earth tremble violently, and his heart sank:
"Was it the cause of all this commotion?"
"Since Manda has been summoned, that means Orochimaru... is nearby!"
Thinking of this, Itachi's gaze instantly became wary, his Sharingan rapidly scanning every corner of the surroundings, carefully searching for Orochimaru's whereabouts.
"Hey! Orochimaru, what are you doing summoning me to this desolate place?! Where are my hundred human sacrifices?!"
Manda's blue snake eyes peered fiercely through the churning clouds and mist in the mountains at the figure on the cliff not far away.
Its thick, serpentine tail lashed violently against the mountain ridge beside it, each strike causing the entire mountain to emit a dull groan.
"You'd better hurry up and put out the offerings for me! Otherwise, I'll eat you first!"
Hey, Orochimaru! Are you deaf?! Did you hear me?!
On the cliff, Orochimaru stood at the very edge of the cliff top, his long black hair flying wildly in the wind.
Hearing the roar of the Manda, he made no response, only staring blankly at the cave entrance in the distance, which was mostly hidden by vines, as if waiting for something.
The moment Itachi stepped out of the cave, Orochimaru's empty snake eyes suddenly narrowed.
Without hesitation, he turned around, activated the Body Flicker Technique, and his figure vanished from the spot.
The Manda stared blankly at the cliff that had vanished in the blink of an eye, and for the first time ever, a deep sense of bewilderment appeared on its ferocious face.
After a moment, it finally reacted and roared angrily at the now deserted cliff:
"Orochimaru! What the hell are you doing?!"
Not far away, Itachi naturally heard Manda's roar that echoed through the mountains and forests.
His figure vanished from his spot in the next instant, and when he reappeared, he was standing on a towering mountain peak near the Manda.
The weasel raised its head, coldly gazing at the colossal creature that rivaled a mountain:
Where is Orochimaru now?
"Um?"
Manda's fierce serpentine eyes followed the sound and looked down for a long time before finally noticing the tiny, almost negligible black dot.
"You lowly human! Who gave you the audacity to address me by my name?!"
As if enraged, Manda opened its massive jaws and let out a deafening roar at Itachi.
"Roar!!"
The wind pressure generated by the roar even blew Itachi's smooth black hair back to the front of his head.
The weasel stared up at the enraged beast with a blank expression.
In his scarlet pupils, three scarlet Tomo slowly connected, transforming into a Mangekyo resembling Shuriken.
"That's... the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Manda's blue snake eyes suddenly contracted the moment they saw Itachi's eyes!
Even though it was the one looking down at the brat, at this moment, under the gaze of those eyes, it felt as if it were the one in a subordinate position.
This human is someone I can't afford to mess with...
The arrogance and murderous intent that were originally in Manda's eyes vanished completely the moment this thought arose in his mind.
"Answer my question, Orochimaru... where exactly is he?"
"That guy just ran southwest!"
Manda looked at the three slowly rotating Tomo in Itachi's eyes and gave his answer without any hesitation.
It's just arrogant, not stupid.
Why would Orochimaru, who abandoned him without a word before even receiving a hundred sacrifices, risk a direct confrontation with a powerful figure who could threaten his life?
There's no such thing as a free lunch! That stinking snake must learn the price for daring to be so negligent!
Manda thought this, his gaze towards Itachi suddenly became "gentle".
The weasel was already slightly surprised by Manda's unwavering response, and now, feeling its "gentle" gaze, it couldn't help but feel a strange unease.
He could tell that what Manda said... was true.
Itachi suppressed his confusion and unease, and his gaze unconsciously swept towards the cave entrance.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he immediately refocused his gaze on Manda and commanded without room for argument:
"Follow me, let's go after Orochimaru."
The anger that had just subsided in Manda's blue snake eyes reignited in an instant:
"Huh? What a joke! How could I possibly listen to a human like you..."
"You can't go anywhere!!"
Before Manda could finish speaking, a powerful, furious roar pierced through the mountains and reached the ears of Manda and Itachi.
A frenzied and violent Lightning Release Chakra was rapidly approaching them at an astonishing speed.
The moment Itachi heard that roar, his expression changed drastically:
"This Chakra, could it be...?"
"Boom!!!"
A fierce bolt of lightning crashed down from the distant sky, slamming heavily onto the cliff opposite Itachi.
(Mamba out!)
The cliff shattered into pieces the instant the lightning struck, the terrifying force sending countless fragments of rock crashing down the cliff face with a deafening roar.
A burly man with bronze skin and crackling with lightning strode out from the rubble and dust.
The Fourth Raikage —A!
As Itachi looked at that imposing figure, his heart sank.
"Was it because the commotion caused by the Manda was too great, alarming the Kumogakure?"
"If this attracts the attention of the Kumogakure, things will get really troublesome..."
Itachi was deep in thought when his gaze unconsciously drifted towards the direction where Kouchi was.
He gazed at the tomb hidden by the mountain and murmured silently to himself:
"I hope the knocking over there can end soon."
"Although the mission is not yet complete, we must leave as soon as possible..."
At this moment, inside the tomb deep within the cave.
Inside the tomb, all was quiet except for the faint sound of the flickering flames.
The two Shadow Clone that were originally guarding the cave entrance have been dispelled, and now only Kou remains in the tomb.
He bowed his head, one hand resting on the ancient wooden coffin, his body trembling slightly.
Sweat silently slid down his forehead, dripping down his slightly trembling chin and onto the cold stone slab beneath his feet.
The sound was so clear it was almost jarring in the deathly silent tomb.
"This, this is impossible..."
He murmured in a dry, low voice, his Mangekyō Sharingan filled with deep shock and confusion.
No, there's nothing there.
He suppressed the shock in his heart and turned his right eye back to the silent wooden coffin beside him.
In his field of vision, a faint fluctuation of pupil power still lingered inside the wooden coffin.
But those lingering scents were like smoke that had dissipated long ago, leaving only the lightest, finest wisp, still faintly swirling deep within the wooden coffin.
There's no mistake, just as Itachi said, the Totsuka Blade is indeed sealed in this wooden coffin.
But to be more precise—that was in the past.
The hand that was tapping slowly clenched at the edge of the coffin lid.
A chilling thought surfaced uncontrollably in his mind:
"Someone took the Totsuka Blade before Itachi and me?"
Knocking on the wooden coffin before him, he whispered incredulously:
"What... what's going on?!"
--
(Sorry, I went out for drinks tonight, so I'm posting late. The chapter from midnight might be posted tomorrow. Sorry...)
As an aside, it's true that the Totsuka Blade was beaten to it by someone else; this is one of the biggest foreshadowing elements in this story so far.
In the later arc Mizukage Aide in visiting Konoha, there will be something that echoes this foreshadowing, which will have a significant impact on the development of the plot.