This is the price of breaking our deal

"Lightning Release: Hell Stab: Four-Fingered Nukite!"

With a wet squelch, Uchiha Yi's right hand pierced straight through Orochimaru's body.

Orochimaru went limp and collapsed to the ground, seemingly lifeless.

But Uchiha Yi knew better. How could Orochimaru die so easily?

Sure enough, a moment later, the man appeared off to one side, completely intact. His face was ghostly pale, though, and even his appearance had changed-he was actually a woman!

Orochimaru himself was stunned. Lariat was one thing, but wasn't Hell Stab: Four-Fingered Nukite the Third Raikage's signature move? Even the Fourth Raikage couldn't use it!

"Uchiha Yi, you really are powerful, but killing me is impossible!"

No sooner had he spoken than the fully restored First and Second Hokage rushed over to shield him.

Uchiha Yi laughed, saying this reanimated First wasn't all that impressive. Had he been facing the God of Shinobi at his prime, he would have had to think twice, but as he was now, he couldn't protect Orochimaru at all.

"Fine. This time, I'll show you just how vast the gulf between two people can be."

Just as Orochimaru sensed something was wrong, Uchiha Yi shook his head, and a wave of murderous intent that made his very soul tremble bore down on him.

Seeing this, the First hurriedly formed hand seals. "Wood Release: Wood Wall!"

Then Uchiha Yi unleashed Lightning Release: Black Kirin. It was even fiercer than the Kirin he had used against Kazahana Dōtō, with Amaterasu's black flames mixed into it to multiply its power several times over.

With a thunderous crash, the Wood Wall shattered, but the Black Kirin was stopped by a Wood Dragon.

Uchiha Yi paused in surprise. He had assumed this reanimated First was too weak to even summon a Wood Dragon, yet he had actually managed to block the Black Kirin.

Tobirama immediately vanished with Flying Thunder God, then suddenly appeared before Yi and shouted, "Water Release: Hard Vortex Water Blade!" The water javelin was already about to pierce Yi.

Uchiha Yi only laughed. Trying to use Flying Thunder God against him? His Flying Thunder God was already level five. Even Tobirama, its creator, wasn't as proficient as he was. Besides, he had already placed a formula on Tobirama. Even at his prime, Tobirama might not have noticed it, let alone in his current reanimated body.

With a swish, Uchiha Yi used Flying Thunder God to flash directly in front of Tobirama. Another black-flame Lariat blasted Tobirama apart.

In fact, Orochimaru could have summoned the Second Hokage at his full strength. He had simply held that option in reserve earlier and only now dared to unleash it.

Orochimaru clenched his sleeve, hesitating. Tobirama was the inventor of Impure World Reincarnation, and Orochimaru truly wasn't sure he could control Tobirama Senju at his peak. This was the creator of the shinobi world's fastest technique, a man who would cut down even his own allies when he went berserk.

Uchiha Yi suddenly appeared behind Tobirama, who was just about to recover his chakra under cover of darkness. A mischievous thought crossed his mind, and he raised his hand and hurled a Rasengan at him.

The Rasengan slammed squarely into Tobirama's back, blasting him far away. He crashed into the ground and gouged out a crater half a man's height deep. Tobirama groaned, unable to get up anytime soon.

Yi had long since figured out the principles behind a jutsu like the Rasengan. Using it posed no difficulty for him whatsoever. It was easier than eating a bowl of ramen.

Before Tobirama could recover, however, Hashirama Senju moved. He raised his hands, formed seals, and shouted, "Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique!" A wooden giant thirty feet tall swung its fist at Yi, whipping up winds fierce enough to sting his face.

Yi remained unruffled. He turned his right hand over, and black flames surged around crackling lightning. "Lightning Release: Black Dragon!" A pitch-black dragon roared as it charged forward, blasting the wooden giant into a sky full of splinters.

But Hashirama hadn't given up. He hurriedly formed seals and summoned Fivefold Rashomon in front of himself. When the Black Dragon struck, the gates didn't even last a second. All five shattered, and the residual blast reduced Hashirama himself to translucent, drifting ash.

Although the Black Dragon finally dispersed as well, the reanimated Hashirama was blown apart the moment he revived, while the reanimated Tobirama was knocked senseless by another Rasengan just after getting up. Watching the scene, Orochimaru nearly bit off his own tongue and began questioning everything he knew.

There was no one else to blame. Orochimaru simply had rotten luck. A little earlier, Yi hadn't been this powerful. Even with his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and even though the brothers were reanimated, their combined strength was far more than the sum of its parts. These were peak versions of Hashirama and Tobirama, stronger than they had been during the Konoha Crush Plan, yet Yi was grinding them into the dirt. Who would believe it?

Ultimately, it was all because Yi's chakra was absurd. His Eight Gates had already reached level five. Combined with the Super Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, his progress with the Eight Gates was ridiculously fast. Throughout his stay in the Land of Snow, he hadn't stopped training them. He hadn't even had time to eat ramen.

His Eight Gates was at level five (93500/1000000). Enhanced by the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, it actually allowed him to keep the gates open permanently without harming his body. He now permanently had the Gate of Limit, the Fifth Gate, open, with each chakra increase reaching a hundredfold. The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan had already brought his chakra to elite jonin level. What did the combined chakra of a hundred elite jonin amount to? Even Yi couldn't work it out. In any case, it was firmly at tailed beast level, exceeding even the Eight-Tails' chakra.

It was only level five now. At this rate, Yi felt his chakra would eventually shoot beyond the heavens. A thought even crossed his mind: Perhaps by then, chakra alone will be enough for me to do whatever I please?

No sooner had that thought appeared than the current battle slapped him in the face. Even together, the two reanimated Hokage were being beaten so thoroughly that they couldn't muster any resistance, much less find a chance to strike back.

Looking at Tobirama, who had just climbed out of the crater, and Hashirama, who had only just re-formed into a translucent figure, Yi had an idea. He shouted, "Lightning Release: Infinite Thunderstorm!" Two bolts of lightning struck them separately, and successive thunderous explosions cut off their regeneration, denying them even a moment to breathe.

This was a jutsu Yi had developed specifically for this purpose. Its power was only B-rank, but its advantage was that it could be sustained indefinitely. As long as he kept supplying chakra, it was the ultimate counter to the endless regeneration of Impure World Reincarnation, even more effective than sealing jutsu.

Although Orochimaru was the only one present who could still move, Yi's gaze remained glued to him. Did Orochimaru dare try to break the thunderstorm? Did he?

"Orochimaru, whatever trump cards you have left, bring them out!" Yi smiled at him. He had intended to force him to use the Eight Branches Technique. After all, he wanted to see just how powerful that vicious move that could split its user into eight parts really was.

But Orochimaru misunderstood. He thought Yi was deliberately humiliating him and instantly lost his temper. His face twisted hideously, and his hands flew through seals, his nails nearly digging into his flesh. "Uchiha Yi, don't push your luck! Since you want to see it, I'll open your eyes!"

"Summoning Technique: Impure World Reincarnation!" As Orochimaru finished shouting, a coffin appeared, bearing a large character for "four." Yi stared at it and nearly laughed aloud. The Fourth Hokage? Are you kidding me? You're really hauling out every Hokage's coffin?

Yi had actually been rather curious whether Orochimaru could snatch the Fourth Hokage's soul back from the Shinigami. And the result? The coffin sat there for ages without so much as a twitch. Yi almost felt as though a few crows had flown overhead to watch the spectacle. It was so painfully awkward that he could have dug out an entire apartment with his curling toes.

"Orochimaru, when it comes to arrogance and ignorance, I, Uchiha Yi, declare you the strongest!" Yi struggled to hold back his laughter as he mocked him, nearly hurting himself in the effort. The corners of his mouth kept twitching.

Uchiha Yi had already mastered this whole game of tug-of-war over souls.

"You don't even understand how the Reaper Death Seal works. Don't you know that once it's cast, the Shinigami takes the caster's soul as a snack, leaving them unable to pass on for all eternity?"

"And now you're trying to reincarnate the Fourth Hokage? Isn't that like reaching into the Shinigami's mouth to steal candy? Do you really think a living person is going to pop out of that coffin?"

Orochimaru froze on the spot, inwardly muttering, I never looked into any of this? Although he had previously consulted the relevant texts, he hadn't understood even the slightest bit of how it truly worked.

Damn it. Do I really have to use the Eight Branches Technique? But only he knew the price of that move. Once he used it, his body would be chewed to pieces.

If he had a suitable vessel available, he wouldn't have been afraid. He could simply change bodies afterward. Right now, though, he hadn't seen even a trace of a decent vessel.

He did want to target Uchiha Yi, but the man's chakra density was more terrifying than the venom glands in his snake den. He couldn't make a move against him at all.

Orochimaru's inner turmoil was truly complicated at that moment. It all boiled down to: How do I save myself from this freakishly powerful Uchiha Yi? Waiting for answers. Urgent!

"That's it?" Uchiha Yi raised an eyebrow, a flicker of disappointment crossing his eyes.

Where had Orochimaru's earlier defiance gone? A fierce light flashed through his serpentine pupils. If Uchiha Yi dared attack, he would fight him to the bitter end, even if they both perished.

"Relax. I won't kill you. It's just..." Yi paused, then changed tack. "Ah, forget it!"

Just as Orochimaru began to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking he had escaped disaster, Uchiha Yi vanished from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was right in front of Orochimaru.

Before Orochimaru could react, Uchiha Yi formed a Chakra Blade in his hand. With one swift, clean stroke, he severed both of Orochimaru's hands.

"Orochimaru, this is the price of breaking our deal."

"But don't worry. I keep my word. If you want Sasuke, take him yourself."

With that, Uchiha Yi vanished without a trace, leaving Orochimaru screaming where he stood.

In that last strike, Uchiha Yi had used the power of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Orochimaru hadn't even managed to dodge before both his hands were cut off.

Moreover, Uchiha Yi had applied a little special chakra to the wounds, preventing Orochimaru from restoring them with medical ninjutsu.

He had planned this all along. If Orochimaru dared stop the Third Hokage from using the Reaper Death Seal, Yi could still walk away unscathed while keeping Sasuke safe.

After all, if Sasuke fell into Orochimaru's hands, the man might use him for experiments. Even with Indra's chakra protecting him and the Sage of Six Paths watching over him, who knew whether something might go wrong?

Although Uchiha Yi and Sasuke weren't exactly comrades bound by life and death, their years of friendship still meant something. He couldn't simply stand by and watch Orochimaru devour him.

So, regardless of what had happened with the Third Hokage earlier, Orochimaru was destined to lose the use of those hands.

Had Orochimaru known Yi's plan, he probably would have cried himself unconscious in the bathroom. Unfortunately, he now believed he had met this fate solely because breaking the deal had angered Yi.