"Ahhhhhh...!!!"
Anku's piercing scream had barely stopped for a few seconds before it rang out again in the dense forest.
She had just been saved by Ebisu and hadn't even had time to catch her breath when, to her horror, she spotted two massive crimson serpent eyes suddenly appearing in the direction they were flying.
What terrified her the most was that there was no longer any trace of the playful attitude in those serpent eyes—only endless hatred.
Despicable little human brats!!
As Anku sensed, the Ten-headed serpent was indeed filled with hatred for these troublesome little brats.
But beneath the hatred was also a layer of fear.
Yes, fear.
Ten-headed Serpent never imagined that a simple, easy side job would bring such a significant crisis.
I hadn't expected these kids, who couldn't even fill their teeth and were dismissed as insignificant, could actually threaten my life!
The severe pain radiating from its severely burned abdomen repeatedly reminded it that if it had taken any longer to break free, it might not have survived that fiery pit!
The pain was so intense that it couldn't even focus enough to cancel the summoning and retreat to the Dragon Cave to save itself.
The possibility of dying in such a humiliating way filled the Ten-headed Serpent, who had always prided itself on being at the top of the food chain, with immense terror.
For a moment, it even recalled the warnings of its elders, who had expressed a cautious respect for humans, those weak creatures.
But that thought didn't last long.
Unwilling to admit such fear, the Ten-headed Serpent quickly transformed its fear of death into fuel for its hatred, fanning the flames of its anger.
It hated the three meddlesome brats who nearly took its life, hated the purple-haired brat who didn't follow through with the "game," and even hated Orochimaru, who summoned it.
Blinded by hatred, it completely forgot its agreement with Orochimaru and now wanted nothing more than to swallow these brats whole to quench its burning rage!
So, when it saw Ebisu and Anku flying towards it, its heart filled with the thrill of impending revenge.
Let's start with you two brats!
Ten-headed Serpent roared in its heart and suddenly opened its giant mouth, lined with two sharp, venomous fangs, ready to bite the two, flying straight toward it!
Meanwhile, Obito and Asuma, having just found a foothold on the nearby trees, barely had time to stabilise themselves, let alone save Ebisu.
Seeing Ebisu about to be devoured by the monstrous serpent, they both cried out in despair:
"Ebisu!!!"
Even Orochimaru, who had been watching the scene with amusement, couldn't help but glance at Natsuhiko out of the corner of his eye.
Seeing that Natsuhiko remained unmoved, Orochimaru clicked his tongue in wonder.
Is he really not going to step in at this point?
Does he still have a backup plan in that strange gear…
Or is Natsuhiko that confident in his students?
Orochimaru's curiosity flared once more, completely forgetting that the disciple he had just accepted was about to be swallowed by a serpent.
What Orochimaru didn't know was that Natsuhiko was feeling a bit nervous himself.
Because on the interface in front of him, a message was still showing:
Bluetoothisconnecting...Bluetooth is connecting...Bluetoothisconnecting...
Back to the scene, Ebisu and Anku were moments away from being swallowed, yet Ebisu, the centre of attention, still showed no signs of movement. He continued flying straight into the giant serpent's gaping maw, holding Anku tightly.
His calm and composed demeanour gave Anku a sliver of hope.
Could it be that this big brother has some ultimate escape trick?
Clinging to this final straw of hope, Anku hugged him tightly, making sure not to hinder whatever moves he might make.
However, as she leaned closer, she was horrified to hear the faint sound of snoring coming from under his mask...
It's over.
This time, it's really over.
So, he wasn't quiet because he had a plan—he had fainted from fear long ago…
It seemed that the earlier heroic leap to save Anku was the last burst of strength Ebisu had.
And his current state? That was his usual self.
Completely losing hope, Anku took a deep breath and let out the loudest scream of her life:
"Ahhhhhh...!!!"
As Anku screamed, the two of them drew an arc through the air, flying straight toward the serpent's mouth…
But just as they were about to be swallowed, a sudden change occurred!
Ebisu, who had seemed unconscious, suddenly tightened his grip on Anku with one hand while his other hand slapped a button on the side of his belt.
In the next moment, a ball composed of black pentagons and white hexagons began to inflate from the centre of his belt!
And the ball expanded rapidly, turning into a giant sphere at least three meters in diameter!
What is that?
Everyone watching had the same question in their minds.
But before anyone could overthink, the massive sphere detached from the belt.
Ebisu, still in midair, twisted his body dramatically and kicked the ball straight into the open mouth of the oncoming serpent!
Boom!!
A massive explosion echoed through the forest.
Like a balloon bursting with a pin, the enormous sphere exploded the moment it touched the serpent's sharp fangs!
The blast's shockwave spread in all directions, toppling thick branches around them and making them creak under the pressure.
At the same time, a large chunk of the sphere's fragments splattered across the serpent's face, temporarily blinding it.
Meanwhile, not far from the explosion, Ebisu had already embedded a white shuriken into his ninja sword, created a white circular barrier in front of him as a buffer, and was using the blast's force to fly away from the serpent at high speed.
However, their crisis wasn't over yet.
Still flying at high speed, they were about to crash into a massive tree!
Thankfully, Ebisu extended his hand again, forming a white barrier in front of him. He bounced between the trees like a pinball, gradually slowing down until he landed safely.
After landing, Ebisu gently put down the now-stunned Anku, then stood motionless, doing who knows what.
At this point, Obito and Asuma rushed over excitedly.
"Ebisu! I had no idea you were hiding this much power! I didn't expect you to have mastered the barrier shuriken technique so well!"
Asuma, coming from behind, enthusiastically slapped Ebisu on the shoulder.
But with just that slap, the once-mighty Ebisu fell to the ground!
In the next instant, even his combat suit vanished.
"Wha-what is going on?"
Asuma stood there dumbfounded, staring at his raised right hand, wondering if he had somehow awakened some kind of god-like strength…
(End of Chapter)
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