Along a narrow, winding forest path, Konoha Village's Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and two ANBU Black Ops ninja walked steadily forward in silence. This was the fifth day since they had departed from Konoha. After five arduous days of travel, they were now rapidly approaching the southeastern border of the Land of Fire. Once they crossed this eastern border, the Third Hokage and his escort would enter the territory of the Land of Iron.
In a dense section of the forest, about two or three kilometers ahead of the Third Hokage's group, a lone Konoha ANBU ninja leaped nimbly through the trees, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings with practiced vigilance. Suddenly, the ANBU ninja came to an abrupt halt. Not far ahead of him, he spotted a familiar, ominous figure.
Perched silently on a thick branch of a large tree within the forest ahead was Orochimaru, his hands casually tucked into the pockets of his robes, an unsettling stillness about him.
"Lord Orochimaru, Lord Hokage and his party are just behind me," the ANBU ninja, recognizing Orochimaru, immediately dropped to one knee in a subservient bow and reported respectfully.
"Good. Your task is complete. You may go," Orochimaru said, his face an emotionless mask as he waved his hand dismissively.
"Yes, sir," the ANBU ninja replied with utmost deference, then quickly flickered away, vanishing without a trace.
Not long after this treacherous ANBU operative had departed, the figures of the Third Hokage and his loyal guards gradually appeared within the forest. As they walked, the Third Hokage suddenly stopped. He had seen him. He had seen Orochimaru, standing silently on the tree branch above.
"Sensei, it has been a long time," Orochimaru said, a faint, chilling smile touching his lips as he looked down at his former master. That smile, however, sent a shiver of pure ice down the spines of the two ANBU ninja accompanying the Third Hokage, causing them to freeze rigidly in place, their hands instinctively moving towards their weapons.
The Third Hokage's eyes were filled with a complex mixture of sorrow and disappointment as he stared at his former student. "Orochimaru," he said slowly, his voice heavy with regret, "you have truly, utterly fallen."
"Fallen? Sensei, it is you who have grown old and complacent," Orochimaru replied softly, his tone dismissive, almost pitying.
The Third Hokage's gaze swept to the left and right of Orochimaru, scanning the surrounding trees, then his voice turned grave. "Where is Fukui?"
Orochimaru replied nonchalantly, "I've already sent him away."
The Third Hokage's eyes narrowed slightly at this admission. After several seconds of tense silence, he spoke again, his voice laced with a bitter, pained realization, "It seems I truly have grown old indeed! To think that you have even managed to subvert and buy the loyalty of a member of my own personal guard detail."
Orochimaru's voice was flat, devoid of emotion. "Sensei, it is your ideals that are too outdated, too conservative! Fukui, too, was unwilling to watch you lead Konoha further into decline, which is why he chose to pledge his allegiance to me."
The Third Hokage remained silent, the weight of Orochimaru's words, and the betrayal they represented, settling heavily upon him. After a long moment, Hiruzen slowly removed his formal Hokage robes and the iconic Kage hat, handing them to one of the ANBU ninja beside him. "You came here this time," he said, his voice now firm, "to prevent me from reaching the Land of Iron, didn't you?"
Orochimaru shook his head, a hint of amusement in his serpentine eyes. "Sensei, you still don't understand me at all. I have absolutely no interest in your little Five Kage Summit. My only desire is to bring about true, meaningful change within the village." As he spoke, Orochimaru's gaze flickered towards the two ANBU ninja standing resolutely beside the Third Hokage. "Sensei," he advised, his voice a silken threat, "the battle that is about to unfold will be somewhat… perilous. It would be best for you to have them move further away."
The Third Hokage nodded grimly, then turned to his two loyal ANBU guards and instructed, "Both of you, move to a safe distance."
The two ANBU ninja immediately protested, their voices filled with urgent concern, "Lord Hokage, our duty is to protect your safety at all costs!"
The Third Hokage shook his head, his voice firm and resolute. "A battle with Orochimaru will undoubtedly cause a great deal of collateral damage. There is no point in you staying here and getting caught in the crossfire. Go, quickly now!"
Seeing the unwavering determination in the Third Hokage's eyes, the two ANBU ninja, though deeply unwilling to leave his side, had no choice but to obey his direct order. With a final, worried glance at Orochimaru, they both flickered away, retreating to a safer vantage point.
The Third Hokage and Orochimaru faced each other from a distance, the tension between them thick enough to cut with a kunai.
Swoosh, swoosh~
Suddenly, both figures blurred into motion simultaneously, each leaving behind a fleeting afterimage as they charged towards the other with blinding speed.
Thwack! Crack! Boom!
In an instant, the sharp, percussive sounds of fists and feet colliding began to echo continuously throughout the forest, a brutal symphony of taijutsu.
The two ANBU ninja had retreated several tens of meters away. One of them spoke, his voice laced with anxiety, "Will Lord Hokage be in danger?"
The other replied, trying to sound confident, "Don't worry! Lord Hokage's strength is far beyond Orochimaru's!" Despite his reassuring words, however, a clear note of apprehension was evident in his voice.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh~
Just as the two ANBU ninja were watching the unfolding battle with worried eyes, a series of sharp whooshing sounds cut through the air from all directions. The twenty or so Kusagakure ninja Orochimaru had brought with him suddenly converged on the area, emerging from the surrounding woods.
"Damn it! It's an ambush!" Seeing the Kusagakure ninja swarming in from all sides, the expressions of the two ANBU ninja changed drastically. One of them cried out in alarm. As he spoke, they both prepared to rush back towards the dueling Third Hokage and Orochimaru, intending to warn Lord Hokage of the trap.
However, just as the two ANBU ninja were about to move, two figures flickered and appeared directly in front of them, blocking their path. Seeing these newcomers, both ANBU operatives were visibly stunned. The two figures were young, mere teenagers, yet the aura they exuded was anything but. They were Kimimaro and Jugo.
Kimimaro had already shed his upper garment, his bare torso revealing a lean, powerful physique. His eyes, cold and devoid of emotion, stared blankly at the two ANBU ninja. Beside him, Jugo's eyes were gradually becoming bloodshot, and his entire body seemed to be on the verge of exploding into a berserk, uncontrollable rage. An icy, palpable killing intent permeated the air around them.
"This is…" Feeling the overwhelming killing intent emanating from Kimimaro and Jugo, both ANBU ninja were inwardly shocked and deeply alarmed.
While the two ANBU ninja hesitated, momentarily stunned by the unexpected appearance of these two formidable youths, the other Kusagakure ninja had already fanned out, strategically positioning themselves around the area where Orochimaru and the Third Hokage were still locked in combat, effectively encircling them. Four of these Kusagakure ninja, each taking a position at one of the cardinal directions, began to rapidly form a complex series of hand seals.
More than ten seconds later, the four of them completed their seals almost simultaneously, then slammed their right hands onto the ground.
"Ninjutsu: Four Violet Flames Formation!"
Instantly, with the four seal-casting ninja as the anchor points, four towering walls of violet flame erupted from the east, west, north, and south, rapidly converging to form a massive, inescapable prison of fire, trapping the dueling master and disciple firmly within its burning confines.
Inside the fiery barrier, after another violent exchange of blows, the Third Hokage and Orochimaru disengaged, their figures leaping apart. After this initial, intense bout of taijutsu, neither master nor disciple had managed to gain a clear advantage.
The Third Hokage glanced around at the towering walls of violet flame that now surrounded them, his expression becoming exceedingly grave. It seemed Orochimaru was truly intent on ensuring that he, his former teacher, would not leave this place alive.
Sighing softly to himself, a hint of sorrow in his heart, the Third Hokage formed a single hand seal. With a puff of white smoke, several shuriken appeared in his hand. The Third Hokage hurled the shuriken outwards, then his hands blurred through another rapid sequence of seals. As he completed the seals, the few shuriken he had thrown instantly multiplied in mid-air, transforming into dozens, then hundreds of identical projectiles, forming a dense, deadly barrage that rained down upon Orochimaru.
Seeing this, Orochimaru also quickly formed hand seals. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" A violent, roaring hurricane erupted from his mouth, surging towards the incoming shuriken storm. Under the relentless assault of the gale-force winds, a large number of the shuriken were deflected, their trajectories twisted as they flew off in harmless directions. Only a small number managed to maintain their course and continue towards Orochimaru.
At the same time, Orochimaru spat out the legendary Kusanagi Sword from his mouth. The longsword danced in the air, a blur of silver light, as he expertly parried and deflected the few remaining shuriken, sending them clattering harmlessly to the ground.
Opposite him, after unleashing the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu, the Third Hokage's hands didn't stop moving. He immediately launched another powerful technique: "Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!" The very ground beneath his feet began to tremble and churn, and a massive dragon formed of earth and mud erupted from the ground, its gaping maw opening wide as it unleashed a dense volley of hardened mud projectiles that shot towards Orochimaru like a hailstorm.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Within the confines of the Four Violet Flames Formation, the forest was rocked by continuous, deafening explosions as the Third Hokage and Orochimaru relentlessly bombarded each other with powerful ninjutsu, their epic battle truly underway.