Orochimaru had long coveted the Sharingan.
Or rather, he was especially interested in any kind of special ability.
As for his interest in Sasuke's body, that came later, after he had suffered a setback at Itachi's hands. But before then, he had surely already conducted experiments on the Sharingan. Otherwise, he couldn't have prepared an arm embedded with Sharingan for Danzo so soon after the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
Now that a living, breathing Uchiha had appeared before him—and right in the midst of the Uchiha Clan Massacre—he no longer bothered to hide his desire.
Uchiha Arashi froze for a moment, then quickly came to his senses.
"I never expected to be this lucky."
"Your luck? I suppose that's one way of putting it. Becoming one of my test subjects is indeed—your good fortune!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, Orochimaru's head shot toward Uchiha Arashi like a black shadow.
His neck seemed capable of stretching without limit. Combined with his snake-like appearance, it made for a rather horrifying sight at first glance.
Uchiha Arashi had been ready. As he quickly retreated, he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Don't resist. Become my test subject!"
As Orochimaru spoke, a gleaming longsword emerged from his mouth and shot straight for Uchiha Arashi's throat.
With the Mangekyō's enhancement, Uchiha Arashi saw the entire sequence clearly. He drew a Kunai without a hint of panic and raised it to deflect Orochimaru's strike.
Using the force to retreat, he flung the Kunai and swiftly formed Hand Seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"
Orochimaru was just as busy. He had completed his own jutsu even as he attacked.
The next moment, the ground beneath Uchiha Arashi's feet softened into mud and turned into a swamp in the blink of an eye. As soon as he landed, his legs sank deep into it. At the same time, Orochimaru's head lunged at him again, and the Kusanagi Sword plunged straight into Uchiha Arashi's chest.
Bang!
Uchiha Arashi's eyes widened.
Then, in the next instant, his body exploded on the spot and turned into a cloud of white smoke.
"Clone Technique?!"
Orochimaru paused in surprise.
He immediately shifted his gaze to the left.
Uchiha Arashi had somehow appeared there without a sound, his hands forming the "Tiger" seal.
He sucked in a deep breath, his chest swelling as a large amount of chakra gathered in his mouth.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
The blazing fireball lit up the woods. It carried a terrifying heat as it struck Orochimaru and triggered a violent explosion.
But Uchiha Arashi didn't let his guard down. The instant the jutsu left his hands, he drew another Kunai.
Clang—
The Kusanagi Sword emerged from the shadow cast by the firelight, like a treacherous viper.
"Are those eyes... the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Orochimaru's face was alight with excitement.
"Why don't you find out for yourself?"
Uchiha Arashi replied in a low voice.
"Then let me see! Ninjutsu: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
More than a dozen venomous snakes slithered out of Orochimaru's sleeves and closed in on Uchiha Arashi from all directions.
Uchiha Arashi quickly retreated, swinging his Kunai again and again to cut down the snakes.
But even more snakes surged forward, forcing him to keep giving ground.
Orochimaru vanished amid the snakes. Noticing this, Uchiha Arashi grew even more vigilant.
He had come to meet Orochimaru to discuss cooperation. Most importantly, he needed to get his hands on the Hashirama Cells.
Danzo had some too, of course, but what Danzo had couldn't possibly be on the same level as Orochimaru's.
When it came to research, Orochimaru was undoubtedly leagues ahead of Danzo. Otherwise, Danzo wouldn't have traded Sharingan to Orochimaru in exchange for an arm.
But Uchiha Arashi knew just how dangerous Orochimaru was. He was relying entirely on the abilities of his two Mangekyō to fight. Against a powerhouse like Orochimaru, who was no weaker than any of the Kage, he couldn't afford the slightest mistake.
After cutting down more than a hundred snakes, Uchiha Arashi finally found his footing.
But the moment he steadied himself, Orochimaru charged out from the other side, forming Hand Seals as he ran.
"Ninjutsu: Many Serpent Formation!"
Countless snakes surged out of the surrounding undergrowth like a gigantic wave, crashing down toward Uchiha Arashi.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
Flames collided with the snakes.
Countless snakes burned to death, only for even more to surge forward. Soon, the air was filled with the rich smell of roasted meat.
Behind the flames, Orochimaru closed in on Uchiha Arashi again.
Unlike the Many Serpent Formation, which continued even after it was released, the Dragon Fire Technique had one major weakness: it required a constant flow of chakra. The moment that flow stopped, the jutsu ended.
In other words, Uchiha Arashi couldn't move right now.
With a sinister grin, Orochimaru rushed up beside Uchiha Arashi and reached for the corner of his eye.
I've got him!
Orochimaru rejoiced inwardly.
But at that very moment, Uchiha Arashi, still maintaining the jutsu, suddenly shifted his gaze and fixed his right eye on Orochimaru.
Orochimaru sensed danger on instinct. He tried to retreat, but it was too late.
"Kotoamatsukami!"
The eye's power flooded into Orochimaru's mind, forcing him to stop in place.
The flames cut out abruptly, and a flash of pitch-black light vanished.
Orochimaru recoiled. Half an arm spun through the air before falling to the ground.
"What was that?"
Several meters away, Orochimaru clutched his left arm and stared at Uchiha Arashi in alarm and confusion.
"A genjutsu? Even I couldn't resist it..."
"The Mangekyō Sharingan's ocular jutsu. What do you think? Not bad, is it?"
Uchiha Arashi lowered his hands.
The sea of snakes in the distance had disappeared, leaving only snake corpses strewn across the ground, smoking and thoroughly cooked.
Uchiha Arashi was breathing slightly hard. That exchange had cost him a great deal.
"Heh, that's interesting. No wonder you dared to come see me alone. You had a trump card."
Orochimaru had actually calmed down. He ignored his severed arm completely, focusing all his attention on Uchiha Arashi's eyes.
"I'd heard of the Mangekyō Sharingan before. I thought it was simply a more powerful Sharingan, but now I see its power is far greater than I imagined..."
As he spoke, he licked his lips.
But in the end, he didn't attack again.
That genjutsu had truly startled Orochimaru. Its ability to control him so completely, leaving him powerless to resist, had far exceeded his expectations.
"Now that that's settled, can we talk?"
Uchiha Arashi turned to face him, his red eyes fixed on Orochimaru as he asked in a low voice.
He hadn't forgotten the real reason he'd come.
"Of course. You've shown me what you can do, so you've earned the right to talk with me."
Orochimaru gave a low chuckle and spoke in a hoarse voice.
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