~100 Chapters Completed š
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Inside Orochimaru's hidden lair.
Bound hands wrapped in heavy bandages rested limply on the chair's armrests. Orochimaru sat slouched, frustration simmering beneath his pale skin.
"That damned old manā¦"
He could no longer feel his arms.
The Third Hokage had sealed away his ability to use them effectively cutting off his lifeline as a shinobi.
For a ninja, hands were everything. No hands, no jutsu. And while sure, there were those monsters who could fight without weaving hand seals, most jutsu, especially the twisted, forbidden ones Orochimaru adored, required both hands.
For him, it was worse than mutilation.
Kabuto, standing nearby, finally spoke up.
"Well, your opponent was the strongest Kage among the Five Nationsā¦"
"And honestly," he added with a faint grin, "you did manage to take down two of the Five Kage in one strokeā¦"
He trailed off as a suffocating pressure suddenly filled the room.
Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed with ice-cold menace.
"Say that again like you're trying to console me... and I'll gut you where you stand."
Kabuto bowed slightly, lenses glinting as he corrected himself, "Of course not. But the operation wasn't a failure. You didn't destroy the village, true but you succeeded in something far more valuableā¦"
"Uchiha Sasuke now wears your leash."
Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile a dark, almost victorious smirk.
"That boyā¦ was worth both these arms and every forbidden technique I ever learned."
"If only it had been Itachi insteadā¦"
A shadow crossed his face.
"But that's a dream even I can't chase. He'sā¦ stronger than I am. That's why I left that organization."
He slowly lifted his mangled, useless hand. On his pinky finger gleamed a black ring with the kanji for 'Void' a symbol of the Akatsuki.
---
Back in the Hidden Leaf Village.
Despite the chaos of the recent "Leaf Destruction Plan," daily life was surprisingly quick to bounce back.
Sure, they'd lost the beloved Third Hokage but for the average villager, the gears of everyday life had to keep turning. Politics were far away.
In a dango shop tucked along a busy street, two mysterious figures sat in silence. Both wore long cloaks black with blood-red clouds. Their straw hats cast shadows over their faces.
Outside the shop, Kakashi stood with unusual punctuality. No nose buried in a book. No delay. Just calmly waiting.
He tilted his head and noticed Asuma and Kurenai approaching.
"Well, well, look at you two out on a little date?"
"Tch! Idiot!" Kurenai snapped. "Anko asked me to pick up some dango for her!"
Asuma just chuckled and gave Kakashi a curious look. "What about you? I thought you hated sweets."
"I'm here to buy an offering," Kakashi said plainly. "Andā¦ I'm waiting for someone."
He paused.
"I'm waiting for Sasuke."
At that moment, one of the cloaked figures inside the shop flinched ever so slightly.
Asuma raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Someone worth making you wait. That's new."
Just then, Sasuko arrived, her long hair swaying behind her. Dressed in boyish ninja gear, she smirked. "Kakashi, early? What happenedāclock break?"
"Even I have my moments," Kakashi replied with a shrug.
CRACK!
From inside the shop, a glass shattered.
Sasuko turned her head slightly. Two cups of steaming tea. A plate of untouched dango.
And one of the cups broke.
But no one was in sight.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Strangeā¦ That reaction speedā¦"
Asuma and Kurenai nodded.
And then vanished in a flash.
Sasuko blinked. "What just happened?"
---
On the outskirts of the village, near a shallow river.
Four figures now faced each other beneath a quiet canopy of trees.
Asuma narrowed his eyes at the two intruders.
"Wait a secā¦ You're not outsiders. You'reā"
"You know us, don't you?"
The taller one slowly lifted his straw hat.
On his hand, a ring engraved with the kanji 'Scarlet' flashed. But what truly drew Asuma's focus were the eyesāthose hypnotic, spinning Sharingan.
"Youā¦ Itachi?"
Kurenai's voice was a whisper. Cold realization sank in.
"Uchiha Itachi."
The other figure pulled back his hat as well, revealing a grinning shark-faced man with gills on his cheeks and a monstrous sword strapped to his back.
"I'm Kisame Hoshigaki. Nice to meet you!"
"Yeah, real nice," Asuma said grimly, gripping his chakra blades. "Too bad I'm going to end you."
He wasn't confident.
But with Kurenai beside him, he had no choice but to act strong.
Kisame laughed, glancing at his partner. "They really don't like you here, huh?"
Kurenai stepped forward, eyes sharp. "I've read your file. Kisame ex-Mist ninja. Accused of assassinating feudal lords and destabilizing the Water Nation. S-class criminal."
The two intruders didn't flinch.
They were used to that label.
But Asuma wasn't.
Two S-class rogues sneaking into the village? Right after the Third Hokage's funeral?
This was a huge deal.
"Itachi," he growled, "after what you did to your clan, you've got the gall to come back?"
"I don't want to fight you," Itachi said softly. "So stay out of my way."
That made Asuma laugh bitterly.
"You butchered your people and now you're trying to play the pacifist?"
"Don't insult us. What's your real objective?"
Itachi's Sharingan swirled ominously.
The pressure in the air tightened.
Kisame yawned, pulling the massive Samehada off his back.
"This guy talks too much. Should I kill them?"
"No," Itachi said. "Don't be excessive. Your attacks leave too many traces."
"Fine, fine. Let's keep it clean then."
Without warning, Kisame lunged his giant blade crashing down toward Kurenai like a tidal wave.
CLANG!
Asuma moved like lightning, intercepting with his trench knives, steel ringing against scales.
But the sheer force behind the blow made sweat bead at his brow.
This guyā¦ is insanely strong.
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