Kabuto continues to blabber his research theories with great enthusiasm to the two brothers.
By explaining his research and great ideas, he is seeking acknowledgment from the so-called geniuses. Itachi understands this point and indulges him.
Meanwhile, Sasuke searches for an opening to locate and pin down Kabuto with a single strike.
"Indeed, I have heard of such an ability in the Hozuki clan. Even among the members of the Hozuki clan, it's a very rare ability and manifests among very few members. It's similar to the 'Wood Release' of the Senju clan, as it rarely manifests among a very few members." Itachi nods as he read some records about the ability.
"Hehe… looks like someone is knowledgeable of such details," Kabuto chuckles.
"I pair this ability with my amazing recuperation to create a healing technique that's on par with the regeneration ability of the First Hokage." Kabuto continues. All of Kabuto's snakes regenerate rapidly and even multiply in numbers.
"Even then, all these abilities are not your known. You merely borrowed them from someone else and suffered the consequences. Now look at you, you're neither a human nor an animal. You have become an abomination in pursuit of power." Itachi shakes his head.
"Abomination… so what? I will even sacrifice my humanity in pursuit of power if I can gain the freedom to decide my fate." Kabuto scoffs.
"In the shinobi word, those without talent are nothing. They can struggle and live in despair their entire life and then finally acts as fodder and die for the sake of others. They don't even have the right to decide their own life and death." Kabuto recalls his miserable past where he was tossed around and manipulated by so-called powerful people. He was just a pawn to them, a disposable pawn who could toss away the moment he outlived his usefulness.
Even his current master, Orochimaru, treated him the same. Though he finally proved his usefulness and avoided the same fate as before.
"So, what if I am talentless? I will steal it from others and make better use of it."
"Then, did you also receive a curse mark from Orochimaru?" Itachi asks him.
"No! That is just a temporary boost in power. This power is something that I cultivated myself."
Suddenly, several snakes leap out from the shadows.
"I found the Ryuchi cave all by myself and trained under the guidance of the Snake Sage to achieve the perfect Sage Mode and surpass even Orochimaru-sama himself."
"Ryuchi cave! Impossible!" Sasuke shakes his head in disbelief.
"There is no way that stubborn old coot will teach anyone," Sasuke recalls the efforts and negotiations Izuna made for her to teach him the Sage Mode.
"Believing me or not is up to you. But nature energy is my ally now."
The several snakes open their mouth and spew out various elemental attacks, including fire, wind, lightning, water, and mud, towards the Uchiha brothers.
Itachi slams the Yata Shield of his Susanoo and blocks the attacks. He swings his Totsuka blade and slices several snake heads.
Suddenly, Sasuke's Susanoo nocks several Nature energy-infused arrows and fires them toward the ceiling behind him.
Bang… bang… bang…
The arrows pierce through several stalactites. A translucent lizard-like figure appears between the arrows. The white lizard has nimbly dodged all of Sasuke's arrows.
"He dodged… all my arrows!" Sasuke stares at the lizard in surprise.
Bleurgh…
White fluid seeps out of the lizard's mouth. A scaly white human hand pries open the mouth of the lizard.
"My sensory ability is much better than it used to be after learning the Sage Mode. Especially in this place that I modified to suit my needs." The hand waves its finger.
"Orochimaru-sama didn't possess a body that could tolerate the energy of the Sage Mode. So, in the end, he wasn't able to master the Sage Mode. However, I am different. I made modifications to my body to the point that I became a suitable vessel to house nature energy. Now my body harness nature energy in the same way as a human breath air."
Bleurgh…
Another hand crawls out of the lizard's mouth, much to the Uchiha brother's disgust.
Kabuto crawls out of the lizard's mouth and jumps on the floor on all four limbs. There are several white scales on his body. His tongue is disgustingly long, and four horns grow out of his head.
"There is no way the human body can sustain so many alterations without breaking down at the cellular level. You should have died before you could achieve this perfect body of yours. No human can survive the clash of so many conflicting powers in one body. It's the reason Orochimaru would regularly change bodies since his powers would deteriorate his body." Itachi shakes his head.
"It should be the same for you. So, how can you still be alive after absorbing so many powers?"
"Hehe… you are right! I was indeed dying after absorbing so many powers. My body was desperately rejecting the modifications and falling apart. However, then I met him. He stabilized my body with his 'Divine Technique' and opened my eyes to new heights." Kabuto licks his lips.
Itachi and Sasuke's expressions turn ugly at the mention of an unknown figure.
'Who could it be? Is it some unknown enemy? He should be powerful and knowledgeable if he can stabilize Kabuto's body and grant him such powers.' Both of them enter into thoughts.
"Now I am no longer a snake. With my perfect powers, I have already evolved into a dragon."
Kabuto claps his hand.'
Shoom…
His body releases an overwhelming pressure that even breaks apart the surrounding stalactite and stalagmites. In Sasuke's and Itachi's vision, a massive white dragon made of chakra appears behind Kabuto.
HAAH…
Kabuto takes a deep breath and inhales a large amount of air. His belly expands like a balloon.
"Sage Art: Rage Dragon Roar,"
The giant white dragon behind Kabuto opens its mouth and spits out an orb.
The orb flies in front of the Uchiha duo and explodes, releasing a powerful sound attack. The vibrations and sound waves from the attack destroy the surroundings and rattle their eardrums.
"MY EARS!!"
Augh… Ugh… argh…
Sasuke and Itachi scream in pain. Blood leaks out from their ears and nose.
"My b-bones… it feels like they are being grated to dust." Both Sasuke and Itachi fall to the ground. They clutch their ears in a desperate attempt to block the noise.
"Not even your Susanoo can protect you from this jutsu. This technique doesn't only include sound waves, it induces energy into surrounding particles and generates powerful vibrations that can even penetrate the hardest object on the planet, much less your Susanoo." Kabuto dashes towards them.
"It's a jutsu that uses sound and light to impair vision and hearing. A jutsu that causes the air to oscillate to paralyze the senses, freezing movement. If that's the case… Sasuke!" Itachi yells Sasuke's name.
Sasuke bites his tongue and grits his teeth. His Susanoo nocks an arrow and points it toward Kabuto, making the latter pause in his tracks.
"Still persistent, aren't you?" Kabuto licks his lips.
"A snake's cornea can block the light out the light and by turning my flesh into fluid, I can easily absorb the sound and vibration." Kabuto moves erratically to avoid being targeted by Sasuke's arrow. Sasuke's arrows are still lethal to him due to their power and speed.
The arrow suddenly changes direction and flies towards Itachi's Susanoo.
"Yata Shield!"
Itachi's Susanoo slams its Yata shield on the ground.
DIINGGG…
The arrows hit the shield and the unique nature of the shield converts the attack into wind chakra. This wind chakra vibrates with a frequency and soon resonates with the white orb released by Kabuto. Itachi regulates the flow of chakra with much difficulty.
Bang…
With a loud bang, the white orb shatters into countless fragments and disperses, freeing the Uchiha brothers from the agony.
Huff… Huff…
Itachi and Sasuke pant and wipe the blood.
"Amazing! Both of you possess the true Uchiha visual prowess." Kabuto's eyes train on Itachi and Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingans.
"Your unique eyes provide you the ability to peer into and read people's souls. Paired with your immaculate understanding of each other, both of you are quite a force to be reckoned with. However,…"
Whoosh…
Kabuto dodges a sneak attack from Itachi.
"That alone is not enough to take me down."