The southern forest of the Land of Fire, just outside one of Orochimaru's hidden strongholds.
"Lord Orochimaru, all test subjects have been processed," reported the young medical-nin, Kabuto Yakushi, with calm professionalism.
The man in front of him wore a standard Konoha ninja outfit, complete with the village's forehead protector. His long, jet-black hair fell over his shoulders, framing pale bluish skin. Slitted golden pupils peered through extended purple eye shadow that reached to the bridge of his nose. He wore distinctive magatama earrings, and his aura radiated both elegance and danger.
This was Orochimaru—prime of the Legendary Sannin.
It was Year 47 of the Konoha calendar. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had recently taken office. Orochimaru, having lost the Hokage succession battle to Minato, had retreated into secrecy, pouring himself into forbidden experiments. At this point, he had not yet defected from the village.
"Danzo has leaked word that the ANBU are aware of missing shinobi. This stronghold must be abandoned soon," Orochimaru said hoarsely, glancing toward the entrance.
Suddenly, he narrowed his golden eyes, turning toward the shadows beneath the distant treeline.
"Lord Orochimaru?" Kabuto looked at him, puzzled.
"It seems... we have a guest." Orochimaru licked his lips, then muttered: "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
With a hiss, several venomous serpents erupted from his sleeves and shot into the tree shadows.
Boom! The tree exploded. Birds scattered in panic, smoke and dust rising into the air.
Orochimaru squinted through the haze.
"As expected of the great Sannin, Orochimaru..." a figure stepped calmly out of the dust cloud, completely unscathed.
The serpents recoiled instantly, slithering back into Orochimaru's sleeves. He planted one hand on his hip and stared at the stranger. "You're not ANBU. Who are you? Identify yourself."
The young man raised his head and revealed his left eye—a Sharingan.
Orochimaru's pupils gleamed. "Oh? An Uchiha…"
In a flash, Orochimaru used Body Flicker Technique and lunged at the Sharingan, reaching out with a greedy grin. "So lucky. A Sharingan just came to me!"
But just as quickly—he passed right through him.
"What?!"
"Behind you!" Kabuto shouted.
Obito (formerly Yamato Arata, now fully inhabiting Obito's body and identity) calmly placed a hand on Orochimaru's shoulder.
His left eye swirled—Mangekyō Sharingan.Kamui.
A vortex of space-time began pulling Orochimaru inward.
"This... this is a space-time jutsu?!" Orochimaru panicked. At the last second, he opened his mouth and vomited out a new body. His previous form fell away in a puddle of mucus as a serpentine tail propelled him to safety.
Kabuto looked shaken. Orochimaru stood at a distance, no longer playful, but grim and wary.
Obito glanced down at the shriveled skin in his hand and sighed. "Slippery bastard... you're not easy to catch."
This was Orochimaru's signature body-shedding technique—an instantaneous substitution using a discarded skin. It required no hand signs and was perfected to escape even death itself. Sasuke would one day use this exact jutsu to survive Amaterasu. For anyone other than Orochimaru, it would drain massive amounts of chakra.
"Those eyes… they're not ordinary Sharingan. You've awakened the Mangekyō… and it includes space-time abilities. Who the hell are you?" Orochimaru asked cautiously, eyes still narrowed.
Obito paused, then answered, "Uchiha Yu."
"Oh? Yu-kun... how much do you know about me?" Orochimaru asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
"I know you've been conducting human experiments to develop something called the 'Curse Mark,'" Obito replied plainly.
Orochimaru's expression darkened. "You know that much... I really can't let you leave here alive."
With a signal from his eyes, Kabuto sprang into action. Chakra surged into his hands, forming a gleaming scalpel of blue light, and he lunged at Obito's back.
But Obito didn't flinch. He calmly reached behind him, caught Kabuto's arm mid-strike, and slammed a kick into his gut.
"Ah!" Kabuto crashed through a tree, groaning as he hit the dirt.
Orochimaru's eyes widened. "Kabuto's no ordinary medic. He fights at jōnin level. And he was taken out using only taijutsu...?"
Obito turned to face Orochimaru. "So, no peaceful conversation then."
"I don't share my research with threats like you!" Orochimaru snapped, launching a barrage of shuriken and forming hand signs: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu—a technique taught by the Third Hokage.
Bang! Bang! Bang!Dozens of shuriken multiplied mid-air, hurtling toward Obito like a deadly swarm.
But every single blade passed straight through him.
Orochimaru observed silently. "So he can phase through attacks... but he must solidify to attack in return. The only way to land a blow is by catching him at that exact moment."
He bit his finger, ran through hand seals, and slammed his palm into the ground.
Summoning Jutsu — Manda, the Giant Snake!
BOOM!! A colossal snake erupted in a cloud of smoke, scales glittering, eyes like burning suns.
Manda sneered down at Orochimaru. "You dare summon me for this pathetic fight, Orochimaru? I should devour you!"
"Calm down. That's no ordinary shinobi. He's Uchiha—with Mangekyō abilities. I can't handle him alone."
"Hmph." Manda eyed Obito again. "That gaze... I don't like it. It's irritating."
"Bring me a hundred live sacrifices after this, or I'll eat you," Manda hissed, then lunged at Obito with terrifying speed.
BOOM! BOOM!The ground cracked as Manda smashed into the spot Obito had just left.
Obito leapt into the air, formed hand seals, and inhaled deeply.Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!
A blazing sphere engulfed Manda and his snakes in searing flame.
Months of training had refined Obito's jutsu beyond recognition.
The fire cleared—only a charred husk remained. Manda had shed his skin.
"He slipped underground…" Obito muttered.
BOOM!!The ground erupted—Manda's tail shot upward, and his fanged mouth lunged from the earth—but passed right through Obito once again.
"Who IS this kid?!" Manda roared.
Obito dodged to Manda's side and slapped his palms on the ground.Earth Style: Earth Dragon Lance!
CRACK!Jagged rock spears erupted beneath the serpent army, impaling countless snakes.
"It's now!" Orochimaru cried. Standing atop Manda's head, he performed hand seals again.
BOOM!From the earth, countless snakes surged forth, each vomiting a Kusanagi Blade—all aimed at Obito.
"They're aiming for when I solidify to attack… It's the only chance they have."
Obito raised his left arm—wooden shoots burst from his skin and twisted into a massive tree, its branches slamming down, smashing the snakes and their blades.
Orochimaru froze. "That's… Wood Style?! You possess both Uchiha and Senju power?!"
"You bastard!" Manda shouted, retreating into smoke. "If I survive next time, you're paying in blood!"
Snap! Obito twisted his arm free from the wooden growth, and a spiral vortex opened on his mask. A second Mangekyō Sharingan was now visible.
Both his eyes held Kamui.
The left eye handled short-range, defense, and absorption into the Kamui dimension. It acted even passively, warping his body away when attacked.
The right eye was offensive, long-range, able to twist and erase anything—even a Tailed Beast.
He focused his right eye on Orochimaru's right arm.
Kamui.
CRACK!!Space warped—Orochimaru's arm twisted violently and vanished.
"Ugh!!" Orochimaru clutched his bleeding stump, prepared to use his substitution jutsu again.
"You can vomit up a new body, but next time I'll warp your spine," Obito warned.
Orochimaru halted. Those eyes—there was no escape from them. He knew it.
"What do you want?" he asked, trying to keep calm.
"I want the true power of Hashirama Senju. Not a copy—the real thing."
Orochimaru's pupils trembled. Then, slowly, a smile crept across his face.
"Heh… Hahaha! I see."
He licked his lips, golden eyes gleaming. "Seems I'm not the only one chasing that power. You and I, Yu… we walk the same path."
He turned away. "So be it. If we share the same goal… then let me help you."