Orochimaru Pledges His Allegiance

"What is the Shinobi World going to face?"

Orochimaru frowned.

What exactly did this brat know?

Why did he sound so pessimistic?

"Quite a lot. So much that it'll be hard to keep up."

Uchiha Kei pointed toward the sky outside the window.

"Lord Orochimaru, what do you think the world beyond the sky is like?"

Orochimaru instinctively turned to look up at the sky.

"Probably a river-like galaxy, I suppose."

Orochimaru thought for a moment before answering.

Uchiha Kei looked at him in surprise.

To say something like that in an era when technology had barely advanced...

No wonder people thought Orochimaru was a freak.

Sometimes, having an instinct that went beyond your era wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"More or less. In that galaxy, do you think there are worlds like the Shinobi World?"

"Worlds like ours?"

Orochimaru didn't understand what he meant.

The question was far beyond his understanding.

"A world with people like ninjas, but far more powerful than we are."

Uchiha Kei sighed.

Takamagahara, where the Otsutsuki Clan lived.

Its fighters were far more powerful than those in the Shinobi World.

They weren't even on the same level.

Orochimaru frowned and pondered.

Although he hadn't spent much time with this brat,

he didn't think he was the sort to make things up.

If that was the case...

"I understand what you mean."

Orochimaru's expression turned serious.

This was nothing like a war in the Shinobi World. Even the fiercest war could do no more than kill a lot of people.

But the outsiders' purpose was anyone's guess.

Uchiha Kei wasn't surprised in the least by Orochimaru's intelligence.

If Orochimaru were a fool, could he really be the legendary Sannin?

"I'll help Itachi bring Konoha together. It has nothing to do with personal ties. Konoha needs a Hokage who dares to push forward."

"Lord Third..."

Uchiha Kei didn't finish. He only smiled and shook his head.

At the mention of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Orochimaru smiled too.

His expression was full of scorn.

"Lord Orochimaru..."

"Just call me Orochimaru."

Orochimaru waved a hand. "Now that I've joined you, there's no need to be so formal."

"Besides, I can sense a strong threat from you."

Orochimaru stared at Uchiha Kei.

From the moment Kei walked through the door, Orochimaru had been on edge.

He sensed a deadly threat from this brat.

If Kei wanted to, Orochimaru really might die!

Uchiha Kei smiled and slowly closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, his irises had transformed into concentric rings.

What kind of eyes were they?

Mysterious and powerful, with a deadly allure.

They seemed to contain the whole world!

"R-Rinnegan!"

Orochimaru staggered back several steps in shock.

How could he have the Sharingan!

How was that possible?

"Correct."

Uchiha Kei answered with a smile.

This was his first time using the Rinnegan in the Shinobi World.

It felt a little different from when he used it during the Space-Time Mission.

It was still incredibly powerful.

But it lacked that feeling of having everything under control.

Not bad.

"How do you have the Rinnegan?"

Orochimaru was unable to recover for a long time.

A child who looked eight or nine years old...

With the Sharingan...

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed!

Even if Uchiha Kei had shown him a Mangekyō Sharingan, he wouldn't have been this shocked.

"The Sharingan's ultimate evolution is the Rinnegan. What's so surprising about that?"

Uchiha Kei didn't want to dwell on the subject.

To be honest, Orochimaru now felt a touch of greed.

What a fine body.

If only he could have it...

But it was only a tiny flicker.

Orochimaru wasn't arrogant enough to think he could take on the legendary Rinnegan.

That wouldn't be confidence. It would be suicide.

"Are you willing to join us?"

Uchiha Kei didn't want to say more. He held out his hand again.

Orochimaru smiled and reached out as well.

One hand was small and tender, the other pale.

They clasped hands.

Shisui paced anxiously outside the wooden house.

It wasn't that he doubted Kei's strength.

It was just that Orochimaru was incredibly difficult to deal with.

Only Shisui knew how much effort it had taken to capture Orochimaru.

Even he had nearly failed to make it back.

Kei might have the Mangekyō Sharingan, but...

"Creak."

The wooden door swung open.

Shisui hurriedly looked toward the house.

When he saw who had come out, he let out a long breath.

"Kei."

Shisui walked over to Uchiha Kei, then suddenly stopped.

He saw the person behind Kei.

Orochimaru!

"Swish!"

A Shuriken appeared in his hand in an instant, and the Mangekyō Sharingan flashed into view in both eyes.

"Relax, Shisui."

Uchiha Kei smiled and gently held Shisui back.

"Orochimaru is one of us now."

Shisui glanced at Orochimaru in surprise, then smiled too.

This was Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, a renowned figure in the Third Shinobi World War.

Though Orochimaru's reputation was terrible...

"Orochimaru can't show his face in Konoha right now. Shisui, what do you think of Twilight Ninja Village?"

Shisui thought for a moment. "The village that the Yang Organization destroyed?"

Through Itachi, he'd gotten a basic understanding of Uchiha Kei's mission.

He also knew a little about Twilight Ninja Village and the Yang Organization.

"That's right. That's the place."

Uchiha Kei rose onto his toes and patted Shisui on the shoulder.

"It'll become our strongest support."

Shisui looked puzzled.

"We're going to build a faction outside the village?"

Did that mean they were going to betray the village?

For a moment, Shisui hesitated to speak.

The village might shun the Uchiha Clan, but...

Konoha was still their home.

"More or less."

Uchiha Kei turned to look at Orochimaru behind him.

"But that doesn't mean we're betraying the village."

"You shouldn't keep all your eggs in one basket, right, Shisui?"

Shisui furrowed his brow.

Then he relaxed.

Kei often did things that were hard to understand.

But Itachi had said Kei was someone he could trust.

He must have a reason for doing this.

"Shisui, take Orochimaru to Twilight Ninja Village."

Orochimaru chuckled.

"Uchiha Shisui, I look forward to working with you."

Shisui shrugged.

He'd leave the scheming to Kei and Itachi. It wasn't his strength.

As the two of them walked farther and farther away, Uchiha Kei stretched lazily.

The most crucial move in his plan was already in place.

And it seemed to have gone smoothly.

From here on, he only needed to follow the plan.

"I've done just about everything I can for now."

"Next, all that's left is to wait for the story to unfold..."

Uchiha Kei gazed at the dense forest.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves and fell across his face.

A youthful face, a lean frame, and...

a confident smile at the corner of his mouth.