Orochimaru had only just defected to Shin Uchiha's side, so he could hardly be called loyal.
Yet the first task Shin Uchiha had given him was to approach that killing machine, Madara Uchiha. One wrong move, and he would die a gruesome death.
Although Orochimaru had ways to resurrect himself, he still felt deeply reluctant.
But this was the first task Shin had assigned him. If he refused, getting along afterward would become rather difficult.
At that thought, Orochimaru's expression shifted several times.
Just as Orochimaru was about to grit his teeth and agree, however, he heard Shin Uchiha chuckle.
Shin Uchiha naturally had no intention of making things difficult for Orochimaru, whom he had only just recruited. Seeing his troubled expression, he smiled and said:
"Of course, since I'm sending you to approach Madara Uchiha, I won't leave you completely defenseless against him."
As he spoke, Shin Uchiha extended a finger and gently touched the spot between Orochimaru's eyebrows.
The moment Shin Uchiha reached out, Orochimaru's heart lurched in alarm.
But with his strength, how could Orochimaru possibly be a match for Shin Uchiha? Just as he thought to dodge, Akiyama Uchiha's finger had already landed squarely on his forehead.
In a single instant, Shin Uchiha left a pale blue spatial mark between Orochimaru's eyebrows. Withdrawing his finger, he said calmly:
"There. With this spatial mark, you can return in an instant whenever you want. Even Madara Uchiha won't be able to force you to stay. Take your time and get a feel for it."
Orochimaru could already sense the spatial mark between his eyebrows. After closing his eyes and sensing it for a moment, he opened them again, stared straight at Shin Uchiha, and asked eagerly:
"Shin, is this spatial mark of mine the same as Kabuto's?"
When