As the three of them marveled at the situation, they thought, surely this should be the end, right? There couldn't possibly be any more twists, could there?
However, Natsuro did not think so. He had just used the Chidori Sharp Spear for a quick thrust, and now he wanted to directly sever Orochimaru's neck to feel at ease.
But no one expected that even after Natsuro's Chidori Sharp Spear pierced through Orochimaru's neck, that head paused for a moment and then continued to move!
Orochimaru's grotesque face opened its mouth, and, to Sasuke's wide-eyed astonishment, another small snake emerged from within!
However, since it was just a small snake, Sasuke had regained a bit of strength during that brief moment. He gripped his kunai and slashed at it, successfully cutting the small snake in half.
Finally, it should be over now, right? Watching the severed snake, Sasuke gasped for breath, feeling a bit sluggish from all the sudden changes.
"Sa-Sasuke!!"
However, Naruto's scream rang out again.
What now?
Sasuke knew something must have happened again, but what could it be? He didn't have time to turn around before he felt a sharp pain in his neck. It turned out that a small snake he hadn't managed to eliminate yet had seized the opportunity to climb up a nearby tree and bite him on the neck.
That snake was quickly cut down by Sasuke with his kunai, but it was already too late.
After Natsuro severed the long, extended neck of Orochimaru, he brought Naruto and Sakura to Sasuke's side. Watching the curse mark slowly manifesting on Sasuke's neck, he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.
This Orochimaru was not only difficult to kill but also had an outrageous number of tricks up his sleeve. Natsuro had just severed his neck, and yet he could still move…
Despite what seemed like Natsuro having the upper hand in those few moments, Orochimaru's focus had never really been on him; he had been fixated on Sasuke. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to do all this.
After all, he was one of the legendary Sannin. Without the right countermeasures, Natsuro was not someone he could easily deal with at this moment.
"Is he finally dead now?" Sasuke asked hoarsely, clutching his neck.
"Not necessarily…" Natsuro said gravely, while Sakura began to heal Sasuke with her simple medical ninjutsu.
"Not necessarily?" Sasuke gritted his teeth. How could that be…?
Everyone turned their eyes to the pit, and what they saw sent shivers down their spines…
As the dust settled, a headless corpse sat kneeling there, which should have prompted them to breathe a sigh of relief. But the scene that followed made them widen their eyes in shock.
Suddenly, from the severed neck, two perfectly intact hands emerged. The hands were extremely pale and delicate, completely unlike the skin a man should possess.
In the next moment, those hands clawed at the headless corpse, as if the small neck was obstructing its path, tearing the flesh apart and ultimately revealing a body covered in slime.
The most shocking part was that this figure was identical to the one before, even wearing the same undamaged clothes…
"What is this?!" Naruto swallowed hard, his eyes filled with a hint of fear of the unknown. This was clearly a monster!
"Hehe…"
A strange laugh emanated from the now-androgynous Orochimaru, who gazed at Natsuro and said, "If I'm not mistaken, you're the famed Konoha's Little White Fang, right? It seems the rumors were wrong."
As Orochimaru spoke, he licked his long tongue over his lips, causing Natsuro to feel a bit nauseous.
"Konoha's Little White Fang?!" Both Sasuke and Sakura were taken aback and turned to look at Natsuro's silhouette. They had clearly heard of this reputation but never expected him to be Natsuro. Furthermore, they hadn't seen Natsuro wielding a sword recently…
"What's Little White Fang?" Naruto scratched his head, looking completely clueless. He had never paid much attention to these matters.
"It's truly an honor to be recognized by Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin, who enjoys toying with three genin," Natsuro interjected, standing protectively in front of Team 7, his expression serious as he looked at Orochimaru with a mocking tone.
Natsuro had sensed the surge of the Nine-Tails' chakra within Naruto and rushed over using the Flying Thunder God technique.
Had he arrived from the very beginning, it would not have led to Sasuke being cursed.
Although this curse might not necessarily be a bad thing for Sasuke, Natsuro initially intended to let things unfold naturally. However, after that feeling of disgust arose, he decided to intervene.
Yet, he still couldn't stop it. By the time he arrived, Orochimaru had already completed most of his preparations. While Natsuro's presence had greatly affected Orochimaru, he didn't have the time to clear away all of Orochimaru's preparations, resulting in Sasuke still getting caught.
Natsuro contemplated that since Sasuke had his Flying Thunder God kunai, perhaps he should have used the Flying Thunder God instead of the Chidori Sharp Spear. Would that have been better?
However, Natsuro also felt a bit of desire to take this opportunity to deal with Orochimaru directly, which was why he had chosen the Chidori Sharp Spear. But now it seemed rather unrealistic.
"Hehe, instead of being called Konoha's Little White Fang, you should more rightly bear the title of the Fourth Hokage's heir. After all, both that Chō Oodama (Giant Rasengan) and the suddenly appearing Flying Thunder God technique are among the most famous jutsu of the Fourth Hokage," Orochimaru nonchalantly revealed Natsuro's ninjutsu.
This time, even Naruto understood, for that was the Fourth Hokage! His gaze towards Natsuro filled with astonishment.
"Yeah, you really have good eyesight," Natsuro replied openly, not having intended to hide it from Orochimaru.
"Tsk, tsk. So you're a disciple of Jiraiya?" Orochimaru's tone was questioning but already certain. "That guy isn't very gifted himself, but the disciples he takes on are all incredibly talented."
As Orochimaru continued speaking, he licked his lips again, surveying Natsuro's body. "What a pity. If it weren't for the fact that you don't possess a bloodline limit, your potential would be limited to this level. I almost wanted to take your body."
"I don't believe my potential is limited to this. That's just your personal opinion," Natsuro replied.
"Ha ha ha!" Orochimaru suddenly burst into wild laughter, the madness in his voice making the already eerie environment feel even more bizarre.
The members of Team 7 felt a chill run down their spines at the sight of such madness.
Suddenly, the laughter stopped abruptly. Orochimaru lowered his head and looked at Natsuro, saying, "I used to be as confident as you are until I met that man…"
As he spoke, Orochimaru's gaze fell upon Sasuke, saying, "Forget it. After all, I've already achieved my goal this time. With the golden flash successor here, I doubt I'll be able to take him today. However, I believe he will come to find me on his own one day."
"I don't think that's the case, Orochimaru. You really overestimate yourself," Natsuro said with a slight smile, mocking him. "You were just defeated once by someone with a bloodline limit, and you didn't even lose your life. It's a pity for the title of the Sannin."
"Ha ha, one day you'll understand when you reach a point where there's nowhere left to go," Orochimaru replied, unperturbed. He had heard all sorts of words before, and nothing could shake his composure.
As he spoke, Orochimaru slowly began to retreat. Clearly, after successfully planting the curse mark on Sasuke, he didn't want to continue, as it wouldn't be wise to fight a ninja who had the Flying Thunder God technique without a guaranteed way to kill him.
Once Orochimaru left, Team Seven finally breathed a sigh of relief. Sasuke immediately collapsed to the ground, while Sakura continued to help treat him.
"Natsuro, who was that person just now?" Sasuke asked, having learned Orochimaru's name but knowing nothing else about him.
"Orochimaru, a disciple of the Third Hokage," Natsuro replied after a moment's thought, choosing not to hide the information.
"What?!"
Natsuro understood their surprise and continued, "He betrayed Konoha for some reasons and is now a rogue ninja wanted by the village. As for his strength, it should be comparable to that of the current Third Hokage."
At this point, Team Seven was once again shocked, as they believed that the Hokage was the strongest person in the village. So, Orochimaru was nearly as strong as the Hokage?
"So, Naruto, Sasuke, you've done well," Natsuro said, glancing at Sakura. "Sakura, your choice was wise; you just couldn't hold out in the end."
Sasuke's expression eased slightly. If the enemy was at that level, then it was understandable that he couldn't handle it. He wasn't arrogant enough to think he could trade blows with a Hokage-level enemy.
Naruto scratched his chin, pondering, "The Third Hokage... is that old man really that strong?"
Sakura gave a wry smile and added, "It's just that Natsuro gives us such a strong sense of reassurance, so I couldn't help but relax when I saw you…"
"Oh, so it's my fault for not being strong enough?" Natsuro teased.
"Of course not." Sakura realized he was joking and relaxed a little.
"Alright, I'll take over," Natsuro said as he stepped in to help. He placed one hand on Sasuke's neck, and soon, with a hint of envy in Sakura's eyes, the Healing Technique closed the two puncture wounds left by the snake bite.
However, the three black dots remained, showing no sign of disappearing.
Feeling his instinctive disgust, Natsuro sighed inwardly, realizing it was due to the curse mark. He then said, "Follow me; I need to prepare for Sasuke's injury."
"Is it serious?" Both Sakura and Naruto began to worry.
"Hmm, it should be alright, but don't worry; everything will be fine." Natsuro smiled reassuringly before picking up Sasuke.
"I can do it myself…" Sasuke tried to refuse but found he couldn't resist at all.
"Alright, since your body is having issues, you should rely on your teammates more. With me here, you could even take a nap," Natsuro said. He wasn't joking; even if Orochimaru returned, he could just use the Flying Thunder God technique to take Team Seven away.
"Hmm…" Sasuke accepted reality after realizing he couldn't resist. He felt the pain in his neck but didn't feel worried.
Because he believed that Natsuro had a way to solve the problems he was facing.
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Currently on Chapter 177 - Natural Energy!