Kabuto Yakushi spoke, attempting to distract them with that, and then, before he could exploit what he thought was a weakness in their teamwork, the long white snake fused to his body shot out from beneath his hooded cloak at an incredible speed toward Hinata, baring its venomous fangs as it lunged to tear her apart.
He realized Team 8 had remarkably high coordination, but he hadn't expected them to counterattack so swiftly.
[Bug Wall Technique!]
A massive dome formed entirely of insects surrounded Hinata, blocking Kabuto's snake attack. Kabuto himself didn't dare make a reckless move, fearing he'd be swarmed by chakra-draining bugs.
Before Kabuto could retract the snake back to his side, Akamaru and Kiba were already flanking him, ready to strike.
Razor-sharp claws and deadly fangs aimed to tear Kabuto apart, but he managed to perform an incredibly advanced Clone Technique—including shedding his skin—to narrowly avoid being shredded by Kiba and Akamaru.
Kabuto chuckled softly as he slipped away unscathed and quickly exited the room, leaving behind the prisoner's chamber and the three hostile Konoha ninjas.
"You have two choices!" he called out. "You can either flee here and die with Jiraiya at the hands of Sasuke Uchiha, or you can chase me down and die by my hand! I don't care which! Either way is just another way to test my new power under different circumstances!"
******
Not far away, Jiraiya contemplated how feasible sealing away Sasuke Uchiha truly was.
Sasuke was practically immortal—he could recover from any injury instantly.
For crying out loud, Jiraiya had trapped Sasuke at the center of a forest fire more devastating than anything he'd ever unleashed, yet Sasuke walked out completely unharmed.
And now, he was locked in a life-or-death battle against an enemy who couldn't be killed.
"You're Naruto's teacher, right?" Sasuke asked, his body lashing out involuntarily as he attacked Jiraiya relentlessly, each strike missing by less than the last.
"Yeah, you are. I remember you. Though back then, you still had both arms."
Jiraiya blocked a kick with his forearm and ducked when Sasuke flipped upside-down and kicked toward his head with his other leg.
"I admit it. What else can I say?" Jiraiya said while kicking forward with his wooden sandal. "I don't need both arms to take down a punk like you."
That kick missed, and Sasuke immediately drew his sword, nearly gutting Jiraiya—if the old man hadn't instinctively hardened his body at the last second through sheer combat reflex.
As Jiraiya leapt backward to create some distance, Sasuke pressed forward relentlessly, surprising him.
Sasuke kept on him, constantly trying to stab and slash at him. Somehow, Sasuke always predicted Jiraiya's movements accurately and matched his pace. Jiraiya barely managed to dodge the blade each time.
Despite knowing how to use it, Sasuke's Chidori didn't have the same range as his sword.
But what had Orochimaru done to him before he finally killed that old serpent?
This was ridiculous. Sasuke had advanced far too quickly—he could match every single one of his movements.
His timing was impeccable. Every time Jiraiya landed, Sasuke was already within a meter of him.
He didn't need to get any closer—not because he feared retaliation from Jiraiya.
He already knew that none of Jiraiya's jutsu could deliver a fatal blow, so he could attack freely, aiming only to severely wound this legendary ninja.
They had already moved two kilometers through the trees, purely through Jiraiya evading Sasuke's slashes. Eventually, both emerged from the forest into a recently abandoned rice paddy field, left desolate by the ravages of war.
Finally, Jiraiya managed to create the distance he had craved. Although he'd boasted earlier, in close combat, a one-armed man was at a disadvantage—especially when his opponent wasn't defenseless and was skilled in Taijutsu.
"So, you're angry with me because I'm the one who trained the man who killed you?" Jiraiya said, staring at Sasuke's torso and legs instead of meeting his eyes. "Well, I gotta say, I didn't train him to do that. That said… it was you who left the village and joined Orochimaru."
"There was only ever one reason for my choice," Sasuke replied. "I did it to gain enough strength to kill Itachi, and Naruto's interference stole that chance from me. So while this isn't a situation I enjoy, it still gives me an opportunity—to steal something precious from Naruto, just as he robbed me of my goal right before my eyes by killing Itachi."
"You were killed by him, yet you resent him more for killing Itachi? That doesn't make sense."
"He killed me, yes, but it doesn't matter—I'm still here now, aren't I?"
Sure—as a reanimated puppet.
But if you can get what you want out of this situation, then maybe those little details don't really matter. And breaking Naruto's spirit by killing Jiraiya might be top priority for the newly resurrected Sasuke.
Sasuke's cold laughter sent a chill through Jiraiya.
"You know, death granted me countless advantages—even against someone of your caliber."
"Oh? Do tell. I'm all ears."
"Any injuries I suffer heal instantly. I am effectively immortal. I understand why Kabuto went ahead with the Impure World Reincarnation ritual—it was a reckless gamble. I wonder why Orochimaru never thought of this himself. It could've resolved his quest for eternal life."
Wait—was it Kabuto Yakushi who performed the resurrection? The spy master who served Orochimaru?
Well, that does make sense. He used to be Orochimaru's trusted right-hand man, and as a Medical Ninja, resurrecting the dead likely aligned well with his interests.
But Sasuke gave him no time to think further and continued:
"No harm lasts—I always recover completely. I feel no pain. My chakra reserves are limitless."
"So, I can do whatever I please without worrying about the consequences."
Jiraiya didn't like what he just heard—one bit.
When Sasuke lifted his sword and saw his own blood smeared across the blade, Jiraiya liked it even less.
Looking down at his elbow, Jiraiya spotted a fresh scrape from when he dodged the sword jutsu.
The way Sasuke formed the hand seals made Jiraiya curse under his breath.
Sasuke's handling of the seals was as effortless as walking or breathing. Without hesitation, Jiraiya bit his thumb as well, readying himself to strike back.
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