Unleash a Big Move to Warm Up

Neji suddenly let out a startled cry, his face filled with disbelief.

Might Guy looked toward the somewhat terrified Neji.

"Neji, did you see clearly? Is it really Orochimaru inside the base?"

"That's right, that dark and terrifying chakra—it's Orochimaru, just as described in the files! I doubt anyone else would dare to impersonate that man."

"There is another strange-looking guy beside him, his body brimming with chakra, and its intensity is actually no less than Orochimaru's!"

"They are both wearing the same uniform."

"And that subordinate of Orochimaru's, I don't see him."

"I see. To be in the same base as Orochimaru and wearing the same clothes... are they colleagues? I imagine their strength must be about the same, then?"

"Indeed, that strange guy's chakra is astonishing; my Byakugan actually cannot see through him."

"If that's the case, we cannot rush in blindly. I could handle one of them, but I cannot take on both."

"We have no choice but to head back and request reinforcements. Lee, your speed is the fastest; you go back first to find the Hokage for help while we keep watch here."

"Go, Lee!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Lee gave Kimura Takuya a thumbs-up and a grin. Although he didn't say anything, his expression still carried a hint of showing off.

It was as if he were saying to Takuya:

Look, Guy-sensei acknowledged that I'm the fastest!

Kimura Takuya smiled slightly and gave Lee a thumbs-up in return.

Under Kimura Takuya's influence, Lee's personality had become a bit more playful than in the original story.

His strength had also increased significantly, and speed had always been Lee's greatest asset.

After undergoing Kimura Takuya's electrical therapy, Lee's current speed had already reached the level he possessed during the Chunin Exams in the original timeline.

Furthermore, Lee had already mastered the techniques of the Sound-Damping Technique.

He was even faster than Neji, who excelled at the Gentle Fist. The Gentle Fist was a form of Nintaijutsu that released chakra through the entire body.

However, because it belonged to the sharp form transformation of chakra and was released in a fixed manner for a long time, it had actually caused Neji to develop behavioral inertia. Even though Neji appeared to have the advantage, he hadn't expected that this advantage would become an obstacle, making his cultivation of the Sound-Damping Technique inferior to Lee's.

Neji watched as Lee activated the Sound-Damping Technique and quickly vanished from everyone's sight, a trace of envy appearing in his eyes.

However, this hint of envy vanished in an instant, and he turned his head to continue staring at the hidden base.

After a while.

The others began to take turns keeping watch. Although they didn't have the Byakugan, they didn't need it to monitor people entering and exiting the entrance.

Although Kimura Takuya really wanted to charge in and hit them with a heavy blow, he couldn't help that Guy was the captain and unwilling to take risks—after all, he still had his two genin with him.

Guy could naturally sense that Kimura Takuya's current aura was no less than his own, perhaps even exceeding it.

But he couldn't gamble. Even if he and Takuya could handle the two people in the laboratory, there was still that subordinate of Orochimaru's whose whereabouts were unknown.

If they started fighting and that person suddenly appeared, Tenten and Neji might not be able to handle it.

Even with Lee here, the three genin would likely be no match for Orochimaru's subordinate.

That guy named Yakushi Kabuto had been able to infiltrate Konoha alongside Orochimaru.

He must be someone deeply trusted by Orochimaru, and his strength would certainly not be something three newly graduated genin could handle.

Suddenly, Kimura Takuya, who was on guard nearby, had his expression shift.

Then, he calmed down again.

He sensed that Lee had suddenly been injured and fallen unconscious.

Through the information transmitted back by his soul energy, he knew immediately that it was Kabuto who had injured Lee.

It turned out that Kabuto, who had been off doing who knows what, had run straight into Lee on his way back to Orochimaru's base.

Although Lee's strength was decent among genin, he was, after all, just a rookie who had just graduated.

On his way back to the village to request reinforcements, he hadn't made any attempt to conceal himself.

He had been sprinting along the main road; although he made no sound, the dust kicked up along the way was visible to anyone who wasn't blind.

Kabuto, who happened to be returning to the base, had spotted the anomaly from far away.

While shocked by Lee's speed, he had also clearly seen Lee's Konoha forehead protector.

He had also clearly seen the direction Lee was coming from—the very location of Orochimaru's secret base—and the direction he was heading toward: Konoha.

How could Kabuto not know that his base had already been exposed?

This green-clad, bowl-cut kappa must have been heading back to Konoha to report the news, right?

Since his teammates were nowhere to be seen, they were surely lurking and monitoring the area around the base.

That was close! He had almost been ambushed, but fortunately, he had encountered this rookie kappa ahead of time!

With that, Kabuto moved directly to intercept Lee.

Suddenly attacked, Lee vigilantly dodged the strike.

However, he did not expect that Kabuto's first strike was merely a feint, intended to force Lee into a pre-prepared trap.

How could a rookie like Lee have ever seen such a thing?

He fell straight for it, and just as his ninja journey had begun, he was nearly about to get a game over.

Fortunately, his good brother Kimura Takuya had prepared a contingency plan that saved him.

"Takuya, how are you speaking inside my head?"

"Stop talking nonsense. I'm putting you into a state of feigned unconsciousness, but you will retain your senses of perception and hearing. Pay attention; once I notify you to recover, you strike this guy with everything you've got! Do you understand?"

At this moment, Lee, already treated as a captive by Kabuto, was being carried on the latter's shoulder.

Kabuto muttered to himself with a relaxed expression.

"This green-clad kappa's recovery ability is truly strong. I didn't expect that just by dealing with a nuisance, I'd have such an unexpected harvest. Lord Orochimaru should be pleased, right?"

Kabuto summoned several snakes, using the summoning snakes to contact Orochimaru and inform him that the base had been discovered.

On the other side, Orochimaru, having received the "snake-call," was feeling irritable because his research had made no progress over the past two days.

He grew furious upon hearing the news and dispatched several snakes to scout the members of Team Guy who were keeping watch outside.

"Heh, so it's him, and he brought a few genin along. They dare to come and cause me trouble? How ignorant of life and death!"

Orochimaru hadn't infiltrated Konoha for nothing; he naturally knew the information regarding Konoha's new generation of elite jonin.

Might Guy, a jonin who specialized purely in taijutsu.

Heh, that old man Third Hokage was truly becoming more muddled by the day. Was a ninja who couldn't use ninjutsu not just a joke?

That such a ninja could be promoted to jonin was truly laughable!

The rest were all genin, and they were all unremarkable and not worth mentioning.

Orochimaru immediately ordered Kabuto to return and coordinate with him for a pincer attack, surrounding this group of Konoha juniors like dumplings!

Little did he know, his plan had already been fully exposed to Kimura Takuya.

Outside the base.

"Guy-sensei, Orochimaru has already discovered us; those snakes just now were his summoning beasts. The contingency I left on Lee has been triggered—it was that Kabuto guy, and he's already coming from the rear. Let's go in directly!"

"What? How is Lee?"

"He's fine. Orochimaru is about to come out, everyone get ready. I'll handle Orochimaru!"

"Takuya, that is one of the Sannin. Let me do it! You protect Tenten and Neji!"

Hearing that Lee was safe, Guy felt relieved, but he immediately made up his mind.

He wanted to take on both people in the base by himself; he was still a bit uneasy about Takuya's strength.

"Don't underestimate me."

Because he had been playing it low-key, his actions were now being restricted, and Kimura Takuya felt a bit speechless.

But that was fine; there was no need to pretend anymore.

"Then let's start with a big move to warm up!"

Kimura Takuya closed his eyes and dispelled a Sage Art Shadow Clone he had left back home.

In an instant, Kimura Takuya's aura surged, and a pale green chakra glow began to emanate from his entire body.

The people around him were nearly blinded by the flash.

"Sage Art: Super Giant Rasengan Ascension Cannon!"