Suddenly, the light blue glow around Kaguya flickered a few times and disappeared. Kaguya seemed to have been drained of all her strength and collapsed on the ground, panting heavily, her face showing an abnormal flush.
With Kaguya's current abilities, she couldn't maintain this state for long because it consumed too much chakra.
"Oh," Orochimaru was startled but then smiled and walked over. "It seems you can't use this power for too long." Orochimaru extended his long tongue and licked his lips.
Orochimaru walked over to Kaguya and stared at her intently, like a predator eyeing its prey.
"However, you have exceeded my expectations." Orochimaru reached out and grabbed Kaguya's hair, lifting her off the ground and suspending her in mid-air. "Now, you belong to me."
"Is that so?" Kaguya suddenly lifted her head, her light blue eyes emitting a strange glow.
"All-Killing Ash Bones."
A bone spike suddenly extended from her hand. Orochimaru quickly released Kaguya's hair and jumped back. But it was too late; the bone spike had already pierced his arm as he leaped away.
Blood splattered.
The utterly exhausted Kaguya could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, her entire body drenched in sweat. She panted heavily, feeling worse than she ever had before. The intense pain made her head feel like it was going to explode.
"I didn't expect you to have any strength left. The Shikotsumyaku, huh?" Orochimaru looked at the wound on his arm and smirked, "But unfortunately, it won't do much to me."
"Is that so?" Kaguya's lips curved slightly.
"What?"
Orochimaru suddenly noticed something wrong. There seemed to be a strange force in his wound, wreaking havoc on his flesh. In no time, his arm began to crumble, disintegrating like sand.
Moreover, this force was rapidly spreading and was about to reach his torso.
Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock. He gritted his teeth, grabbed a kunai with his left hand, and slashed hard.
Blood splattered.
He had actually cut off his own arm.
The severed right arm continued to disintegrate, turning to dust before it even hit the ground.
Orochimaru panted heavily, his heart filled with shock.
What kind of jutsu is this? It's terrifying. If he hadn't decisively severed his right arm, his entire body might have been destroyed. Additionally, Orochimaru realized that the force was inhibiting his regenerative abilities. If it had contaminated him, the consequences would have been dire.
"I was careless," Orochimaru said with a twisted smile, his eyes gleaming with fervor. "But to think there's such a powerful jutsu. This is excellent. Your body, I will take it."
At this moment, three shuriken flew towards Orochimaru.
Orochimaru retreated to avoid the incoming shuriken and sneered, "I didn't expect you all to arrive so quickly."
Several figures landed in front of Kaguya and Orochimaru: a white-haired masked man, a bowl-cut man with thick eyebrows, and a man with a goatee. They were Kakashi, Guy, and Asuma.
"Stop, Orochimaru. You are not our match," Kakashi said in a deep voice.
"Hmph, it seems you're lucky this time." Orochimaru chuckled darkly, glancing at the fallen Kaguya. He licked his tongue, "Kaguya, I will come for you again."
As soon as he finished speaking, Orochimaru sank into the ground. The Sound Four had also disappeared, possibly having fled during the chaos.
Kakashi and the others were about to give chase.
"Don't go," the Third Hokage struggled to get up from the ground, coughing a few times. "Be careful, it might be a trap."
Although Orochimaru had lost his right arm, he was cunning and deceitful. It couldn't be ruled out that this was a ploy to lure them away and then capture Kaguya.
"Lord Hokage," Kakashi, Guy, and Asuma gathered around him, anxiously asking, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," the Third Hokage coughed a few more times while covering his mouth. "More importantly, take this child to the hospital first."
"Understood."
At this moment, Kurenai arrived, gently lifting the unconscious Kaguya and carrying her on her back, heading towards the hospital.
This child...
"Lord Hokage," an Anbu ninja appeared before him, saying, "Lord Danzo has requested that this girl be handed over to him for handling."
"Hmph," the Third Hokage snorted. "Tell him that this is none of his concern. I will handle it myself. Let him take care of the aftermath of this incident."
"Yes." The Anbu ninja disappeared with a swoosh.
Kaguya's eyelashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes, seeing the white ceiling. She touched her forehead, realizing it was no longer hot, and the intense pain had subsided, though her head still felt a bit fuzzy and dizzy.
Kaguya felt weak all over, like a pile of cotton. She sat up, holding her head, realizing she was in a hospital.
"Kaguya, you're finally awake."
A familiar voice called out, and before Kaguya could see clearly, her cheeks were grabbed and squeezed repeatedly.