Orochimaru smiled faintly.
Although Yoruha's sword was powerful, it still had a slight delay right before it landed. As long as one remained cautious and kept a safe distance, Orochimaru felt confident he could evade any blow.
"Yoruha, you're full of amusing claims. If I really wanted to kill you, I could do it in at least a hundred different ways," Yoruha said calmly, raising his left hand.
Thwip!
A kunai flew straight toward Orochimaru.
It looked like a basic, clumsy throw. Orochimaru sidestepped it easily, ready to sneer—
—but in the next instant, his pupils contracted.
"Flying Thunder God?"
The realization flashed in his mind, but it was already too late.
Swish!
Yoruha had teleported behind him, blade drawn. The arc of the black sword slashed cleanly through the air—but Orochimaru's body melted into a mass of serpents, writhing away and dodging the fatal strike just in time.
Within seconds, Orochimaru reappeared a few paces away, gaining distance.
"Heh… Alright, I take back what I said. You do have what it takes to cut me. But so what? I, Orochimaru, am immortal."
His yellow eyes gleamed with madness.
Uchiha Itachi was powerful.
Nagato was terrifying.
But none of them could outrun time.
Orochimaru believed only he would stand above the ruins of the shinobi world a century from now.
"I'll admit, your vitality is impressive," Yoruha said with a faint smile. "But there's an old saying—strength without purpose is wasted strength, Mr. Snake."
He raised his sword again.
"Heh… You really want to test me, don't you? Fine. Let me show you what true power looks like!" Orochimaru hissed.
"Ninjutsu: Ten Thousand Snakes Formation!"
As soon as he spoke, a flood of venomous snakes erupted from his mouth, filling the battlefield in a grotesque display. The serpents bared their fangs—then began spewing blades from their mouths, launching a flurry of twisted steel toward Yoruha.
The scene was nightmarish.
But Yoruha didn't flinch.
He calmly stowed his blade and pulled a scroll from his bag.
"Go get 'em, Iron Legion."
He tossed the scroll into the air.
Boom!
Hundreds of mechanical suits—sleek Mark 50 units—launched into the sky, forming an iron storm of weapons and jet-powered fury. Missiles, lasers, and micro-munitions tore through the serpents in an instant.
The smell of charred snake protein filled the air.
"Wait… You can use puppet ninjutsu too?!" Orochimaru's face twisted with surprise.
This wasn't normal. Most shinobi specialized in a single art. Sword ninjutsu, medical ninjutsu, puppet mastery… mastering one was hard enough. But Yoruha?
His swordsmanship was elite. His puppet control was absurd.
Orochimaru's tongue flicked out.
A hungry, lustful look filled his eyes.
"Yoruha-kun… You might be more suitable as my container than Sasuke-kun ever was."
"Edo Tensei: Reanimation Jutsu!"
With a sinister grin, Orochimaru summoned the reanimated corpse of the Third Kazekage. His soul, returned from the dead, now clad in battle-ready ash.
Apparently, Orochimaru had the same idea as Sasori: use magnetic-style chakra to counter Yoruha's metal-based puppets.
"Oh, the Third Kazekage again? Let's see if he's better than the Scorpion's version," Yoruha said, signaling his Iron Man suits forward.
Boom boom boom!
The battlefield erupted again as metal clashed with magnetic sand.
After a brutal exchange, Yoruha frowned slightly.
"Well, his offense isn't as sharp as Sasori's puppet version, but damn… his durability is ridiculous."
Edo Tensei bodies had one unfair advantage: unlimited chakra and seemingly endless regeneration.
Orochimaru cackled.
"If only the First and Second Hokage weren't sealed away by that old man… With those two under my command, I'd rule the ninja world by now."
But just as the words left his mouth—
Slice!
Yoruha appeared behind the reanimated Kazekage, slicing him clean in half.
"You misunderstand me, Orochimaru," he said coldly. "My blade cuts souls."
This time, the Kazekage didn't regenerate. His body slumped. Silent. Truly dead.
"A demon blade that severs the soul… Isn't that supposed to be a Zanpakutō?" Yoruha joked, slashing one final time to erase the Kazekage from existence.
Orochimaru's smirk faltered.
For the first time—he was afraid.
His entire life had been devoted to severing the link between soul and flesh, to escape death.
But if Yoruha could cut souls… what was the point of all his research?
Then came the final blow.
"Lightning Style: Rasenshuriken!"
Yoruha hurled a glowing spiral of spinning chakra infused with lightning. Orochimaru barely had time to summon Triple Rashomon—three massive demonic gates—to block the attack.
Boom!
The explosion scorched the forest. Trees vaporized. The earth cracked.
When the dust cleared, Orochimaru and Kabuto were gone.
All that remained… was a single shredded snakeskin.
"Heh. Slippery bastard ran fast," Yoruha muttered.
But that was fine. Orochimaru was never the target. He only needed him… to find Sasuke.
"Yoruha, they escaped! What now?" Naruto asked, frustration burning in his voice.
Without Orochimaru, would they even find Sasuke?
"And where the hell is Sai? He vanished mid-fight," Sakura added, frowning. "This mission's gone completely off script…"
"Sai's following Danzo's secret orders. He went with Orochimaru. But don't worry—I marked him with the Flying Thunder God seal," Yoruha said casually. "You two rest up first. We'll catch up once you're ready."
Naruto looked disappointed, but didn't argue. The battle with Kabuto had left him with some bruises, and Sakura had taken a few hits herself.
"This is nothing! I'm fine! Let's go now!" Naruto said, trying to puff up his chest.
"No need to rush," Yoruha said with a smirk. "Let Sai fly a little longer. If we chase now, we'll blow our cover."
"Come on, Naruto," Sakura said gently. "Let's trust Yoruha. Sit down, I'll heal you."
She gave him a soft smile, kneeling beside him.
Sasuke's great and all… she thought to herself, glancing at Yoruha. But is he really more important than this man beside me?
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