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One second ago, the Kirin, blazing with dazzling blue light, was roaring with its maw agape as it charged toward Kagaya, carrying the full fury of the heavens' lightning in a single, cataclysmic strike meant to pierce straight through the very earth!
But the very next second, a colossal golden fist, accompanied by a burst of golden radiance, surged up from the ground. Without the boisterous, thunderous roar of lightning, a single, calm punch instantly blasted through the Kirin!
Logically speaking, the Kirin was composed of lightning. Even if its form were scattered, it couldn't be completely stopped. But this punch of Kagaya's was no ordinary punch either.
With the aid of his Mangekyo, Kagaya instantly detected the concentration point of Sasuke's chakra upon the Kirin. And so, he had punched straight through that precise spot.
Thus, although this punch from the Susanoo hadn't completely annihilated the lightning, because Kagaya had scattered the chakra within it, the lightning lost Sasuke's guidance. Consequently, the lightning bolts scattered wildly in all directions, and the Kirin technique... simply vanished.
Kagaya couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. The fist of his Susanoo... was now completely riddled with cracks!
"So powerful!"
It wasn't Sasuke who was powerful—it was the power of nature itself!
It had actually, directly and forcefully, cracked the Susanoo! Even though this Susanoo was merely one Kagaya had casually manifested—not yet clad in armor, not even possessing flesh—this was still utterly shocking!
One had to understand, the person who had executed this technique was just Sasuke! Before Kagaya, Sasuke was far, far too weak. And yet, relying on this technique, he had managed to crack Kagaya's Susanoo. This could not help but stir deep emotion.
Moreover...
Kagaya raised his head and looked toward the sky.
Although Sasuke had just borrowed a great deal of lightning from the sky above, in the end, he had still borrowed far too little.
After all, even when borrowing the power of nature, one still had to expend some chakra to control it. Otherwise, if one only borrowed without controlling, who the Kirin technique would actually strike—the caster or the caster's enemy—was far from certain!
Thus, it was impossible for Sasuke to endlessly borrow the power of nature. In Kagaya's view, the power Sasuke had borrowed was still far too little relative to the entire expanse of the sky!
The Kirin from just now had seemed to be merely seven or eight meters in length—fifteen meters at the absolute most. Compared to the entirety of the sky... what a minuscule figure that was!
If Kagaya were to execute this technique at full power, setting aside proficiency for the moment and looking purely at chakra, he could probably summon a Kirin around a hundred meters in length. At that point, it would be virtually akin to a meteor.
Of course, in reality, due to his lack of proficiency with the technique, Kagaya certainly couldn't summon a Kirin of that size right from the get-go.
On the other side, Sasuke, who had positioned himself at a high vantage point, was utterly frozen. His pupils trembled uncontrollably.
What... was that?
A single punch had obliterated Kirin?!
Are you serious?! Am I dreaming?!
This is impossible! I absolutely refuse to accept this!
But...
Helplessness. Despair.
How was he supposed to defeat Kagaya? Both were members of the Uchiha clan. Why was it that both his brother and Kagaya had left him so far, far behind in the dust?!
Bastard!
Sasuke began forming hand seals once more. He was going to use Kirin again!
He refused to believe that his strongest technique could be destroyed so effortlessly!
ROAR!!!
But Sasuke had only just gotten halfway through his hand seals when a heaven-shaking roar interrupted him completely.
Sasuke lifted his head to look. Immediately after, his face drained of all color, turning deathly pale.
"Th-this... how... absolutely impossible!"
He collapsed backward onto the ground, his face ashen as he began scrambling backward.
This blow to him... was far too great!
In the sky before Sasuke, a Kirin of twenty to thirty meters in length was roaring directly at him!
The scene was a mirror image of just seconds ago. The only difference was... this Kirin was far, far larger than the one before.
Kagaya held his hand aloft, maintaining the Kirin in the sky.
"Sasuke... this technique of yours... is it called Kirin, right? I'll just borrow the cumulonimbus clouds you've created. If I don't use them soon, they'll disperse shortly. For that, I suppose I should thank you. But then again... you came at me with the full intent of killing me, didn't you? So, in truth, there's no need for me to apologize to you either. Oh, right. One last question for you: do you think... this technique of yours called Kirin... can kill you?"
Sasuke's breathing grew more and more ragged. Sitting on the ground, he stared blankly at the Kirin in the sky. His legs trembled uncontrollably, beyond his control. Over these past two years, under Orochimaru's tutelage, Sasuke had progressed far, far too rapidly!
This meteoric progress had not only granted Sasuke formidable strength, but also an immense, soaring self-confidence.
This was perfectly normal. After achieving such tremendous progress, confidence was bound to follow.
Sasuke had thought he had already progressed quickly enough. He was already very strong. He was no longer the least bit inferior to anyone!
But Sasuke had forgotten... there were some people whose rate of progress was no slower than his own. In fact... they had already become monsters in the truest sense of the word.
Before this, Sasuke had believed that Orochimaru was probably among the top-tier combatants of the shinobi world. Having the confidence to defeat Orochimaru, he himself should also be one of the top-tier shinobi of the world. But staring at that gargantuan Kirin in the sky... all his confidence, beneath the gaze of that monster, became so utterly fragile and brittle it shattered at the slightest touch.
Against a monster like this... how was he supposed to win?
He didn't know.
Kagaya smiled faintly.
"It's fine if you don't answer. After all... you'll soon be able to answer my question with your very life."
With that, Kagaya made a light, casual gesture with his hand.
ROAR——!
The colossal Kirin instantly sprang into motion. From the heavens above to the earth below, all the boundless lightning gathered here, concentrated into a single point. This was the might of heaven! This was a cataclysm!
With an earth-shattering, thunderous roar, the Kirin descended upon the mortal world!
BOOM!!!
The blinding, intense lightning was so brilliant that even Kagaya instinctively shut his eyes.
After the immense, deafening roar... came utter silence.
A long, long while later.
Tap. Tap.
Accompanied by a series of footsteps, Kagaya walked over to Sasuke's side. He bent down and lifted Sasuke, whose entire body had been charred into "black charcoal."
"Alright then... let's have a look. Can that Kirin technique of yours... actually kill someone, or not?"
There was no answer. Kagaya raised an eyebrow.
"He still has a breath left, but he's completely unconscious, huh? And... even though he still has a breath... it feels like he's about to die..."
Kagaya always struck heavily against Sasuke. It wasn't that Kagaya held any particular grudge against him. Rather, since Itachi's side wanted Sasuke to use hatred as fuel for his growth, the harsher Kagaya was toward him, the better it naturally was.
The Kirin just now—although Kagaya had held back, voluntarily dispersing the vast majority of its power in the very instant before it struck Sasuke—it still seemed to have nearly killed him.
And on top of that, Sasuke was unconscious. Originally, Kagaya had planned to lift the heavily wounded Sasuke and taunt him a couple of times. But now, it seemed that wouldn't be possible.
"Orochimaru... aren't you going to save him?"
Although Sasuke felt like he was on the verge of death, Kagaya wasn't worried. With someone like Orochimaru present, as long as it wasn't an incurable disease or some absolutely hopeless dead end, Sasuke was unlikely to die.
Whoosh!
Orochimaru appeared beside Kagaya and looked at him with a deeply aggrieved, resentful expression.
"Kagaya-kun... I really thought you were going to kill Sasuke for a moment there. You scared me half to death."
Kagaya tossed the unconscious Sasuke in his hand over to Orochimaru.
"Remember the promise you made to me earlier. Then, leave. Don't disturb my training."
Orochimaru extended both hands and carefully caught Sasuke. Kagaya could afford to be indifferent toward Sasuke, but Orochimaru couldn't. This was his crucial next vessel!
"Then I shall take my leave, Kagaya-kun!"
Orochimaru wasted no words. He immediately departed with Sasuke. He was still in a rush to save him. From what Orochimaru could sense, Sasuke had truly been far too severely injured this time. At the very least, in Orochimaru's view, Kagaya must have genuinely harbored the intent to kill Sasuke. He had struck far too viciously!
It practically felt as if he wouldn't stop until Sasuke was either dead or permanently crippled!
To ensure that Sasuke could be properly healed, Orochimaru had to act immediately.
Half a month later.
In the midst of a vast desert, two men clad in black robes patterned with red clouds made their way forward.
"Hey, hey, Kakuzu... what the hell kind of place is this?! I heard long ago that the Hidden Sand Village is in a desert, but walking this long and still not getting there is just too much! A faithful devotee of Lord Jashin is about to die from the heat!"
"Shut up, Hidan. Since you know we're in a desert, talk less. Conserve your moisture. Don't you even understand such a simple principle?"
"Ha? Why do I need to conserve moisture or whatever?"
"Even if I explained it, you wouldn't understand. Just do as I say."
"Fine, fine. After all, you're an ancient monster who's lived who knows how many years. When it comes to experience, I'll trust you."
"That's not experience! It's common sense, Hidan!"
"Alright, alright. Sigh... I'm dying of heat. Can that so-called Hidden Sand Village actually be inhabited by people?"
Kakuzu decided to ignore Hidan entirely and focus solely on traveling. Over his long, long life, Kakuzu had visited the Hidden Sand Village several times, so he was hardly unfamiliar with it. Earlier, both he and Hidan had been using chakra to travel. But for the last stretch, Kakuzu had proactively insisted that Hidan and himself stop using chakra and start traveling like ordinary people.
There was only one reason for this: to allow the chakra they had previously expended to begin recovering, to restore both his and Hidan's combat condition to its absolute peak.
Because... the Hidden Sand Village... was almost within reach!
On the journey to the Hidden Sand Village, Kakuzu had also gathered a considerable amount of intelligence on the One-Tail Jinchuriki. He was a cautious hunter. He knew that the One-Tail was not an easy prey to capture. Therefore, he would elevate his own condition to its zenith before attempting the hunt.
Half an hour later.
Gazing at the massive walls in the distance, and the single, narrow passage at their center, Kakuzu smiled faintly.
"Hidan. Prepare to move. Our opponent is not only the One-Tail Jinchuriki but also the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village. His strength is considerable. Moreover, he has the entire village as backup support. We cannot afford to be careless."
Hidan looked at that narrow passageway up ahead.
"Eh? This is the Hidden Sand Village? The entrance is just that one tiny little path? Isn't that a bit too shabby?"
Kakuzu strode forward, advancing ahead.
"This place is called the 'Single Line of Sky.' Don't be so surprised. Let's go. It's time to get down to business."
"Ha... finally, this boring journey is coming to an end. Lord Jashin must be growing impatient for his offering by now!"
Consciousness murky and indistinct, as if shrouded within a dense, impenetrable fog. An involuntary question escaped: Where... am I?
But no one answered him. He could only remain blanketed by that thick fog, unable to see anything clearly, unable to know anything. Even his thoughts... moved terribly slowly.
After an unknown stretch of time... finally, that fog began to slowly, gradually disperse.
Opening his eyes, what surfaced before his vision was a pallid, ghastly pale face with purple eyeshadow tracing its corners.
"Orochimaru...?"
Seeing Sasuke awaken, Orochimaru smiled with delight and relief.
"It seems my efforts weren't in vain. You've finally awakened. Now you're safe. The next steps of treatment will be very simple."
Memories surged back like a raging tide. Very quickly, Sasuke recalled the entire sequence of events.
"That bastard..."
It seemed as if he wanted to say something. Yet, with the words on the tip of his tongue, Sasuke didn't know what to say.
ROAR!!!
The roar of that colossal Kirin still seemed to echo by his ears.
Could he... really kill that bastard?
Deep within Sasuke's heart, an unavoidable, unstoppable wavering was taking root. Two years of grueling effort... seemed to have become nothing more than a joke. The Kirin he had cultivated with his very life—that bastard had watched it once with his Sharingan and then immediately executed a Kirin three or four times larger.
Am I... truly a genius?
Compared to others of his generation, Sasuke was always relatively outstanding. Being called a genius was hardly strange. But why... was it that when matched against that bastard specifically... he became akin to a complete imbecile?
From the side, Orochimaru gave a word of caution.
"Sasuke... you've only just walked back from the brink of death. Don't move around recklessly! You'll die!"
At this moment, Sasuke's entire body was covered in various tubes and conduits, sustaining his very life.
Sasuke smiled wordlessly and closed his eyes.
Indeed... I nearly died. That bastard... truly struck with the full intent of killing me. That makes sense, I suppose. At this point... what do so-called clansmen even mean in his eyes anymore?
The world sank back into darkness.
Orochimaru watched as Sasuke closed his eyes once more and shook his head helplessly.
He could understand that sense of despair. Sasuke and Kagaya... had long since ceased to be opponents of the same caliber. In fact, even Orochimaru himself, who had been watching from the sidelines earlier, had been filled with terror and trepidation.
When Kagaya had attacked Sasuke with the Kirin... why hadn't Orochimaru intervened to stop it? It wasn't because Orochimaru wanted Sasuke to die. It was because, at that moment, Orochimaru had felt with absolute clarity: if he had dared to step in and interfere, before that colossal Kirin... he would certainly have died!
The gargantuan Kirin had not only shattered Sasuke's confidence—it had also intimidated Orochimaru, who had been merely spectating.
Orochimaru understood clearly. At this moment... even he was probably unworthy of being Kagaya's opponent. Let alone Sasuke.
The gap was far, far too vast!
Lowering his head, Orochimaru pushed these thoughts from his mind and focused entirely on treating Sasuke. No matter what, to Orochimaru, Sasuke's body was something he had painstakingly cultivated over two full years. He absolutely could not let him die!
At the very least, not now. If he was to die... it had to be through the Living Corpse Reincarnation.
Raging sands swirled into the air. The Hidden Sand Village had welcomed two uninvited, ill-omened guests. A great battle was poised to erupt at any moment.
At this very moment, Sasuke was still receiving Orochimaru's treatment. Naruto was still in the Leaf Village, practicing with Kakashi. Kagaya was still outside Ryuchi Cave, training in Inorganic Reanimation.
No one knew... that from this moment on, in the days to come, the name of the "Akatsuki" would resound throughout the entire shinobi world!
No... Kagaya should have known. But at present, Kagaya had no idea that the Akatsuki had already made their move.
The Shippuden of the original story... had quietly, silently lifted its curtain. Only... everything this time was destined to be utterly, completely different from the original.