"Orochimaru..."
Looking at the figure before him, Kitagawa Minamoto couldn't help but feel that this situation was utterly absurd.
It seemed like Orochimaru had been having a rough time lately, thanks to both himself and Jiraiya.
He recalled Tsunade mentioning that Orochimaru had sought her out, likely to treat a child—Kimimaro.
Back in the Land of Hot Water, Minamoto had pushed Kimimaro to his limits, and in the Land of Grass, it was Jiraiya who intercepted Orochimaru.
And now, here they were, crossing paths once again as Minamoto sought the Dragon Vein.
But why was Orochimaru also after the Dragon Vein?
"Where's Jiraiya?"
Orochimaru's raspy voice interrupted Minamoto's thoughts.
"Bring him out. Surely he wouldn't leave a mere junior to deal with me?"
Though his words were dismissive, Orochimaru's expression grew more serious.
He was familiar with Jiraiya's strategies and could handle them with relative ease. But Kitagawa Minamoto...
That was a different story.
So far, all he knew about this young shinobi was that he bore a striking resemblance to the Second Hokage in both intellect and tactics.
Cunning, unafraid to use underhanded methods, and equipped with Sage Mode, the Flying Thunder God Technique, and devastating Purple Electricity.
Frankly, Orochimaru would have preferred dealing with Jiraiya.
"Well, Jiraiya-sama isn't here. Want me to head back to Konoha and fetch him for you?"
Minamoto offered tentatively, though he quickly shook his head.
"On second thought, I don't think I can manage that. It's a bit far from here. But I am curious—why are you here?"
"And what about you?"
Orochimaru's tone grew sharper upon hearing that Jiraiya was absent.
"As far as I know, this place is off-limits to Konoha, as well as to Sunagakure."
"Because I found you, of course."
Minamoto lied effortlessly.
In truth, he hadn't found anything.
His suggestion to come here had been purely motivated by the allure of the Dragon Vein.
Nature's gift was too tempting to ignore, and it was only natural to make the most of it.
Taking advantage of the quiet night, he had used a Shadow Clone combined with the Flying Thunder God Technique to slip away.
How was he supposed to know Orochimaru would be here too?
"Is that so?"
Orochimaru clearly didn't believe him, and his gaze turned dangerous.
"In that case..."
Before he could finish speaking, Orochimaru raised his hand. In an instant, several kunai flew toward Minamoto.
Simultaneously, Orochimaru formed hand seals, his Chakra surging rapidly.
"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
The kunai in mid-air multiplied, transforming into a dense rain of projectiles.
To make matters worse, Minamoto noticed that many of the kunai were rigged with explosive tags.
"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"
Minamoto quickly formed a single-handed seal, raising a sturdy earthen wall in front of him.
He couldn't help but feel a bit regretful—if Orochimaru had any emotional attachments, it would've been fun to exploit them.
However...
As the kunai with explosive tags struck the Earth Style Wall, Minamoto activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion accompanied by a burst of firepower obliterated the Earth Style Wall, even blowing a large hole in the tower.
But amidst the chaos, Minamoto had already teleported behind Orochimaru. With the White Fang short blade in hand, he slashed directly at Orochimaru's head!
"You've chosen the wrong place to pick a fight with me."
Buzz—
The blade sliced through Orochimaru, splitting him in two. But instead of blood, his body crumbled into a pile of dirt.
"You really think I wouldn't prepare for the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
Orochimaru's cold voice echoed from the side.
"Ninja Art: Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"
In an instant, countless snakes surged forth, slithering rapidly toward Minamoto.
Their hissing filled the air, and the sheer number of them was enough to make anyone's scalp tingle. A foul stench spread as they approached.
"Poison?"
Minamoto raised an eyebrow, noticing that the areas marked with the Flying Thunder God seal were now swarming with venomous snakes.
Under Orochimaru's control, the snakes opened their mouths, revealing swords protruding from their throats, aimed straight at Minamoto!
"Not a bad idea. Against an ordinary person, this might have worked. But..."
Minamoto didn't move. Instead, the Purple Electricity coursing through his body erupted violently!
The intense lightning burned the poison in the air, creating a sharp crackling sound.
Before the snakes could even reach him, they were reduced to charred remains.
Under his control, the Purple Electricity surged toward Orochimaru, making the latter's eyelids twitch.
At the same time, Minamoto's presence changed dramatically. The natural energy surrounding him intensified, and the Purple Electricity now enveloped his entire body.
"Sage Mode, combined with Lightning Release Chakra Mode?"
Orochimaru was taken aback. When had this brat learned the Lightning Release Chakra Mode?
There was no time to dwell on it. Minamoto had already closed the distance, the White Fang short blade glowing with purple light as it slashed toward Orochimaru's head.
BOOM!
The impact sent shockwaves through the tower, causing the already crumbling structure to shake violently. The upper portion of the tower was completely obliterated, leaving a massive fissure in its walls.
"This speed and power, combined with that Purple Electricity... This brat is even more troublesome than Jiraiya!"
Orochimaru rolled away, battered and frustrated. From his stomach, he spat out a Kusanagi sword, gripping it tightly.
Sensing Minamoto's approach, he swung the blade with precision, aiming to counter.
Clang!
Minamoto parried the strike effortlessly, taking a moment to study Orochimaru.
"I'm curious. Jiraiya-sama mastered Sage Mode. Shouldn't you be able to as well? Why don't you use it?"
"..."
Orochimaru's expression darkened. It wasn't that he didn't want to—it was that he simply couldn't.
"Hmph. Instead of talking about me, why don't we talk about you?"
Orochimaru pressed against Minamoto's blade, his Chakra surging as he spoke in a low voice.
"As a Konoha shinobi, you shouldn't be here. Don't give me that nonsense about 'finding me.' You must have another purpose."
"Sorry, but no."
Minamoto shook his head decisively, maintaining the pressure on Orochimaru as he smiled.
"We came for you, Orochimaru. As a member of Akatsuki, it's only natural for us to track you down.
Conveniently, Konoha's Root division discovered Akatsuki's movements, so here we are."
"Akatsuki? Root?"
Orochimaru froze, his mind racing.
Hadn't he already left Akatsuki?
Why was he still being dragged into their mess?
Could it be...
Someone was trying to frame him?
"It seems the intel was accurate after all."
Minamoto's lie was seamless, even convincing enough to hold up under Jiraiya's scrutiny.
"Well then, I won't hold back!"
Buzz—
Minamoto's Chakra surged once more, making Orochimaru's eyes narrow.
This brat's Chakra reserves were far greater than he had anticipated.
With no time to think further, Orochimaru braced himself for the onslaught.
The battle raged on, the tower crumbling under the force of their clash. Explosions of Chakra and lightning filled the air, sending shockwaves across the desert.
From a distance, the destruction was nothing short of terrifying.
"What's going on over there?"
Resting in an oasis, Kakashi and Guy stared in disbelief at the distant chaos.
Kakashi immediately turned to Minamoto's Shadow Clone, his expression serious.
"That's you, isn't it? Or rather, your real body?"
"Uh..."
The Shadow Clone scratched his head awkwardly, clearly caught off guard.
"I didn't expect my real body to run into someone else. I just wanted to investigate the area since the Fourth Hokage left a mark here. But it seems I made the right call."
"So your real body encountered Akatsuki?"
Guy's eyes lit up, his fists clenching in excitement.
"Then we must head there immediately!"
"You should've informed us," Kakashi said, rubbing his temples.
Still, it wasn't a big deal—Minamoto had acted on instinct and found their target.
"Let's move. Who knows what's happening over there."
"Understood. Let's—huh?"
Before the Shadow Clone could finish, he turned to see three figures approaching in the night.
They wore black cloaks adorned with red clouds.
"Is that...?"
Kakashi's eyes widened.
It seemed they had indeed found the right place.
"So it's you," Kakuzu growled, his gaze filled with hatred.
Sasori pulled out a scroll, ready to summon his puppets.
Kakashi and Guy immediately prepared for battle. None of these enemies were easy to deal with.
But suddenly, Hidan's eyes lit up.
"Hey, Kappa! It's you!"
"Huh? Me?"
Guy blinked in confusion, unsure of what this lunatic wanted.
"Yeah, you."
Hidan nodded, his tone curious.
"I've been wondering about something for a while. Can you answer me?"
"?"
"I heard you were second to last in your class, right?"
"..."
"So, who was the dead last in your year?!"
"..."
(End of Chapter)
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