Under the night sky, thunder rumbled across the heavens, a flash of lightning illuminating the darkness before gentle drizzle began to fall.
Naruto approached a puddle, using the rainwater to wash the bloodstains off his face.
As the cool droplets struck his skin, a chill seeped into his heart.
Kushina stood nearby, her gaze complex and uncertain. Tilting her head slightly, she glanced at Naruto.
For a fleeting moment, it seemed as though an impenetrable darkness coiled around him, vast and consuming.
"Ah!"
Startled, Kushina stepped back instinctively, her hands covering her mouth as she quickly lowered her head.
"What's wrong, Kushina?"
Naruto turned toward her voice, only to see her trembling uncontrollably, like a wounded soul. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and embraced her.
Through the close contact, he could feel her shaking intensify.
Naruto's voice softened, carrying a tenderness as gentle as flowing water. "Kushina, what's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?"
Kushina bit her lip lightly and whispered, "It's nothing… I just feel… a little cold."
Her trembling stopped.
---
"This… is the fate of a ninja, isn't it?"
Mikoto Uchiha lowered her head, her right hand clutching her left arm. Her long black hair obscured her face, masking her expression.
Around her lay a field of lifeless bodies, their wide-open eyes frozen in disbelief.
And blood.
Streams of blood converged into small, crimson rivulets.
A deafening crack of thunder tore through the sky, as if the heavens themselves were mourning, unleashing a torrential downpour.
From the shadows, Orochimaru emerged, his voice hoarse. "The mission is complete. Let's go. It's time to return."
---
"Oh? I never expected to encounter one of the legendary Sannin in such a remote backwater."
A deep, grating voice broke the tense silence.
"Who's there?"
"Who I am is not important. What matters is that your head is worth a fortune. I'll be taking it."
As the man's words faded, an overwhelming killing intent flooded the area.
Orochimaru's pupils contracted as his body instinctively moved forward, placing himself between his three students and the oppressive aura.
This killing intent wasn't just fearsome—it belonged to a seasoned killer, someone who had taken countless lives.
Raising a kunai, Orochimaru's eyes sharpened with vigilance.
From a ramshackle wooden hut, a middle-aged man clad in a black cloak stepped out, dragging a corpse in his right hand. His deep green eyes glowed faintly, emanating an eerie light.
"A bounty hunter…" Orochimaru muttered under his breath.
Years of combat experience told him this man was not someone to face head-on.
His gaze flickered briefly to his three students. Naruto was a capable fighter, but the two girls behind him… They were liabilities in a confrontation like this. Protecting them would only put him at a disadvantage—a fact Orochimaru knew all too well.
The man was Kakuzu, a notorious bounty hunter. Having searched all day for the masked man in the Land of Fire to no avail, frustration gnawed at him. Succumbing to greed, Kakuzu had taken on another target—a samurai deserter from the Land of Iron.
After eliminating his quarry, he unexpectedly stumbled upon Orochimaru and his students. Observing them for a while, Kakuzu decided to strike.
Without warning, he hurled the corpse toward Orochimaru and charged forward.
"Fire Release: Snake Fire."
Orochimaru's hands flew through a series of seals, and a blazing stream of fire erupted from his mouth. The corpse burned to ash, creating a temporary smokescreen to obscure Kakuzu's vision.
Naruto needed no prompting. Grabbing the two girls, he vanished from sight.
As the flames dissipated, Kakuzu smirked. "Impressive Orochimaru. It seems that your students aren't entirely useless."
In a flash, Kakuzu's right hand extended, tendrils of chakra-infused threads shooting forward, aiming directly at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru dodged, flipping into the air.
"Oh? And how will you escape the next attack, up there?" Kakuzu sneered, his left hand launching upward.
As the tendrils closed in, Orochimaru's body twisted unnaturally, snake-like. The attack grazed his waist harmlessly.
Using the momentum, Orochimaru swung his kunai down on Kakuzu's threads—but the blade met no resistance.
"Its impossible to sever," Kakuzu remarked coldly, his voice devoid of emotion. The kunai had struck his tendrils like a blade against sponge, utterly ineffective.
Lightning flashed, the reflective surface of the kunai briefly revealing Orochimaru's expression—a rare flicker of frustration.
"If only I had a sharper weapon," he thought grimly.
A kunai hurtled toward Kakuzu, but his earth-infused chakra deflected it effortlessly, sparks flying upon impact.
"Physical attacks won't work," Orochimaru realized. "He's mastered Earth Release to an exceptional degree… What a troublesome opponent."
Orochimaru's golden, slitted eyes gleamed with calculation. He hurled a small sphere toward Kakuzu.
The moment it neared Kakuzu, the sphere detonated, unleashing a blinding flash of light.
"Damn it—a flash bomb!" Kakuzu instinctively shielded his eyes with both hands.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Orochimaru's hands formed seals rapidly.
"Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique."
In an instant, his body became translucent, merging seamlessly with the surrounding terrain.
When the light faded, Kakuzu scanned the area—only to find it empty.
"Don't think you can escape," he growled, darting in the direction of Orochimaru's students.
But after only a few steps…
"Shhhk!"
Orochimaru appeared behind him, a kunai glinting in his hand as it pierced Kakuzu's chest.
"A snake never let its prey escape," Orochimaru whispered coldly.
Kakuzu twisted his head slowly, his voice trembling with fury. "You… bastard…"
"Dead men don't speak," Orochimaru replied, his tone flat and emotionless.
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