Watching Orochimaru weave effortlessly through the sea of trees, lunging toward her once again, Uchiha Shinji was genuinely starting to panic. After all, she was just a student at the shinobi academy, only eight or nine years old. Aside from sparring within the academy, she had no real combat experience.
Her opponent, however, was Orochimaru, one of the legendary 'Three Shinobi' of Hidden Leaf, a battle-hardened veteran with a fearsome reputation.
Facing such a formidable enemy, the fact that she dared to fight at all was already remarkable.
In the original timeline, during the Chunin Exams, even Kakashi, when unexpectedly encountering Orochimaru, didn't dare make a move.
If even Kakashi was so cautious, what chance did ordinary shinobi have?
The title of Hidden Leaf's Three Shinobi wasn't just for show!
As Orochimaru closed in on Uchiha Shinji, on the other side, Yakumo's inner demon, Ido, had used her spiritual form's ability to phase through structures and fly freely, locating Kurama Murakumo and three others bound in an abandoned building.
Clearly, Orochimaru, having captured Kurama Murakumo and the others, chose not to kill them immediately.
As long as he held Kurama Murakumo and Kurama Reika, he had leverage to threaten Uchiha Shinji. Thus, until he secured her, these hostages still had value.
Since Orochimaru was confident in capturing Uchiha Shinji, he hadn't hidden the hostages too far away, making it easy for Ido to find them.
However, looking at the unconscious Kurama Murakumo and the others, Ido faced a dilemma.
First, in her spiritual form, she couldn't directly free them. Second, she didn dac't know medical ninjutsu, so she couldn't treat their injuries.
After some thought, through their shared connection, she sent Uchiha Shinji a mental signal to use the 'Koryugan' to swap positions.
Indeed.
Through practice, within short distances, Uchiha Shinji and Ido could now communicate via their connection without needing Jikibi's assistance.
However, their mastery of the Koryugan's connection was still unrefined, unable to convey complex information.
For instance, Ido could only signal Uchiha Shinji to activate the 'Koryugan' simultaneously, without explaining why.
On the battlefield.
As Orochimaru lunged toward her, Uchiha Shinji, flustered and at a loss, suddenly sensed Ido's request to activate the 'Koryugan.' Realizing she could use it to escape the immediate danger, she activated the 'Koryugan' on instinct.
Whoosh. In an instant, Uchiha Shinji vanished from her spot!
In her place appeared a chakra silhouette clad in Akatsuki's red-cloud robe, wearing a mask!
Orochimaru, mid-lunge, saw the playful smirk on his face freeze. He couldn't fathom how his surefire target had suddenly turned into an Akatsuki member.
At the same moment.
Kakashi, who had uncovered his Sharingan and unleashed 'Chidori,' charging toward the scene, went from a look of grim determination to one of utter astonishment: "Where's Uchiha Shinji?"
Facing a powerhouse like Orochimaru, he had been fully focused, pushing his left Sharingan to its limits, not missing a single detail.
He was certain Uchiha Shinji had vanished in an instant—not through genjutsu or a Body Flicker technique!
Pausing his 'Chidori' charge, he muttered, "Did that Akatsuki member abduct Uchiha Shinji? What kind of state is that? A spiritual form?"
In the distance.
Shizune and Sasuke, witnessing the same scene, were equally stunned.
Uchiha Shinji's disappearance and the sudden appearance of a mysterious Akatsuki member left them struggling to make sense of it all.
In contrast, Ido, prepared and unbound by convention, adapted far more quickly. Seeing Orochimaru lunging toward her, she instantly understood Uchiha Shinji's predicament. Her ferocity ignited, and she charged at Orochimaru in her spiritual form.
Orochimaru, seasoned in countless battles, immediately recognized the Akatsuki member as a spiritual entity, likely using a secret technique akin to the 'Spirit Transformation Technique.' He swiftly formed hand signs, preemptively casting a genjutsu-dispelling technique on himself as Ido lunged.
Whoosh. In an instant, Ido's form melded into Orochimaru's body.
Orochimaru sneered coldly: "Got you!"
Others might struggle against spiritual forms, but not him.
But just as he raised his hands to form more signs and cast another ninjutsu, his expression suddenly turned blank.
In Orochimaru's mental world.
"How… how is this possible?"
Orochimaru stared at Ido in shock, realizing why his preemptive genjutsu-dispelling technique had failed.
"Tch!"
Ido, coldly sizing up Orochimaru, let out a disdainful scoff.
Orochimaru had indeed cast a genjutsu-dispelling technique in advance, but he had clearly underestimated Ido's genjutsu prowess.
As Uchiha Shinji's 'inner demon,' Ido embodied Uchiha Shinji's genjutsu talent, possessing the same genjutsu abilities as her.
Uchiha Shinji herself was a once-in-a-century genius of the genjutsu-specialized Kurama clan. Now, amplified by the Koryugan's dojutsu power, her success was only natural.
After all, Jikibi had tested it: even before transplantation, the Koryugan's dojutsu power surpassed that of an ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan.
During Uchiha Shinji's surgery to implant the First Hokage's cells, the Koryugan had absorbed a surge of 'All-Encompassing Power,' further enhancing its dojutsu strength. Thus, with the Koryugan's boost, Ido's genjutsu abilities, while perhaps not on par with Itachi Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan, weren't far behind.
Itachi, without using his Mangekyo, could subdue Orochimaru with genjutsu in an instant. So, it was no surprise that Ido, going all out, could do the same.
"The Three Shinobi are nothing special!"
Muttering this to herself, Ido suddenly felt a mischievous urge.
And so, Orochimaru, his mental world under Ido's control, stood with a blank expression, drawing a kunai and aiming it at his own throat.
In the distance.
Seeing Orochimaru raise a kunai to his throat, Kakashi's face was filled with astonishment: "He's under a genjutsu?"
Farther away, Shizune and Sasuke exchanged bewildered glances.
They could hardly believe that the legendary Orochimaru had been taken down in a single exchange by the mysterious Akatsuki member who had just appeared.
Not only that, but the opponent had used genjutsu to manipulate Orochimaru, forcing him to raise a kunai to end his own life.
"This…"
For a moment or two, Shizune even wondered if it was the distant Orochimaru under a genjutsu or if she herself had fallen into one, seeing a false scene.
She simply couldn't imagine Orochimaru being defeated so easily…