Orochimaru's face suddenly twitched. His mouth opened wide, and a sword handle emerged from within.
"Um, excuse me!"
Suddenly, a shy voice whispered into Orochimaru's ear, startling him so badly the sword almost got stuck in his throat.
"I've always been curious—how do you pull a sword out of your mouth when it's so long?!"
Haruto asked, leaning in close to Orochimaru like a curious child.
"Also, why do you like to hide things in your mouth? Look at everyone else—they carry ninja tool pouches on their backs. It's so much easier to access things!"
"Cough! Cough!" Orochimaru quickly pulled out the sword and began to cough violently.
Ptui! He spat out a mouthful of thick, blood-stained phlegm.
"Tsk tsk, no concern for the environment, huh?" Haruto looked at Orochimaru with disdain.
"You!" Orochimaru stared at Haruto in horror. "How did you get in?!"
He had just seen Haruto outside the Four Purple Flame Formation. How did this guy suddenly appear inside it—at the most critical moment, no less—almost causing him to choke on his weapon?
The Four Purple Flame Formation was supposed to block any entry or exit, even preventing something as small as a shuriken from crossing the barrier. How did Haruto get in?!
Orochimaru's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Oh, Hashirama's Wood Style blocked my view outside. I couldn't see the action clearly, so I came in," Haruto said nonchalantly.
"Impossible! There's absolutely no way someone could break through the Four Purple Flame Formation!" The four Sound Ninja maintaining the barrier stared at Haruto in horror, shouting in disbelief.
"Haha!" Haruto smiled casually.
"You mean this thing?!" he said mockingly. "You actually call this a formation? What a joke!"
To taunt Orochimaru even more, Haruto casually walked back and forth through the Four Purple Flame Formation, as if taking a stroll through his own backyard. He moved in and out with ease.
The barrier still flickered menacingly, yet Haruto passed through it like it didn't exist at all.
"Impossible! This isn't happening!" Zaku stared at the barrier with a crazed expression.
"Could the formation have failed?!"
A bold thought crossed his mind.
Suddenly, a hand reached from behind and carefully touched the Four Purple Flame Formation.
Boom!
A burst of flame ignited the arm instantly.
"Ah! Quick, cut off your arm!" another Sound Ninja shouted. "Or it'll burn your entire body!"
Zaku's eyes flashed with ruthless resolve. He pulled out a kunai and severed his own arm.
"Good boy, that takes guts. I believe in you!" Haruto said, clapping.
"Damn it!" Ukon clutched his severed arm, glaring at Haruto.
It was all because of this man that he'd lost an arm. Once Lord Orochimaru finished off the old Hokage, he would definitely teach this guy a lesson!
"Haha." Haruto didn't even glance at Ukon. A mere ant wasn't worth his attention. He just needed a good spot to watch the Hokage battle unfold.
With that, Haruto stopped paying attention to Orochimaru and the others. He leapt onto a tall tree and lounged there lazily.
"It seems he didn't come in to save the old man…" Orochimaru thought as he glanced at Haruto lying in the tree.
If Haruto had come to save Sarutobi, he would have launched an attack right away. But now… what a pity.
Orochimaru sneered and turned back to Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Sensei, it looks like today is the day you die."
"Hmph!" Sarutobi Hiruzen snorted coldly. "It's still too early to decide who lives and who dies!"
Though Haruto didn't seem intent on saving him, Sarutobi Hiruzen held no resentment.
After all, it was his responsibility for letting Orochimaru live. He would now face the consequences.
Still, Sarutobi believed firmly—once he was gone, Haruto would be the guardian tree that protected Konoha.
Moreover, with the seven Calabash Brothers at his side and the Monkey King Enma summoned, he still had fighting power.
Even though Orochimaru had resurrected the First and Second Hokage using Impure World Reincarnation, Sarutobi could clearly sense they were far from their peak—barely one-fifth of their original strength.
As for Rasa, he was just a bystander. Though Sarutobi was old now, he could take care of Rasa in mere minutes.
Besides, this wasn't Rasa's home turf. His strength had undoubtedly declined and he posed little threat.
The only real problem was Orochimaru himself.
Though obsessed with forbidden jutsu and experimentation, Orochimaru's strength was still Kage-level. With his many strange techniques, he was difficult to predict and hard to guard against.
Even Sarutobi wasn't confident he could kill him outright.
"Is that so?" Hashirama spoke in a human voice and looked at Sarutobi. "How pitiful, Sarutobi."
"I told you to kill him when you had the chance, but you went soft and let him go. Now look at what he's become!"
"Enough with the sarcasm, Hashirama!" Sarutobi said grimly. "We're in a bad spot right now. Just focus on saving me!"
"Understood," the monkey demon replied.
"This is bad!" Orochimaru thought. "Stop him! Don't let him transform!"
Hashirama and Tobirama turned into black shadows, rushing toward Enma.
"Hmph! Don't underestimate me!" Enma roared, smashing the Second Hokage with a punch and sending him flying.
Then, with a quick tail swing, he flipped through the branches and slammed into Hashirama, launching him backward as well.
"Transform—Adamantine Staff!"
Oh hiss!
The Monkey King roared and transformed into a massive iron staff, smashing apart the wood that had bound Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"The Adamantine Staff… Hahaha!" Haruto chuckled and popped a slice of orange into his mouth. "For a second I thought it was that kind of staff. What a scare."
"Perfect!" Sarutobi caught the flying Adamantine Staff mid-air, gave it a few test swings, and landed firmly on the ground.
"My dear grandchildren, I'm coming to save you!" he shouted, charging toward the Calabash Brothers.
"No need, Grandpa!" the eldest child said. "We've found some kind of energy inside these trees—it's good for us. You don't need to worry!"
"I see…" Sarutobi nodded, though he wasn't entirely sure what they meant.
He had wondered earlier why the eldest hadn't broken free from the wood—turns out, they were absorbing chakra from it.
"In that case…" Sarutobi looked at Orochimaru with a sharp glint in his eyes. "I'll kill you right here and now!"
End of the Chapter.