However, when Orochimaru's gaze swept over Naruto's Wood Clone and he sensed the final hidden measure Urashiki's head was trying to activate, his smile gradually faded, and his brows drew together almost imperceptibly.
The scene was all too familiar.
Orochimaru recalled the awkward experience he had had not long ago, when he tried to make a move on Naruto.
He had been brimming with confidence as he prepared to place a Cursed Seal on Naruto, only to discover that Naruto had merely sent a Shadow Clone to deal with him. His real body had never been in danger at all!
All his careful preparations had come to nothing, making him something of a laughingstock.
Watching Urashiki's head make its frenzied "declaration," and seeing that hidden energy rush toward the Wood Clone, Orochimaru could deduce his intentions almost instantly.
Before dying, he was trying to force his mark into the "Naruto" before him, paving the way for a future resurrection or possession.
A cold, faintly mocking smile curled Orochimaru's lips once more. Addressing Urashiki's head, which was rapidly losing its vitality yet still wore that twisted expression, he said unhurriedly:
"What a shame. The one you 'hit' was nothing more than a Wood Clone.
"This clone will soon dissipate on its own, taking any 'little gifts' you might have left with it into nothingness."
His voice was quiet, but it reached what remained of Urashiki's consciousness with perfect clarity.
The twisted, excited smile on Urashiki's head suddenly froze, like a wax figure.
Then his expression began to change rapidly, from frozen triumph to cracks of shock, and finally to utter collapse-a distortion of disbelief, fury, and absolute despair...
His last resort, the hope he had believed would turn everything around... had been wasted on a mere clone?!
Watching Urashiki's spectacular, dramatic