Chapter 478: Orochimaru—Taste My Uchiha Undead Formation!
Thick, pitch-black death energy surged like dark smoke, growing denser by the second.
Orochimaru wore a delighted smile, thinking, You didn't disappoint me after all, Shisui-kun.
Undead lifeforms were unique.
They were created when someone with a strong obsession died—when their soul and will refused to fade and instead fused with their dead flesh, forming an undead being.
The stronger the obsession, the greater the growth potential of the undead.
That's why,
To expand his undead army, Orochimaru constantly sought out corpses with tremendous latent potential.
It was the same reason he turned on the Navy Alliance at the last moment—killing a Navy admiral to replace the elite undead captains he lost to the Tree Demon Matriarch.
"Sure, the game store sometimes refreshes with high-quality undead monsters... but the price is outrageous."
After slaying the Tree Demon Matriarch, Orochimaru had seemingly been rewarded by the game with a refresh that revealed a dark-gold [Frost Bone Dragon].
Price: five million reward points.
Even selling everything he owned wouldn't have been enough.
So, eyes burning with resentment, he glared at the dragon he couldn't afford—and went back to doing what he did best.
Digging up potential-filled corpses and cultivating them himself.
They couldn't compare to a Frost Bone Dragon, but they cost much less to maintain.
Especially now—
After hearing that Itachi had slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan, Shisui had erupted with a spiritual will so strong that it easily surpassed silver grade.
A rare undead unit, more than qualified to serve as a death captain in his army.
"Itachi, Orochimaru's lying, right?"
Shisui's voice was calm, as if unbothered by the terrible truth.
But the death aura surrounding him surged to an intense degree.
On his face, the dark energy thickened and solidified into a pure black death mask.
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with delight.
He pulled out precious necromantic materials from his inventory and fed them into Shisui's transformation.
"He's not lying."
Itachi forced himself to stay calm. "Everything I did was for the village. If the Uchiha weren't eliminated, the clan and the village would have descended into civil war."
His voice grew sharper and more frantic with every word.
"That's your reason for genocide, Itachi? I gave you my eyes. Was there really no other way?"
Shisui's tone remained flat.
But that was due to his undead nature—his soul energy had grown so cold it could freeze the air.
"Are you blaming me, Shisui?"
Itachi could no longer contain himself. Looking at his once beloved friend, now returned as a vengeful wraith, all of his repressed emotions exploded.
He couldn't accept it—or more truthfully, he couldn't face the weight of Shisui's questions.
To Itachi, Shisui had always been someone special.
Uchiha Shisui—
A unique Uchiha, direct descendant of Uchiha Kagami, even praised by the Second Hokage. He was the first to try reconciling the clan and the village.
He had been Itachi's guiding light.
In many ways, Shisui's name had stood beside the Will of Fire as one of Itachi's last mental supports after the massacre.
And now, summoned by Orochimaru, that very Shisui spoke to him with bitterness and fury.
Just because he had slaughtered the Uchiha clan?
"Itachi… You actually committed such a crime… the entire clan? Even the old, the young…"
Killing intent born of the soul nearly became tangible.
Shisui's face twisted with sorrow as he looked at his friend—his little brother in all but blood—now consumed by madness. "Itachi… this is my fault. I failed to see the insanity behind your so-called desire for peace."
"I wanted you to protect the Uchiha and the village. But you slaughtered the clan instead?"
"If I had known, I would have killed you myself back then. Better that than this horror!"
Shisui never wanted anyone to die.
Naïve as it was, he truly lived by that belief. Even after awakening the godlike Kotoamatsukami, he never abused it.
He had waited patiently for the right time.
Even when Danzo ambushed him, he chose to sacrifice himself—entrusting his Mangekyō to the one he believed could resolve the conflict.
To Shisui, Konoha was important.
But so was the Uchiha. The two weren't opposite ends of a scale.
They were like a child's parents—why should one be killed to favor the other?
"Shisui!"
On the verge of madness, Itachi roared, "Even if it had been you—could you have done better?! The clan or the village—I made the best possible choice!"
Even as Shisui condemned him, even as he bore Shisui's wrath, he refused to admit he was wrong.
Because if he did,
He would no longer be a dark guardian of Konoha—but just a butcher. A murderer.
"What about my Kotoamatsukami?! Was my eye just for decoration?!"
Shisui's fury boiled over. Dark death energy coiled into armor, making him resemble a death general.
"Itachi… I was wrong about you. You're not the inheritor of the Will of Fire—you're a madman. A lunatic trapped in your own delusion!"
"The Four Great Nations have already said it—if Konoha disappears, there will be no more great ninja wars. Are you going to kill them all next?"
"Peace and redemption were never about sacrificing one side!"
"You lacked the courage to stand before Fugaku and your clan—to become their leader, to lead the Uchiha down a path of peace!"
"You lacked the courage to confront Hiruzen and Danzo—to denounce the outdated policies of the Second Hokage that pushed your people to the brink!"
"Even if you had become a blade and led the charge in a civil war—siding with Hiruzen to crush the rebellion—you would still have shown courage!"
"…"
"There were so many ways… but you chose the easiest."
"You wiped out your own people—those who birthed you, raised you, shared your blood—and you feel no guilt."
"I'm ashamed I ever called you my friend, Uchiha Itachi."
"You're nothing but a coward. A pathetic, spineless madman."
"I will avenge the Uchiha!"
Clad in deathly armor, Shisui charged forward with a black, soul-forged blade.
"No, you don't understand—Shisui, you are the one who's wrong!"
Itachi's eyes were bloodshot, like a glass orb on the verge of shattering from pressure.
He raised a kunai, black soul-fire burning around it, and clashed with Shisui—barely repelling him.
Orochimaru chuckled sinisterly on the side.
He spread his arms wide, releasing more and more necrotic energy, completely unconcerned that they were still within Konoha clan territory.
More coffins rose from the ground.
Clang!
Hundreds of coffins opened, revealing the very lives Itachi had once extinguished.
The Uchiha police force—Jōnin, Chūnin—anyone of considerable strength in life had been summoned.
Even lesser souls—
The regrets and anguish of ordinary Uchiha who died in that massacre had been collected by Orochimaru's pre-placed necromantic array.
One by one, these black-smoke-like spirits poured into Shisui's body, causing him to expand.
Eventually, his power rivaled that of a gold-tier player.
This was the culmination of the Uchiha clan's hatred, crafted into an undead amalgamation by Necrosnake Warlock Orochimaru, reinforced with countless rare necromantic materials.
"Itachi-kun… are you a hero, or a butcher?"
"Let them be the ones to decide."
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read: patreon.com/Franklin1