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Chapter 579: The Brothers Fight United!!
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Kabuto: An egghead like me isn't really used to being stared at like this...
Itachi: ...
Sasuke: Trying to guard against genjutsu, huh...?
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Itachi: The way those snakes are moving... They can sense us.
Sasuke: Snakes can sense body temperature, and they can smell using their tongue to pass scents into their mouth.
Itachi: You've done your homework... You're like an expert on snakes.
Sasuke: I did a lot of research in order to defeat Orochimaru.
Kabuto: But a mere expert on snakes can't defeat me! This is my field. Nature itself is my ally.
Sasuke: ? (The snakes are getting bigger?)
Itachi: You mean you have the locational advantage? Stay alert, Sasuke. There could be traps.
Kabuto: ...Traps? ...Don't insult me.
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Kabuto: So that's Susano-o!
Itachi: You're being too rough, Sasuke! I told you not to kill him, remember?
Sasuke: He's gained Orochimaru's power. He won't die that easily!
Itachi: Sasuke!
Sasuke: The hood, right!?
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Sasuke: !!
Itachi: !!
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Sasuke: You're taking the egghead thing too far. First you hide your face, and now you're completely hiding away like a shut-in?
Itachi: ...
Sasuke: Is shedding your skin and running away all you're going to do? Implanting Orochimaru's remains into your body just made you a weaker version of him.
Kabuto: Sasuke-kun... It appears you're underestimating me. Well... It's true that bounty in the bingo book was less than yours. And it was nothing compared to Orochimaru-sama's.
Sasuke: ... Right. Even you should know you can't hide from me.
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Itachi: Be careful, Sasuke. His chakra is all over the place. We don't know which one is the real Kabuto.
Kabuto: This is an ability to liquify my body. It uses bodily fluids to break the body down... That's why it looks like I'm shedding my skin. This is a technique I created from studying and applying the Houzuki clan's transformation abilities. You know what I'm referring to don't you? It's Suigetsu. He can transform from a person into water and from water into a person. Along with that, I have incredible recovery power... Although this power was originally a recovery technique I gained from studying that woman from the Uzumaki clan...
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Kabuto: Your good friend Karin.
Sasuke: ...Karin's from the Uzumaki clan?
Kabuto: Those who inherit the blood of the Uzumaki clan typically have red hair... And they have incredible vitality as well. Now... I'm sure by now you must be curious about your last teammate... Well... he's not really your teammate anymore, is he?
Sasuke: ...
Kabuto: At any rate, it was very astute of you to choose those three.
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Sasuke: ...?
Kabuto: In the world of ninja, those without talent are denied their very existence. But if you have no talent, all you need to do is steal it from those who do and make it your own.
Sasuke: ...So you're saying you have Juugo's abilities as well? Do you have Orochimaru's curse seal?
Kabuto: No... That is a mere affectation. The power itself can be learned by training one's body... At Ryuuchidou, that is.
Itachi: Ryuuchidou!? It couldn't be...!
Kabuto: That's right! I found it! The place of legend, often spoken of along with Myoubokuzan and Shikkotsurin! Orochimaru-sama wasn't the only one to make it there. I did too!
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Kabuto: I trained under the White Snake Sage, and mastered it! Finally, I have surpassed Orochimaru-sama!
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Itachi: Sasuke, stay calm!
Sasuke: ...
Itachi: ...?
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Kabuto: Tsk, tsk.
Sasuke: He dodged... The arrow!?
Kabuto: My perceptual ability is far greater than it was before... Natural energy has become my ally.
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Itachi: Natural energy... (I knew it. He's...)
Kabuto: Listen carefully... Juugo's clan possessed special bodies that absorbed natural energy. That's the secret behind why he went berserk... Why he would suddenly become stronger and more violent. Apparently, what Orochimaru-sama truly had his eyes fixed on was not the form Juugo took when he went berserk... But the origin of his clan's power. And finally, he located the source of that power... It was Ryuuchidou. Orcohimaru-sama immediately began experimenting to try to use that power... However, he still did not have a body capable of withstanding that power. That's why...
Sasuke: !?
Itachi: !?
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Kabuto: Not even he could become a perfect Sage like me!
Itachi: I see... I was right...
Kabuto: The power of Sage Mode...
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Sasuke: You're the same as Orochimaru. You're a failure of a snake!
Kabuto: I'd hoped that you, our snake expert, would understand... I am no longer a snake... The perfected power of a Sage has shed my snake skin...
Itachi: !
Kabuto: And transformed me into a dragon!! Senpou: Hakugeki no Jutsu!!! (Sage Art: White Extreme)