Chapter 24

"You want to use Impure World Reincarnation to summon the Fourth now? That's like snatching food from the Reaper's mouth. Do you think you can even summon him?"

Orochimaru: "..."

He truly hadn't known about that.

Though he did know a little about the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, Orochimaru had never figured out the specific details. "That's it?"

Uchiha Yi raised a brow, his voice laden with disappointment.

Orochimaru's gaze darkened. "What, do you really want to kill me?"

If this guy truly intended to kill him, then he could only risk his life and fight.

In truth, he knew the Eight Branches Technique wasn't unusable. The problem was that its cost was too great.

Once he used that technique, his body would rapidly fall apart.

And he had no suitable vessel to switch to right now. Trying to take Uchiha Yi's body was simply wishful thinking.

Orochimaru's mind was a mess. Put simply, there was only one question—how could he escape alive after running into someone as absurdly powerful as Uchiha Yi?

Need advice, urgently.

Uchiha Yi shook his head. "Don't worry, I won't touch you. But..."

He paused, and just as Orochimaru relaxed slightly, his whole body tensed again.

In the blink of an eye, Uchiha Yi used Flying Raijin to appear right in front of him.

Orochimaru's pupils contracted sharply. He had no time to react.

A chakra blade flashed, cleanly severing both his arms. "Orochimaru, this is the price for not following the rules."

"But I keep my word. Take Sasuke however you like."

As soon as he finished speaking, Uchiha Yi vanished, leaving behind only Orochimaru's agonized screams.

Uchiha Yi had used the power of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan in that strike.

Orochimaru had been utterly unable to dodge. Both arms had been truly severed.

Even worse, a strange power lingered on the wounds, making them impossible to heal by any means.

That power kept tearing at the wounds, making his entire body tremble with pain.

This had actually been part of Uchiha Yi's plan all along.

If Orochimaru failed to stop the Third from using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, he could get away unscathed.

But if Orochimaru swallowed Sasuke, Sasuke would never become the second pillar.

Although Indra's chakra was inside Sasuke, and the old man of the Six Paths might be watching in secret.

Who could guarantee that old man would consider Orochimaru swallowing Sasuke's soul a problem?

Uchiha Yi had spent a long time with Sasuke, and he did care about him to some extent.

It wasn't some life-and-death friendship, but he absolutely could not allow Orochimaru to swallow Sasuke like food.

So no matter what, Orochimaru's hands had to be crippled.

It was just that Uchiha Yi would be the one wielding the blade.

Just as Orochimaru had relaxed a little, Uchiha Yi suddenly moved again.

His figure flickered, and he appeared before Orochimaru using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Orochimaru's eyes widened, but he had no time to react.

Uchiha Yi formed a chakra blade in his hand and brought it down, cleanly cutting off both of Orochimaru's arms. "Orochimaru, this is the price of breaking our agreement."

His tone was calm, as though he were commenting on the pleasant weather. "But I'm a man of my word. Take Sasuke if you want."

With that, Uchiha Yi vanished completely.

Only Orochimaru's shrill screams remained.

Uchiha Yi had used the power of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan in that slash.

Orochimaru could not evade it at all. Both arms were severed outright.

Moreover, a special power clung to the wounds. Even medical ninjutsu would never reattach his hands.

That power kept destroying the wounds, cold sweat pouring over Orochimaru's body from the pain.

Uchiha Yi had planned this from the start.

If Orochimaru did not stop the Third from using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, then he could still escape unharmed.

But if Orochimaru got his hands on Sasuke, how would Sasuke ever evolve into the second pillar?

Though Indra's chakra protected Sasuke from within, and the old man of the Six Paths might be watching in secret.

Who knew whether, in the eyes of the Six Paths, Sasuke's soul and Orochimaru's soul would be any different?

At the end of the day, Uchiha Yi did have feelings for Sasuke.

After being together for so many years, it would be a lie to say he felt nothing.

Though they were not close enough to die for one another, he could not simply watch Orochimaru swallow Sasuke.

So no matter what, Orochimaru's hands were bound to be ruined sooner or later.

It was just that Uchiha Yi had become the one to do it.

Even without the Third's incident, he would have found an opportunity to make a move.

If Orochimaru had known all this, he probably would have cried himself to death.

Unfortunately, he did not know. He only assumed that breaking their agreement had enraged Uchiha Yi.

Orochimaru endured the excruciating pain and stared in the direction Uchiha Yi had vanished, his eyes filled with bone-deep hatred.

From that moment on, Uchiha Yi had successfully replaced Uchiha Itachi as Orochimaru's number one enemy.

After leaving, Uchiha Yi did not return to Konoha himself. He only sent a Shadow Clone Technique back.

When the Shadow Clone arrived in Konoha, it did not seek out the Third. Instead, it went straight to Kakashi.

The Third was receiving treatment. Though Orochimaru had not killed him, after all that, his body was likely...

After all, he was getting old. "You said you found something special in the Land of Snow and can't come back for now?"

Kakashi looked at Uchiha Yi before him, his brow deeply furrowed. "Yes. It's important, so I need to stay a few more days."

"What could be so important?"

"I can't say. I can only report it to the Third."

"Not even to me?" Kakashi was somewhat surprised.

He noticed that Uchiha Yi had not called him Grandpa Third, but simply the Third, and knew this matter had to be serious.

Seeing that Uchiha Yi's Shadow Clone remained silent, he did not press further. "How long can this Shadow Clone last?"

"Not long. The original body needs a large amount of chakra, so it can hold on for ten minutes at most."

Ten minutes definitely would not be enough for the Third to wake up. This injury had dealt too severe a blow to him.

Kakashi was troubled, but he knew Uchiha Yi was not someone who spoke nonsense.

Since he dared to say this, it had to be something major. "Do you need a hand?"

Kakashi weighed it for a few seconds before asking.

Konoha was a mess right now, but if it truly involved something important, he did not mind making a trip to the Land of Snow. "No!"

Uchiha Yi's Shadow Clone waved a hand. "Kakashi-sensei, please don't send reinforcements. This matter is too significant. Not the slightest rumor can get out."

"Once the old Third wakes up, you can only report it to him alone."

"And don't tell anyone you saw me. I kept this return extremely secret. I didn't alert anyone."

What kind of huge trouble had he gotten into that he was acting so furtively?

Kakashi's heart skipped a beat, but he still nodded. "All right. I'll remember."

"Good. I'm leaving, then. I'll send the news from here back to the original body."

As soon as he finished speaking, Uchiha Yi's Shadow Clone dispersed with a poof.

Kakashi stared at where he had disappeared, a complicated expression flashing across his face. "Konoha barely survived this disaster, and now something else is about to happen?"

"It really never ends..."

Elsewhere, in the Land of Snow, Uchiha Yi's original body received the information sent back by the Shadow Clone, and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously. "Heh, looks like I'm pretty good at bluffing. Kakashi's a clever guy, yet I still had him running in circles."

Uchiha Yi was feeling quite pleased with himself.

Kakashi might always look half-asleep and lazy.

But could someone who became the Sixth Hokage possibly be simple?

Tricking him took some skill. "All right, the future Sixth is now in the ditch because of me. Next..."

Uchiha Yi shifted his gaze to the huge boulder before him, amusement entering his eyes.

He held a grand plan in his hands—a grand plan specifically meant to fool people!

The idea had popped into his mind a few days ago, when he happened upon this massive rock in the Land of Snow.

Well then, the Great Deception Technique was officially underway!

A few days later, Uchiha Yi prepared to return to Konoha.

But honestly, it did not matter whether he returned or not.

With his Flying Raijin, traveling from Konoha to the Land of Snow took only a few blinks.

Once he told that to Koyuki, the girl was overjoyed.

In fact, when Uchiha Yi had returned after dealing with Orochimaru before, Koyuki had already been stunned, unable to hide the delight on her face.

So after learning that he could casually slip back to the Land of Snow whenever he wanted, she had nothing left to worry about.

Right now, all her attention was on developing Chakra Armor.

That thing was useless to Uchiha Yi, but for others, it was an entirely different matter.

If the Land of Snow could sell Chakra Armor as a product, the profits would definitely be substantial.

Uchiha Yi agreed with that.

However, in order to set up that grand game—that Great Deception Technique scheme—he had to return to Konoha.

And this time, he had to travel back the normal way.

Even so, Uchiha Yi only took two days to reach his destination.

But to his surprise, as he neared Konoha's gates, he ran into an old acquaintance—

Uchiha Itachi.

Itachi suddenly appeared at the edge of the forest, and Uchiha Yi froze for a moment.

But on second thought, it made sense. After the Orochimaru affair, this guy really had slipped back once.

Tch, a textbook little-brother-obsessed freak—he would take a detour just to see his silly younger brother. Even the Third Hokage could not stop him.

That was just Uchiha Itachi. "Well, well, what a rare guest!"

Uchiha Yi smiled and raised a hand in greeting.

Itachi gave him an expressionless glance, his voice flat. "You finally showed yourself."

"So Mr. Itachi has been squatting here for almost a week just to block this little brat?"

Little brat?

I can't hold back my temper anymore!

Uchiha Yi turned his head, his gaze snapping onto Kisame. "Heh heh, kid, you've got quite a fierce look in your eyes. But glaring at me like that isn't a wise choice."

"Oh, is that so?"

Itachi's pupils suddenly shrank. "Kisame, watch out—"

Unfortunately, he was half a beat too slow!

Uchiha Yi flashed forward and appeared directly before Kisame, then sent him flying with a boom of a kick.

Like a cannonball, Kisame crashed through a row of trees and landed deep in the forest. "All right, the irrelevant people have been cleared out. Itachi, what do you want with me?"

"You awakened it?"

A trace of shock flashed through Itachi's eyes. Uchiha Yi's eyes had clearly opened into the Mangekyo Sharingan.

As he kicked Kisame away, he had already revealed his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and casually hit Kisame with a Tsukuyomi: Illusion Realm.

Kisame's consciousness had completely sunk into the illusion, unable to pull free. Even after Uchiha Yi kicked him, he remained like a wooden puppet, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Uchiha Yi's technique was called Tsukuyomi: Illusion Realm. Forget Kisame himself—even with Samehada on his back, he would never be able to break this genjutsu.