I knew it was you, Toneri!

The Land of Rivers is situated between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, and its geography includes not only dense forests but also barren deserts.

The Wind and Sand swirled through the air, whipping against the lush green Big Tree. The sand rustled and hissed as it fell among the leaves.

Orochimaru is very strong; he is a rare expert even among Kage-level.

Unfortunately, his opponents were not weak either, especially Itachi Uchiha, who possessed the Mangekyo.

Orochimaru researches the art of immortality, and every three years he needs to use the Living Corpse Reincarnation to possess another person's body in order to maintain eternal youth.

This is precisely why Orochimaru's soul was damaged, and his mental strength became his weakness.

Orochimaru was already at a disadvantage against a master of Genjutsu like Itachi Uchiha, not to mention that Itachi had a powerful ally like Kisame.

In the Desolate Valley, three dark figures stood in triangular formations, facing each other coldly.

The chilling atmosphere silenced even the sand and stones in the valley, and waves of cold killing intent swept over everyone, stimulating their nerves.

"Huff, huff..." Orochimaru took two deep breaths to calm his breathing.

Kisame was in charge of the main attack, while Itachi provided support from the sidelines, occasionally using Genjutsu to restrict Orochimaru's movements. Although these were all ordinary Genjutsu, any ordinary Genjutsu became extraordinary when it was cast by Itachi.

Faced with the combined attack of two Kage-level, Orochimaru had already considered retreating, but he couldn't find a good opportunity.

Moreover, he seemed to see two blurry figures standing outside the Valley: a figure draped in red and black with Kazekage- like cloak and a figure wearing a bamboo hat with Wind Chime attached.

Four people! Xiao actually sent two groups of members to deal with him!

You really think highly of him!

Orochimaru's already pale face turned slightly blue from anger; he had actually been outmaneuvered by that little Fox Tōka!

After a brief pause, all three quickly replenished their chakra.

"It's already out of breath? Orochimaru, this isn't like you!" Kisame was a guy who wouldn't let things go once he was in the right, and as he spoke, he grinned with a smug smile.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes but didn't reply.

He didn't take Kisame seriously, but Itachi was a tough opponent, and there were also those two Akatsuki Organization members outside the Valley...

This is no place to linger. Orochimaru's eyes darted around as he considered an escape route.

Just then, Kisame suddenly attacked!

With his thick arm, Kisame lifted Samehada upside down and swung it in an arc through the air before charging towards Orochimaru, the barbed Samehada slamming down on him!

A strong wind arose and swept in.

Samehada can absorb chakra, it absolutely cannot be touched! Orochimaru subconsciously moved his body to the side, preparing to dodge.

Sudden!

A powerful Mental Energy, like a tangible storm, suddenly struck Orochimaru.

Orochimaru paused, his vision blurred, and the dizzying shaking jolted his nerves, as if the world would turn upside down at any moment.

Genjutsu?!

Orochimaru's heart skipped a beat; Itachi was using Genjutsu to distract him.

In a flash, Orochimaru raised his hands and formed hand Hand Seals, his chakra, churning like boiling water, rapidly gathering within him.

Buzz!

Just as the Jutsu Formula was about to be activated, Orochimaru suddenly stopped.

It was during this brief pause that Kisame seized the opportunity, forcefully swinging his Samehada, which brought down and slashed fiercely at Orochimaru's chest and abdomen!

With a muffled ripping sound, the skin and flesh were torn up by the barbs on the Samehada.

Blood splattered everywhere, and bits of meat flew about.

Orochimaru's body was swept away by a tremendous force!

Itachi used a Body Flicker Technique to appear in Orochimaru's path as he flew backward, his hands flashing as he instantly formed hand seals, and a huge fireball was unleashed from his mouth.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

The scorching heatwave and raging flames instantly engulfed Orochimaru's figure.

Kisame leaped into the air, landing beside Itachi with his Samehada on his back. They stood shoulder to shoulder, their gazes fixed on the raging fire in the distance.

"Is he dead?" Kisame asked hesitantly.

"I don't know." Itachi stared expressionlessly at the figure engulfed in flames. Only those who had fought Orochimaru knew how troublesome he was.

Itachi wasn't very confident he could kill this guy, even with Kisame's help.

The Kakkō enveloped Orochimaru, blurring his figure and also obscuring Itachi and Kisame's vision.

The Land of Fire, Konoha!

Within the Big Tree surrounding the village, two dark figures leaped swiftly through the Forest, disappearing into the depths of the Forest in a few bounds.

"Dou, where are you taking me?" Tōka may be small, but she is quite fast.

"Just ahead, Lord Orochimaru has obtained the letter and is waiting for you!" Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses, a cold glint flashing across the lenses.

"Is that so?" Tōka glanced at Dou's back and followed him without suspicion.

Swish!!

The two quickly traversed the Forest and arrived at a quiet, secluded Pool, with a towering cliff rising to the Pool on one side.

The Waterfall cascades down, plunging into the Pool and shattering into countless crystal-clear water droplets.

"Here? Where's Orochimaru?" Tōka stood by the Pool with his arms crossed, raising an eyebrow at Kabuto Yakushi. He couldn't detect Orochimaru's presence nearby.

"Isn't that it?" Kabuto Yakushi grinned, pointing to a protruding Rock in the middle of the Waterfall.

Tōka looked up and saw...

A silver-haired boy, his eyes covered with a white cloth, sank slightly before plummeting from the sky.

Splash!

The Waterfall plunged into the Pool below, creating a deafening roar.

The silver-haired boy's figure landed lightly on the water's surface like a feather, creating beautiful ripples around his feet.

"The little dwarf from back then has grown quite a bit taller." Tōka looked at Toneri expressionlessly, her tone unusually contemptuous.

"You've gotten shorter," the Toneri sneered, a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes.

"Aren't you blind? How can you see that I've gotten shorter?" Tōka looked down at her body, then suddenly realized what was going on.

"I know, they told you, didn't they?"

"They" refers to two or more people; in Tōka's words, "they" naturally refers to Danzo and Orochimaru!

Upon hearing this, the Toneri shook his head. "It wasn't them who told me, but me who told them."

Upon hearing this, I expected Tōka to show a look of shock.

Unfortunately, Tōka's face showed not a trace of shock, not even the slightest bit of surprise.

This surprised Kabuto Yakushi, who was standing to the side.

At first, Tōka also thought that Orochimaru had discovered his secret, that Hanabi was not Hanabi, but that Tōka had taken over Hanabi's body using the Soul Transfer Technique.

However, Tōka found it strange when Danzo and Orochimaru wanted to attack the Hyuga Clan.

The Byakugan is a powerful Dojutsu, granting a 360-degree field of vision without blind spots, the ability to see through the body's meridians and Chakra Points, and the ability to detect enemies a mile away.

However, Orochimaru and Danzo preferred the Sharingan, while the Byakugan did not significantly enhance their combat abilities.

The Caged Bird Technique is only one of the reasons.

More importantly, if the Byakugan cannot evolve into the Tenseigan, its combat power is only average, leaning more towards auxiliary reconnaissance roles.

Orochimaru and Danzo could never know the secret of the Tenseigan.

Therefore, Tōka suspects that there is someone else behind this...

The person who needs Byakugan, the person who needs the purest disdainful Byakugan, is someone Tōka can't think of besides that brat he humiliated back then.

In the silence, Toneri's high-arched brows relaxed, and he asked Tōka in a deep voice, "You don't seem surprised?"

"Why are you surprised?" Tōka asked back.

"..." Toneri was speechless. He was Tōka's defeated opponent, or more accurately, he was spared only because of Tōka's pity.

If it weren't for the fact that while monitoring Earth, he noticed that Tōka had used Secret Technique to possess Hanabi's body.

Toneri said he would never come down from the moon.

Ten years ago, Toneri had already personally experienced how powerful Tōka's Original Body. It was the power of the Tenseigan, the power belonging to the Hamura clan!

Why would Tōka give up his own body and take over Hanabi's?

There can only be one reason: Tōka has a health problem!

Toneri knew this was an opportunity—an opportunity to gain power, an opportunity to avenge his previous humiliation!

So, he came...