At the same time the Kumo squad was mobilizing, the Sunagakure team was also on the move—but their identities were quite different.
"Yura-sama, has Sasori-sama engaged in combat?"
A Sunagakure ninja asked in a low voice, clearly one of Sasori's subordinates.
All of them had had the cerebral 'Memory-Concealing Manipulative Sand Technique' implanted and activated by Sasori—they now understood their true identities.
"Unclear. But we must stay alert—Chiyo seems to be heading that way as well."
Yura muttered after thinking for a moment, then shook his head and added: "I don't know why she didn't fire a signal flare, but we'll pick up the pace. We can't keep Sasori-sama waiting."
"Yes, sir!"
As more and more parties moved toward the same destination, the battle between Kitagawa Gen and Orochimaru was growing fiercer by the second.
The tower that had originally sealed the Dragon Vein had already been smashed to rubble by their clash. The two of them had now carried the fight deep into the desert.
Their flickering silhouettes and reckless bursts of chakra stirred up raging sandstorms that swallowed the battlefield.
"What the hell is up with this kid?!"
Orochimaru slashed with his sword again, but he couldn't stop a bitter frustration from welling up inside.
"Every time I try to land a hit, something strange happens and I miss… every time!"
He was starting to realize something: Kitagawa Gen's explosive power was absolutely overwhelming—but after all, this was still a boy who had only graduated a year ago.
His combat experience and technique simply couldn't compare to someone like Orochimaru, who had clawed his way through mountains of corpses and oceans of blood.
Orochimaru had been waiting for just such an opportunity, intending to rely on his superior battle experience and skills to turn the tide—but then...
"Every time I find an opening, something invisible blocks me or pulls me off target. Is it a jutsu?"
Orochimaru had already realized something was wrong. But he had no idea what it was.
It felt… similar to what he once experienced when fighting Pain—but Kitagawa Gen's body was cloaked in purple lightning, making it impossible to see clearly.
"Spacing out at a time like this—probably not the smartest move."
Suddenly, Kitagawa Gen's voice rang out, cutting through the moment.
A cold glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes as he swung the Kusanagi Sword fiercely behind him—but the White Fang short blade was clearly faster.
[Slash—]
In an instant, Orochimaru's arm was severed clean off.
But just as the limb fell, Kitagawa Gen suddenly noticed—there was an Explosive Tag on the severed arm!
"Hah!"
Orochimaru let out a cold shout as the dismembered arm detonated in a violent blast.
The sheer force of the explosion was so intense that even Orochimaru himself was knocked off balance—but he used the shockwave to push himself away.
As he landed heavily on the ground, he didn't even bother with the fact that his right arm was gone. His eyes darted across the battlefield, and his left hand was already forming a seal.
"There!"
He suddenly caught a faint sense of something. His chest swelled to its limit, and chakra surged wildly within his body.
In the blink of an eye, several blindingly hot fire dragons burst from his mouth and rained down upon the desert.
But at that precise moment, Kitagawa Gen had already appeared. He raised an eyebrow—and brought his blade crashing down.
[BOOM—]
[BOOM—]
[BOOM—]
Suffocating waves of heat rolled through the air, and Orochimaru was once again sent flying.
The extreme heat blew him back, his entire body battered and torn. One leg had already been blasted apart.
What's more—Kitagawa Gen's strike had slashed across his face and chest.
A massive gash now cut through his torso, one shoulder completely gone. His dangling arm looked barely attached.
His face appeared to be shedding skin—beneath the torn layers, a stranger's face bled through.
Yet his eyes remained locked on the fading waves of heat in the distance—because he saw it.
The raging flames and swirling sand were suddenly swept away—as if knocked aside by something invisible—revealing Kitagawa Gen standing there, unharmed.
"So it's true…"
Orochimaru, though looking utterly wrecked, wore an expression of feverish excitement.
"No wonder all my attacks kept getting diverted or blocked. So you really do possess some kind of special technique."
"As expected of one of the Legendary Sannin—Orochimaru."
Kitagawa Gen didn't confirm or deny it. He merely looked at Orochimaru with a hint of awe in his voice.
"Your decisiveness honestly surprised me."
This guy really didn't hold back.
Realizing he couldn't dodge, Orochimaru had sacrificed his own arm—just to trigger an explosion.
And that wasn't even the end of it. Suspecting there might be a Flying Thunder God mark left on him, he didn't hesitate to unleash his jutsu right next to himself.
"You're too kind. There aren't many people who can beat me up like this—and if I'm not careful..."
Orochimaru licked his tongue, then opened his mouth wide. In an instant, another Orochimaru, drenched in slime, slithered out from within.
He had taken a brutal beating, and his chakra was nearly depleted. But he couldn't afford to show weakness now. With a hoarse laugh, he rasped: "It'd be an insult to underestimate a youngster who's already comparable to the Second Hokage—damn it!"
But before his grin could fully form, Kitagawa Gen was already in front of him, the White Fang short blade crackling with purple lightning as it slashed once again toward his neck.
At this point, Orochimaru was certain—this wasn't just someone comparable to the Second Hokage. It was someone who might very well rival or even surpass him!
His body twisted violently, that inhuman flexibility letting him stretch and contort like a serpent—barely dodging Kitagawa Gen's strike with a rapid two-part bend.
But a faint gleam flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.
"Not Flying Thunder God—looks like the marks must've been cleared out. That's good."
He wasn't wrong. One mark had been placed on his arm—cut off by Kitagawa Gen. The other was on his leg—which he had blown off himself.
Finally able to breathe a little easier, Orochimaru glared at the charging Kitagawa Gen. His gaze brimmed with fury.
He honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd been beaten so badly—and this brat had actually managed to make him feel that way again.
He leapt backward, biting his thumb and forming hand seals in rapid succession.
His chakra was running low. He couldn't rely on his own strength anymore.
Time to resort to something more extreme.
"Summoning Technique!"
[BOOM—]
A massive puff of smoke erupted, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Through the haze, a shadow loomed—like a mountain rising from the desert.
"Manda, huh?"
Kitagawa Gen halted his charge. Staring at the vague silhouette, he was already considering how to deal with it.
"Orochimaru?"
Suddenly, a deep, rumbling voice echoed from within the smoke.
"You still owe me a sacrifice from last time, and now you dare summon me again?"
"This time is different. I'll deliver the offering—without fail."
Orochimaru's raspy voice came from within the mist.
"And the opponent this time... is a very interesting brat."
As the smoke slowly dispersed, a massive purple serpent appeared—coiled across the sands like a living mountain.
Manda looked down from above at Kitagawa Gen. At first, it didn't think much of the figure cloaked in purple lightning.
But then, slowly, it sensed something was wrong.
"What's with this brat's aura...? What is that feeling?"
Manda couldn't figure it out—but instinctively, it felt danger.
"Manda..."
Kitagawa Gen shifted the blade in his hand and looked up at the moon, a faint smile curling his lips.
"This might actually be a good thing. I've been wanting to test it out anyway."
...
"Damn kappa freak! You still look like this damn clown!"
On the other battlefield, Kakashi and Guy stood back to back, panting heavily as they stared at the distant figures of Kakuzu and Hidan.
The combined assault of those two was putting them under immense pressure. They were doing their best just to keep up.
On the other side, Hidan was cursing up a storm. Under Kakuzu's cover, he kept twisting his neck and shoulders—clearly, Guy had been giving him some extra attention.
"That lunatic has insane regeneration..."
Guy muttered quietly, eyeing Hidan in the distance.
"Also, be extremely careful with his weapon—it's definitely poisoned. Don't let it touch you, no matter what."
"I know. That guy's manageable... but this Kakuzu from Takigakure—"
Kakashi's tone grew serious.
"His heart seems to have regenerated. Killing him won't be easy."
"Do you have any ideas?"
"I've got a few techniques I can try... but I'll need some time."
"No problem."
As soon as he heard that, Guy nodded without hesitation. He had absolute faith in his old friend.
...
"Hidan, keep supporting me up front—harass them while I attack from behind. Get ready."
Kakuzu wasn't in the mood for small talk. These two—Hatake Kakashi and that kappa freak—were proving a real challenge. Even with all his experience, their coordination was wearing him down.
Still, he didn't mind.
At least it wasn't like facing Kitagawa Gen, where he had to constantly be on guard against the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Got it!"
Hidan shouted as he finished snapping his broken bones back into place.
"Now DIE for Hidan-sama!"
With that, he suddenly charged forward. Seeing this, Kakashi immediately hurled several kunai in his direction.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Kakuzu slammed both hands onto the ground. Hidan didn't care about kunai—but those had Explosive Tags attached. If they went off too close, he'd have to waste time rescuing the guy.
[BOOM—]
[BOOM—]
[BOOM—]
With a series of thunderous explosions, the earth wall collapsed—just as Hidan spun forward, swinging his scythe.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Guy shouted, launching a fierce kick straight at Hidan. But Hidan had anticipated this—he quickly raised his scythe to block.
Unfortunately for him, with the Sixth Gate already open, Guy's strength was in a completely different league. The kick connected and sent Hidan flying.
But in that instant, Kakuzu's jutsu slammed into the battlefield.
"Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work!"
A searing wave of flames spread out like a sea of fire, forcing Guy back. Kakashi had no choice but to counter with a jutsu of his own.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A powerful gust of wind pushed against the flames, halting them briefly. But Kakashi clearly didn't have full mastery over Wind Release—and in fact, Wind Release only amplified Fire Release.
In the blink of an eye, the flames grew even more intense.
Luckily, the brief delay had been enough for Guy to retreat—but Hidan clearly wasn't letting up.
"Hey, kappa freak, I'm back again! Don't forget—before you die, you better tell me who was dead last in your class!"
"You're insane."
Guy honestly had no idea what Hidan was so obsessed with—but he wasn't about to back down. He charged in to meet the attack head-on.
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