Chapter 166: Chapter 166 : Flying Thunder God Technique!
In a single breath, the world around the Grass ninja shifted into darkness.
The Six-Tails' Jinchūriki, Karin, who had been beside him just a moment ago, vanished without a trace.
Now, the Grass ninja was nailed to an enormous iron pillar. He couldn't move. Pain surged through every nerve in his body. It wasn't just physical agony—it felt as if his very soul was being torn apart.
His face… it was changing. His transformation, which had hidden his identity, was unraveling.
The disguise melted away, revealing long, black hair, unnaturally pale skin, and a pair of slit-pupiled, serpent-like eyes.
Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, you're courting death."
A cold, emotionless voice echoed through the dark illusion space.
Then, from the void emerged a colossal black shadow—towering high, as though it could blot out both sky and earth. Every movement it made radiated the power to shatter the world.
But more terrifying than the giant itself were its eyes.
Blood-red Sharingan, glowing ominously. Their oppressive power was undeniable.
Orochimaru gritted his teeth, his expression twisted in pain. He knew who had cast this illusion. He knew what kind of power he was now trapped within.
"…Uchiha Haru?!"
His voice was low, hoarse.
"You knew it was me," Haru replied coldly. "And yet you still dared to lay a hand on one of mine?"
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.
"Did you really think I wouldn't recognize you? Disguised as the Fourth Kazekage?" Haru's voice turned even colder, as if it could freeze bone.
The moment the words fell, the pain inside Orochimaru intensified drastically. It wasn't the illusion targeting his body—it was targeting his soul.
"AHH!!"
Orochimaru writhed, every inch of his body screaming in pain. He tried to suppress his agony, but his will was cracking.
"You… you saw through me all along…"
He had only encountered Haru twice since arriving in Konoha. Every time, he'd taken great care to mask his presence and disguise his chakra.
He didn't expect to be recognized this quickly.
But he shouldn't have been surprised.
He had always known Uchiha Haru's insight was monstrous. He just hadn't anticipated it would be this suffocating.
"Let… me go…"
Orochimaru's voice trembled with pain, his tone full of desperation. His entire body was nailed to the pillar, and the sensation of being torn apart wouldn't stop.
"Let you go?" Haru chuckled darkly, mockingly. "Why?"
Orochimaru clenched his teeth.
"Because… my goal in coming to Konoha this time was never the Hidden Mist… it was Konoha. My teacher—Sarutobi Hiruzen!"
His face contorted as sweat poured from his forehead. It rolled down his cheeks like rain.
Back when he was still in the Akatsuki, Orochimaru had once set his sights on Uchiha Itachi.
But before he could even make a move, Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan had frozen him in place with Tsukuyomi. He hadn't even had time to resist.
That experience had been horrifying.
But this—this was something else entirely.
Facing Haru's illusion, not only was he trapped instantly, but his consciousness and body were both being destroyed with zero resistance. It wasn't just a Genjutsu. It was domination. Complete, total domination.
There was no room to breathe, no chance to retaliate. He couldn't even scream properly.
He realized now… he had once entertained the idea of stealing this man's body. He wanted to take Uchiha Haru's power for himself.
What a joke.
What arrogant stupidity.
Who the hell did he think he was?
"Let me go! I'll return to my business with Konoha!" Orochimaru shouted hoarsely, gasping between words. "I swear… I won't ever touch anyone from the Hidden Mist again! I swear it!"
For a moment, there was silence.
Then—
"Alright."
Haru responded.
Just like that.
Orochimaru blinked.
…He agreed?
So easily?
That was unexpected.
Before he could process it, Haru continued:
"But—"
Orochimaru's nerves instantly tensed. The other shoe was about to drop.
"But," Haru repeated, "you still owe compensation. That's not something I'm willing to overlook."
His tone was calm, almost playful—but Orochimaru could hear the steel underneath.
"Compensation…?"
Orochimaru's voice was dazed. "You mean… money?"
It sounded absurd.
For shinobi at their level—rogue ninja, Sannin, wielders of forbidden jutsu—money was meaningless. What could currency offer someone like Uchiha Haru?
Yet, oddly, it did seem to make sense.
After all, Haru had demanded compensation from Sarutobi Hiruzen after one of his missions. Later, he'd extorted Hidden Cloud when their shinobi attempted an ambush and failed.
And now, it was his turn.
Orochimaru, legendary Snake Sannin of the Hidden Leaf, was being shaken down for money like some thug in a back alley.
"…What do you think?" Haru's tone didn't shift.
Uchiha Haru asked calmly.
These people really had no idea how costly firewood, rice, oil, and salt were until they had to run a household. It was easy to talk when you were alone.
But once you had a clan to support—or even a ninja village—you'd come to understand just how important money was.
Only those who held real power could grasp this truth.
Take, for example, the Kage of the major hidden villages.
Why couldn't Konoha afford to go to war?
Aside from a shortage of talent, it was also because the last major conflict—the Third Great Ninja War—while technically a victory for Konoha, had nearly hollowed out the village's entire foundation.
It's true: to win a war, you needed elite combat power.
But you also needed a whole army of jonin, even chunin.
And without money, how could you expect them to risk their lives in battle?
This was a harsh reality that couldn't be solved with mere patriotism or ideals.
"Fine!"
"I promise you'll be satisfied!"
Orochimaru agreed hastily.
Uchiha Haru had already made it clear that he wasn't planning to kill him. All he wanted was compensation in the form of supplies or materials.
At this point, Orochimaru had no reason to resist. It was better to just play along.
Better to avoid pissing off Haru and triggering some kind of disaster.
But Haru's expression twisted into a strange, almost sinister smile. "Don't be so quick to agree."
"I want this much. Got it?"
He raised his hand and made a gesture.
Orochimaru nodded at first, thinking that while the amount was steep, his resources could cover it.
Then Haru gestured again—doubling it.
Then again—doubling it once more.
Then a third time.
Orochimaru's face froze.
This…
This was too much.
He couldn't afford it. No way.
But he didn't dare say so.
Who knew what Haru might do if he refused?
Forget it. Just agree for now.
Once the plan was in motion, he'd disappear.
If he couldn't win, then he'd run.
When it came to escaping, Orochimaru had more than enough confidence.
So what if the Akatsuki were powerful? In three years, they hadn't even managed to find his shadow.
That thought made him smug again.
He wondered how Uchiha Haru would react when he realized he couldn't find him anywhere.
But on the surface, he kept his expression solemn, carefully hiding all emotion.
"Alright. Remember what you said," Haru said. "I expect my payment after the Chunin Exams."
With that, he patted Orochimaru on the shoulder—and vanished.
In the next moment, the world around Orochimaru shifted.
He'd exited the illusion.
His body still held the same posture as before.
Kimimaro and Chojuro were still shouting in the background.
It was as if everything that had happened was just a flash—a fleeting dream.
But deep down, Orochimaru could feel it. He'd been trapped in that illusion for a long time.
Had Uchiha Haru's genjutsu really reached such terrifying heights?
Faced with that, Orochimaru knew better than to attack Kimimaro or the others again.
He quickly formed a seal and used the Body Flicker Technique to disappear from the scene.
Before leaving, he also released the restraints on Kimimaro and Chojuro.
The sudden change left the two young ninjas confused.
Just moments ago, the strange ninja from the Grass Village had been trying to kill them. Then, without warning, he let them go.
They had no idea what had happened in between.
Still, they weren't about to question it.
Whatever the reason, they were free—and that was all that mattered.
They rushed over to the unconscious Uzumaki Karin to check on her condition.
Karin's performance during the fight had shocked them both.
She'd always been the weakest among the three, mostly due to her late start in learning ninjutsu and her lack of foundational training.
But this time, the power she unleashed wasn't just on par with them—it may have even surpassed them.
That red chakra… It could only have been the Tailed Beast.
Such terrifying power.
"Karin! Karin!" Kimimaro and Chojuro called softly, trying to wake her.
The Forest of Death was teeming with danger.
If she stayed unconscious too long, she'd be vulnerable—and in a place like this, that could be fatal.
"Mmm… ugh…" Karin groaned softly, slowly opening her eyes. "Are you guys… okay?"
"Where's the enemy?"
"He's gone. Not sure why he left, but he did," Kimimaro replied, checking her condition. Seeing that she wasn't seriously hurt, he let out a sigh of relief.
Their encounter with that mysterious Grass ninja had nearly wiped them out. They'd even lost their Heaven and Earth Scrolls, which had been at a solid 3.4 already.
But somehow, they'd survived.
That was enough.
As for the scrolls—well, they could always steal more.
With their strength, getting back what they lost wasn't impossible.
Elsewhere, Orochimaru was retreating from the Forest of Death.
As he moved, his mind kept drifting back to the illusion Haru had used on him.
So much time had passed inside that genjutsu…
But in reality, only a second had gone by.
Time and perception were completely out of sync.
He'd heard of illusions like that before.
Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan technique—Tsukuyomi—had a similar effect.
But the difference here was terrifying.
Uchiha Haru hadn't even used a Mangekyō Sharingan.
It was just a standard illusion.
And yet it achieved the same time-dilation effect as Itachi's deadly Tsukuyomi.
That was… terrifying.
Orochimaru couldn't help the chill that ran down his spine.
As he hurried toward the edge of the forest, a nagging sensation kept tugging at him.
Something felt wrong.
He examined himself carefully—and then froze.
A strange marking had appeared on his body at some unknown point.
He recognized it instantly.
The Flying Thunder God Technique.
.
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