Three days later, as Kagami was basking in the sun with his wives, he suddenly felt a familiar ripple in space. Taking a deep breath, a smile touched the corner of his mouth. After a quick word to his wives, his figure vanished without a trace, leaving only a faint distortion in the air.
Three days prior, he had ordered the White Zetsu to search for Orochimaru and Black Zetsu, marking several of them with his Flying Thunder God formula. The moment one of them found a target and activated the mark, he would be able to teleport to their side. It was this activation that he had just felt.
In an instant, Kagami's figure appeared like a ghost in the middle of a vast desert. The sun blazed down on the undulating dunes, and a dead silence hung in the air, broken only by the occasional gust of wind kicking up clouds of yellow sand. He looked around, frowning slightly. The landscape was nothing but endless sand and a few stubbornly growing cacti. There were no other signs of life.
A White Zetsu, clad in a pale robe, stood respectfully beside him. Kagami's gaze fell upon it, his voice deep and powerful. "Whose trail did you find?"
Hearing the question, the Zetsu's body trembled slightly, and it bowed its head even lower. "Lord Kagami, after much searching, I finally discovered a secret base hidden underground not far from here. The Orochimaru you seek is hiding within." A barely perceptible flicker of fear crossed the Zetsu's eyes as it spoke, a fear directed at Kagami himself.
"Very good," Kagami nodded, a smile playing on his lips. He had once sent Konoha's own shinobi to find Orochimaru, and they had come up with nothing after more than a month. The White Zetsu had located him in just three days. It was a testament to their skill as intelligence gatherers.
But at that moment, the Zetsu looked hesitant. "Lord Kagami," it said, its voice wavering, "though I have found his hiding place, it is a secret base he has operated for a long time, filled with various traps and mechanisms. Is it not too risky for us to simply rush in?"
Kagami glanced at the Zetsu, a disdainful smile curling his lip. "Risky? It's just Orochimaru. In my eyes, he is nothing more than a weakling."
Without another word, Kagami's Sharingan spun, and a powerful spatial force enveloped both him and the Zetsu. In the next moment, they appeared deep beneath the desert, standing before the entrance to a huge underground facility. The place was incredibly well-hidden; without the Zetsu's information, Kagami would have had a difficult time finding it.
"You did well," Kagami said lightly. The Zetsu let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you for your praise, Lord Kagami. It is my honor to serve you." It then quietly stepped aside, not daring to say more.
Kagami closed his eyes, extending his senses to map out the facility with his chakra. When he opened them again, he took a single step forward and vanished.
The next moment, he materialized inside a massive underground laboratory. The room was filled with all kinds of strange instruments and experimental materials. At the central lab table, a man in a white robe with a sinister, snake-like face was hunched over his work. It was Orochimaru. He stood there, fiddling with a test tube containing a strange green liquid that emitted a disgusting odor. He seemed not to notice, his face a mask of morbid obsession.
Suddenly, he frowned, as if sensing something amiss.
"Who's there?!" Orochimaru spun around. The moment he saw Kagami, his pupils constricted. "Who are you... how did you find this place?!"
Kagami didn't answer, simply walking forward slowly, his Sharingan glowing with a strange light. "Orochimaru, you've hidden yourself quite well." His cold voice echoed through the lab, making Orochimaru feel as if he had been plunged into an icy cavern.
Looking at the unique pattern in Kagami's eyes, a look of pure horror dawned on Orochimaru's face. "You are... Uchiha Kagami!"
Since the Uchiha clan's demise, only a handful of members remained. The pattern in Kagami's Sharingan was rare, making his identity easy to guess. This was what shocked Orochimaru to his core. During his time in the Akatsuki, he had witnessed the terrifying power of both the Sage of Six Paths and Madara Uchiha firsthand, and it had taught him just how insignificant he was. Why would he ever provoke Kagami, a man who even those legendary figures feared? He had no death wish.
After the Ten-Tails went berserk, he had fled the Akatsuki, intending to hide away and focus on his research into immortality, leaving the world's affairs behind. He never expected Kagami to find him here.
Cold sweat dripped down Orochimaru's forehead as his mind raced. He knew he could not afford to anger this man. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down, his voice tinged with respect. "I wonder what brings you to my humble abode, Lord Kagami?"
Hearing this, Kagami's lips curled into a dominant smile. "I came here for you. I admire your talent, Orochimaru, and I intend to make you my subordinate." As he spoke, a powerful aura emanated from him, so immense it felt as if it could collapse the entire space. "Submit to me, and I can give you both power and eternal life."
"I have Madara Uchiha's body and the Ten-Tails in my possession. As long as you serve me, you may study them as you wish."
Kagami could have used Kotoamatsukami to forcibly change Orochimaru's will, but he wanted to see if words would work and he will use kotoamatsukami on orochimaru either way. He was snake afterall.
A flicker of hesitation crossed Orochimaru's eyes. Kagami's words had struck a chord. He was powerful and clearly not as short-sighted as the Third Hokage. The offer was something he couldn't refuse. Submitting didn't seem so unacceptable. Besides, if he refused now, he would die. He had not yet unlocked the secrets of true immortality and had no desire to perish here. Only a fool would throw himself into the fire.
After a moment's deliberation, Orochimaru gritted his teeth and knelt on one knee. "I am willing to submit to you," he said respectfully.
"Very good. You are a smart man indeed." Seeing Orochimaru's compliance, Kagami nodded with satisfaction. He then took out the spare Kotoamatsukami Sharingan he had prepared.
Kotoamatsukami, activate!
Before Orochimaru could react, a powerful mental force surged into his mind. He felt his resistance to Kagami dissolving, replaced by an overwhelming sense of loyalty and awe. A moment later, Orochimaru slowly raised his head, his eyes now shining with a fanatical light. "My lord."
"From now on, you are loyal to me. You will call me Sir.'" Kagami said lightly.
"Yes, Sir Kagami!"