A dazzling, blue-violet flash of lightning, as if meant to pierce and tear apart the heavens and the earth, suddenly burst forth.
Not long after, "Boom, boom, boom—"
A continuous series of earth-shattering roars, accompanied by deafening thunder, instantly spread in all directions.
In less than the blink of an eye, the forest for hundreds of meters around had been reduced to ashes by this world-destroying ninjutsu, and the buildings that once stood there were shattered into a heap of ruined debris.
A strong smell of burning permeated the air—the scent of destruction.
"Crackle, crackle—"
Tiny electric currents continually and haphazardly moved across the ruins until they lost their energy and uncontrollably burrowed into the ground.
"Swish, swish, rattle, rattle—"
Countless pieces of shattered rock and mud dust mixed with an unceasing downpour of rain, accompanied by the immense sounds fading farther and farther away until they gradually disappeared.
Several wisps of pale-white smoke curled and snaked toward the sky.
In the center of the devastated area, only one young, handsome figure, dressed in a kimono patterned with a fan design, stood proudly upright.
"Hah... whew..."
The boy's uncontrollable, heavy gasping indicated that he was utterly exhausted.
Rain mixed with sweat dripped from his cheeks, which he didn't bother to wipe away.
Uchiha Sasuke stared through the continuous curtain of rain at the familiar, yet somehow alien, figure lying on the ground not far away.
The surroundings were completely silent, with only the gentle rain still "pat-pat-pat—" tapping against the ground.
The rain gradually stopped.
"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."
A series of gentle breezes blew, bringing the refreshing coolness of the just-cleared weather.
The thick, dense dark clouds, which seemed to have solidified into a tangible form, gradually dispersed.
After staring for a moment and seeing that the figure on the ground still hadn't moved, Sasuke let out a heavy sigh, "Hah—", as if expelling years of hatred and melancholy.
A long-lost feeling of relief and ease welled up in Sasuke's heart, though it was subtly entangled with a deep, sorrowful pain and grief.
The alluring, blood-red Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes slowly faded, and he lowered the incessantly screeching blue-violet Chidori in his left hand.
"Thud—"
Sasuke, completely drained, slumped onto the slippery ground. His eyes, now vacant with both liberation and confusion, lost their focus, and he muttered to himself, "It's finally over!"
Suddenly!!!
"Is this... the image of my death... you wished to recreate?"
A familiar voice rang out.
Sasuke's body, which had been slumped on the ground, instantly tensed. His jet-black eyes, due to immense surprise and terror, condensed into two tiny black circles, and he suddenly looked toward the place where Uchiha Itachi had fallen.
Uchiha Itachi, who was lying on the ground, was covered in patchy scorch marks from the intense electrical current he had endured. His right hand was completely charred, a stark contrast to his pale left hand, making him look utterly wretched.
Yet, this very person, whom Sasuke believed to be dead for sure, staggered and stood up.
"Ugh, pfft—"
Itachi continuously coughed up dark-red blood, indicating his injuries were severe.
Sasuke cursed under his breath, "Damn it!"
The Three-Tomoe Cursed Seal on his shoulder activated again, immediately switching him to the Second Stage form with grayish skin, long hair, and two tengu wings sprouting from his back. His dried-up chakra was refined once more, and he stared vigilantly at Itachi's frail body.
"Hiss—"
An eerie, translucent dark-red flame, accompanied by a shocking, immovable aura, surged forth from Itachi's seemingly wind-blown body, quickly growing larger and stronger.
"Crack, crack, crack—"
Following a chilling sound of bone dislocation, a massive, half-body skeleton clearly emerged within the flames. It stood behind Itachi, along with the unsettling red blaze.
"Pfft—"
Itachi spat out another mouthful of blood, yet a look of relieved satisfaction hung on his lips. He spoke softly to Sasuke: "If I didn't have this, I really might have been killed.
You've truly become strong, Sasuke!
Now, let me show you my final trump card!
Susanoo!!!"
Sasuke could sense the powerful threat emanating from the flames and the astonishingly massive energy contained within the skeleton. His heart grew incredibly heavy.
Beams of dazzling sunlight, like sharp swords piercing the sky, broke through the thick curtain of dark clouds, illuminating the colossal skeleton.
The strange skeleton within the red flames suddenly began to transform.
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, clang—"
Thick, coarse sinews quickly surged out from the gaps between the joints, wrapping around the massive bones, giving rise to strong muscles and even a majestic, powerful suit of armor.
In just a few breaths, a colossal, mighty half-body warrior, holding a shield in its left hand, had appeared within the rolling red flames. A supreme, overwhelming pressure emanated from its body, forcing itself fiercely towards Sasuke.
Itachi, encased within the red flames, spoke coldly: "What's wrong? Chakra exhausted, left completely helpless?"
Inside the depths of Sasuke's body, Orochimaru felt an uncontrollable surge of excitement, and he slowly began to tempt Sasuke: "Lend it to you... my power!
I know you need it, don't you?
Sasuke, accept my power, kill the man in front of you, and take your revenge!
Come! As long as you accept my power, your wish..."
"Damn it—" Sasuke struggled against the erosion of Orochimaru's power.
However, how could Sasuke, who had exhausted his chakra, resist the mighty Orochimaru?
A powerful, chilling, snake-like surge of colossal energy erupted from the depths of Sasuke's body. Like a surging tide or a wildfire sweeping across the land, it became unstoppable.
"Aaaah—"
An intense, tearing pain radiated from Sasuke's Cursed Seal.
An eight-tailed, eight-headed white-scaled serpent drilled out of his body, stretching its enormous, hill-like frame in the air. "Hiss! Roar! Roar!—" It continuously roared and bellowed at Itachi, emitting a cold, eerie pressure that seemed to come from an ancient, primal era, confronting Itachi's Susanoo without yielding.
The two powerful pressures constantly collided and crushed one another in the air. The very atmosphere seemed to become thick and congealed.
Itachi, standing in the red flames, smiled wider, a look of understanding or perhaps the relief of a long-sought goal achieved.
Eight Branches Technique!
Hmph. You finally decided to come out, Orochimaru!!!
The eight-tailed, eight-headed white-scaled serpent aggressively bore down on Itachi, "Boom, boom, boom—" grinding up dust along its path.
Itachi gave a cold smile, staggered his feet, and moved to meet it.
The eight ghastly white serpent heads writhed and danced their massive bodies in the air, nearly obscuring the vast sky.
They opened their grotesque fangs and viciously lunged at Itachi from different directions, attempting to devour him.
A trail of dark-red blood hung on Itachi's lips, yet his eyes were perfectly clear as he surged the remaining chakra within his body.
The majestic warrior behind Itachi raised its thick right arm. The strong arm surprisingly had two hands on one arm. The lower hand held an ancient, rustic-looking gourd, while the upper hand was empty.
After the warrior raised its right hand, the large hand holding the gourd clenched.
"Whoosh—"
A golden light immediately surged from the mouth of the stopper and landed in the other hand, instantly transforming into a sword wreathed in roaring golden flames.
The golden longsword was raised high toward the sky and brandished in the air.
"Slash! Boom—"
One colossal white-scaled serpent head was instantly severed and smashed onto the nearby ruins.
"Hiss! Roar! Roar! Roar!—"
With one head cut off, the Eight-Headed Serpent grew more ferocious in its pain, its cries becoming sharper and more intense.
Three more serpent heads attacked.
"Slam—"
The warrior raised its left round shield, staunchly blocking the attack, while its right hand, without pausing, sliced down once more.
"Boom, boom, boom—"
Three more serpent heads were severed, and dark-red serpent blood flowed all over the ground.
The remaining serpent heads of the Eight-Headed Serpent suddenly lunged, coiling up and around the warrior's body, binding it tightly.
"Roar—"
The warrior in the red flames let out an inhuman roar of fury. The red flames surged, and the seemingly indestructible golden sharp sword cut upward, tracing a golden flash of light as boundless as the sky.
"Boom, boom, boom—"
Three more serpent heads fell to the ground.
With only one head remaining, the Eight-Headed Serpent retreated a few steps, showing submission. Seven horrifying stumps of severed necks on its ghastly white body continuously bled torrents of serpent blood, splattering onto the ruins. The air was filled with a pungent, nauseating smell of blood.
Itachi controlled the warrior in the red flames. It didn't pursue, merely watching coldly.
The remaining single serpent head opened its mouth toward the sky.
"Sliiiide, slash—"
A chilling sound of tearing muscles rang out. From inside the serpent head's pink mouth, a naked man emerged. With his inky black hair and mesmerizing golden snake eyes, it was Orochimaru.
"Hmph hmph, haha, haha—"
He licked his lips and laughed wildly. His long-cherished wish was finally about to be fulfilled. The body of the Uchiha clan was about to be his, and he would finally possess the Sharingan.
At this thought, an uncontrollable excitement surged through Orochimaru's heart.
The moss-green Kusanagi Sword extended from his mouth.
Orochimaru spoke deeply to Itachi: "Thanks to you!
Thanks to you for making Sasuke exhaust the chakra that was suppressing me! Hmph hmph!
In that case, I'll take his body now!
Haha..."
However, before he could finish his laugh, a sharp golden light had already pierced through his snake-like, ghastly white body.
The seemingly indestructible golden light effortlessly penetrated Orochimaru's body, bringing out a spray of dark-red blood and exiting through his back.
"Splat—"
Orochimaru spat out a mouthful of blood but didn't seem to care, saying arrogantly, "Itachi, do you think you can kill me with an attack like this?"
Uchiha Itachi showed a hint of a mocking smile.
Orochimaru's gaze suddenly froze. A powerful sense of intense danger abruptly arose within his body.
His abundant, powerful chakra, like a flood bursting through a gate, rapidly drained away, flowing out in an unrestrained torrent, madly pouring out of his body and into the golden longsword that had pierced him.
Orochimaru lowered his head and looked on in disbelief, muttering, "This, could this be... the Totsuka Blade?"
Itachi didn't reply, his smile only growing colder and more sardonic.
Orochimaru's mind was a mess. It had been a long time since things were out of his control like this. Damn it, is it going to end?
The suction from the Totsuka Blade grew stronger and stronger. Not only was his inner chakra, but even his body and consciousness were gradually being decomposed, stripped away, and sealed within this legendary sword.
Orochimaru knew the effect of this sword: everything it pierced would be sealed.
Terrifying, chilling, endless darkness gradually encroached upon Orochimaru's consciousness. A feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time surged into his heart. The uncrowned king of the darkness clearly recognized this feeling: fear, the fear of death.
The pursuit that consumed his entire life, the abandonment of what should have been abandoned, and the abandonment of all that shouldn't have been abandoned—all for what? Only for eternal, immortal life and power to stand above all others.
But now, all of it was about to return to dust. Orochimaru was terrified; he was afraid.
Feeling his body gradually twisting and dissolving, and unable to do anything or change anything, he roared up to the sky: "No..."
Immediately afterward, the endless darkness completely enveloped his consciousness.
No, I won't perish! My existence won't vanish!
There's still Kabuto, I still have an ultimate backup plan...
This was Orochimaru's final belief...
And the story begins here….
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