The Hell of Naraku Technique—just a single illusion was enough to bring down an ANBU.
When forced to witness their deepest fear, such a genjutsu struck with devastating force—especially against those who already harbored deep dread toward Orochimaru.
Screams echoed. Orochimaru licked his lips with a wicked smile.
"How fragile life is…"
Shua!
Two long blades slashed down at him, but Orochimaru didn't even turn his head.
Evil Serpent Arm Explosion!
In a single motion, two enormous snake heads shot from his sleeves, their fanged maws ignoring the ANBU's swords as they swallowed them whole.
BOOM!!!
The explosion tore through the chamber. Chunks of flesh and snake meat, mixed with ANBU blood, rained down like a storm of gore.
"Bastard!!!"
Kō struggled to stand. His injuries weren't enough to completely immobilize him.
Beside him, Shion pressed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't get reckless. Unless your Wood Release is on the same level as Uzumaki Kuu's, you'll just get in the way."
Shua!
Vanishing in a blur, Uchiha Shion reappeared on the battlefield, flinging two ANBU out of harm's way as the tomoe of his Mangekyō spun relentlessly.
At the center, Orochimaru suddenly dropped to the ground and opened his mouth:
Ten Thousand Snakes Formation!
Countless snakes poured out like water from a faucet, flooding the underground laboratory within seconds.
ANBU Squad Six struggled to hold them off. Even Shion shuddered in disgust.
These soft-bodied creatures weren't just terrifying—they were sickening.
Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!
Shion's massive chakra erupted, amplifying the flames into a sea of fire. The snakes were instantly roasted, their stench filling the air with an unbearable reek.
"Hissss…" Orochimaru's tongue flicked like a serpent's as he smiled.
"To think your chakra is this vast, Shion-kun. Just one Fire Style and you can unleash such power."
Not far away, Shion shook his head.
"If I didn't clear them out, I wouldn't even have a place to stand."
Orochimaru lowered his head again, greed burning hotter in his eyes.
"Shion-kun, come with me. A shinobi with chakra as immense as yours, and with Mangekyō Sharingan awakened, doesn't belong in the stifling walls of Konoha.
Follow me… and you'll gain immortality. Endless ninjutsu. Don't you want to uncover the true secrets of this world?"
Shion scratched his head, expression flat.
Should I tell him the truth? That this whole world exists because aliens planted a chakra tree, and now one poor filial son wants to split mountains to save his mother?
Konoha's environment "stifling"? Please.
Leaving with Orochimaru would mean not knowing when or where his next meal was. That was just plain stupid.
BOOM!
Flames cloaked Shion's sword as he appeared before Orochimaru in an instant.
Shua!
Three arcs of blazing fire followed the blade, crashing down on Orochimaru.
Sword Dance: Flame Leap!
BOOM!!!
The explosion tore apart the room, but Orochimaru melted into mud and vanished.
The next instant—
BOOM!!!
Shion's blade pierced the floor, fire surging downward. The ground cracked apart as a charred Orochimaru was kicked out into the open.
From the shadows, another slash gleamed. Blood sprayed as an Orochimaru clone's head flew free, Shion's shadow clone booting it into the fire.
Thud-thud-thud…
Like a ball, the head rolled into the flames. Yet Orochimaru's voice still echoed from its mouth.
"You can't kill me. Under the power of immortality, no one can. Shion-kun, don't you crave this power too?"
Bang!
Shion's sword pinned the ground. His gaze sharpened.
Blood seeped out as another Orochimaru corpse emerged from the earth.
"Impressive, Shion-kun… Is this the power of your Mangekyō? No matter where I hide, you can always track down my true body."
Once again, the grotesque Orochimaru Substitution appeared, his slimy skin shedding like a serpent's molt, all injuries gone.
The two faced each other. Orochimaru still didn't dare meet Shion's eyes. But for someone this slippery, Shion was running out of options.
Unless he fought endlessly and drained Orochimaru's chakra dry, there was no killing him. But revealing his full reserves in front of everyone wasn't an option either.
Hm?
Shion's eyes flicked toward the entrance. Orochimaru sensed it too.
"Hisss… So, sensei has arrived?"
At that moment, the leader at the entrance appeared—it was the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
His gaze hardened as he surveyed the bloody laboratory. He turned to Kō.
"Is it confirmed?"
Kō nodded.
"Yes, Lord Third. Orochimaru has been using Konoha villagers as experimental subjects."
Sarutobi's face darkened. His eyes swept over the shattered glass and carnage. When he looked back at Orochimaru, a storm of complicated emotions churned within him.
"Orochimaru… What is this place? Why are you here?"
The feigned question made Shion smirk faintly.
The old man's soft heart again. Even now, he hopes to bring Orochimaru back.
But Orochimaru would never accept it.
As he himself had said—Konoha's peace could no longer give him what he craved: every ninjutsu, every secret of the shinobi world, immortality.
"Sensei…" Orochimaru spread his hands.
"As you can see, I'm developing new jutsu. Research always requires sacrifice. These—" he gestured at the corpses, "—are merely sacrifices for my new techniques."
Sarutobi's fists trembled.
"Oro…chimaru! Do you realize what you're saying?!"
Orochimaru only chuckled.
"Sensei, you've grown old. If you were still the great shinobi you once were, you'd already have tried to cut me down."
"But what's the point? Life, no matter how brilliant—even yours, even as Hokage—ends as nothing but dust in the end."
"Life is too fragile, sensei. Do you remember when I asked you, must everyone face death in the end?"
"Now, I've found a different answer…"
Sarutobi slowly closed his eyes. A tear slid down his cheek.
With these words, there was no path back for his student. Konoha could no longer contain him.
And this student—the one he had always cherished most—why had it come to this?
"Summoning: Enma!"
With a burst of smoke, the old monkey king appeared. He glanced at Orochimaru, sighing.
"Hiruzen… So it's finally come to this day?"
The Third Hokage didn't answer. He held out his hand.
"Transform. If he is truly my student, then it falls to me to end him."
Orochimaru licked his lips, laughing.
"Sensei… Do you really have the heart to strike me down?"
…
Shion, retreating to the side, gathered ANBU Squad Six. After the battle just now, his authority within the unit had firmly taken root.
In ANBU, power spoke loudest. Without this fight, they might not have followed him at all.