šØInsert Some Funny Memes or GIFšØ
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In the cold and dimly lit basement, strange biological specimens lined the walls, preserved in jars of murky liquid.
At the center of the room stood Orochimaru, blood still smeared across his pale face, a scalpel gleaming in his hand.
A boy lay on the operating table, his body trembling violently as Orochimaru continued his experimentation.
Moments later, a white-haired boy in similar attire entered the lab silently, stopping a few steps behind Orochimaru.
Without pausing his work, Orochimaru injected a golden-hued solution into the boy on the table.
"Lord Orochimaru, the base has been discovered again. Do you want us to evacuate immediately?" the boy asked quietly.
Orochimaru's expression darkened, the curiosity in his eyes taking on a dangerous glint.
The experimental subject began to convulse, his face twisting in agony as a shriek tore from his throat.
But Orochimaru's curiosity was not directed at the suffering boy before him.
The scalpel rose and fell in practiced precision.
"Gahhhā!"
"Hkkā¦!"
Blood spattered against the basement walls as the scalpel sliced through flesh. The boy on the table stared in disbelief, wide-eyed.
Orochimaru gave him a cold, dispassionate glance.
"The fusion failed. Your willpower is too weak. I'll end your suffering now."
With that, he turned away, tossing the scalpel onto the tray. He picked up a cloth, calmly wiping the blood from his fingers.
"No need to thank me."
He stepped through the door.
Clunk!
The sound of the door shutting echoed ominously through the underground space.
The boy's eyes slowly dimmed. His last breath left his body in silence.
"Lord Orochimaru, let me handle it this timeā" the white-haired boy started, only to be cut off by a raised hand.
Orochimaru turned and gently cupped Kimimaro's cheek, a rare look of tenderness and sorrow flickering in his golden eyes.
"No need, Kimimaro. You are my most perfect vessel. And you're still too young."
His voice turned sharper, his snake-like pupils narrowing as he withdrew his hand.
Just like a serpent locking onto its prey, his tongue flicked across his lips with a wet hiss.
"The previous two squads failed to capture him. No survivors. It means the target is at least an elite Jonin. With your current strength, you wouldn't stand a chance."
"Let me witness this prey myself... a shinobi who commands such power."
Kimimaro lowered his gaze, clearly disappointed. Orochimaru, noticing, gently ruffled his hair.
The touch rekindled Kimimaro's determination. He turned and dashed off toward the training room without another word.
Orochimaru watched him go, the regret on his face plain.
Such a perfect body... What a pity. Damn that incurable bloodline diseaseā¦
But now wasn't the time to dwell on loss.
A more immediate threat loomedāthe persistent figure who had been chasing him.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. He didn't believe it was Jiraiya. His old teammate wouldn't have massacred all the experimental subjects without a word.
And Jiraiya never had the cunning to track down one of Orochimaru's hidden labs.
Danzo? No, even more unlikely. He and Danzo had maintained a discreet business relationship for years. In fact, he'd just received a large amount of funding from Danzo four or five months ago.
Why would Danzo attack now without a word?
Then a thought crept into his mindāAkatsuki.
Roughly three to four months ago, shortly after accepting that money from Danzo, Orochimaru had made the decision to abandon Akatsuki.
The group's leader was far too dangerous. Orochimaru had once dared to make a move on those Rinnegan eyesāSamsara Eyesāand paid the price.
With a single technique, a surge of overwhelming force had sent him flying, grievously injured.
If not for his desperate need for resources and the leader's mixture of threats and temptation, he never would've joined in the first place.
Each member of Akatsuki was an S-rank rogue ninjaāpowerful, deadly, and unpredictable.
If I had stayed, I'd have been eliminated eventually.
Worse yet, their constant missions were interfering with his experiments.
In the end, the decision had been clear. He left.
Now, it made senseāAkatsuki must be afraid he'd leak information. So they sent someone to silence him.
The realization didn't frighten himāit excited him.
Perfect. I just learned Impure World Reincarnation. Let's see how it performs in real combat.
Orochimaru stepped out of the base entrance, summoning his snake summons to spread across the terrain and scan for nearby chakra signatures.
The snakes slithered in every direction, their perception networks expanding quickly.
Thenā
!!
Orochimaru froze. His lips curled into a smile, a wild gleam lighting up his eyes.
His gaze locked on the sand dunes ahead.
A figure emerged.
Someone he thought of day and night.
Someone he longed to possess.
"ā¦Long time no seeā¦ Itachi."
It wasn't Akatsuki's leader, but Orochimaru's interest soared even higher.
Itachi stepped out of the dunes, his cloak billowing slightly in the dry wind. He opened his mouth to speakā
But before he could say a word, a wave of snakes surged toward him, a tidal flood of scales and fangs.
Itachi's eye twitched. He groaned internally.
Damn it, Orochimaruā¦ You're slipperier than the snakes you summon.
They'd had intelligence on him for over a week and still couldn't catch him.
The first two ambushes had failed. Orochimaru had escaped each time.
If I survive this mission, Uchiha Hikaru had better give me a raiseā¦
How else am I supposed to buy better blades and study scrolls for Sasuke?
I've already sacrificed so much timeāI'm at least owed decent pay.
Unknowingly, just like Fugaku before him, Itachi had begun to mirror Uchiha Hikaru after spending months together.
A subtle, unconscious change.
It was the effect of Uchiha Hikaru's Mangekyo Sharinganāthe terrifying influence of his Word Spirit ability.
But neither Itachi nor anyone else realized this.
Snapped back to reality by the wave of snakes rushing toward him, Itachi didn't hesitate.
He leapt into the air, quickly pulling out a pair of large handfuls of shuriken from his pouch.
He threw them in a wide arc, the blades spinning rapidly as they spread out.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Dozens of gleaming edges sliced through the air.
Then, with a sharp breath, Itachi exhaled.
Dozens of flames burst from his mouth and latched onto the airborne shuriken.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
The spinning blades ignited into fiery pinwheelsāred-orange infernos cutting through the air.
Wherever they landed, the snakes were incinerated instantly.
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