What was the most appropriate way to resolve the current situation?
Should he drag out the Italian Cannon? Get a shot off before the other side finished their full Tailed Beast transformation?
But officially, that single shot he'd been stockpiling for over a year was prepared for the Third Raikage. Even though there were no witnesses here, using a technique like that would inevitably leave traces behind.
But if he didn't go all out, could he handle a Tailed Beast transformed jinchuriki? This time there was no Kushina here to help with suppression.
Just as Hagoromo was hesitating, he suddenly felt a chill creeping down his spine.
That same damp and cold feeling, like... how to describe it, right, if he had to compare it to an animal, it was like a snake.
Hagoromo whipped around sharply!
Then he let out a relieved breath, because backup with its own exclusive BGM had arrived.
Uncle, why'd you take so long?
I've been quietly humming "A Thousand Years of Waiting" over and over again.
Finally, a hero is here to save the... ahem, never mind.
A big shot showed up, so Hagoromo didn't need to struggle anymore. The jinchuriki situation wasn't his burden to carry—that was work for ninja on the level of the Legendary Sannin.
Hagoromo quickly withdrew his technique and retreated to Orochimaru's side, who had appeared so abruptly.
Because of the new enemy's arrival, Roshi's Tailed Beast transformation oddly came to a halt. He hadn't fled, nor chosen to attack immediately. He seemed like he wanted to assess the situation first.
"A Jinchuriki? So that explains the massive chakra I was sensing. Orochimaru's hoarse yet magnetic voice rang out, and that pale face and snake-like vertical pupils carried a hint of excitement within them.
Humans as a species always liked stimulating things, and a dangerous plaything like a jinchuriki not only didn't worry Orochimaru—it excited the great scientist in him.
He definitely wanted to capture this Tailed Beast and raise it as a pet.
"Orochimaru-sama, the Four-Tails jinchuriki from the Hidden Stone Village, Roshi," Hagoromo identified the other's identity.
"Hidden Stone? So it's the Four-Tails, no wonder..."
The burn marks scattered all around definitely couldn't escape Orochimaru's eyes. If it was the Four-Tails, that explained everything.
"So you've been battling the jinchuriki alone this whole time... your name?" he asked, turning his gaze to Hagoromo.
"Leaf Village chunin, Kamishiro Hagoromo."
Orochimaru's eyes, which had been fixed on the jinchuriki, suddenly snapped over to him. His expression seemed even more excited than when he'd spotted the Tailed Beast.
"That level of Lightning Style, techniques like that—so you're Kamishiro Hagoromo after all."
"A chunin... heh heh."
"Hagoromo, Hagoromo, that name... heh heh, very good, extremely good."
Orochimaru's attitude wasn't good news.
Hagoromo's mind spun. Was he possibly already on this guy's research roster?
Thinking about it, he really was a special specimen. How could someone of ordinary ninja origin possess this kind of strength at such a young age?
Especially that Lightning Style technique just now, which clearly exceeded the human body's tolerance limits, yet he hadn't suffered any injury at all. That was basically challenging the fundamental principle of "technique power and risk."
And regarding being a chunin... when could chunin fight against jinchuriki?
Moreover, Orochimaru had even mocked Hagoromo's name. This was the first time anyone had actually called him out on it.
Hagoromo. This was the name of the Sage of Six Paths before he became a monk. But in the current ninja world, which treated the Sage of Six Paths as mythological legend, there was insufficient understanding of the sage who had founded the ninja system and brought peace to the chaotic world.
Was the Sage of Six Paths a real person? Most ninja would either say they didn't know or that it was a fairytale.
But ninja like Orochimaru and Jiraiya had basic understanding of the Sage of Six Paths. At minimum, Orochimaru knew the Sage's name was Otsutsuki Hagoromo.
The name Hagoromo wasn't exactly common, nor was it rare. But for a shinobi to be named Hagoromo while possessing power that normal logic couldn't explain—such a fact naturally piqued Orochimaru's interest.
As for what Orochimaru's tongue was doing at this moment... use your imagination, no further description necessary.
Hagoromo didn't take the bait. He changed the subject directly: "Orochimaru-sama, should we handle the jinchuriki together? We still haven't figured out why the Hidden Stone infiltrated this place."
"No need. Leave this one to me. Weren't you two operating as a team? Your teammate's situation right now isn't looking good."
With that, Orochimaru pointed off in a certain direction.
Orochimaru's meaning was clear: He intended on fighting the jinchurki alone.
"Understood!"
With Orochimaru saying that, Hagoromo didn't hesitate for a second. He immediately took off running to rescue Kakashi.
As for what Snake Uncle wanted to do with the jinchuriki? he wasn't staying to see...
Certain things just had to be done privately. Having a third party around was inconvenient.
Hagoromo carefully skirted around Roshi, and the other made no move to block his departure.
The jinchuriki could be left for the sannin to handle.
After putting some distance between himself and the enemy, Hagoromo began sprinting toward the direction Orochimaru had pointed. Until he got there, he could only pray the Third Hokage blessed Hatake Kakashi.
Since they hadn't been far apart to begin with, Hagoromo quickly reached the original battlefield where Kakashi had first fought the enemy. But there was no one here now.
No blood traces, no corpses either. This made Hagoromo's breath easier.
The battle traces hadn't been concealed, so the direction of Kakashi's movement during the fight was crystal clear. Hagoromo followed the trail.
And Kakashi? Things were really looking bad for him right now, because he was in the middle of a dangerous duel—except it was one against two.
They had him two-on-one, giving him the mixed doubles treatment.
You could say fortune was spinning its wheel. Kakashi wasn't doing too bad.
Fortunately, it seemed like they were intentionally letting the eyebrowless guy use Kakashi for practice. The second enemy had just been watching the whole time, only deciding to step in if the other guy was in trouble.
Kakashi was almost about to get one-shot! But at that moment, his good friend Hagoromo finally logged on.
The eyebrowless guy was probably called Momochi Zabuza.
The ninja who had been watching the whole time, the kunoichi who had just made her move—she was called Terumi Mei.
Once this woman made her move, she was swift as the wind. In almost an instant, the kunai in her hand was about to pierce through Kakashi's throat!
But then, the distinctive chirping of a certain Lightning Style suddenly echoed out.
A hand crackling with electricity enlarged in front of Mei's eyes, then with a sharp slap, it struck her face.
The force transmitted through the palm was substantial. Her neck felt the pull.
Her head snapped backward under the opponent's force, then dragged, then came her torso, thighs, both feet!
Mei felt her body being sent flying backward, and then...
"Boom!"
A girl's head was smashed into a wall!
Yet when Hagoromo withdrew his hand, what stood before him was merely a wooden log.
"Interesting. At my attack speed, up until now, the number of enemies who have successfully used Substitution Jutsu while fighting me has been very few."
Hagoromo turned, speaking toward a certain direction.
Actually speaking, there had been none before. Terumi Mei is the first one now.
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