In the distance, it was a scene of chaos. The trees within a dozen meters were scorched, emitting blue smoke, and occasionally small flames flickered.
Just now, Kaguya had used the Body Flicker Technique to suddenly appear behind Orochimaru, catching him off guard because she didn't need to form hand signs.
Kaguya didn't hesitate and turned to run.
But as soon as she turned around, a hand grabbed her neck, and her pupils shrank.
So fast.
"Not bad, you don't need to form hand signs," Orochimaru's pale face appeared before her. "And you can use ninjutsu that the Hyuga clan cannot. Interesting." As he spoke, Orochimaru reached out and removed the fox mask from Kaguya's face, tossing it to the ground.
Orochimaru's original target was only Sasuke, but Kaguya's performance in defeating Dosu in the classroom had piqued his interest slightly. It should be noted that Orochimaru had informants in the classroom.
It was also Kaguya's bad luck that her route happened to intersect with Orochimaru's, leading to the current situation.
With her neck grasped tightly by Orochimaru, Kaguya clutched his hand, kicking desperately, but Orochimaru was unfazed.
"You seem to know me," Orochimaru extended his crimson serpent tongue, aiming to lick Kaguya's face.
"Disgusting."
"Body Replacement Technique."
Kaguya suddenly broke free from Orochimaru's grasp, leaving a piece of wood in his hand.
She no longer held onto any illusions. If she didn't give it her all, she wouldn't even be able to escape, let alone defeat Orochimaru.
"Rabbit Hair Needle."
Her snow-white, silky hair suddenly lengthened, flowing like a waterfall in the wind. Countless strands shot towards Orochimaru like needles.
Orochimaru tried to leap away, but the hair, like fine rain, enveloped him completely.
"Phew." Kaguya exhaled lightly. Although she didn't believe she could defeat Orochimaru this way, at least it could restrict his movements. After all, it was one of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's signature techniques.
"Very interesting ability." The familiar voice sounded from behind her again. "You can even seal chakra points."
Kaguya's body froze. She turned her head, her pupils shrinking.
She saw Orochimaru's body, covered in sticky fluid, crawl out from his previous body, smiling at her.
The Rabbit Hair Needle had sealed Orochimaru's chakra points, but Orochimaru's unique substitution technique rendered it ineffective.
Kaguya felt a chill in her limbs, her entire body stiffening, her mind hazy. Images of herself covered in blood and being dissected on an operating table filled her vision, the red consuming her mind.
Suddenly, a warm current flowed from her eyes, circulating throughout her body, melting away the chilling fear like snow under the sun.
Kaguya snapped out of it. It was an illusion.
"Unexpected that you could break free from fear," Orochimaru grinned sinisterly, "Not bad, a fine specimen." His neck suddenly elongated, twisting like a snake, his mouth opening to bite Kaguya.
At that moment, Kaguya's eyes began to throb painfully. She quickly covered her eyes, gasping in pain. It felt as if countless steel needles were piercing them.
Orochimaru's head was about to sink its fangs into her neck.
"Get lost," Kaguya managed to say through clenched teeth, cold sweat running down her face.
"What?" Orochimaru's movements halted.
"I said, get lost!" Kaguya suddenly lifted her head, her eyes a pale blue, glowing with an unusual light.
Orochimaru's body was struck as if by an invisible force, sending him flying backward, crashing through seven or eight trees before he stopped.
"What is this?" Orochimaru got up from the ground, wiping the blood from his mouth. "That power just now..."
Kaguya's face was icy, like eternal ice. She extended her delicate hand, and a black sphere appeared in her palm, spinning rapidly, accelerating.
"What?" Orochimaru showed a look of shock, his body going limp, collapsing to the ground involuntarily. "My chakra, how..."
He felt his chakra steadily draining, pouring into the black sphere in Kaguya's hand like a vast black hole sucking it out of him.
Orochimaru knew he couldn't continue like this. If he did, not only would his chakra be drained, but his very life might be in danger.
Forming hand signs, he slammed his hand onto the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
In a puff of white smoke, a gigantic serpent appeared, just in time to block Orochimaru. Using this brief moment, Orochimaru leaped backward, escaping the range of the chakra absorption.
The giant serpent, however, wasn't so fortunate. It was immediately drained of its chakra and collapsed to the ground. Its chakra reserves were far less than Orochimaru's, and it was quickly exhausted.
"What is this power?" Orochimaru frowned. If he hadn't decisively escaped, he might have ended up like the collapsed giant serpent. But then he smiled. "Fascinating, those eyes..."
Orochimaru looked at Kaguya's pale blue eyes, licking his lips with his long tongue. He turned and left without further delay.
Kaguya felt dazed, her mind foggy as if she hadn't fully woken up. Her instinctive attack on Orochimaru seemed almost automatic, a reflexive action.
"Could this be the Tenseigan?"
Before she could feel any joy, the scene before her began to blur. She felt dizzy, lost her balance, and then everything went black as she fainted.
When she woke up, it was already morning. The sky was clear, and warm sunlight filtered through the leaves, like threads of light.
The forest was filled with a light mist, the moist air carrying a hint of chill. Kaguya instinctively clutched the blanket covering her.
"Blanket?" Kaguya jolted awake, jumping up in surprise.