Sasuke's eyes were fixed with a sharp, involuntary intensity on Daiki's glowing red ones. In that tense moment, his initial fear evaporated, replaced by a strange inner sensation: absolute disbelief and a painful curiosity that blazed deep within his soul. How?
Another child of Uchiha blood remained.
The Grass Ninja, whose facial skin was still dissolving with a repulsive crackling sound, managed a sickening smile. This wasn't a playful grin or a casual joke; it was the look of discovering a lost treasure—a rare catch that exceeded even his wildest fantasies. His gaze, now tainted with a sense of possession, was utterly mesmerized by Daiki.
"This truly is an unexpected gift..."
Daiki forcibly slapped the hand away and pulled back, gasping for breath, every cell in his body screaming to flee.
The ninja didn't budge. He flashed a terrifying smile as the Grass symbol, like dead skin, slowly peeled from his forehead, revealing the mark of the Village Hidden in the Sound underneath. The air around them grew heavy under the weight of his presence.
His voice now monstrous, he said, "You two are quite interesting. Two surviving Uchiha to consume is far more enjoyable than just one! Although you're both very weak right now!" He chuckled. "My name is Orochimaru. If you wish to see me again, you must win this test."
He then pulled an Earth Scroll from his pocket and incinerated it with a flash of green flame. As the scroll turned to ash, his Chakra suddenly surged, erupting into a dense, dark purple aura. The air instantly became heavy; it wasn't just a physical weight, but as if gravity itself had intensified. Daiki, Sasuke, and the rest of their team were pressed down so hard by this massive, malevolent Chakra that their knees buckled, forcing them toward the ground.
Orochimaru continued, "But first, the winner of this little challenge gets a prize from me!"
He lunged toward Daiki with lightning speed, his neck terrifyingly elongated and flexible, like a snake, and bit the back of Daiki's neck.
"AAAAAARRRGGGHHH!"
Daiki, unable to react in time, screamed from the burning pain. He felt as if his entire being were on fire.
For the first time since they had joined Takigakure, Karin shouted his real name out loud: "Daiki!"
Orochimaru retreated with the same inhuman speed, saying with a tone that suggested satisfaction with his masterpiece, "Unfortunately, playtime is over, and I must go. I hope you survive!" He then vanished.
Exactly where Orochimaru had bitten Daiki's neck, a black, ominously symmetrical three-comma mark began to emerge, as if dark ink were erupting from beneath his skin.
Karin rushed to him, her voice choked with worry, "Daiki! Are you okay?"
Fū, who seemed to have just snapped out of the intense shock of Orochimaru's attack, quickly ran toward Karin and Daiki. "Karin, Zwei..."
Karin turned to Fū and shouted in a firm, anxious voice, "Help! We have to get Daiki to safety! Now!"
And then, before the bewildered and stunned eyes of Sasuke and Sakura, Karin and Fū carried Daiki, and the three swiftly disappeared into the dense forest.
Sasuke quickly reached out his hand, wanting to yell, "Wait..." His voice caught in his throat—it was too late; they hadn't heard him. He was left alone, grappling with the vital, agonizing question that consumed his mind:
How could there be another Uchiha?
..
Fū and Karin quickly brought Daiki under the gigantic, tangled roots of an ancient tree and laid him on the moss-covered ground. Daiki writhed in pain; every breath was a moan. His vision was blurred, and his Sharingan had reverted to its normal state.
"Daiki! What did that guy do to him?!" Karin asked with alarm.
Fū was surprised that Karin still called "Zwei" by the name "Daiki," but they were in no position to ask questions. Instead, she began scanning their surroundings with a Chakra wave, cautious of an ambush.
Daiki gasped in agony and whispered, "Damn it... It burns..." His eyes closed, and his face began to contort with the intense pain.
Fū and Karin exchanged looks of deep concern. They were caught in an extremely dangerous situation. Daiki was convulsing, cold sweat pouring from his forehead. His eyes were still closed, but his agony seemed to be more than just physical.
Karin quickly knelt over Daiki. She placed her hand on his neck and stared at the mark with eyes that seemed to possess the ability to see Chakra. A chaotic, black Chakra was oozing from the mark, highlighting Daiki's veins with a dark, ugly color.
"This isn't poison... This is probably some kind of curse," Karin said with a trembling voice.
Fū, looking at Daiki's face with intense worry, asked, "What should we do?"
"I don't know..." Karin whispered. "I've never seen anything like this."
Then a thought struck her, and she continued, "For now, all I can do is inject him with my Chakra. Maybe that will make him feel a little better."
She rolled up her sleeve. It had been a long time since she'd used this ability—something she detested and, thanks to escaping Kusagakure, no longer had to subject herself to. She held her wrist out to Daiki's mouth and forced him to bite her.
Daiki, semi-conscious and semi-aware, followed instinct and took a hard bite on Karin's arm. A wave of glowing, healing Chakra transferred from Karin's body to Daiki's. Daiki slowly calmed down, the tension smoothing from his face, and he finally fell into a deep sleep. The intense pain receded for a while.
..
The silence of the forest was heavy for several hours. Then, Daiki twisted with a savage, inhuman roar of pain. His eyes snapped open and immediately turned blood red, and a Two-Tomoe Sharingan began to spin at a frantic pace.
Like ink crawling beneath the skin, the pattern covered half his face and slowly began to move to consume the rest of his body. His own Chakra began to surge, creating a huge wave that scattered branches and leaves around him.
"A-A-A-ARRRGHH..."
Daiki slowly rose, shaking throughout his being, and stared at Fū and Karin with a wild, inhuman look. "You... must... leave... here!"
His voice sounded like it came from the depths of a dark hell. He gritted his teeth, clutching his neck and trying to regain control. It was as if he was slowly beginning to revel in the power... the boundless force was consuming his existence.
Fū rushed forward and delivered a swift punch to Daiki's stomach.
Karin exclaimed in surprise and anger, "Fū! What are you doing?"
Fū said sternly, "He can't control it! So I'll make him!"
Daiki collapsed to his knees from the pain, and the Chakra wave slowly retreated back to his neck; the pattern disappeared from his body. He could breathe slowly again. The pain was gradually fading away completely.
Fū asked, "Are you better?"
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Daiki said, "What if I'm not?"
"I'll punch you again."
"No... no, I'm better... believe me... thanks."