Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

It was rare for Shoji to think of this, so naturally he wanted to try his luck in the Land of Water. If he could obtain the necessary genetic information about the Kaguya clan and bring it back to Kimimaro, this trip to the Land of Water would be a huge success!

"This should be the area, right?"

Due to their unique circumstances, the Kaguya clan does not like to stay in Kirigakure. However, they are still members of Kirigakure, so their residence is not far from the village. On the map, the Kaguya clan's residence, Kirigakure, and the capital of the Land of Water form a triangular connection.

The spacing between them is almost uniform.

It took Shoji two or three hours to travel from the capital of the Land of Water to the vicinity of Kaguya's clan's residence.

As you get a little closer to the inner area, you can see the gleaming ruins. From these remaining ruins, you can tell that the Kaguya clan at its peak was at least as large as the Uchiha clan!

After all, this is one of the top tier ninja clans in Kirigakure. The only clans in the village that can truly compare to it are the Yuki clan and the Hozuki clan, which were both wiped out!

406. Encounter in the Land of Water

Seeing the current miserable state of the Kaguya clan, Jiang Si couldn't help but sigh slightly. If it weren't for him...

The Uchiha clan also met a very tragic end in the original story.

The final result will only be slightly better than that of the Kaguya clan.

At least the Uchiha clan still has bloodlines remaining, while the Kaguya clan's most talented member, Kimimaro, ultimately died of illness in the original story.

"Hmm, I hope my luck will be better. If there are no mistakes in the original work, Kimimaro in this period should still be... Hmm? What is this aura?"

Just as Jiang Si was about to delve deeper into the Kaguya clan's territory to conduct a further search, his eyes narrowed the next second as he caught a faint, dangerous yet somewhat familiar aura lingering in the area.

"Looks like they beat us to it after all?"

Jiang Si's eyes flickered slightly, and he murmured this sentence in a low voice.

"Whoosh!"

The chakra in his feet exploded.

The Sharingan with its tomoe activated directly followed the firmly locked chakra aura, tracing it all the way to the northwest. Although this aura was extremely faint, it was still impossible for Shoji to hide from it now. Moreover, judging from the residual aura, the owner of this aura had only left for at most half a day!

With Shoji's current speed, he can definitely catch up even with the other party having a burden in tow!

"Orochimaru, all encounters in this world are reunions after a long separation. It seems this is our destiny!"

Indeed, the owner of this aura was none other than Orochimaru, one of the former Legendary Sannin of Konoha whom Shoji had been 'longing for'. Even without the reference of the original plot, the aura that Shoji himself had captured in the ruins of the Kaguya clan's residence was enough to make the most accurate judgment.

I had already planned to go see Orochimaru soon.

It really is a case of 'his mom just happened to open the door,' and they just happened to arrive home!

The speed unleashed at full power.

His figure kept chasing after her.

The surrounding scenery was changing rapidly, as if we had entered a time-space distortion mode.

This comes after the company's strength has been further enhanced.

The full speed that truly bursts forth.

In less than an hour, the previously faint chakra aura became extremely dense.

"found it!"

These coordinates were easily locked down.

A beautiful smile curved the corners of Jiang Si's mouth.

This soaring speed also brought with it a terrifying wave that left Si with absolutely no intention of concealing his tracks.

In the lead, Orochimaru, who had just been brainwashed and was now completely loyal to him, headed towards the other side of the Land of Water to search for his second objective. When Orochimaru closed in on Tsukasa to a very obvious distance, his brows furrowed, and a hint of horror was revealed in his snake eyes.

In the next moment.

A glance that turned away.

"boom!"

That was the same figure that flashed and arrived at close range.

When the two looked into each other's eyes.

"Oh, it really is Orochimaru-san. Nice to meet you."

"Uchiha Shoji!"

Unlike Jiang Si's leisurely and lighthearted greetings.

Orochimaru's snake eyes suddenly narrowed, and his voice unconsciously rose slightly at that moment.

"Hehe, I never expected to meet the Uchiha Shura, who has a great reputation in the ninja world, in such a remote and impoverished place as the Land of Water. This is truly my honor."

Orochimaru, being Orochimaru, quickly adjusted his emotions within a second, speaking in a tone that appeared relaxed but whose inner tension had instantly tightened.

The words conveyed a cold and hoarse feeling.

Furthermore, the chilling aura emanating from his entire body was enough to make any ordinary ninja tremble with fear and lose control when facing Orochimaru. This was the imposing presence of the Sannin. However, when facing Uchiha Shoji, the situation between the two was somewhat reversed. Although they had never directly clashed before, and this was their 'first encounter' (in Orochimaru's opinion), Orochimaru could clearly sense the cold and dangerous aura emanating from Shoji's previous achievements and their face-to-face confrontation.

Even so, Orochimaru still had plenty of confidence in himself.

But at this moment, I still kept myself on high alert.

Furthermore, judging from the direction that Tsukasa was pursuing, Orochimaru could roughly guess what Tsukasa's goal was.

In that instant, Orochimaru even made certain necessary preparations.

"Hehe, Orochimaru-san, you're too kind. It's an honor for me, as a junior, to meet one of the famous Sannin. I've been looking forward to meeting you for a long time!"

With a relaxed and carefree expression, Jiang Si smiled and said.

"I think there's no need for such formalities. You didn't stay in Iwagakure to assist the Tsuchikage, but traveled all the way to the Land of Water. Surely you didn't come here just to reminisce about our time defecting from Konoha?"

Orochimaru said this with a profound meaning.

"Haha, of course I've come here for a reason, and Orochimaru-san should know that too, since my goal is the same as Orochimaru-san's!"

Shoji chuckled, glancing meaningfully at Kimimaro, who stood slightly shorter than Orochimaru beside him, and said something profound.

Shoji's words and actions completely confirmed Orochimaru's own guesses. His expression visibly darkened, and his lips twitched slightly as he said, "So Shoji-kun is also interested in the Kaguya clan's bloodline limit? This is truly beyond my expectations!"

"What's so strange about that? You know, this is an extremely rare bloodline limit in the ninja world. It allows one to control their own bones, and its hardness is unparalleled in the ninja world. So, I wonder if Orochimaru-san could give me that little guy?"

Si Jian raised his eyebrows, his expression seemingly calm, but his words were actually aggressive.

"!?"

Let's leave Orochimaru aside for now.

Upon hearing Shoji's words, Kimimaro, who was sitting to the side, suddenly changed his previously curious expression. This incredibly young guy had actually set his sights on him!?

Although Kimimaro is only about six or seven years old, he is very precocious. Under the unique teachings of the Kaguya clan, he is already very clear about the dangers of the ninja world. He is also very clear about the special nature of his own Shikotsumyaku bloodline limit. Furthermore, Kimimaro, who has decided to follow Orochimaru completely, will never change his mind.

At this moment, Kimimaro's face was different from the bitter and resentful expression he had when he first appeared in the original work. His still very young face showed a hint of anger.

However, without any indication from Orochimaru, Kimimaro, who had already resolved to dedicate everything to Orochimaru, would not speak casually.

"Heh, Mr. Shoji, you really know how to joke. Kimimaro is not an object, but a living human being, and cannot be exchanged at will. He came with me voluntarily. Unless Kimimaro is willing to leave with you, Mr. Shoji, I will have no objections. But, Kimimaro?"

Orochimaru let out a hoarse laugh, then glanced at Kimimaro beside him.

"Yes!"

Kimimaro first bowed slightly to Orochimaru respectfully, then turned his gaze to Shoji, who was not far away, with a hint of indifference, and said in the most resolute tone: "Everything I have belongs to Lord Orochimaru, and I will never follow anyone else again!"

But Shoji clearly didn't care about Kimimaro at all. He merely gave Kimimaro a cold glance, which sent a chill down Kimimaro's spine and made him tremble involuntarily. Shoji then swept past Kimimaro and, with the same slightly indifferent gaze, returned to Orochimaru. He said in a very sarcastic tone, "Your own will? A living human being? Orochimaru-san is the one who should be talking. Don't make such a boring and ridiculous joke. Jiraiya-san would be more suited to saying that. Orochimaru-san, do you think that what you've done in Konoha is unknown to others? I have no interest in playing such jokes with Orochimaru-san!"

The tone gradually intensifies, word by word.

As Jiang Si finished speaking, a chilling aura filled the space, and a bone-chilling cold emanated from it. Even Orochimaru's expression changed slightly at that moment, and Kimimaro, who was sitting next to him, trembled uncontrollably as if he had seen something terrifying.

This is only a portion of the aura that Shoji is showing. If he were to unleash his full power, Kimimaro, who is only six or seven years old at the time, would definitely not be able to withstand the impact of Shoji's aura!

Conversely, it also demonstrates that Kimimaro, at his age, could barely withstand the aura that was enough to make Orochimaru pale. This proves Kimimaro's exceptional qualities and shows that he truly deserves to be the young generation of the Kaguya clan who inherited the most perfect bloodline.

"Then let me see what you have to offer, Mr. Jiang Si!"

Orochimaru's expression also turned extremely cold. He licked his lips with his eerie long tongue, and a sinister light flashed in his pupils.

As he slightly waved his hand, signaling Kimimaro, who was standing to the side with a hint of resentment, to step back.

Orochimaru suddenly opened his blood-red maw and spat out a long sword that glowed with a chilling light. It was one of the ancient Kusanagi swords that Orochimaru had painstakingly collected. He flipped his right hand and precisely gripped the hilt, while his left hand held the sword.

"Fizz!"

The giant python then sprang out.

Orochimaru adopted a fighting stance almost instantly.

"Capital?"

But the general opposite him only gave a cold smile.

"Buzz!"

The crimson Sharingan reflected in those pupils would be ineffective against other Kage-level opponents, let alone the Mangekyou Sharingan. Unless one could pull the opponent into their own 'domain world' at close range, like Obito was before, it would be difficult for Jiang Si to use genjutsu on Kage-level opponents of similar strength, as it would not be very effective.

However, Orochimaru is a major exception!

Although he hadn't yet used the Reanimation Jutsu to change bodies like he did in later years, he had clearly begun the corresponding experiments. His soul had already developed fatal flaws, and in Shoji's Sharingan, the incomplete parts of Orochimaru's soul could be clearly seen. It can be said that Orochimaru in this mode was the natural counter to the Uchiha clan!

During this period, Orochimaru, who was completely unaware of this flaw in himself and was also unaware of the Mangekyou Sharingan's ability to restrain the soul, fearlessly locked eyes with Shoji.

"Illusion—Magic—Shackle Resistance Technique!"

The Sharingan with its tomoe suddenly spinning at high speed erupted with a rich crimson color!

"What!?"

In the next moment.

The world is spinning!

This suddenly turned into an endless, dark, and frigid environment.

Orochimaru's expression changed.

"Illusion!?"

Orochimaru was truly surprised that Shoji could so easily drag him into the illusionary world, but he didn't show any anxiety or worry.