The two arrived outside the Hidden Sound Village.
Standing nearby were Orochimaru’s followers.
Among them were Kabuto Yakushi and Kimimaro.
“Kimimaro,” Kabuto asked while standing beside him, “what do you think Uchiha Seigen wants with Orochimaru?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“If Orochimaru orders me to…”
“I’ll kill that Uchiha.”
Kimimaro’s voice was cold and emotionless.
“How boring.”
…
“Then…”
“Show me the power of the Uchiha Clan.”
Orochimaru’s pale face twisted into an excited grin as his long tongue slowly licked across his lips.
Seigen nodded slightly.
In an instant, his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan activated.
He had no intention of probing his opponent first.
He planned to end this fight as quickly as possible.
Only overwhelming strength would convince Orochimaru that cooperation was the best choice.
As for stealing his body…
Orochimaru could forget about it.
Black chakra erupted around Seigen.
Within only a few breaths, a towering black warrior formed from chakra rose into the sky before everyone’s disbelieving eyes.
“What…
what kind of jutsu is that?!”
“So that’s the Susanoo Orochimaru mentioned…”
Kabuto and Kimimaro felt the overwhelming pressure radiating from the giant warrior, and their curiosity toward the Uchiha’s power only deepened.
“I’d heard the reports…”
“But seeing it with my own eyes…”
“The Uchiha’s power truly is fascinating.”
Orochimaru reacted just as quickly.
The moment Seigen activated Susanoo, he made his move.
Dropping low, he pressed one hand against the ground.
“Summoning Jutsu!”
Boom!
A gigantic purple serpent appeared amid a cloud of smoke.
“Hey, Orochimaru!”
“You’d better prepare five hundred sacrifices for me!”
The moment Manda opened his eyes…
He saw the massive black Susanoo.
As a resident of Ryuchi Cave, he naturally recognized what it was.
Back in the day, while causing trouble across the ninja world…
He’d once been beaten senseless by some long-haired Uchiha lunatic.
And the whole time…
That lunatic had been shouting,
“Do you want to dance too?!”
The taunting had been absolutely infuriating.
Now, staring at the black Susanoo before him…
Manda couldn’t help feeling a little nervous.
This looks bad.
If things go south, I’m getting out of here immediately.
“Fine.”
Orochimaru agreed without hesitation.
Of course…
He had absolutely no intention of actually preparing five hundred sacrifices.
After all these years, every time he summoned Manda…
He’d always gotten away without paying.
Following Orochimaru’s order to attack, Manda had no choice but to charge forward despite his reluctance.
Standing inside Susanoo, Seigen simply lifted one enormous foot and stomped Manda into the ground.
As if that weren’t enough…
He deliberately stepped on the snake’s vital spot.
Without the slightest hesitation, Manda immediately used Reverse Summoning and fled the battlefield.
Orochimaru had long expected Manda to be unreliable.
So he decided to reveal his trump card.
His hands flew through a series of seals.
“Eight Branches Technique!”
Eight enormous serpents covered in scales burst out from Orochimaru’s body.
In an instant…
A colossal eight-headed serpent stood before Seigen.
The dramatic transformation filled Orochimaru’s followers with pride.
Each of the eight heads opened its mouth and unleashed a different ninjutsu.
Water Release.
Fire Release.
Lightning Release.
Earth Release.
Wind Release.
A torrent of attacks swallowed Seigen whole, kicking up an enormous cloud of dust.
According to the universal law of ninja battles…
If there’s smoke, there’s no injury.
Orochimaru’s attack was destined to fail.
Within the dust…
A black light suddenly emerged.
Seigen had endured the entire barrage with nothing but his Susanoo.
Even so…
He hadn’t expected Orochimaru’s assault to consume such a noticeable amount of his ocular power.
If he’d only possessed an ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan…
Orochimaru might have exhausted him to death.
It seemed…
Even with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, he couldn’t afford to recklessly tank every attack.
There were no weak heroes in the ninja world.
After weathering the assault, Seigen drew the katana from Susanoo’s waist.
He unleashed a single iai slash.
Slash!
A streak of black light split the sky.
Even the clouds overhead were swept away by the force of the attack.
The Eight-Headed Serpent instinctively tried to dodge.
But Orochimaru’s expression suddenly changed.
He couldn’t control it.
The moment the black slash flashed past…
All eight heads of the giant serpent separated cleanly from their necks before crashing to the ground.
Boom!
Having expended an enormous amount of chakra, Orochimaru could no longer sustain the technique.
He reverted to his normal form beneath Seigen’s strike.
“Cough…
cough…”
“I never imagined…”
“…the Uchiha’s power could be this overwhelming.”
Instead of fear…
Orochimaru’s eyes burned with even greater excitement.
Moments later, another Orochimaru emerged from the mouth of his injured body, leaving behind the discarded shell.
Seeing this, Kabuto and Kimimaro immediately rushed to his side.
” Orochimaru!”
“Are you alright?!”
The surrounding subordinates drew their weapons.
Every one of them stood ready to attack Seigen at a moment’s notice.
However…
Seigen noticed that while most of them held their weapons tightly…
Their legs were trembling uncontrollably.
Dispelling his Susanoo, Seigen leaped down and landed in front of Orochimaru.
“So?”
“Are you satisfied now?”
He looked at the somewhat weakened Orochimaru with a cheerful smile.
“Enough.”
“Seigen-kun isn’t an enemy.”
Orochimaru raised a hand, stopping Kabuto and Kimimaro.
“How captivating…”
“I can hardly wait any longer, Seigen-kun.”