Game

Bloodlust.

It hit Indra like a suffocating wave.

His breath caught.

His knees locked.

His limbs - they wouldn't move.

His Sharingan couldn't activate, the chakra not moving towards his eyes, he couldn't see clearly from the fear - he might as well have been fucking blind.

He couldn't even swallow. His heart was hammering, slamming against his ribs like it wanted out.

His vision trembled, blurred at the edges, as if the forest itself bowed beneath the pressure of that monstrous presence.

Move.

Come on, move.

Nothing. Not even a twitch.

'Calm down.' He told himself internally. 'Calm down. You've trained for this. You've seen worse. You-'

Liar.

He'd never felt anything like this.

The snake wasn't even attacking - he was just standing there, and it was like the world was leaning toward him, like gravity itself served that sick smile on his face.

'Move, damn it!' Indra screamed inside his own skull.

His fingers refused.

How - how can I become the strongest - if I can't even move?!

He gritted his teeth. The world around him seemed muffled, far away, like he was buried alive.

This isn't even his peak-

He's toying with me-

And I'm - frozen like a child!

His fists clenched slightly. Then trembled. Then locked up again.

'The strongest…'

'I have to become the strongest.'

'The strongest. The strongest. The strongest. The strongest. The strongest. The strongest-'

His breath came in ragged gasps.

'The strongest. The strongest. The strongest. The strongest. The strongest-'

He felt it - the panic, the rage, the humiliation curling inside his gut like coiled fire.

'Move!'

'Move, damn it!'

'THE STRONGEST!!'

'THE STRONGEST!!'

'THE STRONGEST!!'

Something snapped.

With a ragged gasp, Indra moved - his fingers curling so tightly his nails dug into his palms, and blood dripped onto the forest floor.

Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly, genuine surprise crossing his borrowed features. "Oh? You broke free of my killing intent? And quite quickly at that." A slow smile spread across his face. "How... interesting."

Indra stared at his bleeding palms, watching the crimson droplets fall to the dirt below.

Each drop seemed to take an eternity to fall, his perception slowing as adrenaline flooded his system.

He lifted his gaze to the sky, where the setting sun painted the clouds in hues of orange and gold.

And suddenly, he felt... calm.

No fear.

No pain.

No rage.

No grief.

Just... calm.

The realization washed over him like cool water. Orochimaru wouldn't kill him - not yet. The Sannin wanted to test him, to evaluate his potential as a vessel. This wasn't a death sentence; it was an audition.

'This is an opportunity,' Indra thought, his mind suddenly clear. 'A chance to test myself against one who stands near the peak of this world.'

'This is just a game.'

'Just a game...'

The fully matured Sharingan bloomed in his eyes, three tomoe spinning rapidly before settling into stillness.

Indra lowered his gaze to meet Orochimaru's curious stare, and a smile - genuine and unnerving - spread across his face.

Orochimaru's brow furrowed slightly. "Now what could possibly be so amusing about your situation, I wonder?"

Before he could continue, Indra vanished, reappearing inches from Orochimaru's face, kunai aimed for the Sannin's throat.

The sudden movement - the sheer audacity of it - caught even Orochimaru by surprise. The Sannin twisted away at the last moment, the kunai nearly grazing his cheek as they both leaped backward to create distance.

As they landed, Indra began to chuckle. The sound grew, evolving into full-blown laughter as he reached up and tore the bandage from his right eye, revealing another fully matured Sharingan.

"Let's play, Snake Sannin!" Indra roared, his voice carrying an excitement that bordered on mania.

His mind raced with a hundred ways to tear Orochimaru apart, his own bloodlust suddenly surging to meet the Sannin's.

Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly, not in fear but in fascination. For a genin - a mere child - to exude such killing intent was remarkable. Not enough to affect him, of course, but noteworthy nonetheless.

"My, my," Orochimaru purred, his tongue flicking out to taste the air. "What an unexpected development, that you even recognize me and still have the will to fight. Very well then, young Uchiha. Let's see what you can do."

Indra didn't wait for further invitation. He flashed through hand seals, "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Multiple fireballs erupted from his mouth, each containing hidden shuriken. Orochimaru weaved between them effortlessly, but Indra had anticipated this.

As the Sannin dodged, Indra appeared behind him, kunai slashing toward his kidney.

Orochimaru caught his wrist without looking. "Too predictable," he chided, twisting Indra's arm.

Instead of resisting, Indra went with the motion, using the momentum to swing his body upward and deliver a kick aimed at Orochimaru's head. The Sannin released him to block, and Indra used the opportunity to create distance.

"Wind Step," Indra whispered, chakra flowing to his feet. Invisible platforms of solidified wind formed beneath him, allowing him to launch himself from seemingly empty air.

He bounded around Orochimaru in unpredictable patterns, throwing kunai from multiple angles.

Orochimaru deflected them all with a kunai of his own, his movements casual yet precise. "An interesting technique," he commented. "Creating solid platforms of wind chakra? Quite advanced for one so young."

Indra didn't respond, focusing instead on his next attack. He formed hand seals rapidly. "Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!"

Compressed spheres of water shot toward Orochimaru, who countered with a casual wave of his hand. "Earth Style: Mud Wall."

A barrier of earth rose to block the water bullets, but Indra had already moved. Using the Body Flicker Technique, he appeared above Orochimaru, his hands forming different seals.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

The massive sphere of flame descended toward Orochimaru, who simply sidestepped it with a bemused expression. "Surely you can do better than these basic-"

His words cut off as Indra appeared directly in his path, hands already completing another set of seals. "Wind Style: Gale Palm!"

A concentrated burst of wind chakra slammed into Orochimaru's chest, sending him flying backward into the still-burning remnants of the fireball. The Sannin's body was engulfed in flames, and for a moment, Indra allowed himself to hope.

That hope died as Orochimaru's burning form dissolved into mud.

"Earth Clone," Indra muttered, his Sharingan scanning the surroundings. "Where-"

"Behind you," Orochimaru's voice whispered in his ear.

Indra substituted himself with a log just as Orochimaru's hand, elongated like a striking snake, pierced through where his heart had been. The log splintered, and Indra reappeared several meters away, breathing heavily.

"Good reflexes," Orochimaru praised, retracting his arm to normal length. "Your Sharingan serves you well. But how are your genjutsu skills, I wonder? The Uchiha are renowned for them, after all."

Indra's eyes narrowed. Genjutsu against Orochimaru seemed futile, but it might buy him time. He locked eyes with the Sannin, channeling chakra through his Sharingan.

"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes." Deciding to give the Snake the Itachi special.

For a brief moment - so brief most would have missed it - Orochimaru's movement faltered. The Sannin's eyes widened slightly before his chakra pulsed, dispelling the illusion.

"Impressive," Orochimaru acknowledged, genuine surprise in his voice. "For your genjutsu to affect me at all, even for an instant... your Yin chakra must be extraordinary."

Indra didn't waste time on pride. He knew he needed to keep moving, keep attacking. Standing still meant death.

He created three shadow clones, each moving in a different direction to surround Orochimaru.

The Sannin looked amused. "Shadow clones now? You're full of surprises."

All four Indras attacked simultaneously, each with a different approach. One threw kunai with explosive tags, another attempted close combat, the third prepared ninjutsu, and the real Indra wove another genjutsu.

Orochimaru dispatched the first clone with a casual backhand, dodged the explosions from the kunai, countered the ninjutsu with a wall of earth, and broke the genjutsu almost immediately.

But the coordinated assault had achieved its purpose - forcing Orochimaru to divide his attention.

The real Indra used that split second to launch his next attack. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

A stream of intense flame shaped like a dragon's head surged toward Orochimaru, who seemed genuinely surprised by the high-level technique. He leaped upward to avoid it, exactly as Indra had anticipated.

"Wind Step!" Indra appeared above Orochimaru, his hands already forming seals. "Wind Style: Vacuum Blade!"

A nearly invisible blade of compressed air sliced downward, catching Orochimaru across the shoulder before he could fully dodge. The Sannin's borrowed face showed genuine shock as blood sprayed from the wound.

"You actually managed to wound me," Orochimaru said, his voice a mixture of pain and delight as he landed on a branch. "How fascinating."

Indra didn't allow himself to celebrate. He knew it was a minor wound to someone like Orochimaru, and the Sannin had yet to use even a fraction of his true power.

Still, drawing first blood was more than he had dared hope for.

"Your imbalance is quite remarkable," Orochimaru observed, the wound on his shoulder already closing. "So much Yin chakra compared to your Yang. It's a wonder you can perform ninjutsu at all with such disproportion."

Indra tensed. Orochimaru had analyzed his chakra nature just from their brief exchange. The Sannin was even more perceptive than he had feared.

"Yet you compensate brilliantly," Orochimaru continued, sounding genuinely impressed. "Your chakra control must be exceptional to work around such a natural handicap."

Without warning, Orochimaru's neck extended with impossible speed, his head shooting toward Indra like a striking snake.

Indra barely managed to substitute himself with another log, which Orochimaru's teeth splintered.

"No more running," Orochimaru declared, his neck returning to normal as he formed hand seals. "Let's see how you handle this. Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

A massive gust of wind tore through the forest, uprooting trees and sending debris flying in all directions.

Indra anchored himself with chakra, but the force still pushed him backward. Through the maelstrom, he saw Orochimaru's hands forming more seals.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bombs!"

Massive fireballs, enhanced by the wind, roared toward Indra. He knew he couldn't dodge them all, not in this confined space with debris limiting his movement. Instead, he channeled chakra to his eyes, focusing his genjutsu.

"Demonic Illusion: Double False Surroundings!"

He layered two genjutsu simultaneously - one to make Orochimaru perceive his position incorrectly, and another to hide his actual movement.

It was a technique that required precise chakra control and concentration, especially against an opponent of Orochimaru's caliber.

The fireballs passed through the illusory Indra, scorching the forest behind him. The real Indra had already moved to a different position, hands forming seals for his counterattack.

"Water Style: Water Wall!"

A barrier of water rose to meet the remaining flames, creating a massive cloud of steam that filled the clearing. Indra used the cover to reposition, but Orochimaru's voice came from directly beside him.

"Clever," the Sannin whispered. "But not clever enough."

A kick sent Indra flying through the steam cloud, crashing through several branches before he managed to right himself. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he was certain at least one rib was cracked.

"Your genjutsu is truly impressive," Orochimaru called, walking calmly through the dissipating steam.

"To create such a complex illusion in the midst of battle... most jōnin couldn't manage it. I actually had to actively dispel it rather than simply recognizing it."

Indra wiped the blood from his mouth, his mind racing for a new strategy. He was running out of chakra and options.

Orochimaru was clearly toying with him, testing his limits without revealing his own full power.

"Let's try something different," Orochimaru suggested, his hands forming unfamiliar seals. "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."

Snakes erupted from Orochimaru's sleeves, dozens of them shooting toward Indra with fangs bared.

Indra slashed at them with kunai, but there were too many. Several latched onto his arms and legs, their venomous fangs sinking into his flesh.

Pain shot through Indra's body as the venom entered his bloodstream. His vision blurred, and his limbs grew heavy.

With a supreme effort of will, he channeled chakra through his entire body, disrupting his own chakra flow to neutralize the venom - a technique he had read about but never attempted.

The snakes fell away, writhing, as Indra staggered back to his feet. His breathing was labored, and sweat poured down his face, but he remained standing.

"Remarkable," Orochimaru murmured. "Self-induced chakra disruption to combat the venom? That's a jōnin-level medical technique. Where did a genin learn such a thing?"

Instead of answering, Indra launched himself forward, his movements slower now.

He engaged Orochimaru in taijutsu, knowing he was outmatched but needing to buy time for his next move.

Orochimaru easily parried his strikes, occasionally landing blows of his own that sent fresh waves of pain through Indra's body.

"Your form is excellent," the Sannin commented casually, as if they were having a friendly sparring match. "But you're reaching your limit, aren't you?"

Indra knew Orochimaru was right. His chakra reserves were depleting rapidly, and the venom, though neutralized, had left him weakened. But he had one more strategy - a desperate gambit.

He disengaged from the taijutsu exchange, leaping backward to create distance. His hands formed seals rapidly, channeling his remaining chakra.

"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

An enormous wall of fire erupted from Indra's mouth, spreading outward in a semicircle that engulfed everything in its path. Trees, undergrowth, even the very air seemed to ignite as the conflagration roared toward Orochimaru.

The Sannin's eyes widened at the scale of the technique - an A-rank jutsu that few jōnin could perform, let alone a genin.

But before the flames could reach him, Indra's hands were already forming new seals.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!"

Multiple blades of compressed wind shot from Indra's mouth, slicing through the wall of flame. Instead of extinguishing the fire, however, the wind chakra merged with it, creating a vortex of superheated air and flame that accelerated toward Orochimaru.

The Sannin's borrowed face showed genuine alarm as the enhanced inferno engulfed him. The heat was so intense that the surrounding trees burst into flame, and the ground itself began to smoke and crack.

For a moment, Indra allowed himself to hope that he had actually managed to injure Orochimaru significantly.

That hope died as the flames parted, revealing the Sannin standing unharmed besides his cover having melted, showing his true face.

"Truly impressive," Orochimaru said, "To combine Fire and Wind nature transformations without a kekkei genkai... the timing required for such a feat is extraordinary."

Indra fell to one knee, his chakra reserves nearly depleted. The massive technique had taken everything he had left. "Is that... all you have to say?" he gasped.

"Not quite," Orochimaru replied, approaching slowly. "I believe you've earned a reward for such an entertaining display."

Before Indra could react, Orochimaru's neck extended with blinding speed, his head shooting forward with fangs bared. Indra tried to move, but his exhausted body refused to respond.

Suddenly, a senbon needle flashed through the air, aimed directly at Orochimaru's extended neck. The Sannin dodged it easily, but the distraction gave Indra just enough time to stagger backward.

Sayaka landed beside him, her expression cold but her eyes burning with protective fury. "Get away from him," she demanded, more senbon ready between her fingers.

Orochimaru's neck retracted, his expression one of mild annoyance. "How troublesome. I was in the middle of something important."

From the other side, Hayate crashed through the undergrowth, a piece of wood embedded in his arm but determination on his face. "Indra! We felt the chakra spike and-" He stopped short at the sight of Orochimaru, his face paling.

"Your teammates have terrible timing," Orochimaru commented to Indra. "Though I suppose loyalty has its merits."

With a casual wave of his hand, he sent Hayate flying into a tree trunk. The boy hit with a sickening crack, the tree cracking and stabbing him in the shoulder and back, immediately falling unconscious, and bleeding profusely.

"No!" Indra shouted, rage replacing exhaustion. The Curse Mark that Orochimaru had been about to place on him was forgotten as he watched his teammate fall.

Sayaka moved to attack, but Orochimaru was faster. He appeared before her in an instant, slapping her aside with enough force to send her crashing through a tree trunk.

She hit the ground hard, coughing blood as she began to rapidly gasp for breath, unable to properly breath, till she fell unconscious.

"You bastard!" Indra snarled, forcing himself to his feet. "They're not part of this!"

"On the contrary," Orochimaru replied calmly. "They're very much part of this. Your attachments are... interesting. I wonder how they affect your development."

Before Indra could respond, Orochimaru's neck extended again, his head shooting toward Indra with fangs bared.

This time, there was no escape. The fangs sank into the side of Indra's neck, injecting a mixture of enzymes and chakra.

Pain unlike anything Indra had ever experienced coursed through his body. It felt as if his blood had been replaced with liquid fire, burning through his veins and searing his very soul.

He screamed, falling to his knees as Orochimaru withdrew.

"The Curse Mark," Orochimaru explained, watching dispassionately as Indra writhed in agony. "A gift, of sorts. It contains enzymes from a unique bloodline."

Through the haze of pain, Indra could feel the foreign chakra spreading through his system, corrupting and transforming as it went.

Even still, despite the pain, Indra's gaze drifted to Sayaka and Chinen, who were at death's door.

'They're dying... They're dying! He's taking away what is mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! No one touches what's mine and gets to live!'

'No one!' Indra roared in his mind.

Suddenly, something unexpected was happening - the Curse Mark's integration was accelerating, responding to his rage and his unique chakra system - one that bore the mark of the Eye of God.

Black flame-like markings spread across his skin, covering half his face and body. Power surged through him - raw, untamed power that seemed to compensate for his exhaustion and injuries.

With a roar that was more animal than human, Indra launched himself at Orochimaru. The Sannin's eyes widened in genuine surprise as Indra's fist connected with his face, sending him staggering backward.

"Impossible," Orochimaru muttered. "No one has ever controlled the Curse Mark so quickly, not even-"

He dodged Indra's next attack, but just barely. The boy's speed and strength had increased dramatically, and his chakra signature had changed.

It was still predominantly Yin-natured, but now there was something else - a wild, primal energy that seemed to be compensating for his lack of Yang chakra.

'Nature energy,' Orochimaru realized. 'The Curse Mark is drawing in nature energy to increase his physicality, thereby his Yang, increasing his chakra. But that's incredibly dangerous without proper training...'

"Stop this!" Orochimaru commanded. "You fool, you'll destroy yourself! Natural energy can't simply compensate for missing physical energy - it requires careful integration and control!"

But Indra wasn't listening. All he could see was Sayaka's bloodied form and Hayate's unconscious body. Orochimaru had touched what was his, and he would make the Sannin pay.

His hands moved through seals with desperate speed, channeling the Curse Mark's chaotic power.

Fire chakra gathered in his lungs while wind chakra collected in his throat - separate but synchronized, ready to be released in sequence.

"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

The inferno that erupted from Indra's mouth dwarfed his previous attempt, fueled by the Curse Mark's power. Trees vaporized instantly, and the very air seemed to ignite.

Orochimaru's eyes widened in alarm. "You insane child! You'll kill yourself!"

Before the flames had even fully manifested, Indra's hands formed new seals. "Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!"

The wind blades sliced through the fire, but instead of creating a controlled vortex as before, the interaction was chaotic and explosive.

The two chakra natures, enhanced by the wild nature energy of the Curse Mark, created a conflagration that expanded in all directions.

Orochimaru leaped backward, his hands forming seals with blinding speed. "Summoning: Triple Rashōmon!"

Three massive demonic gates erupted from the ground, forming a barrier between Orochimaru and the approaching inferno - unknown to them both, though, within the chaos of Chakra and flames, the Rinnegan activated for but a mere moment, strengthening the Jutsu.

The heat became intense enough to singe his clothing and hair.

When the flames finally died down, a swath of the Forest of Death had been reduced to ash and smoldering stumps.

In the center of the devastation stood Indra, the Curse Mark's patterns still covering half his body, his breathing ragged but his eyes - now returned to black - burning with hatred.

Orochimaru emerged from behind the charred remains of his Rashōmon gates, his face partially melted. One arm had been completely incinerated despite his defenses.

"Remarkable," he gasped, his voice a mixture of pain and fascination. "To push me this far... to force me to use the Triple Rashōmon..."

Indra swayed on his feet, the last of his strength leaving him. The Curse Mark receded, and he collapsed to his knees, unable to even raise his head.

Orochimaru approached slowly, his burned flesh sloughing off to reveal fresh skin beneath. His mouth opened unnaturally wide, and a new, uninjured Orochimaru emerged from it like a snake shedding its skin.

"My personal form of the Body Replacement Technique," he explained, noting Indra's horrified fascination. "One of my many methods of... renewal."

Fully restored, he knelt beside the exhausted boy. "You've impressed me greatly today, Indra Uchiha. Far more than your cousin, in fact. You may even have the potential to surpass that monster of the Uchiha - Itachi himself."

With unexpected gentleness, Orochimaru placed a hand on Indra's forehead. Green chakra glowed around his palm as he began healing the boy's injuries.

"What... are you doing?" Indra managed to ask, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Healing you," Orochimaru replied simply. "And your teammates as well."

True to his word, the Sannin moved to heal Sayaka and Hayate after finishing with Indra. Their most serious injuries closed, though they remained unconscious.

"Why?" Indra asked, confusion overwhelming his hatred for the moment. "Why heal them when you're only interested in me?"

Orochimaru's lips curved in an enigmatic smile. "I have my reasons." His gaze lingered on Sayaka and Hayate before returning to Indra. "To evolve, one must lose. But loss has its time and place."

Though Orochimaru likely thought Indra wouldn't understand his meaning, the boy knew exactly what the Sannin was implying.

He was talking about the Mangekyou Sharingan - the evolved form of the Sharingan that awakened through the trauma of losing loved ones.

Orochimaru believed Indra's body wasn't yet ready for that evolution, making the death of his teammates premature.

"Rest now," Orochimaru said, rising to his feet. "We'll meet again, I'm certain. And when we do... well, I look forward to seeing how you've grown."

With those words, he melted into the ground, disappearing without a trace. Just moments later, the sounds of approaching shinobi could be heard - ANBU, responding to the massive chakra disturbance and destruction.

Indra's last thought before unconsciousness claimed him was a mixture of relief and fascination.

He had survived an encounter with one of the most dangerous shinobi in the world and had even managed to impress him.

But next time, he would be ready. Next time, he would be stronger.

Next time, he would be the winner of their game of death.

--------------------------

(Author note: Well, this took a while to write. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

So, Indra has been marked by Orochimaru with the Curse Mark.

Do tell me how you found the fight, took me a while till I found it satisfactory.

I as well wish to say, thank you all for the very kind words and reviews. Appreciate them a lot.

Well, I hope to see you all later,

Bye!)