The two attacks together triggered a powerful storm, bending the surrounding trees.
"This guy is definitely more than Jonin..."
Sasuke dispersed the lightning in his hands, exhaling heavily. The pressure Orochimaru exerted on him was unlike any Jonin he had encountered before.
"How is it?" Naruto asked, his gaze fixed on the center point.
Hinata's Byakugan watched intently; the two attacks from Naruto and Sasuke were incredibly powerful, and the area was now filled with shimmering energy.
This directly interfered with her insight.
As the aftershocks subsided, Naruto and the others' eyes widened involuntarily.
"Substitution Technique?"
"When!"
Sasuke looked around in disbelief; he hadn't noticed anything at all.
Hinata was also constantly observing her surroundings; such a mistake could be fatal for them at this point.
"Heh, your strength is far Genin."
Orochimaru appeared behind a giant tree, his gaze fixed on the few brats in front of him.
He lingered on Sasuke and Naruto for a while, as he had indeed been hit and hadn't sacrificed some things.
He might really be taken care of by those few Genin ninjas in front of him.
"That really is..."
Shikamaru was also at a loss for words, even though their combined attack had been executed perfectly.
But they still couldn't subdue this guy in front of them, who could be described as a monster in their eyes.
"Who are you."
Shikamaru stepped forward to a position level with Naruto Sasuke, and looked at Orochimaru, asking a question.
Orochimaru's gaze fell on Shikamaru, and he had to admit that this kid must be Shikaku's son.
Like father, like son.
"Knowing who I am doesn't seem to be enough to get you out of your predicament, does it?"
Orochimaru spoke, he stuck out his tongue again and licked his lips.
"With your strength, you shouldn't be an unknown figure. Knowing information about an enemy will allow me to make a clearer decision."
Shikamaru shrugged, as if to say he was just giving up.
Orochimaru's eyes flashed with a hint of appreciation at Shikamaru's attitude.
He's intelligent and quite daring.
"I am Orochimaru, a researcher who pursues truth and immortality."
In response to Shikamaru's question, Orochimaru formally introduced himself.
Orochimaru... one of the Sannin, S-rank missing-nin of Konoha.
Shikamaru quickly recalled the information he knew, information he had learned from his previous conversation with Hagoromo.
At that time, Hagoromo mentioned that she had encountered a person named Orochimaru.
Don't even think about fighting him. If you're capable, just run away. If you're not, use Genjutsu to trap him.
Shikamaru glanced at Sasuke, Sasuke shook his head slightly.
He had this plan from the beginning, but the guy avoided his eyes the whole time.
Even though Orochimaru was watching him all the time.
"What is your purpose? Or rather, which one of us are you interested in?"
Shikamaru looked at Orochimaru with a serious expression.
If a powerhouse of this level didn't have ulterior motives, perhaps it would have been better to eliminate them directly from the start.
Don't doubt this possibility, even if their strength is considerable.
However, as long as the opportunity is seized, Orochimaru can easily deal with them one by one.
In terms of combat experience, Orochimaru is miles ahead of his enemies.
"Oh? Would you agree if I told you?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow.
"Impossible!"
Naruto interrupted Orochimaru abruptly, his eyes filled with determination.
"Even if it means death, we would never abandon our comrades."
"That's right, but don't Dead Last- of-the-barrel guy." Sasuke but smile upon hearing this.
Although he knew that Shikamaru was using this as an excuse to stall for time and give them as much information as possible.
However, this guy in front of us can't be dealt with just by having information.
"That's what I should be saying! I won't fall!" Naruto clenched his fists, his hands once again covering his Yang Release Armament, his eyes fixed on Orochimaru not far away.
"This is really troublesome..."
Shikamaru said this, and his actions directly showed that he agreed with Naruto.
Choji pulled out a few Military Rations Pills and swallowed them.
The group exchanged glances and nodded to each other.
"Alright, let's go!" Naruto bent down, ready to step forward.
When facing the enemy, he must be the first to charge!
"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique!" Sasuke immediately raised his hands and formed hand seals, releasing a giant fire dragon that rushed towards Orochimaru.
Now that he had decided to go together, he couldn't let Naruto face all the pressure alone.
At the very least, he will create opportunities for Naruto to attack.
The enormous fire dragon hurtled straight toward Orochimaru merely scoffed.
He immediately dodged with a Body Flicker Technique strike, but Shikamaru and Choji, who were standing nearby, wouldn't let Orochimaru dodge so easily.
"Shadow Tentacles!"
"Butterfly Dance: A Feast for the Glutton!"
Choji immediately entered the second form of Butterfly Mode, and his entire body surface was covered with crimson butterfly patterns.
He unleashed a series of high-speed punches, creating shockwaves that hurtled towards Orochimaru's location, while simultaneously taking a step forward to close in on Orochimaru.
Within the entire team, he was the most solid support.
Shikamaru's Shadow Tentacles followed Choji's movements; they always worked together in this way.
Faced with Choji's attack, Orochimaru simply raised his Kusanagi Sword and swung it.
With a single move, he cleaved through the shockwave, and with a single hand seal, unleashed a Wind Cutter Technique towards Choji.
At his level, Ninjutsu should only be used where it is most needed.
As expected, even with his Butterfly Dance activated, Choji had no choice but to abandon his attack in the face of such Wind Cutter.
"Not enough!" Orochimaru grinned.
Whoosh--
Naruto then took the opportunity to stand in front of Orochimaru and Straight Punch.
The immense Chakra carried an unstoppable force.
Orochimaru casually raised his hand, and his twisted hands seemed to be covered with a hardened substance as he slashed towards Naruto.
Clang--
A sound, unlike anything a human could produce, echoed from the collision.
Just as Hinata was about to Naruto the Kusanagi Sword at Orochimaru, Hinata had already prepared to attack.
"Gentle Fist, Vacuum Palm!"
A shockwave formed by a palm strike swept towards Orochimaru.
Orochimaru abandoned his attack and used his left hand, which had been blocking Naruto's attack, to forcefully throw Naruto away.
Hinata's attack was evaded by a Substitution Technique.
"Lightning Blade!"
Sasuke had been waiting nearby, and the moment Orochimaru appeared in another location, he immediately activated his Lightning Blade.
His figure moved so fast that it became blurry, leaving only afterimages in his wake.
While Orochimaru was pleased that Sasuke was able to use the Lightning Blade a second time, he wasn't overly surprised.
With a wave of his hands, countless pythons flew out from his sleeves, directly blocking Sasuke's attack.