But would Itachi really tell Kabuto his original plan?
Of course not.
Itachi and Sasuke stood side-by-side, ready for battle, both staring at Kabuto opposite them.
Several large snake heads gradually appeared behind Kabuto, swaying around his body.
Kabuto himself pulled off his hat, which had snake pupils on it, to cover his face.
“A schemer like me isn’t used to being stared at.” As Kabuto pulled off his hat, Itachi rubbed his silver ring on his left hand, seemingly sending some special information somewhere.
Sasuke, meanwhile, stared intently at Kabuto.
He knew Kabuto’s action of lowering his hat was to counter illusions, to avoid seeing the brothers’ Sharingan.
After stealthily finishing his deed, Itachi acted as if nothing had happened.
He glanced at the swaying snake heads opposite them and analyzed them with a knowing air: “Judging by the snakes’ movements, they can sense us acutely.” “Just this won’t be enough to defeat me.” At this moment, Kabuto, who was forming hand seals opposite Itachi and Sasuke, spoke.
He was channeling Chakra into the large snakes beside him, and their bodies grew larger as Chakra flowed into them.
“This is my territory.
Nature is my ally!” Hiss—!!
The snakes behind Kabuto grew so large that their heads could touch the cave ceiling, covered in stalactites, with just a slight lift.
They suddenly roared and charged towards Itachi and Sasuke!
Bang!!!
Several huge snake heads crashed against the wall.
Sasuke and Itachi had already seen their chance and instantly moved away.
The hard snake heads smashed directly through the wall, raising clouds of smoke.
When the smoke cleared, a translucent Susanoo, burning with crimson eyes, appeared on the spot.
The skeletal Susanoo, not yet fully covered by muscle, used its four arms to grab the four snakes.
Slash!
Beside the red Susanoo, a pale purple, equally partial Susanoo, wielding a bright purple blade, slashed at two of the snakes, directly severing their heads.
Kabuto was slightly stunned.
Through the snakes’ senses, he saw the sight of Sasuke and Itachi’s Susanoo.
The giant snake heads emerging from behind him swayed twice.
“So this is Susanoo.” Itachi, who was controlling his Susanoo, warned Sasuke, “You’re too brutal, Sasuke.
I told you not to kill him.” Sasuke, looking at Kabuto’s familiar appearance, explained his swift action.
“He seems to have obtained Orochimaru’s power.
He won’t die that easily.” As he spoke, the brothers exchanged a look.
As if in perfect understanding, Itachi suddenly yanked on two of the snake heads, pulling Kabuto, who was connected to them, closer, and shouted to Sasuke, “Sasuke!” “You want to pull off my hat, huh!” Sasuke understood instantly and controlled his Susanoo, extending a skeletal hand, aiming for Kabuto’s hat, and lunging forward.
Sasuke’s Susanoo hand precisely hooked Kabuto’s hat with a few joints and yanked it directly off.
But the next moment, as Kabuto’s hat was pulled off, not Kabuto himself was revealed, but several ferocious white snake heads!
“What?!” Rumble— The immense inertia caused Sasuke to slide back a considerable distance.
The giant Susanoo scraped against the ground, raising more dust.
Sasuke looked at the several shed skins behind him, and only a snake robe left on the ground, and provocatively scoffed.
“Tch, just shedding its skin to escape?
You’re a degraded version that transplanted Orochimaru’s leftovers.” Thump!!
Suddenly, the snakes that had emerged from Kabuto’s hat made a rapid dash in one direction, finally smashing a small hole in the ground and kicking up dust.
At the same time, Kabuto’s voice came from who knows where.
“Are you looking down on me, Sasuke?” As he spoke, the snakes that had popped out of the hat began to open their mouths wide, sticking out their scarlet tongues, coiling around each other, and wrapping around the surrounding stalactites.
Kabuto’s voice continued to echo.
“I am no longer the person I used to be, ever since I trained in Ryuchi Cave!” “Ryuchi Cave?!
Could it be that you…” Itachi gasped in surprise upon hearing Kabuto’s words.
He seemed to understand the meaning behind Kabuto’s statement.
“Yes, I found it.” Kabuto’s tone was somewhat excited now, as if showing off his achievement.
“A legendary place, on par with Mount Myōboku’s.
Not only Orochimaru-sama, but I reached it too.” After all the snakes were entangled, they began to melt into small droplets of liquid.
This was an ability Kabuto learned from studying the Sage Art of Ryuchi Cave and Hozuki Suigetsu’s Kekkei Genkai.
“I trained under the White Snake Sage and learned this ability…” Kabuto’s voice gradually trembled with excitement.
He slowly revealed a portion of his body from the melting White Snake.
“I have finally surpassed Orochimaru-sama!” Splash!
An arm carrying a viscous liquid burst out of the mouth of an unclear snake head, followed by another hand pushing open the snake head and slowly emerging.
“In the past, Orochimaru-sama also came to Ryuchi Cave by studying Jugo’s body.
Orochimaru-sama tried to obtain this power on the spot, but his body at that time couldn’t accept it…” “…So.” Splash!
Kabuto slowly crawled out of the snake’s mouth, covered in viscous liquid.
He had transformed into a strange creature covered in white scales, with several white horns on his head.
Kabuto had a thick snake tail growing from his stomach.
He flicked out a long, snake-like tongue and coiled his body on the ground, a smile on his face as he said, “Even he couldn’t transform into a perfect Sage Mode like me!” Itachi, standing opposite Kabuto, saw his appearance and confirmed his guess.
Kabuto indeed possessed the power of Sage Mode.
Kabuto slowly stood up.
Facing the two Susanoo, he showed no fear and continued to excitedly spread his arms, shouting about his achievement.
“The complete power of a Sage has shed my snake skin!” Kabuto clapped his hands together abruptly and formed a seal.
The pressure of nature energy within him erupted, transforming into visible waves of energy that pressed against the two opposite them.
Whoosh—!!!
Kabuto’s hair danced in the blast of energy.
His tone became increasingly arrogant, and his glasses reflected a strange light in the dim cave.
“I have…
ascended into a dragon!!” At this moment, a flash of white light shot down from above Kabuto’s head.
“Clang!!!” A bright, reflective soup spoon sharply struck Kabuto’s head as he was forming a seal, then bounced back with a crisp sound.
At the same time, an ancient voice from above Kabuto’s head said, “A dragon?
You call this a dragon?!” —