"Boy, where's your Sharingan? Why don't you use it?"
Orochimaru, having escaped through a substitution, leapt back to widen the gap. His fingers flashed through seals, and a thunderous boom split the air.
A massive "white serpent" erupted from the ground beneath him, scales gleaming like marble. Perched atop its head, Orochimaru's golden eyes burned with excitement as he looked down at Sasuke.
So perfect.
Even at twelve, the boy's physical power rivaled elite Jōnin. His movements were sharp, efficient, and frighteningly precise. Not a wasted motion, not a single hesitation.
His mastery over "Fire Style" and "Lightning Style" was nearly flawless. Every technique hit with crushing force and uncanny control.
In that moment, Orochimaru realized something unsettling — the boy standing before him had already reached the summit of the ninja world.
If he fought a village's shadow alone… he might even hold his own.
Such a vessel was the kind of body Orochimaru had spent a lifetime searching for.
And he hadn't even used his Sharingan yet.
"Oh, right," Sasuke said flatly, "I almost forgot I had it."
He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them — and the crimson glow of the "Three-Tomoe Sharingan" spun into existence.
The air around him seemed to tighten.
Those blood-red eyes exuded an eerie calmness, laced with a cold, predatory edge.
---
Under Naruto's training, Sasuke had learned not to rely on his eyes.
Against Kakashi, even with the Sharingan active, he would lose to sheer experience.
Against Ox, the Sharingan had been useless — that monster had seen through it completely.
So, Sasuke had done what Naruto always told him: strengthen the foundation first.
"Your body is the root of all power. Build that first — the rest follows naturally."
Now, his body was a weapon honed to perfection.
And somehow, without even noticing… he had awakened the full Three Tomoe.
"Three Tomoe… huh," he muttered, blinking in surprise. "Guess I finally caught up."
Uchiha across generations had obsessed over unlocking these eyes — many never succeeded.
Yet Sasuke, who barely even thought about them, had achieved it by accident.
It was almost laughable.
---
Orochimaru's grin widened, his voice trembling with obsession.
"Yes… those eyes. Beautiful. I want them."
He gave a sharp whistle.
The giant white snake lunged forward, tearing through trees, its roar echoing through the forest.
Orochimaru crouched low, eyes gleaming. "Let's see what you're truly capable of, Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke's lip curled in disgust. "Your stare makes my skin crawl."
He shot forward, electricity screaming through his hand.
"Lightning Style — Chidori!"
Orochimaru's hands blurred through seals.
"Summoning Jutsu — Triple Rashomon!"
Three massive demon-faced gates burst from the ground, slamming into formation.
Sasuke's thunderous spear of lightning struck the first — BOOM! — shattering it into pieces, but the remaining gates absorbed the impact, smoke and sparks cascading through the clearing.
A split second later, the serpent's massive head tore through the smoke, fangs wide, diving toward Sasuke.
"Lightning Style — Thunder Tiger Strike!"
Sasuke's chakra flared violently as he finished the seal. A colossal tiger made of pure lightning roared into being and lunged upward.
CRACK!
The thunder beast bit deep into the serpent's neck, tearing through muscle and bone. Blood sprayed across the trees as the snake screamed and writhed violently, thunderlight crawling across its body.
Orochimaru leapt from its head, ignoring its death throes.
"Ninja Art — Snake's Curse!"
From his sleeves shot two enormous serpents, fangs flashing as they coiled toward Sasuke.
"Lightning Blade — Raikiri!"
Sasuke's arm blurred — flash! — and both snakes split in half, collapsing into dust.
Before Orochimaru could blink, Sasuke was gone from sight.
"Too careless, brat!" Orochimaru hissed.
From the shadows, a second Orochimaru burst forth, his form unraveling into a massive serpent that wrapped around Sasuke, constricting him completely.
But Sasuke only smirked.
"Who knows?"
A flash of silver — *SHHK!*
A blade pierced straight through Orochimaru's chest.
Orochimaru froze.
Then — he laughed.
"Excellent… truly excellent."
Blood spilled freely down his robes, but he didn't even glance at the wound. The madness drained from his eyes, replaced with calm curiosity.
He looked at Sasuke with a faint, wistful smile.
"…Tell me, where is Danzō?" Sasuke demanded, blade still pressed to his chest.
Orochimaru leaned in close, whispering something only Sasuke could hear.
A heartbeat later — *BOOM!*
His body exploded into smoke.
From the distance, he reappeared atop another tree, unharmed, brushing himself off. His tone carried a trace of regret.
"Such a perfect body… yet too strong to claim right now. A pity."
He sighed, eyes flicking toward Sasuke. "We'll meet again, boy."
But before he could retreat fully, Sasuke called out:
"Orochimaru… do you know what Naruto said about you?"
That made him stop.
The serpent's eyes glimmered with curiosity.
He'd heard much about Uzumaki Naruto — the boy who'd revived Konoha's power, whose name now echoed across nations. Hearing what 'he' thought of him was… intriguing.
"Oh?" Orochimaru drawled. "Enlighten me."
Sasuke met his gaze evenly.
"He said Orochimaru is a "born scientist" — endlessly curious."
Orochimaru's lips curled.
"…Go on."
"But also," Sasuke continued coldly, "that you're too greedy. You chase everything, dabble in everything… and master nothing."
He paused, then delivered the words like a blade:
"A half-bucket of water — full of noise, but never full."
The entire forest went silent.
Even the Mist ninja, even Anko, froze.
Orochimaru blinked, stunned. Then a low, raspy chuckle escaped his throat.
"Hahaha… a scientist, he says. I suppose I should be flattered."
He brushed a hand through his hair, smiling faintly.
"But half a bucket, hm? What an arrogant brat."
Still, deep inside, the words struck something — a truth he couldn't deny.
Despite all his research, all his experiments, all his ambitions… he had never finished a single pursuit to completion.
He'd scattered his genius too wide.
And Naruto — that insufferable, brilliant child — had seen straight through him.
Orochimaru's grin sharpened.
"Tell the Third Hokage this," he said softly. "I'll be back. Let him wait for me."
Then, his voice dropped lower, tinged with venomous delight.
"And tell Naruto… I'll come find him one day. And when I do, I'll make him explain what 'half a bucket of water' really means."
With that, his body melted into the ground, vanishing completely.
---
Sasuke stood motionless among the wreckage of the battle, his Sharingan fading back to black.
He sheathed his blade slowly, eyes scanning the torn landscape.
"…Still not strong enough," he muttered. "If Orochimaru wants to run, there's no stopping him."
The snake was slippery — not invincible, but impossible to corner.
And yet… Orochimaru had whispered something before leaving.
A location.
Maybe Danzō was there.
Or maybe it was just another trap.
Either way, Sasuke's eyes hardened.
He'd find out soon enough.
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