Truly Terrifying Eyes

"Are you alright?"

Shisui landed beside Hayato, his gaze scanning the sea of fire before them with vigilance as he spoke.

"I'm fine."

Hayato remained frozen in place, only managing to respond after a long moment.

This technique might have looked like a mere combination of two C-rank ninjutsu, but the power it unleashed was enough to rival some B-rank techniques.

However, the very next instant, Hayato's pupils constricted, and he grabbed Shisui, leaping backward.

BOOM—

A hurricane, defying all logic, blew the sea of fire away, revealing a figure standing in its wake, his gaze fixed on Hayato with a sinister glint.

"Heh, quite impressive power. For a Chunin to achieve this, you have every right to be proud."

Feeling the stinging burn on his skin, Orochimaru said calmly.

He hadn't been able to escape just now because the brat before him had unleashed a genjutsu once again.

"The Sharingan, truly a gift from the heavens."

At that thought, greed began to well up in Orochimaru's eyes; at this moment, he found Hayato's Sharingan even more alluring than Shisui's.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

The next moment, Orochimaru's figure vanished from where he stood, flickering instantly to appear before Hayato and Shisui. Several long snakes shot out, their hideous fangs bared in a truly chilling display.

Hayato and Shisui swung their ninja blades in unison, hacking the incoming snakes to pieces.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Orochimaru's cheeks puffed out, and he spat out a gale of wind, determined to blow everything before him away.

Hayato and Shisui were thrown off balance by the violent gust, which was exactly what Orochimaru wanted.

Orochimaru's upper body swayed, and he lunged toward the two of them like a serpent.

The Sharingan!

He was determined to obtain it!

His hands transformed into venomous snakes, their wide-open maws revealing fangs.

The Sharingan's kinetic vision allowed Hayato to see every one of Orochimaru's movements clearly, even the greed in his eyes laid bare.

Hayato took a deep breath, mobilizing all his chakra, and raised his ninja blade to strike.

He then used the momentum of the clash to retreat and dodge.

Orochimaru was not at all surprised by this, already wielding the Kusanagi Sword as he slashed toward Hayato.

Clang! Clang!

The two traded blows at blinding speed, Hayato's Sharingan spinning frantically.

Is this the strength of a Kage?

No, a Kage's strength must be far greater than this. It must be that Orochimaru was injured by the Anbu earlier, and he wants to capture the Sharingan without damaging it.

If he had unleashed true Kage-level power from the start, even with two Three-Tomoe Sharingans, he and Shisui might not have been able to hold him off.

"As expected of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, it really is convenient." Orochimaru swung his blade again, forcing Shisui back, and said coldly.

"Konoha Whirlwind!"

Hayato seized the opening and delivered a heavy kick toward Orochimaru.

Slap!

Orochimaru raised his arm to block, his eyes peering from behind his limb as his lips curled into a smirk.

Not good!

With a bang, Orochimaru's fist slammed into Hayato's face. A massive force made Hayato's head ring, and he was sent flying.

Such powerful taijutsu!

Hayato's body soared through the air, his pupils trembling uncontrollably.

"Evil Snake Wrist Explosion!"

Orochimaru had already finished his hand seals with lightning speed. A cloud of smoke erupted, and several giant snakes appeared, lunging toward Shisui and Hayato.

Flying in mid-air, Hayato had no leverage, watching helplessly as the giant snakes opened their maws to strike him.

"Explode!"

Orochimaru held his index and middle fingers together, a cruel smile on his face as he detonated the giant snakes.

"Hayato!"

Seeing this, Shisui couldn't help but shout out loud.

BOOM!

A massive explosion and flames engulfed Hayato's body, leaving Shisui staring at the scene in disbelief.

The words Hayato had spoken before coming here couldn't help but surface in his mind. If only—if only he had listened to Hayato, he wouldn't have ended up like this!

It was him, he was the one who had caused this!

A surge of extreme regret stirred the chakra within Shisui's mind.

Shisui's Sharingan spun frantically, and as he watched the giant snake lunging toward him, a powerful wave of chakra erupted outward.

Orochimaru, who had been wearing a bloodthirsty smile, saw his expression change drastically as he whipped his head toward Shisui.

Swish!

With a flick of his wrist, Shisui used his broken katana to sever the giant snake. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun wildly, gradually coalescing into a continuous pattern.

A ripple of ocular power followed, causing Orochimaru's heart to skip a beat.

"Orochimaru! I will take you down with my own hands!"

Shisui looked up, his face filled with fury.

"This kind of eye!"

Orochimaru wore an expression of astonishment; he had never seen such a thing on an Uchiha before, yet a feeling of growing greed began to dominate his mind.

So—so there really was a stage beyond the three-tomoe Sharingan!

Right now, Shisui's eyes were even more alluring to Orochimaru than Hayato's.

"Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!"

Poof!

A massive cloud of smoke exploded, and Orochimaru's figure was hoisted up by a colossal silhouette.

"Orochimaru, you summoned me—"

Manda glanced at Orochimaru, and just as he was about to demand his sacrifice, Orochimaru stomped his foot. "Don't speak yet. Deal with this guy in front of us. Get me his eyes, and I'll prepare a hundred sacrifices for you."

Hearing this, Manda's beastly pupils turned toward the figure below.

He froze for a moment.

"Uchiha."

In an instant, there was nothing else in Manda's mind, only a sea of blood.

Hm?

Orochimaru was stunned. Manda was a summoning beast from Ryuchi Cave; it shouldn't have been so easily affected by a genjutsu.

A whistling sound rang out behind Orochimaru. Shisui's figure had already vanished from his original spot, and the broken katana in his hand thrust downward with force.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!"

Wind-natured chakra gathered in Orochimaru's mouth, shooting toward Shisui like bullets.

Shisui, however, ignored the high-speed, explosive Vacuum Bullets, letting them pass directly through his body.

Hm?

Orochimaru watched this scene in disbelief, for he realized that the Vacuum Bullets hadn't hit their mark—they had passed through an afterimage!

Squelch!

A broken katana pierced straight through Orochimaru's chest, and Shisui's figure was already standing behind him.

"Did no one ever tell you not to look directly into an Uchiha's Sharingan?"

Having just awakened the Mangekyo, Shisui hadn't yet grasped many of its abilities, but one thing was certain: the enhancement to his genjutsu was far from minor.

"Truly a terrifying pair of eyes."

Orochimaru opened his mouth and spat out these words.

As the words fell, Shisui sensed something was wrong. Then, Orochimaru's entire mouth split open, a hand reached out from within, and he shot rapidly toward the ground.

The controlled Manda dissipated, and a towering cloud of white mist instantly obscured Shisui's vision.