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***
Looking at the boy's face so close to her, full of warmth and concern, Izumi Uchiha could no longer control the emotions that had been suppressed in her heart for so long.
Her clear eyes misted with tears, but her remaining rationality told her she could not cry.
She was afraid her emotions would affect Itachi.
Behind them, a dangerous enemy still lurked.
So, Izumi nodded slightly, a forced smile appearing on her cheeks, pale from the snake venom.
Itachi understood this was not the time to relax.
After hugging Izumi and keeping a safe distance, he turned to face Orochimaru.
Sensing that Itachi had distanced himself, Orochimaru returned his gaze.
Orochimaru looked at the boy holding Izumi, a strong horror surging in his snake-like eyes.
"How could this brat possess such strength!?"
He wondered in disbelief.
According to Orochimaru's intelligence, Itachi was only ten years old and had graduated from the Ninja Academy just over six months ago.
Orochimaru's interest in Itachi stemmed from whispers of his talent, rivaling even Uchiha Shisui's.
Thus, Orochimaru was deeply curious about Itachi's physique.
However, he never imagined that a mere ten-year-old Uchiha Itachi could possess the strength to challenge him, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konohagakure.
It was simply unbelievable.
Even the ninja god, Hashirama Senju, couldn't have wielded such power at age ten, based on Orochimaru's knowledge.
Due to the distance and the foggy Land of Water, Orochimaru could see Itachi's activated Sharingan but not the three black magatama within his blood-red eyes.
Amid his shock, Orochimaru's gaze toward Itachi swelled with fiery greed.
An Uchiha prodigy who had reached such heights at ten—perhaps unprecedented in ninja history—could be the perfect vessel.
With Itachi in his grasp, Orochimaru's forbidden technique of immortality could be perfected.
Thus, Orochimaru resolved to use all his might to seize Itachi before he fully matured.
Though Itachi couldn't sense it, he felt the fierce aura emanating from Orochimaru.
Having survived two Shinobi World Wars, Orochimaru's murderous aura could intimidate ordinary ninjas, making them cower before the battle began.
But this aura had little effect on Itachi.
"It seems he hasn't yet mastered his immortality technique," Itachi thought, glaring at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru had attacked him before, when Itachi had briefly joined the Akatsuki.
Back then, Itachi used his Sharingan's genjutsu to freeze Orochimaru and sever his hand, without even resorting to his Mangekyō Sharingan.
But that didn't mean Orochimaru was weak.
Itachi subdued him easily because Orochimaru's incomplete immortality technique left his soul vulnerable.
This technique allowed Orochimaru to possess others' bodies, achieving a form of immortality.
However, it made his soul far more fragile than an ordinary human's.
This fragility was perfectly suited to the Sharingan's power.
Yet, Orochimaru's technique wasn't fully developed, and Itachi hadn't reached his former peak strength.
Moreover, he was carrying Izumi, weakened by snake venom.
While Itachi could have used his Mangekyō to protect Izumi and secure victory, others besides Orochimaru were targeting him.
Thus, Itachi sought to conserve his energy.
At that moment, Orochimaru formed hand seals, activating his powerful chakra.
Having learned of Itachi's power, Orochimaru hesitated to engage the Sharingan-wielding Itachi in close combat.
Itachi's genjutsu, channeled through his crow summons, had already ensnared him once.
Itachi observed Orochimaru's movements.
If he were alone, he would have retreated after rescuing Izumi.
Just as Orochimaru was forming hand seals, a figure streaked through the nearby dense forest.
By the time Itachi arrived, all the snakes Orochimaru had deployed to sense enemies were dead.
Thus, Orochimaru didn't detect the figure following Itachi until they were very close.
Swish!
As Orochimaru was about to complete his seals, a figure emerged from the forest, heading straight for him.
Orochimaru sensed the attack, his pupils constricting.
As he turned to see the attacker, a sharp blade slashed toward him.
He abandoned the seals, stretched out his arms, and transformed them into two giant snakes, as thick as bowls.
"Puff!"
The blade fell so swiftly that Orochimaru had no time to parry.
The sharp edge bisected the snake on his left arm.
Meanwhile, the snake on his right arm entangled the blade.
"Uchiha Shisui!?"
Orochimaru clearly saw the figure, and his expression, just regaining composure, filled with horror again.
"Orochimaru."
Shisui's voice was deep, laced with murderous intent.
Orochimaru, a rogue ninja from Konohagakure, had used many Konoha ninjas for human experiments before his defection.
Shisui could not tolerate him.
"Why is this guy in the Land of Water?"
Orochimaru gritted his teeth.
Though unaware that Shisui had awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, the name "Shisui of the Body Flicker" had spread beyond Konoha.
Within the Uchiha clan, rumors claimed Shisui surpassed the clan leader, Fugaku, as the clan's foremost expert.
While Orochimaru's strength didn't necessarily fear Shisui, as an Anbu squad leader, Shisui likely wasn't alone, sent by the Fourth Hokage to infiltrate the Land of Water.
Moreover, with the equally powerful Itachi nearby—
"Boom!"
Flames erupted from Shisui's sword.
He thrust upward, severing the snake entangling it.
But Orochimaru was prepared.
As Shisui concentrated his chakra, Orochimaru's mouth opened wide.
A small snake emerged, which then opened its mouth, unleashing a longsword.
The sword was halfway out when Shisui's weapon struck.
"Dang!"
The two weapons collided, the flames on Shisui's sword shattered by the impact.
The clash of metal rang out.
Shisui's eyes trembled slightly.
"What weapon is this?"
He didn't recognize it at first, but Itachi, standing behind, knew.
It was the Kusanagi Sword.
...
Orochimaru's Kusanagi Sword is a legendary weapon, its sharpness surpassing even the Seven Swords of Kirigakure.
While Shisui's blade isn't an ordinary Anbu sword, it pales in comparison to the Kusanagi Sword.
Itachi knew this, though he wielded no such legendary blade himself.
"Ding!"
As Shisui's sword clashed against the Kusanagi Sword, the blade began to chip.
Orochimaru seized the opportunity to retreat, the snake in his mouth fully releasing the Kusanagi Sword.
His arm, previously transformed into a giant snake, regained its form, and he gripped the hilt tightly, increasing his strength.
Shisui's sword was no match.
Seeing his blade would break if this continued, Shisui chose not to prolong the struggle.
"Chi!"
He activated his Sharingan, three black magatama spinning within his blood-red eyes.
Orochimaru, wary from his encounter with Itachi, avoided Shisui's gaze and thrust the Kusanagi Sword forward.
Shisui, not daring to meet the blade head-on, dodged.
Orochimaru used the moment to gain distance from Shisui.
But Shisui didn't pursue, intending to activate his Mangekyō Sharingan and use its power to defeat Orochimaru.
He knew his other techniques wouldn't suffice.
"Shisui, wait!"
Itachi landed beside Shisui, holding Izumi, stopping him from escalating his eye power.
Itachi looked at Shisui and said, "You can't expend too much chakra. It will disrupt our plan."
Shisui's Mangekyō technique consumes immense chakra and risks long-term consequences.
Having previously used it to aid Itachi, Shisui's chakra and eye power hadn't fully recovered, limiting his ability to confront Orochimaru now.
"I'll leave Izumi in your care," Itachi said, releasing her.
He had treated her during Orochimaru and Shisui's clash.
The nerve-paralyzing venom was countered, and she could stand.
"Let me handle this," Itachi said, handing her to Shisui.
Shisui nodded, taking Izumi's arm. Knowing Itachi's eye power surpassed his own, he didn't hesitate.
Itachi exchanged a reassuring glance with Izumi, then stepped forward to face Orochimaru.
"Chi!"
Three black magatama spun within his blood-red eyes, connecting to form a kaleidoscope pattern.
Orochimaru, now at the stream's edge, faced Itachi and Shisui without holding back.
"Summoning Technique!"
He bit his finger and formed hand seals.
"Bang!"
As Itachi activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, a vast cloud of summoning smoke billowed from the stream's edge.
A massive creature appeared before Itachi, Shisui, and Izumi.
"Manda?"
Itachi and Shisui muttered simultaneously.
It was known across the ninja world that the Legendary Sannin each possessed a powerful summoning beast, too formidable for ordinary ninjas to control.
The enormous purple-scaled snake before them was Orochimaru's mightiest summon, Manda.
"Orochimaru, you summoned me to a place like this?"
Manda hissed, annoyed.
Its massive size forced part of its body into the stream upon appearing.
Snakes, though cold-blooded, disliked water.
"And who's this brat?" Manda's gaze shifted upward.
Not only was Orochimaru atop its head, but a fainted white-haired boy lay nearby.
The boy had been crouching close to Orochimaru but had passed out before Itachi's arrival.
"Enough complaints. Deal with these threats, and I'll prepare a suitable offering later," Orochimaru said, eyeing Shisui and Itachi warily.
Though cautious of their strength, Itachi's rare talent made Orochimaru reluctant to retreat.
Noticing Orochimaru's serious tone, Manda looked down with surprise.
As a snake, Manda's eyesight was poor, but it sensed its surroundings through other means.
"You're pathetic, summoning me for three children," Manda chuckled mockingly after observing Shisui, Itachi, and Izumi.
"Stop talking. They're not ordinary children," Orochimaru said gravely.
"Understood."
Manda's tone sharpened, its tongue flicking with a cold glint in its eyes.
As it prepared to strike, Itachi closed his left eye.
Despite the low visibility, Manda's size made it an easy target.
Itachi's right eye locked onto part of Manda's body, the shuriken-like patterns in his pupil swirling.
Blood trickled from his right eye socket.
"Amaterasu!"
"Boom!"
Black flames erupted from nowhere, landing on Manda's body.
"Ahhh!"
Manda, ferocious moments ago, screamed in agony.
The flames spread rapidly upon contact.
Manda's massive body thrashed, and Orochimaru, atop it, wobbled.
He grabbed the white-haired boy and leaped off.
Manda rolled into the stream, dragging the flaming section of its body.
"Sizzle!"
Amaterasu's black flames vaporized everything they touched, growing stronger in the water.
Orochimaru, now on the ground, watched with a trembling expression.
"Black flames?"
Ordinary flames wouldn't affect Manda, but these burned fiercely despite submersion.
"What terrifying flames!"
Shisui and Izumi exclaimed.
Shisui had seen Itachi use Amaterasu before, but it was repelled by Pain's Deva Path, never showing its full power.
Now, Amaterasu revealed its might, clinging like a leech.
No matter how Manda thrashed, the flames grew stronger.
Amaterasu burns until its target is consumed, making it the ultimate physical attack.
Izumi gazed at Itachi, murmuring inwardly, "Is this the power he's been hiding?"
....
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