"Where... am I?"
Opening his eyes, Orochimaru looked around at the familiar trees that existed in his memory, yet everything felt strangely distant, as though the world itself was trying to separate from him.
"Didn't I seize Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan... and then Pain's Rinnegan? How... am I here?"
As he felt the Three-Tails' chakra within his body, Orochimaru instantly realized something was wrong.
More precisely, he became sharply aware of his current situation.
"I'm under a genjutsu? Who did this?"
The illusion was so vivid, so beautiful, that Orochimaru couldn't help but feel a strange urge to surrender to it—perhaps never return to reality again.
But soon after, relying on his formidable self-control, he dispelled that thought.
No matter what, he couldn't stay here.
With that thought in mind, Orochimaru slowly sank into the ground.
Having mastered the Earth Release, he could easily use the Hiding in Surface Technique to conceal himself.
He didn't know how long he traveled underground before finally emerging again. Covering his head with one hand, he leaned against a large tree and sat down.
"When exactly did I fall under the genjutsu?"
"It should've been after I encountered Uchiha Sasuke... Could it be that Sasuke awakened the Mangekyō? No, impossible. Sasuke's talent doesn't surpass Itachi's—his Sharingan should still only have three tomoe. Then... could it be Kamizuki Hikari?"
Entertaining that possibility, Orochimaru tried to organize the information in his mind.
"According to my intel, Kamizuki Hikari's combat ability leans heavily toward taijutsu. Even if he possesses powerful ninjutsu, genjutsu isn't his specialty. Something this intricate couldn't be performed by an ordinary shinobi."
Thinking that, Orochimaru took a slow breath.
"If it's not Kamizuki Hikari, then could it be another genjutsu master in Konoha... perhaps Yuhi Kurenai? No..." At this moment, Orochimaru thought of Yūhi Shinko, the prodigy whose genjutsu could rival the Uchiha's.
If it were him... but no, this illusion surpassed even Uchiha-level genjutsu.
"Not Kurenai, not Kamizuki Hikari... then who else in Konoha...?"
Before he could finish the thought, a figure appeared before him, cutting him off.
A strange man—half black, half white—whose form resembled a pitcher plant.
Zetsu!
"Zetsu, it's been a while!" Orochimaru said politely as he slowly stood up, scanning his surroundings.
He knew—wherever Zetsu appeared, the Akatsuki couldn't be far.
"Orochimaru, it really has been a long time. Originally, I hadn't planned to look for you, but you, of all people, shouldn't have touched things that don't belong to you!"
As he spoke, Black Zetsu's gaze ran up and down Orochimaru's body.
"If I didn't recognize your chakra, I wouldn't have believed it—you've actually turned yourself into a child."
"A child or an adult, what difference does it make?"
Orochimaru didn't mind his current appearance at all.
To him, as long as he could continue living—and continue his research—that was all that mattered.
Whether male or female, old or young... the vessel didn't matter.
"Heh, that's quite a philosophy. Seeing you again makes me feel my own form isn't so strange anymore," Black Zetsu chuckled.
In truth, he admired Orochimaru—born as an embodiment of Yin Release, possessing eternal life yet deprived of human emotion or normal thought.
He didn't know whether his existence was a blessing or a curse. He only knew one thing—his mission was to free his mother, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
"Is that so?"
"In that case, will you let me go?"
Orochimaru wasn't afraid of Zetsu himself—but what concerned him was the Akatsuki behind him.
If Zetsu stalled him, he'd have no chance to escape.
Sasori, Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame—none of them were opponents to take lightly.
"That won't do," Zetsu said with a smile. "I already told you, you've done something you shouldn't have."
"Can you at least tell me what I did wrong? As far as I remember, I haven't had any contact with the Akatsuki recently." Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, genuinely curious.
Zetsu smiled slyly, as if watching a snake trapped in a cage.
"The Three-Tails," he said at last.
"You shouldn't have placed the Three-Tails inside your body."
The moment those words left his mouth, Orochimaru understood everything.
He'd heard from Kabuto that the Akatsuki had come to assist Kirigakure in protecting the Three-Tails. Back then, he'd assumed they had suddenly taken up charity work. He never imagined their real goal was the chakra sealed inside his body.
"So it's about the Three-Tails' chakra! That's simple enough. I can give you this body—it's just a vessel, after all. I'll just transfer my soul into another one." Orochimaru's tone was nonchalant.
To him, a body was no more than clothing—something to be changed as needed.
Now that he understood the principles behind the Three-Tails' chakra, and with the Eight-Tails' horn still in his possession, he could synthesize tailed beast chakra on his own. Vast reserves of chakra would soon be his to command.
"That can be arranged," Zetsu said, surprised at Orochimaru's compliance. Then, smiling faintly, he added, "Come with me. Surrender that body, and the Akatsuki will write off our grudges."
Orochimaru smiled thinly.
"That would be wonderful. But I'm curious—if the real Three-Tails is still alive, shouldn't the Akatsuki be capable of capturing it whole?"
Zetsu's expression instantly darkened. "That's none of your concern. Some things are better left unknown."
"Sometimes, knowing too much is... unwise."
Orochimaru chuckled coldly. Did they really think he could be frightened so easily?
Judging from the situation, he could tell the Akatsuki had split their forces—one team to hunt the real Three-Tails, another to deal with him. The only question was: how many did they send for him?
Holy shit!
Seeing several figures rushing toward him from afar, Orochimaru nearly cursed aloud.
To think the Akatsuki would send so many after him—how flattering.
Especially when he saw Uchiha Itachi among them, Orochimaru immediately stopped in his tracks.
"Why did you stop?" Zetsu stood still, staring intently at Orochimaru.
"Nothing. I just remembered I have some matters to attend to at home. Goodbye!"
Without another word, Orochimaru sank into the ground, fleeing at full speed.
"Using Earth Release to escape in front of me? Orochimaru, you must have a death wish!" Zetsu hissed, his eyes filled with killing intent.
In the past, he hadn't bothered to pursue Orochimaru because the man hadn't interfered with their plans—and Pain hadn't given the order.
But now Orochimaru was related to the collection of the nine tailed beasts. Even if Orochimaru was just a backup, Zetsu didn't want to let him go.
"Zetsu! Which way did Orochimaru go?"
Uchiha Itachi and the other four caught up, and Deidara asked Zetsu.
Black Zetsu casually pointed. "In that direction. He's already several hundred meters away."
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