"Oh no!" Feeling Orochimaru's eyes tremble, Yang Xing—whose resistance to genjutsu was zero—suddenly found himself unable to move. An inexplicable fear rose from the depths of his heart, leaving his limbs stiff.
He had accounted for everything, yet forgotten the most important thing.
Orochimaru's genjutsu was on par with that of Itachi, the genius of the Sharingan clan.
In that brief moment, Orochimaru had already escaped the fireball. He turned into a slippery snake, slithered across the clay, and shot away.
As he reached Yang Xing, he kicked him flying.
Clutching his stomach, Yang Xing managed to slide several meters before coming to a stop. His brows furrowed as he looked at Orochimaru, his expression grim.
Orochimaru's genjutsu skills ranked among the best in the Naruto world. Right now, Yang Xing had no way to counter genjutsu, which made things difficult.
"Haha, in the end, you're still too green, kid..." Orochimaru flicked his tongue as he watched Yang Xing. A strange light glimmered in his eyes. His body was about to move again when a noise made him stop. "Tch, looks like someone else is coming."
Steadying himself, Orochimaru fixed a burning gaze on Yang Xing. "Kid, judging by how angry you are about Anko, you must really want to save her. I'll give you a chance."
He abruptly stood and stretched out one hand. It turned into a snake, which wrapped around Anko, still lying on the ground, and dragged her over.
Anko was startled and weak all over. She couldn't resist at all before he seized her.
"Kid, remember: only one person. Come after me alone. If you do, I'll let her go. Otherwise, I might have my summoning beast eat her. She's such a nuisance, after all." Orochimaru glanced at Anko, a flash of murderous intent passing through his eyes, then turned and left at incredible speed.
"Don't run!" Yang Xing panicked and was about to chase after him, but someone blocked his way.
"Yang Xing!" Rin Nohara had opened her eyes midway. She had been utterly astonished to see Yang Xing unleash those ninjutsu so smoothly, and by now, she had a good idea who had taken down the five ninjas.
But that wasn't important compared with what was happening now.
Seeing Yang Xing act so recklessly, Rin immediately stepped in front of him to stop him. "Kakashi and the others will be here soon. We'll stay here."
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. Besides, you can't stop me anyway." Yang Xing wore an expression Rin had never seen before—utterly serious. She hadn't imagined that this normally carefree guy could look so earnest.
The instant Rin hesitated, Yang Xing had already formed a hand seal.
"Water Clone Technique!"
A burst of water exploded in front of Rin. By the time she reflexively turned her head, Yang Xing was already dozens of meters away. She could only watch his small figure gradually disappear into the silent night.
"Yang Xing..." Rin murmured, her expression gloomy.
Orochimaru wasn't moving especially fast. At the very least, he knew Yang Xing would follow and had left behind a few clues.
Following them, Yang Xing made good time.
As for why he was so anxious to catch up—
Did he have feelings for Anko? Absolutely not. They had nothing to do with each other.
The reason was simple: he was seriously pissed. Very, very pissed. His opponent was Orochimaru, sure, but he'd been beaten by a little genjutsu.
That left him seething!
"Damn you, who's afraid of whom? If you've got the guts, stop running! I'm gonna fight you one-on-one!" Yang Xing gritted his teeth and poured all his chakra into moving faster. He kept his eyes forward, cursing as he ran. "Damn it, damn you! You dare snatch a girl right in front of me, then run off so smugly, acting all high and mighty. So what if you're one of the legendary Sannin? What of it? I can't let this slide. No way!"
"Fine, your genjutsu's good, is it?" Yang Xing snorted. Still running, he pulled out his phone and pressed the button hard. "The last Evolution Fruit—use it! Strengthen the unique achievement for defeating the Fourth Hokage. Okay, good. Select ninjutsu? Forget that B-rank ninjutsu. Select Kekkei Genkai: One-Tomoe Sharingan. Confirm! Are you sure? It can't be changed? Why are you talking so much, system? Just confirm it already!"
"Great. Let's see how you use genjutsu now." Looking at the words displayed on his phone and feeling the scenery around him shift noticeably, Yang Xing wore a deep, cold smile.
Defeated the Fourth Hokage (Gold Rare Achievement, Top-Tier!)
Sharingan (One Tomoe) Enhanced version: greatly enhanced beyond the original, while removing all adverse reactions and side effects.
At that moment, two people arrived in a damp, gloomy cave far away.
Anko, bound in a coil of snakes, had been tossed aside by Orochimaru. He sat on a rock, quietly waiting.
Once she realized she truly couldn't move, Anko glared furiously at Orochimaru. Seeing that he wasn't paying any attention to her only made her angrier. "Hey, do you really think that guy will come?"
"Oh? What are you trying to say?" Orochimaru turned his head. The chill in his smile made it hard to look at him. "Why do you think he won't?"
"He's the last member of their squad. Even if he did well earlier, he should know he's no match for you. What exactly are you scheming?" Anko said firmly, silently reassuring herself, Right. That fool wouldn't be stupid enough to follow.
"Anko, I thought you were clever. I didn't realize you were so foolish." Orochimaru laughed. His voice was hoarse, and there was something meaningful in his laughter that made Anko even more annoyed.
"What do you mean?"
"There's no way he's the last in his squad. Of the promising next generation in Konoha I know about, someone with his abilities could never be last." Orochimaru's voice was unusually hoarse, and his own excitement was clearly growing. "I never imagined Konoha still had such a gifted child. It's thrilling. It makes me so excited."
Seeing his expression, Anko felt a chill deep in her bones. "Hey, what are you planning? What are you thinking?"
"Planning?" Orochimaru turned his head and, for once, answered her. "Well, I suppose there's no harm in telling you. I'm just choosing my future."
"Your future?"
"That's right, the future. Konoha has so many futures. There must be one among them that belongs to me."
"You bastard! You're targeting the children of Konoha? What are you thinking?"
Realizing that the man before her wanted to find a replacement in Konoha, Anko was shocked. She struggled furiously, almost ready to fight Orochimaru to the death.
Unfortunately, Orochimaru had no interest in her. Just then, he sensed someone approaching, and all his attention shifted to the cave entrance. He paid no heed to Anko's frantic struggles.
"Hey, you bastard! Tell me, what have you done to the people of Konoha?"
"He's here."
"Huh, what?" Hearing Orochimaru, Anko froze. She was annoyed that he'd suddenly stopped talking, but then a figure shot into the cave from outside. Her pretty face was filled with utter shock.
She couldn't believe that fool had actually come.
What a complete idiot!
Before you continue