"How disappointing. You couldn't even force out his Mangekyo Sharingan?" a hoarse, magnetic voice rang out.
Orochimaru, having just switched to a new body, emerged from the shadows.
Kabuto lowered his head. "My sincerest apologies, Lord Orochimaru."
"Stand down. The battle to come is not one you can participate in."
Though he had just transferred bodies, having Manda by his side should be more than enough. Orochimaru's handsome face was cold. He bit his thumb. "Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram..."
Kabuto was stunned. Was Lord Orochimaru going to use that jutsu right away?
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Poof! A cloud of thick smoke billowed out.
Itachi and Shisui leaped back as a deafening roar echoed in their ears.
"Orochimaru, you'll need to provide me with a sacrifice for summoning me this time!"
"Defeat them," Orochimaru said, his face etched with annoyance, "and I'll prepare a sacrifice for you."
"Hiss!"
With a piercing shriek, Manda's colossal body whipped forward like a lash.
Boom!
A massive crater was smashed into the ground! Missing its target, Manda slowly raised its head, its gigantic form casting a shadow over the land. Kabuto hastily grabbed the three nearby jonin and fled the area. Several other ninja had already been crushed into a paste by the great snake.
"Uchiha Itachi! To think you'd come looking for me!" Orochimaru gazed greedily at the Sharingan in Itachi's eyes. Before defecting, he had witnessed the genius's an almost suicidal training regimen. It was then that he began to covet the Sharingan. After gaining control of the Land of Rice's daimyo, he established the Hidden Sound Village, developing it while researching new jutsu.
In just a few years, he had improved the Reanimation Jutsu left behind by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. He had also made his first attempt at achieving immortality through his Living Corpse Reincarnation. Still obsessed with Itachi's Sharingan, he was just about to make his move when news arrived from his spies in Konoha: the Uchiha had a falling out with the village.
Itachi Uchiha and Fugaku had even awakened the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan. Orochimaru was surprised Fugaku had kept it hidden for so long. Throughout the entire Third Great Ninja War, there had been no word of Fugaku possessing the Mangekyo, yet now he had revealed it. And Itachi, at such a young age, had awakened it as well.
Itachi and Shisui exchanged a glance. To ensure Kotoamatsukami would work and prevent Orochimaru from anticipating a genjutsu, they had only one option against a giant summon like Manda: the Susanoo.
"Come, Itachi! Let me witness the Susanoo of the Mangekyo Sharingan!" Orochimaru's face was alight with fanaticism. He had dedicated his life to collecting every jutsu in the world. How could a legendary technique like the Susanoo not excite him, a man of science?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Every one of Manda's lunges was like a magnitude seven earthquake. The ground erupted, sending rock and debris flying and filling the air with dust. Itachi and Shisui could only continue to dodge. Amidst the earth-shattering tremors, even the flying shrapnel was deadly.
"We have to get out of here!" Kabuto, dragging the three unconscious men, had no choice but to retreat from the battlefield.
"Itachi! Merely dodging is not your style. Come now, show me the legendary power of the gods!" Orochimaru was itching with anticipation, desperate to see the famed Susanoo. But Itachi and Shisui just kept playing their game of cat and mouse, and his patience was wearing thin.
Just then, Itachi noticed that only the three of them remained. He exchanged a look with Shisui. The tomoe in Itachi's eyes spun, magically transforming into a spinning pinwheel pattern. In the next instant, a giant, orange-red figure composed of condensed chakra erupted from the ground!
The chakra surged like a torrent, building the giant's skeletal frame, spreading through its meridian pathways, and finally covering its entire body in a layer of skin—this was the second form of the Susanoo!
Shisui didn't remain idle either, leaping into the air and charging straight for Orochimaru.
"Incredible! Magnificent! So this is the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan! The power of a god! Hahahahahaha!" A sickening smile spread across Orochimaru's pale face as he let out a triumphant laugh.
The second form of the Susanoo was a massive drain on chakra. The moment Itachi manifested it, he used it to send Orochimaru's prized serpent flying. With a tremendous crash, the great snake was knocked off-balance and flung far into the distance. As a parting gift, the Susanoo launched a Yasaka Magatama after it.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru used the moment Manda was struck to land, coming face-to-face with the charging Shisui.
Orochimaru's gaze shifted from Itachi's Susanoo. "Shisui," he said, "I hear Danzo dreams of getting his hands on your eyes. Do you possess the Mangekyo Sharingan as well?" A sharp glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. A mind as brilliant as his could easily deduce that Shisui's Sharingan was no ordinary one. Unfortunately for him, he only knew that the Mangekyo could unlock the Susanoo, unaware of its other hidden abilities.
You'll find out soon enough.
The instant Orochimaru's eyes locked onto Shisui's!
A trail of blood trickled from the corner of Shisui's eye as he forced it wide open.
Kotoamatsukami!
What?! Orochimaru was startled, but it was too late to react.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for significantly rewriting Orochimaru's life.]
[Host has obtained: Dead Demon Consuming Seal x1]
A smile appeared on Kawasaki's face. It seemed Shisui was truly reliable.
...
"Groan..."
Amidst the swirling dust, Manda howled in agony as the Yasaka Magatama struck, sending black flames splashing everywhere!
"What is this fire?! Ah! Ahhh..." it screamed. "Orochimaru, what are you doing?!"
In its final moments, it saw Orochimaru suddenly freeze mid-air and then plummet to the ground.
How is this possible?!
Orochimaru was defeated?!
Why didn't he use any ninjutsu? Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, the Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes, anything?!
A sense of panic gripped Manda. With a puff, it vanished in a cloud of smoke, making a hasty retreat!
Orochimaru looked up, his voice hoarse. "Perfect. That saves me a sacrifice." He turned to Itachi and Shisui. "What took you so long? We have much to do. Don't dally."
With that, Orochimaru turned and walked toward a valley behind them.
Itachi deactivated his Susanoo, landing breathlessly and helping to support Shisui, who was suffering from the overuse of his visual prowess. He met Shisui's gaze, and Shisui gave a weary nod. In that single moment, he had altered Orochimaru's will.
Orochimaru, who had intended to become the wind that turns the windmill, now understood under the influence of Kotoamatsukami that he was not alone. He had found like-minded partners, and together, they would become that wind. Now, he didn't just want to push the windmill; he wanted to sweep across the world like a storm.
Walking ahead, Orochimaru noticed Itachi and Shisui's exhaustion. "The Susanoo consumes more than just chakra, doesn't it?"
Itachi nodded. "It also drains one's visual prowess. It is a very dangerous jutsu."