Regeneration Core

A white snake wove through the dense forest, following Houka's scent. Once it drew near, it opened its mouth, and an Orochimaru crawled out from within, bracing himself with both hands.

"You really can't stay idle, can you?"

Orochimaru's clone looked at Houka fighting Chiyo, then at the clearly divided armies of shinobi farther across the battlefield, and snorted. "Itachi has already appeared, Houka-kun. Hurry up and finish this guy."

Houka inwardly thought that things were bad.

He had acted so convincingly—had Orochimaru seen through all of it?

Houka's eyes flashed, and the Limbo Shadow once again tore a fist-sized hole through Chiyo's abdomen!

By now, the Limbo Shadow had blasted three holes through Chiyo's body, arranged in a triangular pattern and piercing straight through from front to back. The intricate components and gears inside were visible through them. Combined with Chiyo's cold, expressionless face, it was a rather chilling sight.

At this sight, Orochimaru's brow furrowed slightly before his eyes gleamed.

He had long since gathered information on Houka's two Mangekyou ocular techniques. One was an invisible, intangible shadow that could not be attacked, making its attacks impossible to guard against. The other was a barrier-type ocular technique!

Combined, these two ocular techniques were invincible in a one-on-one fight. Yet now, they had been 'countered' by a mere Human Puppet, Chiyo.

The Limbo Shadow's attacks could not kill Chiyo at all, while the barrier-type Pentagram Realm had also been greatly weakened by the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets.

Orochimaru narrowed his golden slit-pupiled eyes, feeling only a sense of absurdity.

"You've had enough fun, haven't you, Houka-kun!" Orochimaru snorted in displeasure. If Houka could be defeated so easily, Sasori of the Red Sands from Akatsuki would have succeeded long ago!

"One of Konoha's Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru? I see. So you two