Chapter 476: Orochimaru: Itachi Uchiha, long time no see

In an instant,

members of the Shadow Organization surrounded them, and countless Kunai rained down like a storm.

Fortunately, Hoshigaki Kisame reacted quickly; although he was trapped by the Forbidden Magic Chain, it only weakened his four-dimensional attributes and did not pin him in place.

He pushed off the ground with his legs, lunged forward, and rolled twice, using the momentum.

He dodged the spot where the Kunai had struck.

"Don't attack, there might be a misunderstanding!"

Hoshigaki Kisame loved to fight and was unwilling to waste words on enemies; anything he could solve with Samehada, he would not hesitate to do.

But... that was under normal circumstances.

In his current state, he was like fish on a chopping block; his four-dimensional attributes did not exceed 【100】, and although he still maintained the level of an Elite Level player,

the Shadow Organization members surrounding him, full of hostility, were also Elite Level players.

And they were numerous.

"Kill Itachi Uchiha and Hoshigaki Kisame to avenge Lord Hokage!"

With the leader of the village killed, as Hoshigaki Kisame had entered the village with Itachi Uchiha, even swearing to the heavens that he was innocent would not work.

Two 【Tier 2】 Earth Release Ninjutsu, the 【Rock Bat】 with its form changed to the extreme, spread its wings and lunged toward Hoshigaki Kisame.

Pfft.

With his hands bound by the chains, Hoshigaki Kisame reached toward his right shoulder, drew Samehada, and swung a blade forward.

The Rock Bat was shattered.

But the shattered rock bat did not disappear; it still possessed extremely strong vitality, landing on Hoshigaki Kisame like clay.

"Activating the Wall Orb just now wasn't just to vent my anger."

Gekko Hayate's lung disease had long been cured by the Samsara Game, but he still habitually coughed twice and said, "Even if you become a player, you shouldn't forget the Ninja Code."

Gathering intelligence? Hoshigaki Kisame's expression was grave; the opponent clearly knew of his water-style abilities, which was why they released the rock bats.

The clay from the shattered rock bats had extremely strong adhesive and water-absorbing properties.

Kisame could feel that his water-style Zanpakuto, which was already weakened due to his four-dimensional attributes being sealed, had become even weaker.

Run! Kisame rotated his body and swept out a sharp, circular wave of water.

Gekko Hayate drew his blade from its sheath, the blade's shadow flickering as he cut through the sharp water wave.

Kisame had already taken the opportunity to flee.

Gekko Hayate said with a stern expression, "Pursue! Absolutely do not let the Mist ninja traitor escape!"

The assassination of the Hokage was already a very grave incident.

If the culprits were allowed to escape, the Konoha Family would completely become the laughingstock of all the factions in the Samsara Game.

"Activate the Jiazu Chenqiang; any ninja fleeing the Konoha Family Territory, leave none alive!"

Several orbs embedded in the massive, thick wall were activated.

Any life form emitting energy fluctuations would be wiped out by the activated defense system.

Like catching a turtle in a jar.

Even if Kisame and Itachi Uchiha were strong, they wouldn't be able to escape unscathed.

On the other side, seeing that the situation was unfavorable, Itachi Uchiha had already hidden in the residential area.

After the Samsara Game appeared, major factions expanded crazily, recruiting civilians with player qualifications; it was no longer the small village or town it once was.

The residential area alone was very large.

It was inhabited by relatives and friends who had moved in with the Konoha players, and everywhere were high-rise buildings with wooden structures.

"I didn't make a move, how could Danzou be dead?"

Itachi Uchiha broke into a remote private residence, cast a Genjutsu to knock the owner unconscious, and threw them into the basement.

He was very puzzled; although he realized he had been set up, he didn't know who it was.

Clearly, even if he saw through Danzou's disguise, he couldn't have killed Danzou; if he had, it would be like this now—dead men tell no tales.

But at the scene, there was only Tenzo of the Shadow Organization's Wood Release, and no one else.

Before Itachi Uchiha defected, he had already known of Tenzo's existence; he was an original member of the Root organization who had defected to the Hokage after being influenced by Kakashi.

By any logic or reason, he had no motive to kill Danzou.

"You look very confused, Itachi-kun..." A voice suddenly rang out.

Itachi Uchiha turned around instantly, his gaze vigilant; he hadn't sensed even the slightest fluctuation of presence.

The guy who had suddenly appeared was strong.

At the very least, he had surpassed his own level of perception.

Who is it?

The door of the house was pushed open,

the shadows gradually lengthened, and a gaunt figure slowly walked into the room, looking at the shocked Itachi Uchiha with great interest.

Cold, golden snake-like pupils emitted a faint light.

Orochimaru.

Itachi Uchiha had not expected to meet his old rival in Konoha.

"Itachi-kun, I really didn't expect to meet you; our fate is not yet exhausted."

Orochimaru was all smiles, and as he spoke, his right index finger landed on the tabletop.

Densely packed black curse marks covered the tabletop, then spread toward Itachi Uchiha like living creatures.

Dark Curse Fire.

Itachi Uchiha quickly retreated two steps, his hands ignited with black flames, and he swung them forward to block the encroaching black curse marks.

Not caring in the slightest that the black curse was blocked, Orochimaru laughed: "Itachi, your abilities are very similar to mine; how truly interesting!"

"Hmph, I am not like you, Orochimaru!"

Itachi Uchiha's expression was icy, and he did not relax his vigilance in the slightest.

A person's reputation is like the shadow of a tree.

As the player with the strongest combat power in the Samsara Game, Orochimaru was fundamentally different from when he had been easily defeated by Itachi's Genjutsu in the past.

He had to respond with caution.

"Is that so?"

Orochimaru did not refute this, a trace of pity flashing in the depths of his eyes as he looked at Itachi Uchiha.

The core attributes of the 【Siling Sheshi】 are the curse-type 【Necromancy】 and the beast-type 【Snake】.

The core attributes of Itachi Uchiha's 【Dark Caster】 are the curse-type 【Darkness】 and 【Fire】.

Although Itachi Uchiha was unwilling to admit it, there was indeed an overlap in the attributes of their abilities.

"Mr. Fang Yi stated it very clearly: the game abilities a player can acquire are highly compatible with their own soul and will."

Orochimaru flicked his tongue, like a venomous snake with bristling scales, and said with a smile: "Therefore, in essence, Itachi, you and I are the same kind of person."

"Killing one's closest kin, severing the shackles, all just to realize the desires within one's heart."

"Shut up!"

Itachi Uchiha rudely interrupted Orochimaru, completely lacking his usual composure.

Orochimaru, with his checkered past, had committed unforgivable acts and was a vicious fellow despised by countless people.

Although Itachi had done the same things as him,

he had different intentions; from the bottom of his heart, he yearned for peace in the ninja world and yearned to protect Konoha.

"Even if you are unwilling to admit it, game abilities cannot lie!"

Orochimaru's voice was like a magic spell.

Itachi Uchiha retreated involuntarily, his back pressing against the wall.

It was indeed as Orochimaru said; the Samsara Game had always been fair and just.

Being able to skillfully master dark-type curses and raise skill proficiency to Lv. max—this point was indeed impossible to explain away.

In the past, Itachi Uchiha would only have felt that Orochimaru was noisy, but he had first been implanted with psychological suggestions by Aizen, then misunderstood by the village after killing Aizen, and finally framed as the culprit who killed the Hokage.

A series of situations had already left Itachi Uchiha's mind as taut as a harp string.

A slight pluck would cause violent emotional fluctuations.

"Was everything your conspiracy?"

Itachi Uchiha suppressed the emotions about to erupt in his heart and questioned Orochimaru.

(End of chapter)