Another tedious afternoon of training.
Itachi lingered deliberately until school dismissal time before leaving.
By afternoon, Itachi's performance showed marked improvement.
Qingchuan understood the underlying reason but chose not to comment.
The youth seemed increasingly accustomed to - even capable of controlling - that magical girl's attire...
A dangerous sign indeed.
Qingchuan steeled himself internally, determined not to forget his original purpose.
Training must become more rigorous!
After Itachi departed.
Qingchuan, remaining at the practice ground, felt his spiritual energy replenish to peak levels.
His daily ritual before returning home involved practicing demon arts to hone his skills.
Clearing his throat, Qingchuan prepared the incantation.
Two full-powered Crimson Fire Cannons represented his current limit.
However.
As he began chanting, his soul perception suddenly detected an icy gaze piercing through dimensions.
Qingchuan's hand instinctively tightened around his sword hilt.
Abandoning the incantation, he performed a single-handed seal with feigned composure.
Crimson Fire Cannon!
Boom!
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
Spiritual energy erupted violently as six consecutive fireballs surged toward the source of that gaze!
As always.
Only two individuals in Konoha would dare surveil him and Itachi within Uchiha territory - or more precisely, could accomplish such feat undetected.
He'd already encountered Shisui.
This other presence felt equally familiar.
Utterly frigid. Profoundly malevolent!
Beneath which lurked absolute madness!
Within Konoha's borders, only one person fit this description.
Orochimaru.
And this man had already earned a permanent spot on Qingchuan's "skirt-dropping beatdown list"...
Naturally.
Even without skirt removal, warnings remained necessary.
"How... uncivilized."
"Haruko."
As the fireball explosions subsided.
A figure materialized from the disturbed earth behind Qingchuan.
Orochimaru's serpentine tongue flicked out as he delivered admonishments in mock-paternal tones.
"Civility?"
"Does it feed the hungry?"
Qingchuan adjusted his grip on the sword hilt, tension coiling through his muscles.
The sensation manifested with crystalline clarity...
A colossal serpent coiled behind him, fetid breath washing over his neck as its forked tongue sampled the air.
Anxiety prickled his spine.
Yet... mingled with peculiar exhilaration?
"Am I mistaken?"
"You appear... aware of my identity."
"But your killing intent radiates too conspicuously, Haruko."
Orochimaru fluidly circled behind Qingchuan, his breath ghosting over the youth's ear.
The girl's body exuded unique fragrance.
Cherry blossoms interwoven with concealed lethality.
Fascinating aroma.
Fascinating...
soul.
Swish— Qingchuan's answer came in the form of a perfected draw-cut honed through monthly cycles.
Unsheathing.
Pivoting slash!
Motions flowed seamlessly without wasted movement.
The shadowy figure split cleanly in two.
Yet Qingchuan's vigilance remained undiminished.
A decoy.
"Astute deduction."
Though his strike found empty air, Qingchuan's blade remained leveled.
Before his sword tip, Orochimaru's features contorted with barely restrained excitement!
"Keen instincts. Flawless swordsmanship."
"Your parents lacked such extraordinary talent..."
"Did bereavement awaken this latent potential?"
"Enlighten me... Haruko."
No urgency colored Orochimaru's tone.
If anything, his calmness felt more terrifying.
Only the intensifying madness in his eyes betrayed his true hunger.
Exhaustive research into Uchiha lineage yielded scant records beyond basic genealogy.
Which made this anomaly all the more intriguing, no?
Even among Uchiha, ordinary families existed.
Yet this child from mundane origins possessed talent that stirred his scientific fervor!
He had marked this girl.
He would claim this specimen!
The perverse dialogue twisted Qingchuan's features.
His blade arm remained steady.
Half-completed initial release meant this Senbonzakura already resonated with his soul.
Weightless yet omnipresent within his spiritual core.
"Survive my strike, and you'll have your answer."
Shifting to two-handed grip.
The overhead slash embodied textbook perfection.
Qingchuan's gaze frosted over.
This sword stance conveyed unspoken declaration.
I fear you not.
Zanpakutō.
Soul-rending blade.
Though initial release conditions remained unmet, not even brushing the fundamental threshold...
This soul-bound weapon retained power to sever spirits.
This certainty anchored his resolve!
"Equitable transaction."
Orochimaru's excitement crescendoed!
Anticipation burned through restraint...
The power harvested from that child had reached developmental plateau.
Even that foolish apprentice could barely contain the energy.
Merely a temporary vessel, unsuitable for further refinement.
But this girl differed.
That unique soul coupled with latent Uchiha potential.
Presented far superior specimen!
The Sannin's elongated tongue moistened his cheeks.
Reptilian mannerisms betrayed peak exhilaration.
Simultaneously.
Battle commenced!
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"