Rumble—
Accompanied by a piercing roar that suddenly exploded, it was as if a fierce gale had been stirred up in the forest of the Land of Whirlpools.
In the fierce gale, Hyuga Makoto quickly retreated backwards, while on the other side, Orochimaru grabbed the dying Shinno.
"What a pain..."
It was just that the corner of Orochimaru's mouth couldn't help but twitch. He had rushed over as quickly as possible, but it seemed he was still a step too late.
The Earth-Style Wall indeed blocked Hyuga Makoto's final palm strike, but that palm still pierced through it and landed on Shinno!
Orochimaru really wanted to say, 'I don't understand'...
How on earth did this guy lose so miserably, to actually be beaten into such a state!
And while he was silent, Kakashi and Tenzo also rushed over.
"Are you okay, Makoto?"
Kakashi looked at Hyuga Makoto with some concern, while Tenzo, staying vigilant against Orochimaru, glanced at Hyuga Makoto from the corner of his eye.
"Don't worry, Captain, Senior, I'm fine."
Hyuga Makoto smiled and shook his head, though he currently felt a bit weak in his body.
After disconnecting from the moon, this feeling had emerged in his body, even though his chakra was still very abundant!
"Is it because my bloodline development and Tenseigan level are too low?"
Hyuga Makoto thought to himself, but at this moment, Orochimaru spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Not bad at all, brat. You seem to be much more interesting than Kakashi and the others."
As he spoke, Orochimaru's killing intent surged from all directions, and Kakashi and Tenzo immediately gripped their weapons tightly.
"Orochimaru, if we keep fighting, this guy will probably really die."
However, Hyuga Makoto remained calm. While preparing his defense, he spoke slowly.
"You wouldn't want him to actually die because of this meaningless battle, would you?"
Hearing this, both Kakashi and Tenzo felt that Hyuga Makoto was too naive.
This kid obviously didn't understand Orochimaru's 'character' very well!
But at this moment, they also noticed Shinno's miserable state, which made their eyes widen slightly.
Orochimaru was so arrogant, his helper shouldn't be weak either.
To think that guy was actually beaten into such a state?
Hyuga Makoto's strength seemed to be even greater than they had imagined!
However, they still didn't dare to relax. Even if it was three against one, the person they were facing was Orochimaru...
"Oh?"
But to their surprise, Orochimaru looked at Hyuga Makoto thoughtfully.
"Did you intentionally put him in this state?"
"That's right."
Hyuga Makoto nodded. He did have intelligence, after all!
"You are probably after his secret jutsu, right?"
"Secret jutsu..."
Kakashi seemed to have thought of something at this moment, and Hyuga Makoto continued speaking.
"That jutsu is indeed powerful. Although it comes at the cost of accelerating cell division, it can rapidly recover injuries and chakra, and even grant stronger power."
"Exactly. As expected of the Byakugan, you saw through it at a glance."
Orochimaru's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked with great interest.
"But how do you know I haven't obtained this jutsu yet, and why do you think I absolutely must have it?"
"Because you took the initiative to intercept Tenzo and me."
Kakashi had clearly figured it out, and Hyuga Makoto unhurriedly continued.
"That's right. Moreover, this jutsu has a huge flaw. It obviously hasn't been completed yet, so..."
"Interesting."
Orochimaru's killing intent began to fade, and a hint of interest appeared in his eyes.
"To grasp the key point in such a short time, and have enough strength to beat him to his last breath, throwing all the trouble to me..."
Speaking of this, Orochimaru couldn't help but lick his lips.
"I really didn't expect such a genius to appear in the Hyuga Clan. Why don't you come with me?"
"..."
However, these words made Kakashi and Tenzo exchange a glance.
Although Orochimaru was a rogue ninja, his 'personal charisma' had gained him a large group of followers!
It's just that...
"Sorry, I'm afraid I can't do that."
Hyuga Makoto shook his head and also smiled.
"I am a member of the Branch House. Even if I weren't, I wouldn't agree to you."
"..."
This single sentence from Hyuga Makoto rendered even Orochimaru speechless!
Even he didn't expect that this brat was actually from the Hyuga Branch House?
He was even more surprised that a Branch House member had actually mastered so many Main House secret jutsus and had even joined the Anbu?
He had only been gone for a few years, and Konoha had completely changed?
The Hyuga had already been sorted out?
Was that old man experiencing a terminal lucidity?
However, he had lost his interest now, even finding it somewhat dull.
"Consider yourselves lucky. I'll let you off this time."
Looking at the dying Shinno, he slowly injected his own chakra, and his and Shinno's figures began to sink into the ground.
But just before leaving, Orochimaru glanced at Hyuga Makoto one last time.
"Brat, I hope your luck is still this good next time."
As his voice fell, Orochimaru completely vanished from the spot.
And in Hyuga Makoto's Byakugan, he clearly saw that he had already left with Shinno!
"It's finally over..."
Hyuga Makoto finally breathed a sigh of relief. Even with intelligence, facing a ruthless person like Orochimaru still made him somewhat nervous.
The current Orochimaru wasn't the guy in the future who had been hit by the Reaper Death Seal and constantly changed bodies while always bearing a debuff.
As the Third Hokage's 'most favored student', his strength was unimaginable!
"Yeah..."
Tenzo nodded involuntarily, but Kakashi's gaze became stern.
"Makoto, what was the mission I gave you?"
"To pass the intelligence back to Konoha."
Hyuga Makoto blinked. He knew Kakashi's fear of Orochimaru.
In his memory, when Orochimaru defected, Kakashi went to ambush him, only to be one-shotted.
Even during the Chunin Exams, Orochimaru could render Kakashi completely paralyzed with fear!
However, he still shook his head and said with a smile.
"But Captain, aren't we still able to complete our mission just the same?"
"It's not the same."
Kakashi's voice, however, grew even deeper.
"If you misjudged, not to mention that intelligence, you would have lost your life too..."
"But Captain Kakashi, I judged correctly."
This time, Hyuga Makoto actively interrupted Kakashi, and his demeanor also became serious.
"If I had left, Captain and Senior would have been in danger. Besides, have you forgotten something I once said?"
Speaking of this, Hyuga Makoto paused. He took off his mask, revealing a refreshing smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Comrades are the most worthy of cherishing. Although I disobeyed the Captain's orders, to me..."
"No matter what, I will not abandon my comrades!"
This sentence instantly left Kakashi stunned in place.
And this sentence also seemed to pierce right through his heart!
Inexplicably, he seemed to see another young boy shouting loudly at him.
"Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum!"
These two voices continuously intertwined, and these two figures slowly overlapped.
At this moment, Kakashi also became somewhat dazed.
He quietly looked at Hyuga Makoto in silence. For a time, the only sounds left on this battlefield were the rustling of swaying branches and the crackling of flames.
"I understand."
After a long while, Kakashi finally broke the silence.
He turned around, facing away from the two, and spoke softly.
"Let's go. We've been out for so long, it's time to head back."
"Eh?"
Tenzo froze for a moment, then immediately burst into a smile.
"Alright, let's hurry back!"
"Yeah."
Hyuga Makoto also nodded along. They had been out long enough; it really was time to go back!
However, they noticed that at this moment, beneath Kakashi's mask, a rare smile had appeared.
And right at this exact moment, a message flashed in Hyuga Makoto's mind.
[Completed Side Quest: Looting Orochimaru's Laboratory]
[Reward Obtained: Orochimaru's Sealing Jutsu]
[Completed Side Quest: Comrades are the most worthy of cherishing, assist Kakashi and Tenzo in dealing with the crisis]
[Reward Obtained: Part of Orochimaru's Ninja World Scientific Data]
"?!"