Two groups stood over a hundred meters apart—positioned on high and low ground, eyes locked in constant confrontation.
The air grew thick with tension. The battle seemed ready to ignite at any moment!
"Hmph, you're still as foolish as ever, Jiraiya!" Orochimaru curled his lips into a mocking smirk.
His tongue flicked out repeatedly like a snake sensing its prey, tasting the temperature and environment, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Those deep yellow, sinister vertical pupils fixed firmly on Jiraiya like a sniper scope without shifting an inch.
Among everyone here, only Jiraiya was worthy of being his opponent. After all, only Jiraiya matched his status. Everyone else were just juniors.
In ninja combat, there are rules of engagement. One shouldn't recklessly engage lower-ranked fighters.
Though those Young Apprentices weren't weak, ultimately, only Jiraiya truly matched his level.
Moreover, judging from Jiraiya's demeanor and that relentless stare he'd maintained since the beginning—it was clear this time, Jiraiya had come especially for him.
"This time, I won't let you escape no matter what, Orochimaru!"
Jiraiya's voice was low and heavy, stating a fact with unwavering determination.
"Then let's see how much you've improved..."
Orochimaru shot back.
Orochimaru knew very well that escaping immediately with Saitama would be impossible under these circumstances.
This battle was unavoidable.
Perfect. He hadn't stretched his body in quite a while. Facing off against this fool Jiraiya gave him the chance to go all out and test Jiraiya's progress.
Their last fight had been interrupted by Saitama, something Orochimaru had always regretted.
Although at that time, the situation had grown critical—he had barely managed to flee before being surrounded by Konoha ninjas.
This time, though, there were no such concerns. No risk of encirclement, and no interference.
"You okay, Saitama?" Orochimaru tilted his eyes sideways toward Saitama, giving a subtle nod.
"Yeah, no problem!"
Saitama licked his lips while eyeing the "Dream Team" of five standing beside Jiraiya.
Jiraiya against Orochimaru. The rest would all be his to handle.
If he couldn't handle it now, he'd have to force himself to. This could count as an early test.
Later situations would only grow larger, with even fiercer opponents.
Right now, it was just one village—Konoha—but later, it would become the entire Shinobi World, uniting every rival ninja village!
Though it might get difficult, fortunately, Itachi Uchiha and others hadn't yet reached their peak strength. Alone, he should still be able to manage things.
"Good. Then I'll leave them to you!"
With the slightest almost-unnoticeable nod, Orochimaru acknowledged. He had heard about those young Konoha ninja across from him—he knew they were strong, but Saitama's strength should still handle them.
"Jiraiya, let's go talk elsewhere. We shouldn't disturb these juniors' little chat here!"
Orochimaru slightly lifted his head toward Jiraiya, speaking in a raspy, yet magnetically seductive voice.
Without delay, he bent his body, pushed off the rock beneath him, and flew swiftly into the distance.
There was a wide riverbed and rocky beach on that side as well, more than enough space for their battle.
"This one's ours, Jiraiya-sama!"
Kakashi watched Orochimaru walking away while speaking to Jiraiya.
Before they departed, the battle assignments had already been clearly defined.
Jiraiya would handle Orochimaru, while the remaining ninjas dealt with members of Akatsuki mentioned in the intelligence report.
"Alright then. Be careful. Saitama has become quite formidable now—I can actually feel his strength!"
"Shisui, since you've fought against Saitama before, pay special attention to protecting yourself!"
Nodding his head, Jiraiya left those words behind before leaping directly off the cliffside to chase after Orochimaru.
His long white hair flew freely behind him, still exuding a wild charm despite being partially restrained by his forehead protector and headband.
Jiraiya had imagined this moment—facing Orochimaru—countless times over the years. Now it was finally happening.
Jiraiya moved quickly, chasing after Orochimaru before he could slip away again.
"Nah, looks like we're all alone now. What do you guys plan to do?"
Saitama sensed that Orochimaru and Jiraiya had already moved far away, so he turned to the remaining five individuals.
"Give up, Saitama! We've got numbers on our side. Even though you're strong, there's no way you can defeat us all!"
Kakashi stepped forward, speaking up. Shisui had just given them a brief rundown of Saitama's abilities from their last battle.
"Heh… How will you know unless you try?"
Saitama shrugged his shoulders, gazing at Kakashi's mostly obscured face.
"You've lost your way—there's still time to turn back and think again!"
"We used to be fellow villagers and allies. If you stop now, we'll support you fully! Konoha will accept you too!"
"Do you really want to see former allies fall by your blade?"
Kakashi refused to give up, continuing his verbal confrontation.
"What an idiot!"
Saitama rolled his eyes, wondering if all Konoha ninjas were really this clueless?
Apparently, he'd left them with a false sense of hope the last time they met, making them think he could switch sides.
That's why they kept responding to him with such foolish tones and attitudes, not treating him like a real enemy at all!
Thinking about it, Saitama decided to teach these former comrades and fellow villagers who still failed to recognize reality a lesson—one they'd never forget!
[Electric Shock] crackled beneath his feet, scorching the rocks and gravel below.
"You stubborn guy! Looks like I'll have to punish you a bit!"
Upon hearing Saitama call Kakashi an "idiot," Obito felt a surge of anger rise within him—even though secretly, he agreed with the description.
Obito, being thick-skinned himself, thought Saitama's attitude was absolutely unacceptable.
They tried reasoning with him, yet he dared mock them right back!
"Obito, don't!"
As soon as Kakashi heard Obito speak, he knew something bad was coming. He quickly turned sideways to face Obito.
Sure enough, Obito's face was already filled with impatience. He stepped onto the edge of the cliff and leaped downward!
Shisui and Itachi saw Obito's movement too, but they were still too late.
They never expected Obito to be so impulsive—to fall for Saitama's words after just one sentence.
Obito landed directly in front of Saitama at the same level.
Although his blood was boiling, Obito didn't rush forward recklessly.
Earlier intelligence from Shisui had clearly warned that Saitama Uchiha possessed extraordinary close-combat strength. Unless absolutely necessary, they should avoid engaging him up close.
Standing firm, Obito revealed his Sharingan eye—the three tomoe spinning rapidly inside like little whirlpools.
"Uchiha Obito…"
Saitama looked upon the first person who had jumped down—unfazed and unsurprised.
While Guy might come off as slow-witted, he understood timing well. Unlike Obito, whose personality practically screamed shonen manga protagonist.
Taking a step forward, Saitama strode directly toward Obito Uchiha at a slow pace, as if strolling through his own garden.
"That bastard!"
Obito narrowed his eyes, watching Saitama's approach.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"—a sound came again from behind. Kakashi and the four others, seeing Obito jump down, had followed suit.
"Obito, don't be reckless!" Kakashi said in a heavy voice.
He knew Obito's temperament all too well—a loose cannon ready to go off at any moment.
At times, he could boost the team's morale and ignite enthusiasm in everyone.
But more often than not, he'd lose control and end up hurting his teammates, causing unnecessary damage.
Thud! Kakashi was about to continue strategizing, assigning combat roles accordingly, when suddenly Obito charged straight at Saitama.
"Obito!"
Kakashi froze for a moment, completely baffled by this guy's train of thought.
A hundred meters stretched between Obito and Saitama. After rushing forward over ten meters, Obito immediately pulled out a kunai knife from the ninja tool belt strapped around his thigh and hurled it at Saitama.
The kunai zipped through the air with extreme speed, trailing behind it an explosive tag, slicing the air with a sharp "whooshing" sound.
"Hehehe..."
Walking forward, Saitama smiled—an adult witnessing a child wielding a toy sword.
Boom!
Saitama forcefully stomped down with his right foot, instantly boosting his speed, and dashed forward like a sprinter.
Frowning, Kakashi and the others exchanged glances before their feet started moving too.
With Obito charging ahead already, staying back would only bring harm to him.
Now, they needed to keep up, minimizing potential damage.
"Whoosh!" The kunai passed Saitama's body, flying straight backward.
[Earth Release - Rock Wall Barrier!]
Naturally noticing the explosive tag on the kunai, Saitama instantly raised an earthen wall beside himself while continuing to race toward Obito without slowing.
BOOM! The explosive tag detonated, yet caused no damage whatsoever to Saitama—the explosion was completely blocked off by his ninjutsu.
Meanwhile, Obito kept charging toward Saitama alongside the thrown kunai.
More than ten meters behind Obito, Kakashi and the other four scattered themselves and rushed forward as well.
"Hmph! What an idiot!"
Saitama's words were directed at Obito, but the only reply he received was Obito unleashing his ninjutsu.
[Fire Release: Great Blaze Dragon Bullet!]
Obito held his breath. At the moment a kunai grazed past Saitama and exploded, his hands formed seals rapidly. With a deep inhale, he exhaled a thick, dark dragon of fire from his mouth.
The previous kunai combined with explosive tags had only been a distraction technique; this jutsu was the actual killing move!
Crackling! Blue electricity surged through Saitama's arm as a long, slender current coalesced in his hand, shaping itself into a slim, extended weapon.
His eyes narrowed slightly, crimson flashing briefly within his pupils before three tomoe appeared within them, quickly locking onto the trajectory of the incoming jutsu.
With a sharp "Slash!", Saitama cleaved the fiery dragon cleanly in two with a single swing. It fell to the ground with momentum while his figure emerged from the technique, rushing forward continuously.
"What… how is that even possible?"
Obito had never seen anyone counter a jutsu like this before. Others would either dodge, block directly, or counter using their own jutsu head-on.
But Saitama Uchiha had simply used what seemed like the smallest chakra morphological transformation to slice right through another jutsu.
This was the first time he had ever seen something like that.
Shock flickered momentarily in his eyes, but he was already a jonin—his mental fortitude was strong enough. He quickly adjusted his mindset, preparing to use another jutsu to retaliate!
The distance between them was still quite large, more than sufficient for him to cast another jutsu!
Whoosh! Covering the dozens-of-meters gap between them instantly, Saitama transformed into a streak of lightning, abruptly closing in on Obito.
"Damn it!"
Guy took in Saitama's speed, his gaze hardening with sudden seriousness.
As a taijutsu master, he knew how incredibly difficult it was for a ninja to achieve such speed without relying on any ninjutsu.
The speed Saitama had just shown had already reached an extreme level—comparable to Guy's own when he activated the [Eight Gates].
"Shisui Uchiha!"
Kakashi shouted toward Shisui Uchiha, immediately seeing him pick up his pace. His body flashed like light, rapidly approaching Obito.
Among their group, aside from Guy after activating his forbidden technique, Shisui Uchiha was definitely the fastest under normal conditions.
With Saitama already approaching Obito, currently, only Shisui could possibly offer support.
Even though Saitama was incredibly fast, Shisui had barely arrived just a few meters behind Obito.
Saitama caught sight of the shock registering on Obito's face and the hand seal he had just formed midair.
"Hehe…"
A mocking grin slowly crept onto Saitama's face.
"You… deserve to die!"
Obito glared at Saitama, his expression changing dramatically.
Bang! A foot wrapped in blue-white electric current struck Obito square in the abdomen.
The surging currents surged outward—erupting violently across Obito's abdomen.
This single strike had inflicted unimaginable damage upon Obito.
"Agh…" Blood burst from his mouth, gravely wounded, both eyes widening in horror while his body bent into a horizontal 'U' shape, flying backward rapidly as it slammed away.
Saitama wasn't holding back at all. That last attack had used every ounce of his strength in his normal state.
Combined with the Lightning Nature Transformation, a single strike like that would instantly disable an average Jonin—or even kill them outright!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Obito tore through the air as he flew backward, directly crashing into Shisui—who had just arrived behind him and was about to help.
"Woah!"
Shisui couldn't dodge in time and was hit full force by Obito, sending both flying backward.
The impact of Obito's body slamming hard into Shisui's chest made the latter cry out in pain.
With Saitama's power being what it was, even though Shisui had braced himself slightly as Obito's "cushion," he still felt heavily impacted—a thin line of blood slid from the corner of his mouth.
"Shisui! Obito!" Itachi Uchiha shouted, trying to step forward and catch them.
But the two were flying too fast for him to reach in time.
Locked together, they flew past Kakashi and the others, crashing violently into the stone cliffside.
Boom! The cliff seemed to tremble, small rocks falling off its surface.
Obito and Shisui remained motionless for quite some time while Kakashi and the others only saw a crater carved into the cliff and thick clouds of dust rising up.
Kakashi looked at Saitama, who hadn't moved from where he stood, then exchanged glances with the others. Instead of charging forward, they retreated toward where Obito and Shisui had fallen.
They were shocked—they hadn't expected that in just a single clash, Saitama had seemingly "killed" Obito outright, dragging Shisui down with him.
"Cough… cough…"
Although Shisui had absorbed most of the impact from the final blow and taken the hit against the stone wall behind his back, compared to Obito—who took the direct hit from Saitama—his injuries were minor.
Pushing himself up slightly, he supported Obito and saw the latter's pale face and weakened expression.
"Are you okay, Shisui? What about Obito-senpai?"
Itachi kept a wary eye on Saitama, ready in case he attacked again, while asking about the two on the ground.
"I'm fine. But Obito probably took a pretty bad beating! Saitama is way too strong!"
Shisui gently pressed his palm against his chest. He hadn't been hurt too badly because he'd used a Ninjutsu to soften the blow.
In contrast, Obito tried to stand but clearly couldn't manage it easily. With Shisui's support, he was helped into a sitting position.
"Kakashi… this enemy is unexpectedly strong!"
Obito stared at Kakashi's face, speaking with great difficulty, fear still lingering in his eyes.
Even with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he could barely follow Saitama's movement during that attack—it was like seeing just a blur of motion. His body couldn't keep up at all.
If not for his quick thinking in throwing up a layer of chakra over his stomach and chest at the very last second for defense, he'd likely already be lying helpless on the ground.
"Understood."
Kakashi exchanged a glance with Guy. In just a moment, they understood each other completely.
"This next part is our turn. Prepare for battle! Itachi, watch closely and be ready to interfere when the timing's right!"
Kakashi had formulated a battle plan. Everyone was assigned a clear role.
"Shisui, can you still fight?"
Kakashi glanced at Shisui, catching sight of the blood at the corner of his mouth for a split second.
"I'm fine! Get ready. Reason won't work on Saitama anymore!"
Shisui loosened his grip on Obito's arm, letting him slowly balance himself.
Though Saitama's kick was brutal, it didn't totally take Obito out of the fight.
After struggling for a while, Obito grimaced and finally got up next to Kakashi and the others.
"See? See? That's better!"
After kicking Obito, Saitama didn't pursue further but instead remained in place.
Seeing his opponents now fired up and ready to fight, Saitama shook his head in excitement, his whole body trembling with anticipation.
"If you don't come at me intending to kill, I can't guarantee any of you will leave this place alive!"
His eyes darkened gradually as Chakra surged all over Saitama's body. A faint pressure radiating from an overwhelming presence began expanding outward from him in all directions.
"This guy is even stronger than last time..."
Shisui couldn't help but think that way as he felt the rising qi from Saitama, his alertness increasing.
Shing! Shing! Shing!
Kakashi, Itachi, and Shisui all placed their hands on their weapons strapped to their backs.
Guy slowly assumed a fighting stance—legs apart front and back, hands positioned one forward and one back—as he locked eyes with Saitama.
Obito covered his abdomen while slowly wiping away residual blood from the corner of his mouth. His blazing eyes fixed onto Saitama, who stood smiling, seemingly not taking them seriously at all.
"If you keep resisting, we certainly won't hold back… Saitama!"
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