No Matter What, I Will Never Abandon My Comrades

Boom—

Accompanied by a sharp, thunderous roar, a fierce gale seemed to sweep through the forest of the Land of Whirlpools.

Amid the gale, Hyuga Makoto quickly retreated, while on the other side, Orochimaru grabbed the barely breathing Shinno.

"What a hassle..."

The corner of Orochimaru's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He had hurried over as quickly as he could, but it seemed he was still a little too late.

The Earth Style: Earth Release Wall had indeed blocked Hyuga Makoto's final palm, but that palm had still broken through it and landed on Shinno!

Orochimaru really wanted to say, "I don't understand"...

How had this guy managed to lose so miserably, getting beaten into this state?

While he was silent, Kakashi and Tenzo also arrived.

"Are you all right, Makoto?"

Kakashi looked over Hyuga Makoto with some concern, while Tenzo watched Orochimaru warily and glanced at Hyuga Makoto from the corner of his eye.

"Don't worry, Captain, Senior, I'm fine."

Hyuga Makoto smiled and shook his head, though he currently felt somewhat weak.

That feeling had appeared as soon as he severed his connection with the moon, yet his Chakra was still abundant!

"Is it because my Bloodline Development and Tenseigan level are too low?"

Hyuga Makoto thought to himself, but by then Orochimaru had already spoken hoarsely.

"Not bad, brat. You seem more interesting than Kakashi and the others."

As he spoke, killing intent surged from Orochimaru, and Kakashi and Tenzo immediately tightened their grips on their weapons.

"Orochimaru, if this continues, this guy will really die."

Hyuga Makoto, however, remained calm. Preparing his defenses, he slowly spoke.

"You don't want him to really die because of this meaningless battle, do you?"

Kakashi and Tenzo both felt that Hyuga Makoto was too naive upon hearing this.

This kid clearly didn't understand Orochimaru's "character" very well!

But at that moment, they also noticed Shinno's miserable condition, causing their eyes to widen slightly.

Orochimaru was so arrogant that his helper should not be weak either.

They never expected that guy to be beaten into this state.

Hyuga Makoto's strength seemed to be even greater than they had imagined!

Still, they did not dare relax. Even with three against one, the person they were facing was Orochimaru...

"Oh?"

To their surprise, Orochimaru looked thoughtfully at Hyuga Makoto.

"Did you deliberately turn him into this?"

"That's right."

Hyuga Makoto nodded. He had intelligence, after all!

"You're probably after his secret technique, right?"

"Secret technique..."

Kakashi seemed to have thought of something, while Hyuga Makoto continued speaking.

"That technique is indeed powerful. Although it comes at the cost of accelerated division, it can rapidly restore injuries and Chakra while granting even greater strength."

"That's right. As expected of the Byakugan, you saw through it at a glance."

Orochimaru's gaze flickered as he asked with great interest, "But how do you know I haven't obtained that technique? And why do you think I must have it?"

"Because you took the initiative to intercept me and Tenzo."

Kakashi had clearly figured it out, and Hyuga Makoto continued unhurriedly.

"That's right. Moreover, this technique has major flaws. It clearly hasn't been completed, so..."

"Interesting."

Orochimaru's killing intent began to fade, and a hint of interest appeared in his eyes.

"You grasped the key point in such a short time, and you had enough strength to beat him until he had only a breath left, leaving all the trouble for me..."

As he spoke, Orochimaru could not help licking his lips.

"I never expected such a genius to emerge from the Hyuga Clan. Why don't you come with me?"

"..."

Those words made Kakashi and Tenzo exchange glances.

Although Orochimaru was a rogue ninja, his "personal charisma" had earned him a large number of followers!

But...

"Sorry, I'm afraid I can't."

Hyuga Makoto shook his head, then smiled.

"I'm a member of the Branch Family. Even if I weren't, I still wouldn't agree to it."

"..."

Those words left even Orochimaru speechless!

He had never expected this brat to be a member of the Hyuga Branch Family.

Even more unexpected was that a member of the Branch Family had mastered so many Main Branch secret techniques and had even joined the Anbu.

He had only been gone for a few years, yet Konoha had already changed?

Had the Hyuga been dealt with?

Had that old man merely been experiencing a final burst of vitality?

However, he had now lost interest and even seemed somewhat bored.

"Count yourselves lucky. I'll let you off this time."

Looking at the barely breathing Shinno, he slowly infused him with his own Chakra, and the figures of Orochimaru and Shinno began to sink.

Just before leaving, Orochimaru glanced at Hyuga Makoto once more.

"Brat, I hope your luck is just as good next time."

As his voice fell, Orochimaru had completely disappeared from the spot.

Through Hyuga Makoto's Byakugan, he could see clearly that Orochimaru had already left with Shinno!

"It's finally over..."

Hyuga Makoto finally let out a sigh of relief. Even with intelligence, he still felt somewhat tense when facing a ruthless man like Orochimaru.

The Orochimaru of the present was not the future Orochimaru, who had been hit by the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and constantly changed bodies while carrying a permanent debuff.

As the Third Hokage's "most favored student," his strength was unimaginable!

"Yeah..."

Tenzo nodded unconsciously, but Kakashi's gaze had grown stern.

"Makoto, what was the mission I gave you?"

"Transmit the intelligence back to Konoha."

Hyuga Makoto blinked. He knew that Kakashi feared Orochimaru.

In his memories, when Orochimaru defected, Kakashi had gone to ambush him, only to be defeated in a single move.

Even during the Chūnin Exams, Orochimaru had been able to leave Kakashi unable to move!

Still, he shook his head and said with a smile, "But Captain, weren't we still able to complete our mission?"

"It's not the same."

Kakashi's voice grew even lower.

"If your judgment had been wrong, never mind the intelligence—you would have lost your life as well..."

"But Captain Kakashi, my judgment was correct."

This time, Hyuga Makoto interrupted Kakashi first, his expression becoming serious.

"If I had left, you and Senior would have been in danger. Besides, have you forgotten what I once said?"

At this point, Hyuga Makoto paused. He removed his mask, revealing a bright smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Comrades are the ones most worth cherishing. Although I disobeyed the captain's orders, to me..."

"No matter what, I will never abandon my comrades!"

Those words instantly left Kakashi standing there in a daze.

They seemed to pierce straight through his heart!

For some inexplicable reason, he seemed to see another boy shouting loudly at him.

"Someone who doesn't follow the rules is trash, but someone who doesn't cherish their comrades is worse than trash!"

The two voices continuously overlapped, and the two figures slowly merged.

At that moment, Kakashi also became somewhat dazed.

He quietly stared at Hyuga Makoto without saying a word. For a while, the only sounds on the battlefield were the swaying branches and the crackling of the Flames.

"I understand."

After a long while, Kakashi finally broke the silence.

He turned around, showing his back to the two of them, and spoke softly.

"Let's go. We've been out for so long. It's time to return."

"Huh?"

Tenzo froze for a moment, then immediately smiled.

"All right, let's hurry back!"

"Mm."

Hyuga Makoto nodded along. They had been out long enough, and it was indeed time to return!

They failed to notice that beneath Kakashi's mask, a rare smile had appeared.

Just then, a notification flashed through Hyuga Makoto's mind.

[Completed Side Mission: Loot Orochimaru's Laboratory]

[Reward Obtained: Orochimaru's Sealing Technique]

[Completed Side Mission: Comrades Are the Ones Most Worth Cherishing; Assist Kakashi and Tenzo in Dealing with the Crisis]

[Reward Obtained: Partial Shinobi World Scientific Data from Orochimaru]

"?!"