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After their kunai clashed, the two quickly distanced themselves once again.
At that moment, the giant serpent struck by the Great Dragon Fire Technique collapsed to the ground, unmoving. The Root operative who had been ensnared by it finally broke free and immediately activated a Wind Release technique, preparing to assist Itachi Uchiha from the side.
"Run!" Itachi shouted at the man.
"But what about you?"
"I'll hold them off. As long as you report back to Lord Danzo, there's still hope for us." Itachi glanced at Midorima, who was still seated atop the serpent's head, showing no intention of intervening.
Was he really forced into this?
Midorima's gaze, however, was fixed on the fleeing Root member.
Life is a play, and it's all about acting. The acting skills of these Root operatives were something else—far beyond what an ordinary person could pull off.
First, they had "accidentally" wandered into the old building, naturally getting captured and becoming "hostages," forcing Itachi to participate. Then, just as naturally, they "broke free" and escaped to "report back."
Smooth. Too smooth.
If Midorima hadn't already read the "script," he might have actually been fooled by Root's performance.
These two seemed like useless teammates, but in reality, they were full of schemes.
Itachi's current predicament was undeniably linked to these two "deadweights."
Of course, whether Itachi would actually be captured depended largely on Orochimaru.
In the original story, Orochimaru had been taken down by Itachi's Totsuka Blade, and Shisui's death had inflicted deep emotional wounds on Itachi.
Considering the possibility that Itachi possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, unless Orochimaru could use the Impure World Reincarnation to summon the First and Second Hokage, he was likely to return empty-handed.
In the blink of an eye, Orochimaru closed the distance and unleashed Hidden Shadow Snake Hands—countless serpents erupted from his sleeves, tightly coiling around Itachi.
Instantly, Itachi transformed into a wooden log, his real body reappearing two meters away.
At some point, he had substituted himself with a nearby block of wood using the Replacement Technique.
Seeing Orochimaru evade his attack, Itachi no longer intended to stay. He turned to leave, but at that moment, an enormous serpent suddenly lunged at him from behind.
Itachi's eyes snapped open—the Mangekyō Sharingan activated. Immediately, the giant serpent turned on Orochimaru instead.
Midorima raised an eyebrow.
Despite Itachi's efforts to suppress his emotions, Shisui's death had inflicted unbearable pain on him.
The emergence of the Mangekyō Sharingan pushed Orochimaru's control over the situation to the brink of collapse.
Unless Orochimaru could exhaust Itachi's chakra to gain an advantage, prolonging the battle would only risk alerting Konoha's patrols. If that happened, escaping would become difficult.
Orochimaru frowned and immediately dismissed his summoning. The giant serpent vanished into thin air.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan? I've underestimated you…" Orochimaru averted his gaze, his expression complicated.
Mastering the Mangekyō Sharingan meant Itachi's strength far exceeded Orochimaru's expectations. But for Orochimaru, this wasn't necessarily good news.
Midorima glanced back at Orochimaru, but it was clear the Sannin wasn't ready to give up.
After all, even if the fight was tough, he had to try. Otherwise, the next time he encountered Itachi, he'd still have no chance.
At that moment, a massive crimson arm materialized behind Itachi, its fist hurtling toward Orochimaru.
Susanoo!?
As the colossal limb swung forward, Midorima felt an overwhelming sense of suffocation.
He had seen giant creatures before—even if not in the ninja world, the sci-fi movies and anime from his past life had given him a taste of such oppressive force.
But experiencing it firsthand was entirely different. The sheer presence of the Susanoo dwarfed anything he'd felt before.
And this was just a fragmented, incomplete Susanoo.
Orochimaru, seeing the Susanoo's arm for the first time, was equally stunned. Facing the incoming strike, he didn't dare hesitate—his hands flew through a series of seals.
Three massive gates erupted from the ground before him.
"Triple Rashōmon!"
The Susanoo's fist smashed into the first gate, toppling it backward. The second gate shuddered but held firm, blocking the attack.
Midorima shook his head inwardly, disappointed in Itachi's restraint.
At this point, why not go all out and unleash the complete Susanoo to finish Orochimaru off?
Similarly, Orochimaru hadn't used Impure World Reincarnation to balance the scales, which also struck Midorima as odd.
"Orochimaru, if you keep making this much noise, Konoha's patrols will notice. You won't be able to escape then," Midorima couldn't help but urge.
If you're going to fight, hurry up. At this rate, dawn will break before anything's decided.
"I don't need you to tell me that!" Orochimaru glared at Itachi before suddenly grinning. "Consider yourself lucky this time. We'll continue our game another day!"
"You think you can just leave? Not that easy!"
The Susanoo's fist swung again, but Orochimaru dodged. Itachi immediately followed up with Amaterasu—black flames surged forth, engulfing Orochimaru's position.
The giant serpent Midorima had been riding suddenly lunged forward, shielding Orochimaru.
The black flames struck the serpent instantly.
Had Midorima not leapt away in time, the Amaterasu would have burned through him as well.
The moment he landed, Orochimaru grabbed him, and the two fled in a desperate retreat.
Pathetic…
The thought flashed through Midorima's mind, but honestly, when had Orochimaru not been humiliated since his first appearance?
His experiments were discovered, forcing him to flee in panic. He sought the Rinnegan but was defeated by Pain. He wanted Itachi as a vessel but failed again. In the end, he was even killed by Sasuke—the very vessel he had meticulously chosen.
Better not stick around people like him too often, or their bad luck might rub off.
"You're just letting him go like that?" Midorima teased.
"What do you know? The intel was wrong. I thought he only had the regular Sharingan, so my preparations were insufficient. Next time, I'll finish him in one move. Don't tell me you actually think this is the extent of my abilities?" Orochimaru sneered. "Let me make it clear—killing him would be child's play."
Midorima smirked inwardly.
Itachi held three trump cards: Susanoo, Amaterasu, and Tsukuyomi. For Orochimaru to defeat him, he'd need something even more powerful.
But based on the original story's events, Orochimaru was truly no match for Itachi. The only advantage now was that Itachi had only recently awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and might lack experience in using it.
This was likely one of the few opportunities Orochimaru would ever get.
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