Beneath the Earth – Near Nagato's Hidden Location
Moving silently through the underground tunnels, a ghostly figure glided forward, undetected. Not even White Zetsu, with his exceptional sensory abilities, noticed the intruder.
With his wooden body and the aura of White Snake Sage chakra, Orochimaru moved through the earth as naturally as a fish through water.
At one point, he paused and glanced toward the Valley of the End. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"What an impressive sealing technique."
His slug-splitting clone technique, much like a tree's branching limbs, connected through shared soul links. But when Chibaku Tensei was fully activated, that soul connection was severed completely. It was a terrifying ability—no wonder it had once sealed the progenitor of chakra.
"Now… it's my turn."
Just under two miles away, Orochimaru sensed Nagato's true body. A twisted smile crept across his face. This was the plan all along: sacrifice a physical clone to bait Nagato into using his most chakra-draining technique.
Orochimaru feared the Rinnegan—not just for its raw power, but for what it represented. Now that Nagato had spent a massive amount of chakra, Orochimaru had the opening he needed. Even if he failed, it didn't matter—this was just another disposable body.
He moved like a specter, rapidly closing the distance.
Nagato, according to the Djinn's guidance, was hidden within a large tree—an odd choice. Ninja at their level preferred open spaces to fully unleash their abilities. A tree might offer concealment, but if discovered, it would only become a coffin.
Still, Orochimaru pressed on.
The forest was eerily silent. No beasts. No insects. Only the whisper of wind through leaves. Then—he sensed something was wrong.
He leapt back just in time.
Centered around Nagato's hiding place, the vegetation within a 30- to 40-meter radius began disintegrating—dissolving into thousands of fluttering sheets of paper. The fragments gathered overhead, swirling like a cloud of gray butterflies.
"Paper Style… no wonder it looked so real," Orochimaru muttered.
He turned toward the Djinn.
"Not my fault," the Djinn said innocently, shrugging. "Trees, paper, metal—it's all just matter to me. I track souls, not aesthetics."
He wasn't lying. The Djinn was programmed to reduce Orochimaru's dependency on external data, even if it meant risking a trap.
Orochimaru ignored the excuse. His eyes narrowed as he spotted Nagato beneath the swirling paper cloud.
"We meet again."
Nagato's face was grim. He lay on a wooden bed, his body frail.
"Why are you here?"
He was certain—what had been caught in the Chibaku Tensei earlier wasn't a shadow clone. That had been a real, physical body.
Orochimaru smiled, exuding the arrogance of a villain who had returned after being presumed dead.
"That was one of my clones—an entity split from flesh and blood, not chakra like the Shadow Clone Technique. Think of it as… a biological offshoot."
Nagato's expression darkened.
"You dare show your face? Ready to be sealed again?"
The Rinnegan began glowing. But Orochimaru simply spread his arms, relaxed and defenseless.
"Go ahead. Let's see how many times you can cast it."
Nagato's hands froze mid-seal. Orochimaru had struck at the heart of his weakness. As vast as Uzumaki chakra reserves were, they weren't limitless. And Orochimaru's clones? Who knew how many he had prepared?
"Tsk… what's the matter? Hesitating?" Orochimaru sneered. "Do you really think you have a choice?"
Before Nagato could respond, Orochimaru vanished—closing the distance in a flash. The tension that had momentarily eased exploded again.
Nagato's pupils shrank.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
A wave of gravitational force surged forward. Orochimaru's body was yanked violently—but then…
From the gray cloud overhead, a swarm of white-winged paper butterflies descended. As they neared Orochimaru, their wings turned crimson—explosive tags.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A cascade of explosions erupted. The average shinobi would've been shredded.
Nagato didn't relax. From within the smoke, he activated another jutsu.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
A massive stone wall rose. He abandoned the bed, carried into the air by Konan.
CRASH!
The wall shattered like tofu, pierced by razor-sharp golden needles. Orochimaru emerged from the debris, his body sheathed in gold dust armor and needle-like appendages. He looked like a multi-limbed spider, glinting ominously in the light.
Nagato scowled.
"Completely unharmed… His defense negated every explosive tag."
Before he could act, Orochimaru launched himself skyward. The needles extended like lances, hurtling toward Nagato at blinding speed.
Konan couldn't dodge in time. Nagato raised his hands.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A pulse of repelling force blasted the clone—
POOF.
It disappeared in smoke.
"A Shadow Clone?!"
Nagato's heart sank. He couldn't cast Shinra Tensei again for several seconds.
As expected, the real Orochimaru darted out from the remaining smoke, golden claws slashing forward like lightning.
It was a simple trick: use a clone to bait the repel, then attack during the cooldown window. But to pull it off against the Rinnegan took speed and precision few in the world could match.
Nagato barely had time to think.
"Summoning!"
A giant chameleon appeared between them, blocking Orochimaru's strike—at a cost. Its body was skewered by a dozen golden spears, and it howled in agony.
Nagato escaped—barely. One spear still grazed his side, drawing blood.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Nagato unleashed another blast. The injured chameleon vanished, while Orochimaru was knocked back, landing heavily.
Yet even as he rose, Orochimaru was grinning. He casually dusted off his clothes.
High above, Nagato climbed further into the air, seeking distance.
Distance is speed's greatest weakness.
It gave him time. Options.
Konan flapped beside him, worry in her voice.
"Nagato, are you alright?"
"It's nothing," he replied. Though drained, his Uzumaki vitality was still strong. But he understood the bigger picture—this wasn't worth it.
Fighting Orochimaru to the death—over a clone? That was arrogance, not strategy.
"We've achieved our goal. Let's retreat," Konan advised.
Nagato nodded.
"Shinra Tensei."
The gray cloud of paper above responded, hurtling toward Orochimaru in a wide-spread area attack. Konan ignited the tags midair.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions rained for minutes.
By the time the ground settled, Orochimaru clawed his way out, clothes tattered—but alive.
He smirked at the crater.
"How extravagant..."
Compared to Tobirama's Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tag jutsu, Konan's Paper Jutsu was overwhelming in sheer volume. But to Orochimaru, it all felt… excessive.
"Still, this should be the end of it."
He turned to the Djinn.
"Nagato and Konan have retreated. Deva path Pain was summoned away. The only fight left…"
The Djinn nodded after sensing the battlefield.
"Only Obito and the Fourth Kazekage remain."
---
Underground Shelter – Konoha
Golden needles of dust filled the air, forming a web of death across the entire chamber. Wherever the enemy appeared, they would be skewered instantly.
In the shadows, Obito's intangible form stood across from the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. Despite his phase shift ability, he frowned.
This wasn't going as expected.
He had anticipated resistance—but from Minato, the fast-moving expert in space-time ninjutsu. Not from Rasa, a man known more for his political failings than strength.
Rasa's gaze was sharp.
"You knew the Akatsuki attacked Suna and took our Tailed Beast. Did you really think this day wouldn't come?"
Golden needles hovered near Obito's Sharingan, waiting. The moment he solidified, they'd blind him.
A devastating counter for a dojutsu user.
Obito didn't flinch.
"Did you ever hurt me after your first sneak attack? And how long can you even keep this up?"
Kamui couldn't last forever—but neither could Rasa maintain his Magnetic Release needles indefinitely. His chakra wasn't bottomless.
Suddenly, the ground shifted.
Rasa reacted instantly, launching needles at the source—but they hit nothing.
A voice echoed from the side:
"So aggressive, Lord Kazekage. You didn't even check whether I was an enemy or ally."
White Zetsu stepped forward, grinning.
"I bring news. It's time to retreat. Orochimaru has repelled Pain's Six Paths."
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