Danger! Orochi Attacks! / Kill Shisui and Help You Awaken Your Eyes

In the darkness, a pair of scarlet eyes slowly closed.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

Uchiha Mo had completed his Genjutsu instruction for Kurenai. During that month, he had also taken Team 8 out on their second mission.

The days were peaceful, yet Mo found it deeply unsettling.

Could Danzo and Orochimaru's meeting not have been about him at all, but merely a straightforward collaboration?

Throughout the month, he had scarcely let Shisui leave his sight. Yet after half a month had passed, neither of them had discovered the slightest anomaly.

Then, unable to contain themselves any longer, the members of Team 8 clamored to take on another mission.

After giving it some thought, Mo felt that this might have been Danzo's plan all along.

So, during a C-rank bandit suppression mission, Mo and Shisui remained on full alert from start to finish, prepared for an attack at any moment. Yet even after returning to the Hidden Leaf, they had sensed nothing unusual. Not even Clairvoyance had caught the slightest trace of Root.

He was puzzled. Had Danzo truly given up?

After all, leaving the village was unquestionably the best opportunity to strike. But when Mo saw Asuma strutting at the front of the team with a pair of Flying Swallows in hand, he hesitated.

Perhaps Danzo simply did not want to provoke Hiruzen Sarutobi?

And so, one morning a month later, just as Mo was about to lower his guard for the time being, something changed...

Danger! The Great Snake Attacks!

The two brothers had just entered the small forest. Mo had only just placed the spare replacement target he had prepared for the shuriken training grounds on the ground when he instantly sensed that something was wrong.

Quiet... It was too quiet!

At this time of day, the dense woods around the Naka River should have been full of birdsong, with crows occasionally flapping past... But now, apart from the rushing sound of the river, Mo could no longer hear anything at all.

He rose and made a hand signal toward Shisui. Shisui immediately understood and nodded, but before he could react, four figures concealed beneath black robes burst from the forest in the southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast!

Ten—Monkey—Snake—Rabbit—Tiger

"Four Violet Flames Formation!" ×4

As their voices fell, a square purple barrier instantly rose, enclosing an open area hundreds of meters wide around the two of them!

Then, within the barrier, four smaller square barriers rose at its corners, shielding the four black-robed figures inside.

Uchiha Mo's eyes narrowed. He flashed in front of Shisui and stared warily upward.

Following his gaze, a figure swiftly descended from the sky, crashing into the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Mo-kun... What sharp senses. You nearly got away."

Accompanied by a hoarse male voice, the figure gradually stepped out of the smoke.

Skin pale to an unnatural degree, narrow golden vertical pupils, purple eyeshadow extending all the way to the sides of his nose—without question, the man before them was one of the legendary Sannin...

"Orochimaru?!" Shisui cried out in shock after seeing the man's face, swiftly placing a hand on the short blade behind his back.

"Brother, run! They're only after me! I'll hold them off!"

As he spoke, a tomoe emerged in his wide eyes, and he stepped forward.

"Stop causing trouble!"

Mo glanced at Shisui beside him, grabbed him by the collar, and directly flung him behind himself.

The Four Violet Flames Formation... Against this barrier, an ordinary ninja could not possibly escape without defeating the enemy.

"That expression... It seems Mo-kun knows this technique..." Orochimaru extended his tongue and licked the corner of his mouth, gazing at Uchiha Mo with interest.

Mo calmly looked at Orochimaru, his right hand settling on the hilt at his waist.

"Whoosh—"

"Cut the useless talk. Danzo's one-eyed mongrel sends a worthless snake to kill me? Once I peel off your scales, I'll chop that mongrel to pieces and feed him to the summoning beasts."

Futsunomitama left its sheath. Mo gripped the long sword tightly, lowering his body slightly as three black tomoe slowly turned within his eye sockets. He watched the man before him warily.

Though his words were full of disdain, the man before him was still Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. Moreover, he had not yet created a weakness to Genjutsu through Living Corpse Reincarnation. He was at the absolute peak of his strength.

"Don't be so agitated, Mo-kun."

A curve lifted at the corner of Orochimaru's mouth. "We do not necessarily have to do this. Since you saw that Danzo sent me, you should understand that I personally bear you no ill will."

"And there's no need to rush. To ensure nothing goes wrong, Danzo spent an entire month preparing. Whether it's the ANBU or the Sensory Unit... no one will notice this place now. We can take our time and play."

As he spoke, Orochimaru extended his scarlet, slender tongue once more.

Mo stared expressionlessly at Orochimaru without responding. He merely held Futsunomitama horizontally before him, his sharp eyes fixed on Orochimaru. His meaning was obvious.

"Hehe~ So impatient. Fine, then... I'll play with you!"

As his words fell, Orochimaru charged fiercely at Uchiha Mo.

He reached out with his right hand toward Uchiha Mo from afar. "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Orochimaru's right arm instantly transformed into a grotesque, thick serpent that lunged toward Mo with its jaws wide open!

Mo had been prepared. The tomoe in his eyes slowly revolved as he suddenly tightened his grip around Futsunomitama.

Boom!

Amid the strange roar of erupting flames, the entire blade of Futsunomitama instantly turned scarlet. Uchiha Mo held the sword in a reverse grip, bent forward, and thrust ahead, its sharp edge slashing through the serpent's gaping bloody maw.

"Slash—"

White smoke rose as the giant snake was instantly cut into two pieces. Orochimaru drew back his shoulder, and as the snake hand retracted, it returned to a normal arm.

"So this is the ninjutsu you created yourself? It truly is extraordinary."

As he spoke, Orochimaru licked the corner of his lips. A ninja blade of unknown origin appeared in his left hand, and he hacked down at Uchiha Mo's shoulder!

"Clang!"

Sparks flew as tremendous force crashed down. Mo held Futsunomitama in a reverse grip against his arm, bending his legs slightly before barely blocking the strike.

"Heh!" Orochimaru grinned at the sight. With a twist of his right hand, another kunai appeared, stabbing straight toward Mo's forehead!

The three tomoe in Mo's eyes spun. He sharply tilted the straight blade in his right hand and lightly pushed off to the side with his legs.

"Clang—"

Sparks scraped along Futsunomitama's edge. Propelled by the force of Orochimaru's slash and his own leg strength, Mo's entire body instantly rose into the air and spun!

The next instant, Orochimaru's kunai struck empty air, while Uchiha Mo's legs instantly landed on his shoulders, carrying Mo above him.

"What swift reactions! What fluid movements!" Orochimaru's golden pupils trembled.

Mo swiftly shifted Futsunomitama into a proper grip and viciously slashed at the neck below him!

"Clang!"

The blade was only inches from his neck, but at the crucial moment, a kunai firmly blocked it.

Orochimaru was Orochimaru, after all. His fundamental abilities far surpassed Mo's current ones. Despite being at a disadvantage, he still effortlessly intercepted Mo's killing strike with even greater speed.

"Hehe~ Mo-kun, you are simply too incredi—"

"Screech—!"

Before he could finish, a piercing eagle cry suddenly rang out. Intense lightning replaced the scarlet glow, blooming across the gleaming blade in an instant!

Immediately afterward...

"Slash—!"

The kunai stood no chance against Futsunomitama's Chidori Blade. It was cut through instantly like tofu, and in the next moment, the blade flashed like lightning into Orochimaru's neck!

Blood splattered. Mo remained expressionless, the three tomoe in his eyes slowly turning as though he had already seen Orochimaru's head fly into the air.

But just as Futsunomitama was about to sever his entire head, the terror on Orochimaru's face suddenly froze. Then, his entire body lost its color and swiftly became a mud-and-stone statue!

Earth Substitute!

"Hidden Shadow Multiple Snake Hands!"

A hoarse male voice sounded from behind him. Uchiha Mo hurriedly turned, intending to slash Futsunomitama backward, but at that moment, the mud-and-stone statue suddenly hardened, firmly trapping Futsunomitama at the center of its neck!

"Hisss—"

In an instant, several giant snakes tightly coiled around Mo's entire body!

Kill Shisui, and I'll Help You Awaken Your Eyes

"Wonderful. Are you really only ten years old? I truly want to cut you open and examine your body!"

Orochimaru's golden vertical pupils stared fixedly at the youth before him. The amazement on his face was completely undisguised, and because of that, the greed in his gaze was especially striking.

Although he had now completely gained the upper hand, the scenes from their battle continued to replay in Orochimaru's mind. Orochimaru himself was a genius, but only now did he understand what a true genius was.

"So this is the power of the Sharingan, the Uchiha bloodline that countless ordinary ninja can never surpass no matter how hard they work! I think I understand why Danzo is so obsessed with these eyes!"

Orochimaru licked the corner of his lips again, his greedy gaze falling upon Uchiha Mo—or rather, upon those indifferent eyes.

"Brother!"

At the side, Shisui immediately showed an anxious expression when he saw Uchiha Mo captured by Orochimaru. He placed his hand on the hilt of the short blade behind his back and charged toward Orochimaru.

"Brother! Don't worry, I'll save you!"

Orochimaru glanced at the young Uchiha child with a bored expression. But when he turned and saw the ever-expressionless Uchiha Mo furrow his brow slightly, a cruel smile suddenly appeared on his face.

His lips curved upward, and his hoarse voice carried intense anticipation.

"I read some records. Three Tomoe apparently are not the limit of the Sharingan. Legend says there is an even more powerful Sharingan beyond them!"

"..."

"Mo-kun... With your talent, if I kill your younger brother, do you think you could evolve that legendary Sharingan?"

As his words fell, relying on the python tightly coiled around Uchiha Mo, Orochimaru could clearly sense his breathing halt before becoming heavier. His entire body stiffened as well.

Staring at Mo's calm face, Orochimaru grinned.

The method for awakening the Sharingan was no secret. Although Uchiha Mo had remained expressionless, that seemed more like a way to deceive Orochimaru and protect Shisui. His instinctive physical reactions had already exposed his true emotions.

Combined with the talent Uchiha Mo had displayed, Orochimaru was certain that if the Sharingan truly possessed a more powerful evolved form, then after he killed Shisui, Uchiha Mo would definitely be able to awaken it!

While he was thinking, Shisui's rushing footsteps had already reached him.

Orochimaru's tongue swept across his lips. Scarlet light suddenly flashed through his eyes, and then, baring his teeth, he abruptly raised his ninja blade, turned, and slashed at Shisui like lightning!

"Slash!"

"Clang—!"

"What?!!!"

Sparks burst as the ninja blade was firmly blocked. Under Orochimaru's astonished gaze, the Shisui before him suddenly exploded into a cloud of smoke, transforming into an Uchiha far more familiar to Orochimaru!

Uchiha Mo wore a mocking smile. One hand held a kunai that blocked Orochimaru's slash, while the tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly. He violently thrust his other hand, which had remained hidden behind his back due to his sword-drawing posture, at Orochimaru!

"Fire Style: Scarlet Scorch!"

It was not over. At that same moment, a dazzling flash of lightning burst from the earth behind Orochimaru, accompanied by the cry of Chidori!

"Screech—!"

"Chidori!"

In that instant, Orochimaru held one Uchiha Mo in his right hand, while the ninja blade in his left was pinned by a kunai. At the same time, two fatal ninjutsu attacked from his side and rear!

Even Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, completely panicked when faced with such a situation. He hurriedly opened his mouth, intending to do something.

But at that very moment! The "Uchiha Mo" still restrained by Hidden Shadow Multiple Snake Hands suddenly lifted the corner of his mouth in a mocking curve.

Then, Orochimaru felt his right hand go empty. That "Uchiha Mo" instantly transformed into a mass of lightning and shot onto his body.