"Dammit... my chakra's already running low?"
Sasuke could feel the rapid drain of his chakra—he could barely keep his Susanoo active anymore. His breathing grew ragged, his vision blurred, and his ocular power was burning out fast. He was reaching his limit.
The prolonged, high-intensity battle had shattered his rhythm. Maintaining the Susanoo consumed tremendous chakra, and now his reserves were nearly gone—he could no longer sustain the fight.
By contrast, Kiyosuke looked completely unfazed. He still appeared as fresh as when the battle started—energetic, composed, as if he'd just finished a light warm-up.
"Sasuke, let me see just how far your limits go!"
This time, Kiyosuke didn't use any ninjutsu. Instead, he closed in and engaged Sasuke in pure taijutsu, aiming to exhaust both his stamina and ocular power.
Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan could no longer hold out. He switched back to his regular Sharingan—but even the three-tomoe eyes struggled to keep up with Kiyosuke's blinding speed.
Forced to push his chakra and visual power to the limit just to defend himself, Sasuke's movements grew sluggish. Eventually, even his three-tomoe Sharingan began to flicker and fade.
At that moment, something sinister stirred within him—the lurking presence of Orochimaru bared its fangs.
The Cursed Seal on Sasuke's neck broke through its restraints, black markings crawling across his body. His form twisted, transforming him once again into a monstrous figure.
"Dammit... Orochimaru..."
"Sasuke," Orochimaru's cold, serpentine laughter echoed inside his mind, "surely you didn't think Kiyosuke-kun could kill me so easily? I told you—I am immortal."
As the voice faded, purple eyeshadow bloomed beneath Sasuke's left eye.
"Seems like things just got complicated," Kiyosuke muttered as he stepped forward to inspect the situation. But before he could, the fabric on Sasuke's shoulder began to bulge and split apart—massive white serpents burst out from within.
Eight enormous snake heads, eight colossal tails, all connected to a single grotesque body that wrapped itself around Sasuke.
The Art of the Eight-Headed Serpent!
Before leaving Konoha, Orochimaru had mastered this forbidden jutsu—his ultimate technique, one he rarely ever used, not even during his previous battle with Kiyosuke.
Now, with Sasuke's chakra depleted, the suppressed Orochimaru had found his opening—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to escape. And he wasn't going to waste it.
Inside Sasuke's body, he had seen everything clearly. Shisui Uchiha's Sharingan had already been returned, leaving Kiyosuke without a single Sharingan eye. Moreover, Orochimaru's current state was purely spiritual—no one could harm him now.
One of the serpent heads opened its mouth wide, and from it, Orochimaru's slick, mucus-covered upper body slithered out. Naked from the waist up, he grinned, baring his teeth as he pulled a katana from his own throat.
"Hehehehe!"
Orochimaru's grin widened.
"As expected of my disciple, Kiyosuke-kun. I must thank you for exhausting Sasuke's chakra—it's given me the perfect chance to emerge and claim this extraordinary body for myself."
He licked his lips, his eyes gleaming.
"Not only that—the Sharingan has evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan! Eyes that will never lose their light... what a perfect vessel!"
"Why do you always have to pull things out of your mouth? That's disgusting," Kiyosuke muttered, visibly repulsed.
"Hehehe... I've waited a long time for this, Kiyosuke-kun. With the seal suppressing me gone, I'll seize this body and begin my eternal life anew. I will master every ninjutsu in this world!"
Kiyosuke sighed. "You never change, do you? Looks like you still need a lesson."
"In my current state, your attacks are meaningless," Orochimaru said, gripping his sword—another Kusanagi Blade.
"I'm a soul now. Without your Sharingan, you can't possibly threaten me."
"Then what about me?"
A familiar figure stepped beside Kiyosuke.
"Long time no see, Orochimaru."
"Itachi..." Orochimaru hissed, eyes narrowing. "Yes, it's been a while. Between your brother's body and yours, I'd much rather have yours."
His eyes gleamed with hunger. If only he'd implanted his Cursed Seal on Itachi instead of Sasuke—he could have claimed that perfect body long ago. Still, Sasuke's vessel wasn't bad. He wasn't picky.
Kiyosuke smiled faintly. "My job's done here. Itachi, he's all yours."
"Understood, Kiyosuke-sama."
Itachi nodded, his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan flaring to life. The six-pointed star pattern within his eyes spun, mirroring Sasuke's but inverted. Ever since awakening the Eternal Mangekyō, not only had his strength soared, but his illness had completely healed—he was now at full power.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Orochimaru's unease grew. He knew Kiyosuke—his former disciple was always ten steps ahead. Had he anticipated this too?
Scarlet light erupted around Itachi as his Susanoo manifested—its third form towering above him, draped in the armor of the Crow Tengu.
In one hand, it held the Yata Mirror.
In the other, it gripped a gourd, from which a blade of ethereal energy extended—the Totsuka Blade!
Kiyosuke chuckled. "The Totsuka Blade is the perfect weapon to slay the Eight-Headed Serpent. Myth reborn!"
Legend had it that Susanoo once used this very blade to cut down the monstrous Yamata no Orochi. And Itachi's weapon seemed destined to repeat that myth—Orochimaru's greatest nemesis.
Indeed, Orochimaru had suffered more losses at Itachi's hands than anyone else.
"You think that'll work on me?" Orochimaru sneered. "Don't be ridiculous."
In his spiritual state, physical and chakra-based attacks were meaningless. Unless one used a technique that targeted the soul directly—like the Spirit Transformation Technique—nothing could touch him.
And since Katō Dan's death, no one in the shinobi world had ever managed to learn that jutsu.
Which meant... he was invincible!
Itachi's lips curved into a knowing smile.
The Totsuka Blade pierced straight through Orochimaru's chest.
Orochimaru opened his mouth to mock him—but the words died on his tongue as he felt his soul liquefying, being drawn into the blade.
The Totsuka Blade was a spiritual weapon, a variant of the Kusanagi Blade. Its true power lay not in slashing, but sealing: anyone impaled by it would be absorbed into the sake gourd and trapped forever in a dreamlike illusion.
Orochimaru didn't even have time to scream. The Eight-Headed Serpent vanished with him, sealed away completely.
The massive serpentine body slid off Sasuke, dissolving into mist until nothing remained—except for a single small white snake, which slipped quietly into the depths of the lake.
Itachi prepared to finish it off, but Kiyosuke raised a hand to stop him.
"Don't. He can't die yet. That snake still carries a fragment of Orochimaru's essence. Even sealed in illusion, he can use it to be reborn."
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