Outside Konoha Village.
From the moment Yami gave his ultimatum, Orochimaru hadn't stopped once, fleeing without looking back.
But the battle with Hiruzen had drained most of his chakra, and the sealing of his arms made things even worse.
At first, his hands had merely gone numb.
But not long after, pain began to spread.
This was no ordinary pain. It sank deep into the marrow, spreading from his hands to every corner of his body.
Orochimaru, well-versed in the soul, knew this was a spiritual-level injury. As long as his hands didn't recover, the pain would never stop.
And the only person in the entire shinobi world capable of healing this kind of damage, in Orochimaru's memory, was one.
That was the Sannin princess, Tsunade.
Just as he was thinking of how to find this old acquaintance, the sharp sound of something cutting through the air rang behind him.
Several Anbu closed in rapidly, surrounding Orochimaru and the three Otogakure shinobi, forcing them to halt.
"You think you can stop me? Kill them!"
Though his hands were in excruciating pain and most of his ninjutsu unusable, Orochimaru's subordinates could handle a few low-level Anbu.
At his command, the three Sound ninja activated their curse marks and directly entered the second stage.
They were worried about reinforcements catching up and wanted to end the battle quickly.
However, as the fight went on, the four of them began to realize something was wrong.
Aside from the white-robed Anbu at the front, the other six quickly suppressed the three Sound ninja, two-on-one. Even the enhancements from the second stage curse mark were ineffective.
"Of course... they're no ordinary Anbu. Yami's subordinates really are something."
Orochimaru's sinister grin froze on his face. His gaze locked on the white-robed Anbu who still hadn't made a move.
"How could a gutter snake like you understand our methods?"
Shisui's voice was calm and cold, showing no regard for Orochimaru, the legendary Sannin.
"Kids these days are getting cockier by the second. Do you really think I'm helpless just because I can't use my arms?"
Orochimaru's neck suddenly extended, and a sword shot from his mouth toward Shisui's throat.
Through the hole in the Anbu mask, he caught a flash of scarlet light. He hesitated momentarily, but quickly understood. Horror appeared in his eyes.
"Sharingan!"
Clang—!
Orochimaru was stunned to find that his body couldn't move.
The sword was only a few centimeters from the white-robed Anbu's throat, yet that tiny gap might as well have been an insurmountable gorge.
What shocked him even more was that this wasn't some advanced ninjutsu. It was a simple binding illusion.
"Who are you?!"
Orochimaru stood frozen in an awkward pose, staring at the Three Tomoe Sharingan in disbelief.
Wasn't the Uchiha clan already wiped out?
Uchiha Itachi's chakra wasn't like this. Uchiha Sasuke didn't have that kind of ability. And Uchiha Izumi of Yami's family was a woman.
Where did this Uchiha come from?
"Knowing too much won't do you any good."
Shisui sliced off one of Orochimaru's arms and sealed it into a scroll. Then, pressing a kunai to his forehead, he warned coldly:
"Don't even think about going near Sasuke again. He's Yami-sama's disciple, and I've trained him personally. With your pathetic strength, you're not qualified to teach him anything."
"If you want to live and continue your twisted research, then stay far away."
As he spoke, he pushed the kunai slightly forward. Blood immediately streamed down Orochimaru's face.
"All right, enough."
Glancing at Yuji and the others still fighting the Sound ninja, Shisui frowned and gave the order.
Upon receiving it, the six Anbu's speed and power visibly surged. Their blades ignited with flames.
Uchiha Flame Blade.
Faced with the sudden increase in intensity, the three Sound ninja could only last a few more exchanges before being dismembered.
After eliminating them, Shisui didn't spare Orochimaru another glance and led the team back.
Orochimaru's eyes were bloodshot, his jaw clenched.
Humiliation. An unbearable humiliation. The second time in his life he'd been this disgraced.
And both times, it was at the hands of Uchiha.
His obsession with Sharingan reached a whole new level.
After a while, the paralysis wore off.
Orochimaru glared toward Konoha with hate, then slowly sank into the earth and disappeared.
Elsewhere.
Yuji and the others were also discussing Orochimaru.
"Why didn't Yami-sama just have Shisui-sensei kill him on the spot?"
The Uchiha from the Land of Snow, having grown up under Shisui's guidance, always referred to him as Sensei rather than Senpai.
Hearing Yuji's question, Shisui shook his head lightly. "I don't know, but he must have his own reasons. It's not something we need to worry about."
"It's just Orochimaru. Dead or alive doesn't make much of a difference."
Hearing this, the first unit also smiled in agreement.
Uchiha would always be Uchiha. Unless someone had absolute strength to suppress them, they didn't see outsiders as equals.
Orochimaru's strength clearly didn't meet that standard.
His ninjutsu was certainly bizarre, but that eccentricity lacked the overwhelming power to dominate the battlefield. Compared to him, Jiraiya was far more respectable in their eyes.
Having fought Jiraiya earlier, they could feel it—Jiraiya was solid. His skills in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu were all well-rounded. Facing him was much more intense than facing "Snakemaru."
At the Shimura estate.
Konoha was in chaos, but the Shimura mansion remained peaceful.
With Izumi and Hikari guarding the place, even the Kazekage and Raikage combined wouldn't cause a stir.
After delivering Hiruzen's remains to the Sarutobi clan, Yami returned home to check his spoils.
When he arrived, Izumi, Hikari, and Karin were gathered around the bound Kurotsuchi.
"She's pretty, but not prettier than you."
"Hehe, she's no match for you, Hikari. But those legs... wow."
"Damn it... why are her legs so long?" Karin reached out enviously to touch them. Smooth and soft like butter, yet strong and athletic. Karin's eyes turned red with jealousy, matching her hair.
Only Samui stood aside, arms crossed over her chest.
Just a flat board. She wasn't going to be intimidated as a proud F-rank powerhouse.
At that moment, Yami returned.
The girls, who had been teasing poor Kurotsuchi, screamed and scattered, leaving Yami confused.
"Samui, what was that about?"
Samui covered her mouth and laughed. "Izumi and Hikari were just about to figure out Kurotsuchi's skincare secrets when you walked in."
"Oh."
Yami suddenly understood. Then he smiled and waved her off. "Go rest. I'll talk to her alone."
"Yami-sama, remember to come find me tonight."
Samui winked and left.
Now, only Yami and Kurotsuchi were left in the room.
Though the girls were gone, Kurotsuchi looked even more afraid. Her large, teary eyes trembled as she stared at Yami.
Any man would feel some pity—and Yami was no exception. He removed the gag from her mouth and said gently:
"If you cry, I'll kill a Rock shinobi. Every single time you cry."
"Hiccup!" Kurotsuchi let out a strange sob and held back.
"Good."
Yami rubbed her head in satisfaction, leaned close, and whispered into her ear, "You're the one who attacked us. Do you think you deserve sympathy? You came here to cause trouble, and now you're crying?"
She had seen Wood Release firsthand.
Dozens of her comrades had been pierced through by wooden spikes. The deaths had been gruesome. Her mind was already a mess.
"Yami… Iwa was wrong. We shouldn't have listened to Orochimaru. Please… stop killing. Please…"
Tears rolled down Kurotsuchi's cheeks, but she didn't dare to cry. All she could do was sob and plead.
"No. Not for now."
Yami gently wiped her tears but spoke coldly. "You're worth more alive. You're Konoha's bargaining chip to pressure Iwa."
"Ōnoki is your grandfather, isn't he?"
Kurotsuchi whispered, "I'm just a normal genin. I'm not worth anything. Grandpa won't pay a price for me."
"You're not normal."
Yami shook his head. "At least to me, your legs are more valuable than all the remaining Iwa shinobi."
Kurotsuchi: "…."
Even though Yami was complimenting her, it sounded so insulting.
So aside from her legs, nothing else had value?
Suddenly, her chin was lifted. Kurotsuchi looked at Yami was shocked when Yami placed a finger on her tongue.
"Mm—!"
More than ten seconds passed before he let go.
"What did you do to me?" Kurotsuchi felt something strange on her tongue.
"My upgraded Tongue Eradication Seal. If I want, your tongue explodes."
Yami released her, then sent out two wind blades to cut the ropes on her body. He stood and said, "Stay here in my home. Don't even think about going back to Iwagakure."
"When you have time, talk to Samui. You two should get along."
"What if my grandfather wants to ransom me?"
Seeing that Yami truly planned to keep her, Kurotsuchi panicked. She didn't want to stay with this monster.
Yami, already on the stairs, smiled and replied, "If he truly wants to ransom you, then I'll go visit Iwagakure and discuss it with him personally."
Leaving Kurotsuchi to spend a sleepless night on the couch, Yami headed out early the next morning.
Anbu had received word that the two elders wanted him to join a meeting and had also summoned Jiraiya and Danzō.
Naturally, it was about choosing the next Hokage.
But Yami had no intention of attending.
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu still hadn't accepted reality. They no longer had the authority to decide Konoha's Hokage.
Let the Old Man go. He could experience some betrayal from his old friends. That way, he'd finally cut ties with them.
It wasn't that Yami had a problem with the two elders.
Truthfully, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura had treated him fairly well. They had even taken his side against Hiruzen a few times.
But the future Konoha didn't need elders.
He'd allow them to live out their retirement in peace, but they had to step down from power.
As the morning sunlight filtered through the gates, Yami stepped outside.
He hadn't walked far when a red-eyed Sasuke blocked his path.
Sasuke hadn't activated his Sharingan, but his eyes were bloodshot. It was clear he hadn't slept all night.
"Yami-sensei… is Shun-sensei an Uchiha? Are there other Uchiha in your Anbu?"
"I can feel it. That chakra… it's definitely Sharingan!"
(To be continued.)
***
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