Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 63: Infiltrating the Mist, The Great Snake Captures the Sparrow

A sudden earthquake shook the ground.

The massive crack and the river of molten lava that emerged instantly swallowed nearly half of the elite Jashin Cult members.

Before they could even scream, they were melted away.

The remaining cult members who managed to dodge in time were shocked and quickly used Body Flicker Technique to leap out of the range of the combined jutsu, regrouping on the side.

Uchiha Ci seized this opportunity and swiftly swung his blade.

"Uchiha Style: Instant Slash!"

A crescent-shaped arc flashed like the moon.

In an instant, the long blade severed six spears, three Fire Release: Fireballs, and one Wind Release: Wind Blade. As it continued towards the seventh spear, the blade snapped with a crack.

However, this was already enough.

Uchiha Ci slightly tilted his head, narrowly dodging the last black spear in front of him.

Then, without hesitation, he took off running. There was no need to think about how to cut down the remaining sixteen Jashin Cult elites.

Terumi Mei, seeing him arrive by her side, immediately formed hand seals:

Ox → Snake → Ram.

"Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!"

She exhaled from her pink lips, and a dense fog quickly rose, making it impossible to see even one's own hand.

Terumi Mei's Hidden Mist Technique was even more impressive than the future Zabuza's. In the future, she could even buy time for her teammates in front of Edo Tensei Madara's Rinnegan.

The thick mist spread instantly, blinding all the Jashin Cult elites on the scene.

"What is this?"

"The mist is too thick! I can't see anything!"

"It's someone from the Hidden Mist! How did they find us here?"

"Did our operation get exposed?"

Seeing this, the leader of the Jashin Cult frowned, lowering the Lightning Release spear in his hand.

Immediately, he shouted to stabilize the troops:

"Don't panic!"

"Wind Release ninjas, disperse this mist with your jutsu!"

"Everyone, head to the cave entrance and hold your positions! Don't give them a chance!"

The mist spread, gradually enveloping half of the castle.

Sunlight scattered through the fog, making the entire castle appear like a dream, with its blurry outline tinged with a golden hue.

Even though Uchiha Ci had activated his Sharingan, his visible range was still very limited.

At that moment,

a slender hand grabbed his wrist, pulling him as they changed positions, moving away from their current location.

"Let's go! We're heading inside the castle. I've already found where they're holding Hidan," Terumi Mei said as they ran, explaining what she had discovered.

"Also, it's more dangerous here than we thought."

"The Jashin Cult members are gathering, and three squads are lagging behind, led by one of the few jonin from the Hidden Hot Water Village. And that guy isn't wearing a rogue ninja headband."

"It's strange that the core members of this organization all come from the same village."

"So are they the Jashin Cult or the Hidden Hot Water Village?"

Uchiha Ci pondered for a moment, unable to figure out where the issue lay, so he shook his head.

"Let's stick to the plan."

With that, the two climbed the inner walls of the castle through the thick mist.

At this moment, they had finally shaken off the pursuing Jashin Cult members, completing the mission objective.

However, someone unexpected was already waiting for them on the inner wall.

This individual wore a unique combat outfit with a purple rope tied at the back of his waist.

His long black hair, golden slit eyes, purple eyeshadow extending to his nose, pale skin, and blue-green magatama earrings stood out.

When he saw the two climb over the wall, he chuckled hoarsely:

"Heh, heh, heh."

"How interesting. A Hidden Mist ninja and a Uchiha together, coming here."

Both Uchiha Ci and Terumi Mei's pupils constricted at the same time.

This person was none other than the legendary Sannin—

Orochimaru!

Though Orochimaru was smiling, his gaze was so cold it felt like an icy prison, crawling over them like a venomous snake waiting to strike.

Silently, an invisible killing intent spread throughout the area.

Under this pressure, Uchiha Ci merely frowned before quickly calming himself.

Judging by the timeline, after the Second Great Ninja War, Orochimaru had witnessed the deaths of Tsunade's brother Nawaki, Dan Kato, and his own parents, leaving him deeply shaken by the fragility of life.

He now harbored an urgent desire for immortality.

At this point in time, Orochimaru had likely already infiltrated Konoha's Forbidden Jutsu Library and read numerous forbidden techniques.

He had found his path, with the Impure World Reincarnation being a key part of it. However, to perfect the technique, he needed the Forbidden Technique: Body Revival from Shinno, which allowed for rapid healing.

Moreover, there was no indication of immediate hostility from Orochimaru. It appeared he wasn't particularly interested in them at the moment.

Instead, his target was Shinno.

Orochimaru coldly glanced at the two. He didn't care why a Uchiha was here.

It wasn't a secret that the Uchiha clan undertook missions outside the village and employed family ninjas. Holding the long-term mission of guarding Hell Valley in the Land of Hot Water was well-known.

What piqued his curiosity more was the apparent familiarity between this Uchiha boy and the Hidden Mist noble.

However, what truly mattered to him now lay elsewhere, and without wasting words, he looked directly at Uchiha Ci and coldly asked:

"I've received intelligence that a certain doctor has been following you."

"A man with a hat, gray hair, and a yellow coat."

"Tell me, where is he now?"

Hearing this, Uchiha Ci thought to himself, "As expected." Shinno had saved his life, and he naturally wouldn't sell him out.

At this moment, Uchiha Ci simply stared coldly at Orochimaru, sneering as he responded:

"I don't know."

Orochimaru, as the second-in-command of the Root organization, was naturally opposed to the Uchiha, and if Orochimaru were to act against him now, it would likely be seen as a sudden development.

After all, this was a man known for his capriciousness, a merciless killer obsessed with research.

It wouldn't be surprising if one day Orochimaru suddenly decided to capture a Uchiha for experimentation.

Thus, Uchiha Ci wasn't afraid of Orochimaru making a move to kill him.

With the protection he had, he could afford to be confident!

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous gleam rising in his golden pupils.

[Orochimaru thinks you're courting death.]

"Is that so?" Orochimaru chuckled coldly, extending his long tongue to lick his lips as his gaze towards Uchiha Ci became more sinister.

"Let's see if you can keep that tough act later."

Uchiha Ci shook his head, smiling faintly as he opened his Sharingan and calmly met Orochimaru's gaze.

"I've always preferred a tough stance over a soft one."

"So, Orochimaru, are you going to make a move against me?"

As Uchiha Ci's words fell, the atmosphere in the scene, unknowingly, began to heat up, with the tension thickening like a bomb about to explode.

Orochimaru's smile became colder and more sinister as he realized Uchiha Ci had directly addressed him without even adding an honorific like "Sama" (sir).

The smile at the corner of Orochimaru's mouth grew even more chilling, more meaningful.

His golden slit pupils revealed no other emotions, just pure coldness.

He stared at Uchiha Ci as though inspecting a corpse.

[Orochimaru wants to open up your brain and study it.]