Kimimaro and Jiraiya remained locked in a standoff. Uchiha Itachi seized his chance, intending to obscure their vision with a smoke bomb and make his escape.
As the smoke hid Uchiha Itachi's mocking face, a snake as thick as a bucket opened its gaping maw at the same time.
It swallowed Uchiha Itachi in one gulp.
Had Uchiha Itachi still had his eyes, he would naturally have noticed the snake.
But now, not only was he blind, he had also used the Uchiha Clan's ultimate genjutsu, "Izanami," to deal with Jing Xiu.
Physically exhausted and mentally drained, he had focused what little mental energy he had left on guarding against Kimimaro and Jiraiya.
The moment the smoke bomb burst was also the moment Uchiha Itachi let his guard down the most.
Orochimaru's grasp of the opportunity could hardly have been more precise.
When Itachi's hands felt something slimy and a burning pain, he knew he was trapped inside some animal's stomach.
"Damn it, if only I could still use the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"As long as I unleashed Amaterasu, even the largest summoned beast would be nothing to worry about."
Orochimaru slithered through the forest like a real snake.
"What luck, actually managing to capture Uchiha Itachi."
"With his Mangekyō Sharingan, I can also glimpse the path to immortality Jing Xiu told me about!"
At that thought, Orochimaru licked his lips.
Over the years, he and Jing Xiu had collaborated on several projects, and both had gained a great deal.
Especially in perfecting the "Otsutsuki bloodline."
Both felt that atavism in the "Sharingan" lineage would be easier than in the Byakugan lineage.
Had he not been wary of Jing Xiu's strength, Orochimaru would have gone after the Uchiha Clan long ago.
Unfortunately, only four people remained in the entire Uchiha Clan