"Attack!"
The group, having been stopped, immediately charged at Kouki.
"Amaterasu!" Kouki didn't hesitate, activating his Mangekyo Sharingan and using the Body Flicker Technique to dodge while unleashing Amaterasu with intense glares.
"Ah!" Screams erupted as one after another was consumed by the black flames, reduced to nothing but ash.
However, after incinerating eight opponents, Kouki was forced to cease his use of Amaterasu. His chakra reserves, specifically the chakra dedicated to his dōjutsu, were depleted.
This wasn't like Itachi Uchiha's situation. Itachi's Sharingan lacked the strength to sustain Amaterasu's use for extended periods; overuse would result in severe damage to his eyes.
Kouki's situation, however, was simply a matter of eye strain; his eyes were fatigued, but not injured. A period of rest would fully restore his ability to utilize Amaterasu.
"His dōjutsu has reached its limit!" Witnessing Kouki cease his devastating Amaterasu, the remaining enemies were reinvigorated, charging forward with renewed ferocity.
"Without my dōjutsu, you think you can defeat me?" Kouki sneered, his face a mask of cold disdain and unwavering intensity.
From the previous engagement, he had assessed his opponents: all were elite Jonin or Jonin-level shinobi; not a single Kage-level opponent was present. Such opponents were insignificant threats to him.
Facing the remaining four, Kouki didn't hesitate. He opened the fourth gate of the Eight Gates Formation, his entire being erupting with a terrifying surge of power.
Whoosh! Kouki transformed into a terrifying blur of motion, leading the charge directly at the four remaining opponents.
After a dizzying and brutal display of combat prowess, two of the remaining four were swiftly and decisively eliminated, and the other two were left severely wounded.
"Tell me, who sent you?" Kouki demanded, his gaze cold and sharp, fixed intently on the two injured survivors. He hadn't spared their lives out of any misplaced mercy; his intention was purely to extract information through interrogation.
"Impressive dōjutsu, impressive taijutsu. Interesting. Danzō was right; you are indeed very interesting." A distinctively raspy voice cut through the air. A figure that exuded a chilling aura, resembling a venomous snake, slowly emerged from the shadows.
His eyes gleamed as he stared at Kouki, as if admiring a rare and valuable artifact.
Kouki felt a sudden chill run down his spine.
"Orochimaru!?" Kouki looked up, his initial surprise quickly giving way to a sense of grim understanding.
He knew that within Konoha, there were at least two individuals who harbored a deep covetousness for the eyes of the Uchiha clan!
Not only Danzō, but also Orochimaru. Furthermore, Kouki had previously employed the Telescope Technique, allowing him to personally witness the clandestine plans these two individuals had devised to acquire Uchiha eyes.
Kouki hadn't anticipated that they would target him specifically, but upon reflection, it wasn't entirely unexpected.
The Uchiha clan was Konoha's most prominent clan; openly attempting to steal their eyes within the village itself would be an act of extreme recklessness. Kouki's current mission outside the village presented a golden opportunity for them to strike without drawing undue attention.
"An Uchiha brat whom no one considered a threat possesses such formidable strength, even causing Danzō to hesitate. This is truly... intriguing." Orochimaru advanced towards Kouki, step by measured step, his every movement deliberate and precise.
"The Sharingan... a truly remarkable and captivating thing!" Orochimaru's voice was laced with an almost palpable sense of fascination and avarice.
"The Sharingan is not something you can simply covet," Kouki retorted with a cold laugh, his composure unwavering. Even facing one of the legendary Sannin, he showed no sign of trepidation or fear.
"Your dōjutsu is depleted, is it not? How will you defend against me now?" Orochimaru extended his tongue, licking his lips with a predatory gleam in his eyes.
"Preposterous!" Kouki swiftly removed his sunglasses, revealing a pair of blood-red eyes: his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. This was the first time he had openly displayed these powerful eyes to an outsider.
The reason for removing his sunglasses was clear: to utilize Tsukuyomi on Orochimaru. Orochimaru, in his arrogance, assumed that Kouki's dōjutsu capabilities were exhausted after the use of Amaterasu, completely unaware that Kouki possessed more than one powerful ocular technique.
This misjudgment wasn't entirely unexpected; Orochimaru lacked the omniscience to fully comprehend the intricacies of the Sharingan.
While the sunglasses did not hinder Kouki's vision and thus did not prevent the use of Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi required direct eye contact to effectively ensnare the target.
"What a truly aesthetically pleasing pair of eyes," Orochimaru remarked, his gaze fixated on Kouki's Sharingan, his face betraying a mixture of admiration and avarice.
"These eyes... I shall gladly accept them as a gift!" Orochimaru extended a hand, and a thick, imposing black snake slithered out from his sleeve.
Kouki didn't flinch or attempt to evade the attack. Instead, at that precise moment, his Sharingan spun, focusing intently on Orochimaru.
"Tsukuyomi!" Without any unnecessary words, he unleashed the incredibly powerful genjutsu, the pinnacle of Uchiha illusionary techniques, directly upon Orochimaru.
The success was far more effortless than Kouki had anticipated.
In the world of Naruto, Kurenai Yūhi, Kakashi, Orochimaru, Deidara… countless individuals had fallen victim to the Uchiha clan's genjutsu, even Sasuke Uchiha himself.
Those who fell prey to these illusions almost invariably looked directly into the Uchiha's eyes, seemingly lacking any conscious effort to avoid direct eye contact. Only on extremely rare occasions were individuals warned against such a direct gaze.
This clearly illustrates that the precise means of countering the Sharingan's genjutsu were not widely known throughout the ninja world.
To further illustrate this point, consider Orochimaru's actions. After joining Akatsuki and encountering Itachi Uchiha, a fellow member of the organization, Orochimaru, already deeply covetous of the Sharingan, immediately attempted to seize Itachi's eyes.
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