Orochimaru: Kakashi Is Here

"Has he finally come?"

In the forest, Hyuga Makoto, who had already "switched identities," had been waiting for Orochimaru and Scorpion.

After all, without accurate intelligence, he had no idea when the two would arrive.

He had spent an hour waiting while adjusting his condition, and he finally saw them!

"Then it's time to notify Kakashi and the others..."

Hyuga Makoto immediately perked up and quickly finished forming the hand seals for the Anbu communication technique.

A few minutes later, Kakashi and the other two arrived beside him.

"What is it, Makoto?"

Tenzo and Uchiha Itachi stood guard behind him, while Kakashi asked curiously.

They were all surprised to be suddenly summoned at a time like this.

"Three kilometers away, I detected two people. They're both wearing black robes with red clouds."

Hyuga Makoto pointed in that direction. The Byakugan's observation range was actually quite considerable, especially when focused on a single point.

Under Kakashi's instructions, even Hinata could observe a single direction up to a distance of ten kilometers!

Makoto could naturally see even farther. He just "needed" to face a certain "problem"...

"One of them seems to be hiding inside a puppet. I can't see through it from this distance, while the other is Orochimaru..."

"Orochimaru?!"

Before he could finish speaking, Tenzo blurted out in astonishment, and Kakashi's gaze became blank with shock.

For a moment, he didn't know whether he or Hyuga Makoto was the unlucky one.

Otherwise, how could they encounter Orochimaru both times they left the village?

"That's right. I contacted everyone because I discovered him."

Hyuga Makoto glanced at Kakashi helplessly before continuing.

"Orochimaru is extremely perceptive. If we keep observing, he'll probably notice us, just like last time."

"Indeed, he's too perceptive..."

Kakashi noticed Makoto's gaze, but he no longer had the energy to argue.

Orochimaru was indeed as dangerous as a snake. What Kakashi needed to worry about now was whether they should continue the mission!

"Captain, I think we should continue the mission."

Just then, Uchiha Itachi, who had not spoken until now, seemed to see through Kakashi's hesitation.

"This is a rare opportunity. We can't miss it."

"I know..."

Kakashi pressed his lips together before turning to Hyuga Makoto.

"Makoto, how far away do you need to be to see through them completely?"

"Naturally, the closer the better, but..."

Hyuga Makoto continued staring into the distance, his expression becoming somewhat strange.

"Prepare for battle. We've been discovered."

Boom--

As soon as he finished speaking, the earth shook violently. In the next moment, a vast wave of sand, like a surging tide, instantly swept over them!

Kakashi reacted extremely quickly and immediately began forming hand seals.

"Earth Style: Earth Release Wall!"

Amid the roar of Chakra, a huge earthen wall with a dog head rose before them.

But just as they blocked the sand in front of them, they suddenly discovered that countless senbon had already been fired from the sky!

Tenzo was just about to form hand seals when he suddenly saw Hyuga Makoto raise his hand. The air around them seemed to compress at that instant.

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

Vmmm--

A visible ripple spread through the air, and a vacuum was blasted through the dense rain of senbon.

The surrounding trees were instantly riddled with senbon, looking like porcupines, but not a single senbon fell within their area!

"You're pretty impressive. Looks like you've improved again."

A hoarse voice rang out faintly, and Hyuga Makoto and the other three immediately looked up.

They saw Orochimaru and Scorpion gazing down at them from atop the earthen wall.

"But when did you become like Jiraiya?"

"The Hyuga Clan?"

Scorpion's gaze fell on Hyuga Makoto. After a moment, he shook his head in boredom.

"With this level of strength, you must not be from the Main Branch. What a pity."

"It's not really a pity. At least not for you."

Orochimaru licked his lips. He swept his gaze over the four people below, then unconsciously focused on a short Anbu member.

For some reason, he felt that this fellow looked familiar. However, the mask concealed his face, preventing Orochimaru from determining who he was.

He did not pay it much mind, though. Facing Scorpion's gaze, he gave a hoarse laugh.

"Among them, there's Kakashi."

"Oh?"

Scorpion's gaze immediately changed. He quickly locked onto a white-haired figure with Hiruko, and at that moment, Hyuga Makoto spoke as well.

"Captain, I can roughly determine his identity. If nothing unexpected happens, he should be the legendary Sasori of the Red Sands."

"..."

The moment Kakashi heard that name, his entire body went numb!

He knew at least a little about what his father had once done...

But Kakashi, Tenzo, and Uchiha Itachi all had the same question. This man was indeed extremely notorious, but hadn't he disappeared together with the Third Kazekage?

"As expected of the Hyuga Clan. Even the Branch Family is troublesome."

Scorpion did not deny it. His eyes were fixed tightly on Kakashi.

"But it doesn't matter anymore. And I really ought to thank you, Orochimaru. Otherwise..."

Before he could finish speaking, highly concentrated poison needles and poisoned spikes suddenly shot toward them!

"I wouldn't have had the chance to run into this fellow!"

"Wood Style: Wood Golem Wall."

Tenzo completed the hand seals at the first opportunity. A row of wooden pillars formed a barrier, blocking the hidden weapons.

But in the next instant, a huge tail spike smashed straight through the barrier, and Orochimaru attacked at the same time.

"Secret Technique: Shadow Snake Hands!"

Whoosh--

A giant serpent flew from Orochimaru's hand, heading straight toward them.

"Pair up and spread out!"

Seeing this, Kakashi immediately shouted. He and Hyuga Makoto leaped to the side.

But as soon as they landed, they saw countless puppets already filling the sky, with another barrage of poison needles rushing toward them!

"Rotation!"

Hyuga Makoto let out a soft snort, and the Chakra within his body stirred slightly.

Although this was only a Shadow Clone, it contained both Yin Release and Yang Release!

Vmmm--

The rapidly rotating Chakra instantly deflected the poison needles, leaving even Scorpion sighing in amazement.

"For someone from the Hyuga Branch Family to achieve this is truly inconceivable. But it really is too unfortunate..."

As he spoke, he controlled Hiruko and charged forward with a large number of puppets.

"But today, none of you are leaving. Every one of you will stay here!"

In an instant, explosions erupted in all directions, and violent Chakra continued spreading through the forest...

"Last time, I had no way to retrieve the test subject. This time, you've delivered yourselves to me again."

On the other side, Orochimaru looked at Tenzo and Uchiha Itachi and laughed hoarsely.

"This time, I won't miss the opportunity!"

Whoosh--

Orochimaru suddenly opened his mouth, and countless venomous snakes poured out.

The snakes hissed as they opened their mouths. Sharp blades extended from them, accompanied by poisonous slime.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Uchiha Itachi immediately formed hand seals, and a massive fireball shot toward the snakes. In an instant, who knew how many were devoured by the Flames.

However, the snakes were utterly fearless of death. They crawled over the corpses of their companions and continued attacking the two of them!

"What a nuisance..."

Uchiha Itachi frowned deeply at the sight before him. He was also struggling with whether he should use the power he had just obtained!

Shisui's death had dealt him a tremendous shock, while Shisui's final request had left him deeply confused.

He did not know whether he should reveal this power. At least for now, he still did not have an answer.

"Focus. This isn't the time to lose concentration when facing Orochimaru!"

Just as he hesitated, Tenzo shouted a reminder from the side, causing him to take a deep breath.

He decided to observe the situation for now and make a final decision later...

The battles on both sides were exceptionally fierce, but Hyuga Makoto, deep in the forest, appeared completely calm.

Since they were going to make a big move, he would not let anyone escape!

"The stage has been set. Now only the final step remains..."

Murmuring, he raised his head and looked toward the sky. His golden eyes were dazzling at that moment!

Vmmm--

As "Tsukuyomi" activated, the giant Tenseigan on the moon quickly resonated with him.

At that instant, Chakra that only the Tenseigan could see suddenly erupted from the heavens.

It transformed into an invisible pillar of light and crashed heavily onto his body!

Feeling the tidal energy, along with the information that came with it, his expression became somewhat strange.

"So it can be done this way too..."