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Back in the Art Store, Shibi Aburame straightened in his seat and slowly adjusted his glasses as he watched the name Shino Aburame glowing on the screen beside the name Zaku Abumi on the manga page.
The clan members around him maintained a profound silence, not a silence born of indifference, but of the intense focus that defines users of insects.
Nearly all of them had been shrouded in uncertainty about this figure who represented their clan in the manga.
But it seemed the time for uncertainty had finally come to an end.
They could now glimpse something of the abilities of the boy who might one day be the son of one of them.
...
[— Manga Scene —]
"If you fight me now, it's over for you. Withdraw…" Shino said in a calm tone, as though thoroughly convinced he could defeat his opponent with ease.
"Heh… this one moves a little. And one hand is enough for you." Sasuke had previously broken both of his hands, but it seemed Zaku could still fight with one.
Shino quickly deflected his attack with a single hand, saying, "You can't defeat me with only one hand."
"Shut up! Take this!! Zanku!!!" A sonic explosion from a hole in his palm sent Shino flying and dealt him some damage.
"Heh…" Zaku smirked down at his fallen opponent with mockery.
…
Elsewhere, Kakashi finished the preparations for sealing the curse mark on Sasuke's shoulder. "Alright, try to bear with this a little."
'Evil Sealing Method.' Kakashi placed his hand over the curse mark and performed a sealing technique.
The seals he had drawn began swirling in circles, converging upon the curse mark and vanishing around it, until the mark was finally locked away inside.
"If this curse mark ever starts activating in the future, this seal should stop it, but this sealing jutsu depends on your willpower, Sasuke."
"If you stop trusting in your own strength, and your will becomes unstable, the curse will run wild again." Upon hearing that, Sasuke collapsed unconscious.
"Heh, he's completely exhausted."
"So, you can use the Evil Sealing Method now. You've grown, Kakashi…"
"I haven't seen you in quite some time, Kakashi-kun."
"Orochimaru…"
Orochimaru walked slowly toward them, saying: "But, I'm sorry, I'm not here for you, Kakashi-kun… I'm here for the boy behind you."
"Why do you want Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, wanting to confirm the truth for himself.
"Heh… you're lucky, you already have it, you didn't even need to obtain it. How did you get that Sharingan in your left eye?"
"I want it too… the blood of the Uchiha."
[— End Scene —]
From Orochimaru's perspective, this scene made complete sense to him.
It was hardly surprising that his counterpart had left his clone in the exam hall alongside the Hokage and the others, while going himself to monitor the situation around Kakashi and Sasuke.
After all, Sasuke remained a crucial target for him.
"But… why did he allow him to perform the Evil Sealing Method?"
Orochimaru licked his lips as he murmured, then his gaze drifted to the young Kakashi who stood beside his father, wearing a mask.
'Extraordinarily gifted… and it seems he'll obtain the Sharingan one way or another in the future. Is he a child of destiny, or what?'
Orochimaru thought inwardly, before pulling his gaze away, prompted by Sakumo, who had warned him against indulging in dark thoughts toward his son.
'Sakumo-san is truly terrifying. Heheh~'
'I wonder how someone like him ended up in the manga's world…'
Orochimaru quickly cut short his chain of thoughts about Sakumo and his son and returned to analyzing the manga scenes before him.
Seeing his counterpart openly declare his interest in Sasuke, the blood of the Uchiha, which in a sense meant the Sharingan, even Orochimaru felt a chill run through him in that moment.
The reason was the dozens of red eyes turning toward him with cold indifference.
The Uchiha clan members who had awakened their Sharingan were staring at Orochimaru with icy, undisguised hatred.
After all, in their eyes, the manga does not lie.
If the manga said Orochimaru coveted the blood of the Uchiha, then it must be the truth.
…
"That wretched snake… does he treat the blood of the Uchiha as a resource to be exploited so he can grow stronger?"
The current head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Hugako, clenched his fist until his knuckles went white.
He had a fierce urge to activate his own Mangekyō Sharingan and crush that cursed serpent before he could ever entertain any thoughts against his clan in the future.
"Seeing Sasuke fight alone in a world full of villains who seek to use him… what an indescribable sense of injustice."
His son, Uchiha Fugako, ground his teeth in fury.
Up to this point, every manga scene concerning the Uchiha clan had suggested they were headed toward a truly tragic fate.
Even one of the story's main protagonists, Uchiha Sasuke, suffered every manner of humiliation while still just a child.
How could a boy raised like this ever spread his wings and rise against the world later on?
Fugako had seen no indication of that yet. None, save for one, the very reason that whoever had carried out the massacre against the Uchiha clan had stopped short of finishing the job and eliminating Sasuke as well.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Fugako felt a deep and suffocating unease settle over him.
…
What are your true goals…?!
That question reflected itself in the eyes of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had an overwhelming desire to know the real reason, the true objective behind everything Orochimaru was doing.
Had Orochimaru not been his student?
Had he not grown up in Konoha?
Had the Will of Fire not been properly instilled in him?
All of these questions swirled in the Third Hokage's mind before he read Orochimaru's answer to Kakashi's question.
The founding of a new village, Otogakure. That is my village.
That was Orochimaru's answer.
"So it's an expansionist ambition? A desire for authority alone?"
"Is Orochimaru truly that kind of person… craving power and dominion, wanting a village of his own? Then why didn't he dream of becoming Hokage? He had every qualification for it…"
Hiruzen whispered this to himself. He harbored deep skepticism about his student's true goals.
Of course, he was speaking of his counterpart in the manga, not the Orochimaru of this reality, who was a far cry from his manga counterpart at this point.
Hiruzen's current aim was to study this creature in the manga and prevent the Orochimaru of today from becoming anything like him.
He had no desire to see Orochimaru become the very same person he was watching in the manga.
…
"Foolish ambition indeed. An excellent answer, Kakashi…"
Danzo said slowly, satisfied with Kakashi's response to Orochimaru after he had expressed his desire to build the new Village Hidden in Sound and, in a sense, elevate it to stand alongside the Five Great Villages.
Foolish ambition. That is what Danzo's reply would have been, had he been in Kakashi's place at that moment.
And that wish was fulfilled for Danzo in the very next moment, who somehow found himself able to hear the breathing of the two figures, not far from where he stood.
Orochimaru and Kakashi were engaged in conversation, while Sasuke lay unconscious on the ground, his upper body bare.
'This…'
Danzo was stunned. For the first time, he was experiencing the phenomenon of deep immersion he had previously heard about from Hiruzen.
It was a mysterious phenomenon that caused the reader to enter into the events of the manga and live within its atmosphere, as though they were a part of it.
"Oh my God, don't say that."
Orochimaru's raspy voice was the first thing Danzo heard as he stood behind a thick supporting pillar, not far from them.
"But for that goal, I need many pieces to use as hands and feet…"
'So that's it… Orochimaru, you are exactly like me… a conscienceless villain who schemes to exploit every piece around him…'
'I must be more wary of you from here on. Fortunately, this manga lays bare the true nature of people so perfectly…'
Danzo quickly opened his eyes back in reality once more.
That experience had been brief, yet it felt as though a considerable stretch of time had passed.
The scenes returned to the battle between the Aburame kid and Orochimaru's chess piece, as Danzo preferred to call him.
…
When Shino stood, and insects began emerging from his wounded cheek, a shudder ran through the readers' bodies, especially the kids, who instinctively shut their eyes.
The scene in the manga was cinematic in the truest sense, rendered with unparalleled precision and the utmost degree of quality thanks to Rob's extraordinary artistic skill.
With color added to the manga, the scenes came to life with striking vividness.
Watching insects crawl out of Shino Aburame's injured cheek nearly made the faint-hearted vomit, were it not for the Art Store's feature that suppressed negative status effects.
"My God! Does he have insects living inside his body?"
"Seriously? Does the Aburame clan have insects living inside them?"
"Man, I feel like throwing up, thank goodness this Art Store suppresses the nausea."
"Disgusting!"
"Terrifying!"
The readers were in a state of panic, especially the civilians among them, for they had had no idea there were ninja capable of controlling insects and having them emerge from their own bodies.
On the other hand, the members of the Aburame clan were completely calm, entirely unbothered by the uproar the other readers were making over Shino's battle.
Shibi Aburame adjusted his dark glasses and focused with precision on the events of Shino's battle, paying no attention whatsoever to anything around him.
"Come on, Shino… show me how you handle your opponent. He's far too weak… You don't even need to be serious to finish him off."
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 163: The Remarkable Potential of an Aburame Clan Member.
Chapter 164: Protected by the Man Who Exposed Him…!?
Chapter 165: Battle After Battle.
Chapter 166: The Mind Transfer Technique of the Yamanaka Clan. (The end of the volume)
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