On an endless grassy plain.
Orochimaru's silhouette appeared beneath the moonlight.
"Lord Orochimaru..."
"Uchiha Chuanyu is here..."
He took off his cloak.
The face revealed beneath it belonged to Yakushi Kabuto.
He slowly turned around.
Orochimaru looked at Chuan Yu, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, and an excited expression spread across his face.
"I never thought you'd actually succeed..."
Chuan Yu was unimpressed.
His cold smile said it all.
"Did you come to see me tonight just to say that?"
Originally,
he had received word
that Iwagakure and Sand would take action against Konoha.
Tonight.
But just before they were about to set out,
the operation was canceled.
When Chuan Yu saw Yakushi Kabuto, he naturally understood everything.
Being a spy was the symbol of his identity.
Yakushi Kabuto must have told Orochimaru
that he was the leader of this mission.
"The Uchiha upheaval..."
"Though it seems they've returned to the right path..."
"it's not secure..."
"Itachi has already left Konoha..."
"I think you could consider it, too..."
"Is there anything left in Konoha worth staying for?"
The raspy voice was exactly as he remembered.
After all these years,
Orochimaru still hadn't changed.
He wanted Chuan Yu to leave Konoha and join him.
What made him think he could?
He drew the Kusanagi Sword from his back.
He toyed with it in his palm for a while.
"I heard a few things from Ryūchi Cave."
Chuan Yu smiled at Orochimaru.
Then he tossed the Kusanagi Sword straight at him.
Orochimaru caught it with his left hand, his brows furrowing slightly.
"You must be the first person to earn the White Snake Sage's recognition in Ryūchi Cave."
"Too bad..."
"you only got Manda's Summoning Contract."
Orochimaru's heart suddenly clenched.
To him, this matter had been a nightmare.
He had once been desperate to prove the meaning of his existence,
and to obtain the power he longed for.
But the wars in the Ninja World had opened his eyes to how fragile life was.
Especially when it came to his own student,
Nawaki.
Witnessing Nawaki's death firsthand had completely changed Orochimaru's outlook.
To gain power,
he first had to gain eternal life.
But then,
after all the twists and turns along the way,
he had changed bodies too many times,
and could no longer withstand pure Senjutsu Chakra.
Nor had any of the people he'd selected ultimately learned Senjutsu.
At that moment, his dream had collapsed.
Everything had become nothing but wishful thinking.
Until Chuan Yu appeared.
Orochimaru had rebuilt his dream.
"So you understand everything..."
"To be endowed with great power is to be cast into hell for eternity..."
"Come to my side..."
"Become one with me..."
Orochimaru cackled.
Then,
he reached straight for Chuan Yu.
"Blind Spirit Steel!"
The instant Orochimaru's left hand neared Chuan Yu,
the Mangekyo spun into view.
Orochimaru's body was immediately locked in place.
He couldn't move.
Chuan Yu stared at Orochimaru expressionlessly.
Then he slowly took the Kusanagi Sword from Orochimaru's hand.
"Your greed knows no bounds..."
"Snake Swallows Elephant!"
He swung his sword.
Orochimaru's left hand was severed in an instant.
But soon,
Orochimaru suddenly opened his mouth wide.
Another version of himself, transformed into a giant snake, shot out.
It lunged viciously at Chuan Yu.
He had never been this crazed before!
"That eye of yours is what I want most!"
"Come on, Chuan Yu!"
"Come on!"
Chuan Yu tossed the Kusanagi Sword aside.
Now, he wanted to see
just how far his Taijutsu had come.
Facing Orochimaru as he charged with a roar,
Chuan Yu stayed calm.
He easily dodged the attack.
His left hand caught a tree branch, and he spun into the air.
Lightning immediately spread across his body.
His speed surged.
He grabbed Orochimaru by the throat with his bare hand.
Then he drove him down with force.
Dust billowed across the ground.
When it cleared,
a sunken pit had appeared in the earth.
Orochimaru slowly moved and climbed to his feet.
Then, grinning, he straightened his crooked head.
"Your strength is truly beyond my expectations..."
"That only makes me more eager to take your body!"
Yakushi Kabuto saw Orochimaru knocked to the ground.
Suddenly, he wanted to prove himself.
He hadn't yet become one of Orochimaru's trusted followers.
Chuan Yu could understand how he felt.
But Yakushi Kabuto was clearly deluding himself.
Didn't he see that I'd already beaten Orochimaru down?
Yakushi Kabuto pulled a scalpel from his black robe and charged at Chuan Yu.
Chuan Yu glanced back disdainfully.
His fist struck Yakushi Kabuto's cheek.
Kabuto winced in pain.
But he still swung his scalpel at Chuan Yu.
Chuan Yu looked distinctly impatient.
With a quick step, he closed in on Kabuto.
He grabbed Kabuto's arm, turned, and wrenched it hard.
Crack...
"Ah...!!!"
"Ugh... ah...!!"
It was broken...
With his back to Yakushi Kabuto,
Chuan Yu slowly released his arm.
He turned around!
He snatched the scalpel from Kabuto's hand.
Then kicked him in the stomach!
Yakushi Kabuto's eyes went wide.
He vomited bitter fluid everywhere.
Then he crashed into a tree.
Two scalpels flew through the air.
The first pinned the left side of Kabuto's clothes to the tree.
The second pinned the right side.
Both arms were broken.
Yakushi Kabuto shut his eyes in pain.
At that moment, he felt utterly useless.
"Oh?"
"I missed..."
"I can't even hit the mark when he's this close."
"Forget it..."
Chuan Yu dusted off his hands.
Then he turned to leave.
"You really refuse to follow me?!"
Orochimaru's raspy voice suddenly came from behind him.
"We're after the same thing."
"You just took a detour along the way..."
"But I've always been walking that path."
Chuan Yu leaped into the air and vanished into the night.
Orochimaru watched him go, his brow furrowing.
He looked at the Kusanagi Sword stuck in the ground nearby.
He sighed helplessly.
"This child really is different..."
He pulled the Kusanagi Sword free.
Suddenly, Yakushi Kabuto's voice came from behind him.
Using the strength in his legs, he freed himself from the restraints of the surgical blades.
Once he landed on the ground,
Yakushi Kabuto shook his body.
Crack...
His arms snapped back into place.
"Lord Orochimaru..."
"Are you really going to let him go?"
Orochimaru shook his head.
"Perhaps we have a better option..."
"But, Kabuto..."
"Power is endless..."
"And the desire for it can never be satisfied..."
"As long as your heart is ruled by power..."
"You, too, will fall into depravity..."
Yakushi Kabuto slowly nodded.
He looked up at Orochimaru, his eyes filled with admiration.
"I understand..."
"Lord Orochimaru..."
"I'll prove my worth..."
"And I'll never forget my original purpose..."
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