A Sage's Pursuit of Power

"Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan has different abilities for each eye. The left eye is named Amaterasu, which can release black flames. These flames can burn anything and cannot be extinguished by conventional means.

Once these flames touch something, the only way to counter it is to remove the affected part of the body. If there's time, one might also use the Fire Seal technique to combat it.

The right eye's ability is called Tsukuyomi, a genjutsu technique. Once you make eye contact, your mind is pulled into a world of Tsukuyomi.

In the Tsukuyomi world, time and space are controlled by the caster. This means that the moment you make eye contact, you might spend over three days in his mental world.

Those who fall under this genjutsu can only endure the torment and damage inflicted on them. This damage directly affects their mind and even their soul, making it very difficult for even the strongest individuals to resist.

Additionally, the Mangekyō Sharingan has a universal ability to summon an energy entity called Susanoo. This technique has immense power and cannot be harmed by ordinary ninjutsu. Its attack and destructive power are comparable to that of a Tailed Beast and are extremely difficult to deal with."

Aoba paused at this point, leaving Orochimaru somewhat unsatisfied.

"With such powerful abilities—attacks, defense, and mental manipulation—all being perfect, doesn't he have any weaknesses?"

"Of course he does. But that's part of the second transaction. Lord Orochimaru, I believe the information I've provided is sufficient to warrant a Kusanagi Sword."

In fact, the intelligence about Itachi is of little use to most ninjas.

Although Itachi's character may not be the best, his tactical abilities are unparalleled. In this world, 99% of ninjas would struggle to force him to use all of his abilities.

Such information is more valuable to stronger ninjas. For Orochimaru, it's crucial information. Hence, this is a seller's market.

Orochimaru clearly understood this. He chuckled a few times and then said:

"That makes sense. Please state your request."

"I need Danzo's blood."

This request left Orochimaru momentarily stunned. He had anticipated various demands from Aoba, such as secret techniques or forbidden jutsu.

But he never expected him to request something as peculiar as this.

"Danzo's blood? Why would you think I have such a thing?"

"I believe Lord Orochimaru must have it. You have collaborated with Danzo multiple times and have performed experiments on him. I'm sure with your skills, keeping a sample of Danzo's blood would be quite easy."

At this, Orochimaru looked at Aoba with even more peculiar eyes, filled with undisguised greed.

He then produced a sealing scroll and, after unsealing it, took out a well-preserved vial.

"This is what you asked for."

Aoba took it without examining it. In reality, there was no way to check it immediately. However, Orochimaru was reliable enough in this regard not to deceive him.

"Itachi certainly has weaknesses. In fact, his greatest strength, the Mangekyō Sharingan, is also his greatest weakness.

The Mangekyō Sharingan has a fatal flaw. Its ocular power is limited and cannot be restored. This means that the more it is used, the greater the damage to the eyes. Eventually, the eyes will become completely blind.

Itachi awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan too early. His current use of the Mangekyō should have already begun to affect his vision.

Moreover, there's a crucial point. Even if his Mangekyō doesn't go blind, he won't live much longer."

This statement clearly provoked Orochimaru. After all, he was currently very eager for Itachi's body.

"The activation of the Mangekyō Sharingan is a tremendous advantage for any Uchiha, but it also imposes a huge burden. Itachi's Mangekyō was activated too early. His body had not fully developed when he fully awakened it.

As a result, the burden on his body has been immense. Physically, this manifests as a severe blood disease. He won't live for many more years."

This information evidently excited Orochimaru. He stared intensely at Aoba, as if trying to determine if what he said was true. Aoba, however, was indifferent because he was speaking the truth.

As mentioned before, information about Itachi is not valuable among lower-tier ninjas because even without the Mangekyō Sharingan, most are no match for him.

In reality, Aoba still held back a lot of information, such as the different forms of Susanoo and the possibility that Itachi had obtained the Totsuka Blade.

It wasn't that he didn't want to share more; it was just that he could only disclose so much at the moment. He could already sense that Orochimaru was becoming increasingly interested in him.

Even though he had more information and Orochimaru had more things he wanted, Aoba knew that this transaction had to end here.

If he spoke any further, Orochimaru might not be able to restrain himself.

"Hahaha..." After a harsh laugh, Orochimaru's snake-like eyes fixed intently on Aoba.

"Aoba-kun, I'm really curious. What exactly happened over the past three years? Where did you acquire so much information?"

"Sorry, that's not part of our transaction. Lord Orochimaru, the deal ends here today."

Aoba had no intention of dragging things out. He had obtained what he needed and was feeling too much pressure dealing with Orochimaru.

"Aoba-kun, have you considered returning to me? You have so much information, and I have forbidden jutsu you can't even imagine. If we join forces, we could achieve great things."

"Sorry, Lord Orochimaru, my answer remains the same as three years ago. Farewell."

As Aoba said this, he took a step back while keeping his eyes firmly on Orochimaru and his two companions.

At this moment, Kimimaro, who had been silently standing by Orochimaru's side, took a step forward.

At this point, Kimimaro's strength was not on par with the one who later fought Lee and Gaara, but his blood disease was presumably not as severe.

As a taijutsu-oriented ninja, youth itself was an advantage. Aoba was not fully confident in facing Kimimaro, especially with Orochimaru and Jūgo present, leaving him no chance of victory.

However, Aoba had come prepared, though he was reluctant to use his ultimate trump cards unless absolutely necessary.

"Alright, Kimimaro, Aoba-kun is our friend. I believe we'll have more transactions in the future, wouldn't you agree, Aoba-kun?"

"Of course, I believe Lord Orochimaru will find me."

"Very well. In that case, let's part ways for now."