"..."
The vast valley forest, at this moment, was terrifyingly silent.
Almost nothing remained but the rustling sound of the cool wind brushing past the leaves, as if time stood still in peace.
However,
At this moment, both Orochimaru and the masked man could feel no such peace; instead, a chill ran down their spines!
Both their eyes were filled with disbelief.
'When?!'
'How was it done?!'
Amidst their shock, the two of them simultaneously looked in the same direction, almost by unspoken agreement—
To see the Kyo supposedly bound by the purple snakes.
But then, next,
They witnessed a scene that made their scalps tingle even more.
The trapped Kyo suddenly revealed a faint smile towards the two,
Then, he slowly began to turn transparent, and finally... completely vanished,
Dissolving directly into thin air!
"?!"
Seeing this, Orochimaru and the masked man were both stunned, their hearts jolting as their eyes flew wide open.
'What the hell!'
'No explosion, and no substitute body?!'
'What's going on...'
'Could it be that this guy didn't use a Shadow Clone or Body Replacement Technique at all?!'
'No way...'
'Could the technique this guy used... be a Genjutsu?!'
Though they were in different positions, the thought struck them both simultaneously at this moment.
After all, in their understanding, any clone or substitution technique would have at least some telltale sign.
But the Kyo below had simply disappeared directly...
It was basically certain; besides Genjutsu, there was no other possibility.
'But...'
'If what was down there was Genjutsu, then from when exactly did this guy hypnotize us?'
'He could achieve this without even coming down?'
'Isn't that too ridiculous?'
"..."
At this moment, the expression of Obito beneath the mask was even uglier than Orochimaru's.
If Orochimaru had been caught off guard because he didn't know of Kyo's existence, it might be excusable and understandable.
But when had he been caught?!
'I had been carefully on guard the whole time, damn it!'
'Damn it...'
'Just how many unknown abilities are hidden within those golden eyes, that True Eye of the King?!'
'Could there be a hundred?!'
Obito gritted his teeth slightly, his expression complex.
He had originally joined this mission as an intern specifically to investigate Kyo's information.
Who would have thought that after this mission, there would be even more mysteries...
And at this moment,
Orochimaru, pinned to the ground below, was also rapidly shifting his gaze.
He suddenly remembered.
When that masked guy had jumped down earlier, he had mentioned something about a "senpai" and the "True Eye of the King"...
'What was certain now was that the so-called senpai must be the boy the masked man called "Kyo".'
'Then, the True Eye of the King... refers to that pair of golden pupils of his?'
'Could it be some new kind of Kekkei Genkai?'
"Tch..."
"I really let my guard down."
"As expected, anyone who can join Akatsuki is far from as simple as they appear..."
Orochimaru managed a weak grin, speaking hoarsely towards the sky above.
As his words fell,
The silver blade piercing his abdomen suddenly began to retract, finally leaving the ground and vanishing once more into the high sky.
Clearly, Kyo had sheathed his sword.
And only now,
Did his figure truly descend from the sky.
Thud.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Kyo looked towards Orochimaru, a slight smile on his face, and said:
"Orochimaru, how does it feel to match wits with thin air?"
Kyo chuckled lightly.
He certainly didn't know any Genjutsu.
As for Body Replacement Techniques and Shadow Clones, he also didn't know them.
However, he did possess an item far surpassing the capabilities of Body Replacement Techniques—
The Portable Gigai.
An item created by Urahara Kisuke in the world of Bleach.
By infusing it with one's own spiritual pressure, one could instantly form a clone realistic enough to fool anyone, capable of free movement.
Because it was a disguise of Spiritual Pressure, even the Sharingan or Byakugan would be utterly unable to see through it.
Earlier, when on the giant tree high above,
Right after Tobi went down, Kyo immediately used a Portable Gigai.
And his main body, keeping his Spiritual Pressure concealed, remained above, witnessing everything.
Thus, the series of scenes just now unfolded.
"..."
Staring into Kyo's eyes,
Orochimaru was momentarily stunned, offering no reply.
But in the next instant, he suddenly opened his mouth wide again, repeating his trick!
He once more used the Orochimaru Style Body Replacement Technique, emerging directly as an Orochimaru with a snake tail, and launched a sneak attack towards Kyo!
And this time, he had only one goal—
To seize Kyo's eyes!
Since his True Eye of the King possessed such powerful abilities, wouldn't it be a shame not to take them?
Orochimaru swiftly raised his hand, charging directly at Kyo with incredible speed, a sinister smile on his face.
"Hehe... your golden eyes, I'll be taking them!"