Orochimaru dragged his severely injured body eastward for half an hour before finding Kakuzu waiting for him there. Although Orochimaru looked miserable, covered in blood, he at least still had clothes on. But Kakuzu? At that moment, Kakuzu was bare-chested, and the trousers on his lower body were tattered as well. Combined with his dark skin, he looked just like an African refugee.
"I didn't expect you to survive that attack..." Kakuzu said. He seemed to be expressing surprise, but his expression showed that he had never thought Orochimaru would be killed. Otherwise, he would not have waited here.
"It was a matter of luck. My opponent's jutsu wasn't complete and was only being used reluctantly. I might not be so lucky next time," Orochimaru said.
"This was our first mission as teammates, and we already failed. It seems our compatibility isn't very good."
"Is that so? Still, I don't think this was my problem... Judging from the battle earlier, the strength you displayed didn't even exceed Kakashi's." Orochimaru held no respect whatsoever for his senior, Kakuzu.
Orochimaru could have shown a little more emotional intelligence, but there was no need.
Those blunt words instantly made Kakuzu's gaze turn dangerous. "Watch your words. Careless people often don't get a second chance to speak."
An internal conflict seemed ready to erupt, but just then, a folded-paper butterfly drifted past them. It circled Orochimaru and Kakuzu twice, then flapped its wings and flew upward, landing on a branch jutting from a large tree.
For some reason, a large amount of paper suddenly began fluttering through the air. It gathered toward the butterfly, and as the pieces converged, a figure gradually materialized.
"You actually failed a mission you were supposed to complete with ease. You should know that the organization paid a considerable