Orochimaru: Mangekyō Sharingan?!

In the jungle on the outskirts of Mist Village, Orochimaru's golden snake eyes darted back and forth across Kotori's body, like a real snake scrutinizing its prey.

Feeling Orochimaru's aggressive gaze, Koko felt a wave of nausea.

"That stinky snake is really troublesome..."

Looking directly at Orochimaru, there was not a trace of contempt in his bright eyes.

Although he despised Orochimaru's character, he never underestimated his strength—even though he had a sure way to defeat him.

In his own eyes, Orochimaru was very strong, even stronger than Jiraiya in his normal state!

He hasn't had his hands crippled yet, and he hasn't become a nobody on the roadside that Sasuke white could easily defeat.

He was in his prime, possessing the Five Elements Escape Techniques inherited from the Third Hokage Hokage and the Hidden Konoha Village, along with a host of secret techniques, decades of combat experience, a genius-level intellect, and Swordsmanship that was in no way inferior to, and perhaps even superior to, his own...

Looking across the entire Ninja World, even within the Akatsuki where everyone is a monster, Orochimaru's overall strength is undoubtedly among the top.

It was precisely because of his overwhelming strength that Orochimaru was able to thrive in the Ninja World after defecting from Konoha, and even dared to risk being hunted down by the Akatsuki to switch sides a second time.

He dared to go to Mist Village alone to capture Kimimaro while injured, and that wasn't just because of his almost invincible ability to survive.

If I were to fight him as "Shiina Sora," I would definitely not be able to defeat him.

"But the premise is... I'm fighting him as ' Shiina Sora '."

He murmured to himself, looking meaningfully at Orochimaru ahead.

He had been struggling to figure out how to extract the information he wanted from Orochimaru, but unexpectedly, the guy had delivered himself right to his doorstep...

After all, this guy is currently suffering from the double soul damage debuff of multiple body changes and attacks from Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan!

In addition, there's the information gap between him and me regarding their true identities and the Mangekyō Sharingan.

There's no better opportunity than now to get this guy under control...

Kou suppressed the almost overflowing smile in his heart and gripped the hilt of Hiramekarei even tighter.

Today, I will play the role of Fahai and subdue this demonic snake for the Ninja World!

With a slight thud, he pressed his feet lightly against the muddy forest floor, and in the next instant, he transformed into a gray shadow that darted close to the ground, attacking Orochimaru at incredible speed!

The Hiramekarei was held tightly in his hand, leaving two parallel blue streaks in the mist, like waves cleaved by a speedboat on the sea.

Orochimaru watched Kou attack him, a hint of amusement flashing in his golden snake eyes.

He temporarily set aside the figure that had appeared in his mind and quickly Hand Seals:

"Wind Release - Great Breakthrough!!"

A terrifying hurricane erupted from his mouth.

The hurricane's attack range is extremely wide, far exceeding the destructive power of ordinary Wind Release Ninjutsu.

That wasn't just an ordinary "Great Breakthrough," it was Orochimaru's Wind Release!

Its diameter was at least ten meters, like a tornado rising from the ground, carrying sand, gravel, and broken branches, and crushing towards the direction where Kou was with overwhelming force.

He calmly analyzed the intensity and range of the storm in his mind, his eyes narrowing.

Normally, I could easily dodge this wide-range Wind Release using the speed of Body Flicker Technique.

But now... I can't.

He is now "Shiina Sora," the Mizukage's Mizukage Aide from Mist Village! He is an unknown, "ordinary" Kage Level shinobi who shouldn't possess that kind of speed.

Given his current disguise and fighting style, he absolutely shouldn't be too outstanding in terms of speed.

After all, given Orochimaru's keen perception, if I were to use Body Flicker Technique at the level of "Uchiha Kuro," he would definitely see through my identity.

So all I can do now is... tough it out!

In an instant, he made a decision in his mind and poured his chakra into Hiramekarei Chakra without reservation.

The blue light on the blade suddenly expanded, and the energy overflowing from the surface of the blade was immense, almost instantly enveloping his entire body in a dazzling aquamarine blaze.

He gave a low shout, gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands, and swung the Hiramekarei vertically downwards towards the oncoming hurricane!

"Boom!!"

Chakra shockwave infused with water-attribute properties collided head-on with the hurricane!

The moment the two Kage Level forces collided in the forest, the roar was so loud that Kimimaro, who was helping Jūzō Biwa walk several hundred meters away, couldn't help but turn around and look.

Water and wind, two types of Chakra, collided and entangled in mid-air!

The hurricane tried to disperse the blue shockwave, but the resilience of water far exceeded the wind's expectations.

Instead of dissipating, they were torn by the wind into countless tiny water droplets, carrying with them the turbulent soil, creating a damp, muddy mist at the center of the explosion.

The thick, heavy mud fog, grayish-brown in color, shrouded the entire battlefield in chaos.

Orochimaru felt his vision blocked; the thick, muddy fog was like paste, and even his snake eyes couldn't penetrate it.

He frowned slightly, about to retreat, when a low, clear shout suddenly rang out from the surrounding mud and mist:

"Hidden Mist Technique!"

As the low shout rang out, another cloud of white mist rose up around them.

The mist and mud fog intertwined, extending the duration and extent of the mud fog several times over.

The entire battlefield looked as if it had been stuffed into a giant, opaque ball of cotton.

"The Hidden Mist Technique..."

Orochimaru murmured to himself, a hint of boredom flashing in his golden snake eyes.

"Blocking the snake's vision... a useless tactic."

He thought disdainfully to himself, and the light in his snake-like eyes grew much colder.

His senses spread through the mist; it was a serpentine intuition, sharper than sight.

Thermal sensing, scent tracking, Chakra fluctuation detection...

The Mist Village Assassination Technique might work on others, but on him? It's like showing off your limited skills before an expert!

As Orochimaru sensed Kouchi's current location, he muttered disdainfully to himself:

"To actually compare someone of this caliber to that brat from Jiraiya's family, you really underestimated him."

Although that kid was dull-witted, he was quite meticulous and serious in both combat and cultivation.

At least in front of a strong person, that brat would never resort to such foolish tricks.

"So he's just a washed-up guy who's never been on the battlefield and has no combat experience?"

Orochimaru made a judgment in his mind with some disappointment. His tongue slowly slid across his lips, and his peripheral vision glanced in a direction in the mist.

His hands instantly Hand Seals.

"Blood Mist Blade Technique - Bone Pulling!!"

In the direction Orochimaru was looking, countless blue Chakra water blades shot out from the mist.

They were incredibly fast and numerous, like a rain of arrows shot from an invisible crossbow.

Those Chakra Blade shot into Orochimaru's body, piercing through his entire body from his shoulders to his wrists and then to both sides of his ribs!

"Blood Mist Blade Technique - Skin Lure!" (Hugs her~)

In the thick fog, Kou's figure appeared in an instant!

The Hiramekarei had somehow taken on the form of "twin swords" in his hands.

The blade was split in two, one on each side, which he held with both hands.

He rushed to Orochimaru's side at lightning speed and slammed Orochimaru, who was being controlled by "Bone Pull," into the ground.

With her other hand, she raised the Hiramekarei high above her head, the blue Chakra light on its blade intensifying, and then—

Slam it down hard!

"Boom--!!"

With a tremendous roar, the surrounding fog was instantly dispersed by the terrifying shockwave!

The Hiramekarei created a large crater.

The crater was about ten meters in diameter and more than two meters deep, with smooth marks on its walls from the impact of water-attribute Chakra.

The soil at the bottom of the pit was wet, and you could even smell a faint dampness.

But what was pinned down by those twin blades at this moment was not Orochimaru, who should have been smashed into snake Orochimaru, but a pile of mud that was rapidly loosening and separating from human form.

Those were the earth clones Orochimaru had just Hand Seals hand seals!

Kou didn't pull the knife from the ground, not because he didn't want to, but because he "couldn't."

At this moment, he was firmly trapped by two large snakes.

Their bodies wrapped around Kou's limbs, torso, and neck, coiling around and around, tightening as if to break his bones.

Their heads were held high, their mouths wide open, revealing sharp, barbed fangs, their tongues flicking in and out of the air with a hissing sound.

The one who released these two giant snakes was none other than Orochimaru, who was standing behind Kokoro at that moment.

He emerged from the ground at some unknown time and appeared behind Kou.

His pale face was expressionless, as if the battle just now was nothing more than a game that wasn't even a pastime for him.

"Is this technique... the Snake Gaze Binding Spell?"

Looking down at the two large snakes that firmly controlled his movements, he confirmed it in his heart.

But outwardly, he still pretended to be furious.

While struggling violently as the two large snakes coiled around him, Koko shouted angrily at Orochimaru behind him:

"You, you actually lack martial ethics, attacking from behind? You're such a baby, Orochimaru!!"

Orochimaru slowly approached Kokoro, his pale face filled with speechlessness.

He looked at the man glaring angrily at him, his lips twitched slightly, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

... This guy actually called himself despicable?

Is he really a ninja from Mist Village? No, is this guy even a ninja?!

When did the world of ninjas begin to emphasize "martial virtue"?

If it weren't for the fact that this guy was the leader who implemented that idiotic reform in Mist Village, and that he was certain that this guy would never dare to hide his strength from him, he would have suspected that this guy was pretending to be stupid and trying to trick him on purpose.

"Looks like he's just a spoiled brat raised in a greenhouse, talented but clueless about the importance of real combat..."

A hint of regret flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.

Nothing is more regrettable than seeing a genius waste their talent.

Of course, this is a researcher's perspective on an experimental subject.

He looked at the man before him, and a "kind" smile appeared on his pale face:

"Hmph, no need to be in such a hurry. I have no interest in a defective product like you, nor do I intend to kill you."

He paused, and the light in his golden snake eyes deepened:

"After all... you must be very important to Mist Village, especially to that child from the Kaguya Clan, right?"

He smiled sinisterly, a smile full of mockery:

"While I think it's completely not worth it, exchanging you for that Kaguya Clan child... I think both Mist Village and he himself would be more than happy with that, right?"

Kou's breathing became rapid.

He feigned anger, staring intently at Orochimaru before him, and roared:

"You!!!"

Orochimaru watched the gritting-teeth loser before him with a look of amusement.

He even moved closer, wanting to get a better look at the idiot's angry expression.

As Orochimaru approached, a slight smile appeared in his feigned angry eyes.

Every ninja has their own weaknesses.

"Excessive arrogance."

"Orochimaru, your weakness... is this."

He muttered to himself, as if summarizing a game of chess that would determine the winner:

"Your greatest weakness lies in your utter contempt and manipulation of opponents you perceive as completely inferior."

"Whether it was fighting the Third Hokage Hokage, or battling Naruto and Sasuke in their Tailed Beast Transformation, you were always like this..."

He muttered to himself, pretending to be unwilling, and lowered his head, seemingly unwilling to look at Orochimaru in front of him.

Within those black pupils, three red Tomo instantly appeared, rapidly connecting under the impetus of that terrifying eye power:

"But for you, this weakness is no longer a concern."

Listening to Orochimaru's increasingly approaching footsteps, he murmured to himself:

Because... you no longer have a "future."

After Orochimaru got close enough, Koko suddenly raised his head, which he had been pretending to lower in resentment.

Those black pupils had transformed into eerie Mangekyō Sharingan, instantly meeting Orochimaru's delighted golden snake eyes.

Orochimaru's smile froze on his face.

He saw those eyes—those scarlet, eerie eyes, eyes that held a terrifying power.

He recognized those eyes; not long ago, he had seen the same eyes on the Uchiha boy wearing Black Cloak with Red Clouds.

Those eyes, those Mangekyō Sharingan, brought back the deepest fears of being dominated by Itachi not long ago...

The boy looked at him the same way, with those scarlet, calm eyes, as if looking at an ant.

"This, this is..."

Orochimaru exclaimed in horror, his golden snake eyes filled with disbelief.

His pupils contracted sharply, and his already pale face seemed to grow even paler.

"The Mangekyō Sharingan?!"

(I'm quite busy with classes today, so the next chapter might be a little late.)