Chuan Yu VS Orochimaru, Yakushi Kabuto

Across the endless expanse of the lawn.

Orochimaru's back appeared beneath the moonlight.

"Lord Orochimaru..."

"Uchiha Chuanyu has arrived..."

He removed his cloak.

Revealing the face of none other than Yakushi Kabuto.

He turned around slowly.

Orochimaru looked at Chuanyu, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, an expression of excitement on his face.

"I never imagined you would actually succeed..."

Chuanyu remained indifferent.

A cold smirk said it all.

"Did you come to see me tonight just to say this?"

Originally.

He had received intelligence.

The Rock Village and the Sand were going to take action against Konoha.

Starting tonight.

But just moments before they were set to depart.

The mission was canceled.

When Chuanyu saw Yakushi Kabuto, he understood everything.

Espionage was the hallmark of his identity.

Presumably, Yakushi Kabuto had informed Orochimaru.

That he was the captain of this mission.

"The Uchiha incident..."

"Although it appears to have returned to the right path..."

"It is not secure..."

"Even Itachi has left Konoha..."

"I think you could consider it as well..."

"Is there anything left in Konoha worth your attachment?"

The raspy voice remained exactly the same.

After all these years.

Orochimaru had not changed at all.

He wanted him to leave Konoha and defect to his side.

On what grounds?

He drew the Kusanagi sword from his back.

He toyed with it in his palm for a moment.

"I heard a few things from Ryuchi Cave."

Chuanyu smiled as he looked at Orochimaru.

Then, he tossed the Kusanagi sword directly toward him.

As Orochimaru caught it with his left hand, his brow furrowed slightly.

"You must be the first person to have gained the White Snake Sage's approval at Ryuchi Cave."

"It is a pity..."

"You only obtained the summoning contract for Manda."

Orochimaru's heart suddenly twitched.

For him, this matter was nothing short of a nightmare.

He had once spent his life trying to prove the meaning of his existence.

Seeking the power he craved.

But the wars of the ninja world had allowed him to see through the fragility of life.

Especially regarding his student.

Nawaki.

Witnessing Nawaki's death by explosion with his own eyes had completely changed Orochimaru's way of thinking.

To obtain power.

First, one must obtain immortality.

The result.

Throughout this journey of displacement and wandering.

Because he had transferred his consciousness into too many bodies.

He became unable to withstand pure Sage Chakra.

And among the people he scouted, none had managed to master Sage Arts.

His dream collapsed in that moment.

Everything had become a pipe dream.

Until Chuan Yu appeared.

Orochimaru reshaped his dream.

"It seems you understand everything now..."

"To be granted great power is to be cast into eternal hell..."

"Come to my side..."

"And become one with me..."

Orochimaru let out a cackling laugh.

Immediately.

He reached his hand directly toward Chuan Yu.

"Blind Spirit Steel!"

The moment Orochimaru's left hand neared Chuan Yu.

A Mangekyo appeared, spinning into existence.

Suddenly, Orochimaru's body was locked down tight.

He could not move an inch.

Chuan Yu looked at Orochimaru with an expressionless face.

Then, he slowly took the Kusanagi sword from Orochimaru's hand.

"Greed knows no bounds..."

"A Snake Swallows Elephant!"

With a single slash.

Orochimaru's left hand was severed instantly.

However, in a flash.

Orochimaru suddenly opened his mouth wide.

Another version of himself transformed into a giant serpent and lunged out.

He pounced toward Chuan Yu with vicious intent.

He had never been this insane before!

"This eye of yours is the very thing I desire most!"

"Come, Chuan Yu!"

"Come!"

Chuan Yu tossed the Kusanagi sword aside.

He actually wanted to test something now.

Just how far his taijutsu had reached.

Facing the roaring Orochimaru.

Chuan Yu remained unhurried.

He dodged the attack with ease.

Grabbing a tree branch with his left hand, he spun and vaulted into the air.

Lightning instantly suffused the surface of his body.

His speed surged explosively.

He grabbed Orochimaru by the throat with his bare hand.

He plummeted downward with great force.

The ground kicked up a sky-filling cloud of dust.

Once the dust settled, a collapsed pit appeared in the earth.

Orochimaru slowly shifted his body and crawled to his feet.

He then chuckled as he twisted his crooked head back into place.

"Your strength truly exceeds my expectations..."

"It only makes me more impatient to obtain your body!"

Yakushi Kabuto, watching from the side, saw Orochimaru knocked to the ground.

Suddenly, he felt the urge to prove his worth.

At this point, he had not yet become Orochimaru's trusted confidant.

Chuan Yu understood his intentions well enough.

However, Yakushi Kabuto was clearly deluding himself.

Had he not seen Orochimaru just get flattened by me?

Yakushi Kabuto pulled a scalpel from his black robes and charged rapidly toward Chuan Yu.

Chuan Yu turned his head with a look of disdain.

A single punch landed squarely on Yakushi Kabuto's cheek.

Yakushi Kabuto winced in pain, yet he still swung the scalpel at Chuan Yu.

Chuan Yu's face showed clear impatience.

He lunged forward, closing the distance to Yakushi Kabuto's body in an instant.

He gripped his arm, turned, and applied force.

Snap...

"Ah...!!!"

"Urgh... ah...!!"

It was broken...

With his back to Yakushi Kabuto, Chuan Yu slowly released his arm.

He turned around!

He snatched the scalpel from his hand and kicked him hard in the stomach!

Yakushi Kabuto's eyes widened.

He spat out a mouthful of bile.

He was sent flying, slamming into a large tree.

Two scalpels whistled through the air.

The first pinned the left corner of Yakushi Kabuto's robe.

The second pinned the right corner.

With both arms shattered, Yakushi Kabuto closed his eyes in agony.

At this moment, he was nothing more than a piece of trash.

"Oh?"

"I missed..."

"My eyes aren't working well at such a close range."

"Forget it..."

Clapping his hands, Chuan Yu turned to leave.

"Are you truly unwilling to follow me?!"

Suddenly, Orochimaru's raspy voice came from behind.

"You and I share the same pursuit."

"It is only that you chose to take a turn halfway through..."

"And I have always been on that path."

Chuan Yu leapt up and vanished directly into the night.

Orochimaru watched his retreating figure, his brow furrowed tight.

He glanced at the Kusanagi sword embedded in the ground nearby.

He let out a helpless sigh.

"This child is truly different..."

He pulled the Kusanagi sword from the earth.

Suddenly, the voice of Yakushi Kabuto came from behind him.

Using the strength of his own legs, he had freed himself from the scalpels pinning him down.

After landing on the ground, Yakushi Kabuto shook his body.

Crack...

His arms snapped back into place instantly.

"Lord Orochimaru..."

"Are we just going to let him go like this?"

Orochimaru shook his head.

"Perhaps we have a better choice..."

"However, Kabuto..."

"Power is infinite..."

"And the pursuit of it can never be satisfied..."

"As long as the heart is governed by power..."

"One will inevitably become corrupted..."

Yakushi Kabuto nodded slowly.

He looked up at Orochimaru, his eyes filled with adoration.

"I understand..."

"Lord Orochimaru..."

"I will prove my worth..."

"And I will never forget my original intention..."