Chapter 92: Let's Get to Know Each Other Again. I'm Uchiha Asuka.
Clang!
At the dining table in the living room, Shukaku slowly poked his head out and steadied the teapot lid with both hands.
Hearing the sounds of fighting coming from the bedroom, the look in his eyes became strange.
If the person who had contracted with a summoned beast died, that meant the summoned beast would regain its freedom.
Although he wasn't sure whether he currently counted as a summoned beast, if that Uchiha brat died, it probably wouldn't be a bad thing for him.
With that thought, Shukaku stretched his stubby legs out from beside the teapot and quietly made his way toward the bedroom where the fighting was taking place.
When he reached the outside of the second-floor bedroom, he poked his head inside.
He saw the chubby orange cat seemingly blinded, frantically pacing back and forth on the bed.
Meanwhile, in the middle of the spacious bedroom, Asuka was engaged in a fierce battle with an effeminate-looking man.
Waist-length black hair.
Golden vertical pupils.
Pale skin.
Blue-green earrings shaped like tomoe.
Shukaku had been staying in Konoha for quite some time, so he naturally recognized this famous figure from the village.
One of the Legendary Three Ninja—
Orochimaru.
Thinking about the mixture of respect and fear the villagers had toward him, Shukaku tilted his head toward Asuka, and his expression immediately became strange.
This guy couldn't see either.
To confirm his guess, Shukaku raised a hand and waved it at Asuka.
"Ya~ ha~"
Seeing that Asuka's gaze didn't fall on him at all, Shukaku's ochre, star-shaped eyes narrowed, and a strange smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Orochimaru was really hopeless.
He'd been fighting for so long and still hadn't defeated his opponent. Soon, the Uchiha would hear the commotion and rush over.
Let me help you.
With that thought, Shukaku slightly opened his mouth.
The chakra within his body underwent an extreme transformation before being mixed and compressed inside his mouth into an extremely dense spherical object.
The ratio of Yin to Yang chakra was 2:8.
At that moment—
Inside the bedroom.
Orochimaru looked at Asuka standing opposite him, his brows knitting slightly.
This was somewhat different from the scenario he had envisioned when he first arrived.
His original plan had been to use Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique to deprive his opponent of sight.
Then, when his opponent tried to break the genjutsu but realized that disrupting his chakra or inflicting pain couldn't dispel it, his mind would most likely relax for a brief moment.
That would be the perfect opportunity to kill him.
If nothing unexpected happened...
Orochimaru raised the Kusanagi Sword in his hand and slashed diagonally toward the left side of Asuka's neck.
Asuka's ears twitched.
His left hand rose halfway, the kunai in his grip coming up to block the attack head-on.
Clang!
Asuka immediately swung his kunai back at Orochimaru, forcing him to retreat a step.
If nothing unexpected happened, then something unexpected had indeed happened.
Asuka's hearing was not only exceptionally sharp; in complete darkness, he was also far calmer than Orochimaru had expected.
Even without using ninjutsu, Orochimaru could only gain a slight advantage when attacking the blinded Asuka.
That was the part Orochimaru found most unbelievable.
"Whew!"
Asuka shook his numb arm and exhaled the breath he had been holding in his chest.
He opened his eyes and looked around at the pitch-black surroundings before closing them again.
It was simply too dark.
He couldn't even see his own hand in front of his face.
Remembering how Old Ryoichi used to mock him for treating suffering as a form of wealth, Asuka spat onto the floor.
"What does that old man know? This wealth is finally coming in handy, isn't it?"
"He's here!"
Feeling a fierce gust of wind approaching from his right, Asuka once again raised his kunai to block the attack.
Clang!
The kunai slid upward along the blade, sending sparks flying.
Asuka immediately swung his weapon toward Orochimaru's upper body.
After being knocked backward through the air, Asuka landed and quickly got back to his feet.
At this point, he could only defend and counterattack.
Right now, he envied those transmigrators who could cultivate Observation Haki more than anything.
He had spent half a year practicing blindfolded, yet aside from becoming accustomed to fighting in darkness, he had gained absolutely nothing else.
If he had that ability, he wouldn't have to devote all ten-tenths of his concentration to blocking attacks like he was doing now.
Every time he tried to use a ninjutsu, his opponent would find an opportunity to interrupt him.
"This is rather troublesome, Asuka."
Hearing the voice coming from ahead—neither distinctly male nor female—Asuka tightened his grip on the kunai and ignored his opponent.
He suddenly realized that sometimes building a bedroom too large, with soundproofing that was too good, wasn't necessarily a good thing.
The next moment, Orochimaru wiped the blade of the Kusanagi Sword before instantly appearing in front of Asuka and bringing it down.
Clang!
When his opponent blocked again, Orochimaru smiled.
His neck suddenly stretched forward like a giant python, his head snapping toward Asuka's neck.
Whoosh!
At that moment, Orochimaru sensed a surge of chakra coming from the side and froze.
From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a black pellet flying through the doorway.
He bent his neck slightly and dodged it.
Then his gaze fell upon the tanuki standing in the bedroom doorway.
Seeing Orochimaru look at him, Shukaku revealed a sinister smile and silently said,
"Just cut him down already. Why are you looking at me?"
Boom!
The instant he finished speaking, Orochimaru hadn't even figured out what was happening before the pellet struck Asuka.
A violent explosion erupted.
The powerful blast of air forced Orochimaru several steps backward.
He turned toward the tanuki, his brows drawing together tightly.
He had also gathered intelligence on this tanuki.
Apparently, it was Uchiha Asuka's summoned beast.
Uchiha Asuka's summoned beast had just ordered him to kill Uchiha Asuka.
Interfering with me?
Looking at Uchiha Asuka, who was now engulfed in thick smoke, and then at the teapot, a smile suddenly appeared on Orochimaru's face.
"Interesting."
"Whew!"
At that moment, a long sigh came from within the black smoke.
Then, everyone inside the bedroom heard a series of heavy footsteps.
Orochimaru turned toward Asuka as he emerged from the smoke.
Seeing his tattered clothes and charred body, Orochimaru couldn't help shaking his head.
"Asuka, you won't be able to escape this time."
"Whew!"
Hearing this, Asuka exhaled a cloud of black smoke.
He glanced at Orochimaru standing opposite him, then shifted his gaze toward the One-Tail at the doorway.
A smile appeared on his face.
"Well done."
Seeing Asuka greet him, Shukaku blinked in confusion.
Then he pointed at himself, his tone somewhat uncertain.
"You're talking to me? You can see me?"
"Yes!"
Seeing Asuka nod, Shukaku's body stiffened.
Then, as though he'd suddenly thought of something, he quickly planted his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest proudly.
"I knew all along that you'd been caught in a genjutsu and that ordinary methods wouldn't be able to break it."
"That was exactly why I secretly used that technique."
At this point, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead before jumping over Orochimaru and landing on Asuka's shoulder.
Damn.
I didn't expect my chakra to actually help Asuka break the genjutsu.
At that moment, Shukaku stood firmly on Asuka's shoulder, pointed at Orochimaru, and burst into laughter.
"Ya~ ha~!"
"Kid, let's kill him together."
Following Shukaku's pointing finger, Asuka looked at Orochimaru standing opposite him and nodded with a smile.
I thought it was Uchiha Mikoto.
So it was Lord Orochimaru.
Although he was somewhat surprised that the tanuki could help him break the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, Orochimaru didn't panic at having his identity exposed.
He calmly nodded at Asuka, a smile still on his face.
"Asuka."
The two kunai in Asuka's hands fell to the floor.
He reached for the Kusanagi Sword hanging beside the bed and drew it.
After studying Orochimaru for a moment, he suddenly laughed.
"Let's introduce ourselves again."
"I'm Uchiha Asuka."
The instant Asuka finished speaking, he noticed Orochimaru suddenly disappear from his original position.
The next moment, Orochimaru's peripheral vision caught sight of Asuka appearing on his left.
He immediately raised the Kusanagi Sword and blocked Asuka's blade.
Then he saw Asuka's large foot coming toward him.
Boom!
A black figure crashed through the wall and flew backward.
Asuka glanced at his wrecked bedroom, his face filled with pain.
Damn it.
He hadn't even finished buying the furniture, and it had already been half a year.
With that thought, he leapt through the hole Orochimaru had created in the wall while rapidly forming hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Shukaku stood on Asuka's shoulder.
He glanced at Asuka's puffed-out cheeks, then took a deep breath and patted Asuka's stomach with his chubby little hand.
Among all the Tailed Beasts, he was the only one proficient in ninjutsu.
He was also the only Tailed Beast capable of using ninjutsu without forming hand seals.
Furthermore, among all the Tailed Beasts, he was the only one capable of using Wind Release and Magnet Release while also manipulating sand.
Compared with him, that stinking fox was practically useless.
"Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!"
The instant Asuka spat out a fireball, Shukaku simultaneously fired a sphere of wind from his mouth.
The moment the wind sphere and fireball collided in midair, the fireball instantly expanded several times over.
The blazing light illuminated the surrounding streets as brightly as day.
Looking up at the enormous fireball flying toward him at a speed far exceeding that of an ordinary Great Fireball Technique, Orochimaru's pupils contracted slightly.
Danzō's intelligence was already outdated.
His opponent actually possessed a summoned beast capable of using combination ninjutsu.
The instant the fireball descended toward the street below, Ryoichi abruptly slammed the open window shut.
Then he crouched down and looked in surprise at his cousin, who had suddenly appeared beside him.
"Was that a Great Fireball Technique?!"
"Yes."
Uchiha Madara nodded slightly and explained,
"His summoned beast is extremely special. You can't replicate his situation."
Boom!
The instant he finished speaking, the fireball struck the ground and immediately exploded.
The flames illuminated the entire Uchiha compound, while the tremendous explosion echoed across half of Konoha.
The scorching flames battered the windows, driving the temperature inside to an extreme level.
The heat wave surged into the room and brushed across Uchiha Madara's face, reigniting the battle spirit that had lain dormant for so long.
I really want to have a good fight!
At that moment—
Outside.
After the flames dissipated, Asuka looked at Orochimaru lying in the middle of the street, his entire body badly burned by the intense heat.
He raised a finger toward him and called out loudly,
"As expected of Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru tore away his tattered clothes.
His gaze lingered on Shukaku for a moment before settling on Asuka.
He slowly said,
"Everyone in Konoha has underestimated you."
"Everyone thought that this former Uchiha genius didn't awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan until he was eighteen because he had devoted too much time to practicing medical ninjutsu."
"I didn't expect it to be like this..."