Xin looked down at Orochimaru from above, his gaze as cold as ice.
"This is the price for breaking our deal."
Xin left him with those icy words.
He turned around, putting his back to Orochimaru.
"You can take Sasuke away yourself now."
As Xin finished speaking, the Flying Thunder God Formula beneath his feet lit up.
With a swish.
Xin vanished completely from the devastated forest.
Orochimaru endured the piercing agony from his severed arms, gritting his teeth to keep himself from screaming again.
He lowered his head to look at his wounds.
The wounds did not heal rapidly as they usually did.
A faint but extraordinarily violent layer of lightning release chakra, mixed with traces of Amaterasu's black flames, clung stubbornly to the cuts.
This special power was continuously destroying the cellular activity around his wounds.
It left his arms with no possibility of healing or regeneration.
This was actually a plan Uchiha Xin had devised long ago.
From the start, he had never wanted to see Orochimaru use Living Corpse Reincarnation to seize Sasuke's body.
Even if Orochimaru had not broken his promise to spare the Third Hokage during the Konoha Crush Plan.
Xin would absolutely have found a suitable excuse and opportunity to permanently cripple those hands Orochimaru used to form hand seals.
Orochimaru knelt in a pool of blood.
He stared in the direction Xin had left, an unforgettable hatred burning in his eyes.
That hatred even surpassed his obsession with Konoha.
Uchiha Xin had completely replaced Uchiha Itachi as the foremost enemy he had to eliminate in this lifetime.
Meanwhile.
Inside Konoha.
The fighting sparked by the Konoha Crush Plan had only just subsided.
Ruined walls and rubble lay everywhere in the village, with smoke hanging in the air.
Xin kept his original body where it was and sent a Shadow Clone back to Konoha.
The Shadow Clone found Kakashi near the ruins of the Hokage Building.
Kakashi was covered in dust, his forehead protector sitting askew. He had clearly just been through a fierce battle.
An unmistakable flicker of surprise crossed his eyes when he saw Xin suddenly appear.
"Xin?"
Kakashi quickly walked over.
"Weren't you in the Land of Snow on a mission to protect a film crew? Why are you suddenly back?"
The Shadow Clone wore a grave expression and deliberately lowered his voice.
"Kakashi-sensei, I discovered something extremely important in the Land of Snow."
The Shadow Clone began fabricating a lie with a perfectly serious face.
"This concerns the village's future safety. I have to stay there a few more days to investigate further."
"The implications are too far-reaching. I can only report this to Lord Third Hokage in private. It absolutely cannot be disclosed to anyone else."
Kakashi's expression sharpened.
He knew Xin's strength and personality well. Anything Xin treated with such seriousness was certainly no small matter.
"Have you encountered some difficult threat in the Land of Snow?"
Kakashi immediately asked.
"Do you need me to bring an Anbu squad to support you right away?"
The Shadow Clone decisively shook his head in refusal.
"No. I'm less conspicuous alone, and it's easier to move around."
The Shadow Clone looked straight into Kakashi's eyes and solemnly reminded him.
"Kakashi-sensei, remember, you absolutely cannot tell anyone you saw me today."
Kakashi was full of questions, but he still chose to trust Xin's judgment.
The Shadow Clone glanced at his hands.
"This clone's chakra is about to run out. I can only last another ten minutes at most."
The Shadow Clone admitted frankly.
"I don't have time to wait for Lord Third to wake up and report to him in person. Once he wakes up, tell him where I am."
Kakashi nodded solemnly, agreeing to keep his secret.
Pop!
A soft sound rang out.
The Shadow Clone turned into a puff of white smoke and dissipated completely into the air.
Kakashi stood before the ruins, gazing in the direction the white smoke had drifted.
His brow was tightly furrowed, his heart full of worry.
Konoha had just suffered such a great crisis, and the Third Hokage was gravely injured and unconscious.
Was something earth-shattering about to happen in the Land of Snow too?
At the same time.
In the distant Land of Snow.
Snow danced wildly through the cold wind.
Xin's original body stood on an open snowfield and instantly received the memories transmitted back by his Shadow Clone.
He smiled smugly.
Successfully fooling the shrewd, perceptive Kakashi put him in an excellent mood.
Xin turned around.
His gaze fell on a massive rock in front of him.
Intense amusement flickered in Xin's eyes.
He had already worked out a grand plan to pull the wool over someone's eyes.
Several days later.
At the daimyo's residence in the Land of Snow.
Kazahana Koyuki sat behind a large desk, holding a thick document.
She raised her head and looked at Uchiha Xin, who stood by the window, her face full of smiles.
"Xin, are you really going back to Konoha?"
Koyuki set down the document, her voice filled with reluctance to part.
Xin turned around with his hands in his trouser pockets and nodded.
"There are still some things I need to deal with in Konoha."
Xin's tone was even.
"Don't worry about the distance."
"My Flying Thunder God Technique is already at max level. Getting from here to Konoha takes a minute or two at most. I can come back whenever I want."
Koyuki's eyes immediately lit up at his words.
She had been worried that once Xin left, she would have no idea when they could meet again. Now, the weight on her heart was completely lifted.
"That's good."
Koyuki picked up the document on the desk and walked over to Xin.
"I've carefully studied the Chakra Armor blueprints Kazahana Dōtō left behind over the past while."
Koyuki pointed to the data on the document.
"This armor can greatly improve a ninja's defense and the power of their ninjutsu. I plan to have the craftsmen improve it and mass-produce it."
Koyuki was radiant with enthusiasm.
"The Land of Snow's climate is warming now, and everything needs rebuilding."
"We can sell Chakra Armor to other countries for profit as the Land of Snow's unique product."
"It will definitely bring in an enormous fortune."
Seeing Koyuki looking like a shrewd, capable queen, Xin smiled in wholehearted agreement.
"That's a good idea."
Xin gave his approval.
"The Shinobi World has never lacked people willing to pay for power. As long as you keep control of the core technology, the Land of Snow will soon become wealthy."
The two briefly exchanged a few more words about development plans for the Land of Snow.
Then Xin said goodbye to Koyuki.
This time, he did not use the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to Konoha instantly.
He planned to enjoy the scenery along the way and treat it as a chance to relax.
Relying on his powerful physique, Xin sped through the woods.
It took him only two days.
He crossed the vast distance and entered the forest within the Land of Fire, already very close to Konoha.
Sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, scattering patches of light and shadow across the ground.
Xin stopped and landed on a thick tree trunk.
On the forest path ahead, two figures approached him.
Both wore black cloaks embroidered with red clouds and forehead protectors with a horizontal slash across them.
Uchiha Itachi.
Kisame Hoshigaki.
Xin smiled when he saw the two.
He knew very well that Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan had just ended and the Third Hokage was gravely injured.
Itachi, that ultimate little-brother fanatic, must have been worried about Sasuke Uchiha and made a special trip back to Konoha to check on the situation.