The hunched posture and slow movements made the person look like an elderly figure nearing the end of life. However, the mechanical scorpion tail protruding from the back of this 'old man' appeared deadly, making everyone in the cave, except for Orochimaru, feel on edge.
"Who are you?" Jiraiya shifted his body slightly, ensuring he could keep an eye on both the newcomer at the entrance and Orochimaru inside the cave, while positioning Shizune behind him.
"Me?"
"You don't need to know my name. I just came to take that snake away." the old man said and let out a dismissive snort.
Everyone turned to look at Orochimaru, as they all knew that 'snake' symbolized him. He smiled slightly upon hearing this but remained silent.
Looking at the masked old man whose origins were unclear, both Jiraiya and Tsunade frowned slightly, their minds sharing the same suspicion about his identity.
Could he really be one of Orochimaru's companions?
Since Orochimaru left the village, he had largely disappeared. Although he was an extremely powerful ninja with numerous secret hideouts, it wouldn't have been easy for him to remain hidden despite the searches by Konoha's ANBU and Jiraiya.
However, throughout all this time, Orochimaru never stopped his research activities. If he had been going out to search for experimental materials himself, he would have left some traces.
Yet, since he hadn't been detected at all, it suggested that someone had been helping him acquire the materials needed for his experiments.
And this mysterious old man who had appeared suddenly was evidence of that suspicion.
Even if he had come to rescue Orochimaru, Jiraiya couldn't let it happen. This was the best chance in two years to capture Orochimaru and bring him back to the village—possibly the only chance.
"Tsunade, let's team up!"
He glanced at Tsunade, who looked at both the old man and Orochimaru before decisively nodding.
"Alright!"
Orochimaru quickly used a Body Flicker Technique to move to the old man's side.
The two exchanged a glance, without any verbal communication, then immediately turned and dashed out of the cave.
"Don't run, you coward!" Jiraiya's frustrated shout echoed off the cave walls as he chased after them, with Tsunade hurrying after him.
Just as Shizune was about to follow, Tsunade quickly turned and ordered, "You stay here and take care of Anko!"
Under her orders, Shizune had no choice but to stop, watching the backs of Jiraiya and Tsunade disappear into the light at the cave entrance.
She understood that Tsunade's command was for her own good. After all, even setting aside the newly arrived old man, Orochimaru alone was not to be underestimated. Even with Jiraiya and Tsunade teaming up, they might not easily suppress him.
With her current strength as a chunin ninja, she wasn't qualified to intervene in such a battle, and might even get caught as a hostage.
Though she lost the chance to witness the battle between the Legendary Sannins, she returned to the cave and looked at the unconscious Anko, lying on the operating table. Be safe, Tsunade-sama.
---
In the forest, Orochimaru and Sasori ran ahead, with Jiraiya and Tsunade close behind.
"At this rate, we won't be able to shake them off," Orochimaru remarked, glancing at Jiraiya and Tsunade trailing them.
All three, including Sasori, were about the same level, so outrunning each other was impossible.
"Orochimaru, this is all your fault. Once this is over, you'll have to explain everything to the leader personally," Sasori's tone was cold, lacking any camaraderie between companions.
Orochimaru wasn't bothered, though, as Sasori had never spoken to him kindly before. Your temperament is as charming as ever.
"Let's deal with them up ahead," Orochimaru suddenly stopped, standing at the edge of a clearing in the forest. Sasori also halted beside him.
Within seconds, two dark figures dropped from the treetops, standing on the opposite side of the clearing.
"What's this? Decided not to run anymore?" Jiraiya teased with a slight smirk.
"We've decided to finish you off here," Sasori stepped forward. Due to his parents being killed by a Konoha ninja, he held a natural resentment toward Konoha shinobis.
This hatred wasn't just aimed at Jiraiya and Tsunade but also at his companion, Orochimaru.
We? How uncharacteristically humble of you, Sasori.
Orochimaru, however, noticed an important detail: Sasori had used 'we' instead of 'I' when speaking. Normally, when on missions, Sasori would criticize him for being too slow and would handle things himself, always using 'I'.
This shift to 'we' indicated that despite his usual disdain for Orochimaru's title as one of the Sannin, he wasn't arrogant enough to think he could take on two Sannins alone.
Especially considering Sasori's strength lay in using poisons, while the other side had an expert in antidotes, which countered him to some extent.
With no further exchange of words, Sasori made the first move, with the scorpion tail on his back clattering as it shot towards Jiraiya and Tsunade.
The tail exceeded its apparent maximum length in an instant, extending even further and reaching Jiraiya and Tsunade in no time. The sudden attack startled both of them slightly; neither had expected the scorpion tail to extend to such a length.
However, this confirmed their earlier suspicion—the old man before them was a puppet master.
Despite the surprise, they quickly dodged the attack. Tsunade was a bit slower, narrowly avoiding the sharp blade on the side of the scorpion tail.
Seeing that his poisonous blade had almost hit her, Sasori clicked his tongue in regret behind his mask.
Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade, sensing something off in her condition. "Tsunade, you alright?"
"I'm fine. Keep your eyes on the enemy!"
In truth, Tsunade had exerted herself earlier—not in terms of chakra, but mentally. The intense focus required during her chakra control earlier had left her somewhat drained and unfocused.
"Stay behind me and support from the rear," Jiraiya said.
Tsunade didn't reply but leaped back, positioning herself in the rear. Her pride stung at the need for protection, but she understood the tactical advantage.
Though much time had passed since then, Jiraiya still naturally shifted a bit to the left when standing in front of Tsunade. Just like old times... almost.
Seeing this familiar formation and the space that should have been his, Orochimaru couldn't help but smile wryly.
---
In the clearing between the trees, Sasori's scorpion tail swept wildly, whipping up fallen leaves from the ground in a fierce gust.
The target of these attacks was none other than Jiraiya, who stood in front of Tsunade.
Sasori's puppet, Hiruko, had many dangerous features, but the most distinctive and unpredictable was the scorpion tail, capable of extending and retracting freely. Combined with his exceptional puppet-controlling skills, it was a weapon capable of easily killing most ninjas.
However, defeating Jiraiya with just this would be impossible. Every scorpion tail attack was dodged by him.
"Is that all you've got?" Jiraiya taunted. "My grannie moves faster than that!"
As the sharp blade on the scorpion tail slashed through fresh leaves on the ground, they were effortlessly cut apart, and the green color of the leaves rapidly faded into a dark, purplish hue.
This sight immediately caught Jiraiya's attention, as he had been carefully monitoring his surroundings. He quickly realized that the blades were coated with poison and couldn't be touched.
Even though he had a poison expert like Tsunade behind him, who could ensure his survival, in the heat of battle, she wouldn't be able to neutralize the poison instantly.
If he were poisoned, she would have to stop and treat him, giving Orochimaru the perfect opportunity to escape. Thus, he couldn't afford to let his guard down and was fully focused on dodging the scorpion tail's attacks.
After a few quick backsteps, Jiraiya managed to lure the scorpion tail far away, stretching its joints almost to their limits.
Seizing the moment, right after dodging an attack, he spun in midair, using his momentum to throw three kunais at Sasori, who stood rooted in place.
From their brief exchange, Jiraiya deduced that the key feature of Sasori's puppet was its tail, which seemed to serve both offensive and defensive purposes.
He used his own body to lure the scorpion tail into its maximum extension, then threw kunais at the puppet's controller. His plan was that with the tail fully extended, it wouldn't be able to protect its master in time.
But just as the kunai were about to hit Sasori's face, the base of the scorpion tail, which had seemed the most cumbersome, suddenly retracted swiftly, forming a protective ring in front of him, deflecting all three kunais.
What?
Both Jiraiya and Tsunade were stunned.
Logically, if the entire scorpion tail was being used as a puppet, most of the chakra strings controlling it should be focused on the tip for swift and precise attacks.
Jiraiya had indeed felt the pressure from the tail's fast and aggressive movements.
That's why he had assumed that the puppet master had concentrated most of his chakra on the tail's tip, leaving the base of the tail much heavier and less responsive.
However, just as he threw the kunais, the base of the tail moved with remarkable agility and speed.
This meant the puppet master was not only using his chakra strings for offense but was maintaining defense as well, still putting considerable pressure on Jiraiya.
Both Jiraiya and Tsunade realized that this puppet master was no ordinary opponent.
To maintain such precise control over the entire tail... Who is this guy?
While Jiraiya and Sasori were deeply engrossed in battle, Orochimaru remained in the background, observing quietly. Though he wasn't typically one to provide support, much like Tsunade, he chose to stay back as part of the strategy.
At that moment, he wasn't fully focused on the fight ahead. Instead, he watched Sasori's unprotected back with a sly smile.
He knew that the old man before him was the puppet genius of the Sand Village, Sasori of the Red Sand. Based on his age, he should be a young man in his twenties.
As for why he looked like an old man now, Orochimaru suspected that this body was merely a puppet he was wearing.
Throughout their joint mission, he had been silently observing his comrade, trying to understand Sasori's combat methods. After all, Sasori and Orochimaru were not on good terms and were bound to face off one day. He needed to study him as he would an enemy.
However, the tasks given by Akatsuki were always too easy for Sasori, and each time, he completed them using just his scorpion tail, never revealing what lay beneath his long cloak.
Was it mechanical traps? Or was it his true body?
Now, finally, the time had come. Even if Jiraiya was slow, he should be strong enough to force Sasori to show some of his true abilities.
Wait...
If I'm destined to fight Sasori, why not take this chance to kill him?
If I kill him here, I could simply blame it on Jiraiya and Tsunade when reporting to Pain.
Oh, the irony. To betray a fellow traitor...
But just as his murderous intent reached its peak, Orochimaru managed to restrain himself.
Even if he did kill Sasori, there was no guarantee he could escape from both Jiraiya and Tsunade working together.
Even if he decided to attack, he didn't know where to aim.
The head?
Impossible. A skilled puppet master like Sasori would never align his real head with a puppet's head.
The heart?
Possible, but the puppet's body was short and stocky, making it difficult to pinpoint where the heart might be.
He knew that if he wanted to kill a master like Sasori, he'd only have one chance. If he failed, it would be his downfall. There were still greater truths he wished to pursue. Now was not the time to fall into an irredeemable situation.
Not today, Sasori. Your strings will remain uncut... for now.
Weighing the pros and cons, he calmed his inner turmoil and lowered his hand.
Once Orochimaru's killing intent faded, Sasori, who was in the midst of the battle, returned his tiny, bead-like eyes to the fight in front of him.
Of course, he would never fully trust someone like Orochimaru, even while pressuring Jiraiya with his attacks. He had also been keeping an eye on his back.
Good. That snake knows his place.
Knowing that Orochimaru had given up, Sasori focused entirely on Jiraiya.
"Art of the Raging Lion's Mane!"
Jiraiya formed the serpent hand seal, and his white hair quickly grew, like steel cables, wrapping around Sasori's scorpion tail.
Normally, the blades on the tail could easily slice through Jiraiya's hair. But as soon as he grabbed the tail, he skillfully twisted his hair into the joints of the tail.
The hair became lodged in the joints, completely immobilizing the scorpion tail's movements.
"Got you now!" he grinned triumphantly.
Seeing this, Sasori remained calm, knowing that Jiraiya was now also unable to move.
Jiraiya's grin slowly faded as he noticed Sasori's lack of panic.
Suddenly, a stream of air burst from beneath Sasori's mask, and high-density poison needles shot out from a mechanism in his mouth, flying toward the defenseless Jiraiya.
"Watch out!" Tsunade's warning shout rang out across the clearing.