Orochimaru

The world turned gray and dim.

In Kimimaro's vision, only Lin Qing remained, closing in at blinding speed.

Resistance was impossible.

Escape was impossible.

Let alone fighting back.

The moment their eyes met, Kimimaro understood what kind of formidable opponent he was facing; his entire body felt as if it had been filled with lead, or as if countless vengeful spirits were binding his limbs, leaving him unable to move even a single finger.

The air took on a pale golden hue, rippling like an ocean current, only to be shattered in an instant by the edge of a blade.

"It's over."

Kimimaro closed his eyes in despair.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his chest, and streaks of pitch-black markings began to spread outward from his sternum.

This is...

The Earth Curse Mark?!

The latest achievement researched by Lord Orochimaru using Jugo's power as a template—it was still in the experimental stage, yet he never expected it to activate on its own!

Surging power churned and roared within his body, and Kimimaro regained control of his limbs.

Tearing his left wrist open, Kimimaro instantly pulled out his own forearm bone to use as a short blade, bracing to block Lin Qing's strike.

Kimimaro's Kekkei Genkai, Shikotsumyaku, allowed him to create bones harder than steel; even the slashes of elite samurai from the Land of Iron could not break his bones.

He raised his hand to intercept the Blade of Ruin.

At the same time, bones erupted from his ribs, spine, arms, and every part of his body.

At Lin Qing's speed, once he closed the distance, he would be skewered like a hedgehog.

Crack!

Kimimaro's bone blade, in which he had absolute confidence, lasted less than half a second before being shattered.

Harder than steel?

Is it harder than the Kiba or the Kubikiribōchō?

Lin Qing could cleave those two legendary ninja blades in a single strike, let alone a piece of broken bone!

Just then, a gray-black arm reached out and shoved Kimimaro aside, saving him from dying under Lin Qing's blade.

The blade flashed.

A gray-black arm flew high into the air.

Jugo let out a painful shriek, and then a fierce, crazed glint flashed in his eyes as he entered a berserk, uncontrollable killing mode.

His already massive frame grew even taller, becoming thick and hideous; his muscles swelled, his skin turned completely gray-black, and "exhaust pipes" emitting blue flames sprouted from his shoulders and back, making him look like a monster crawled out of hell.

The severed limb stopped bleeding as granulation tissue rolled, seemingly ready to sprout a new arm.

"Die!"

"Die for me!"

Jugo let out a shrill roar, his remaining arm clenched into a fist, and he swung it toward the back of Lin Qing's head as the latter landed with his back turned.

"Explosive Smash!"

Lin Qing held his blade in one hand and glanced at Jugo.

"Star Platinum."

"Ora!"

Star Platinum did not dodge in the slightest, throwing a punch of its own.

Two massive fists collided in mid-air.

The air seemed to tremble, and the hearts of everyone present skipped a beat; the next second—

Splat!

Jugo's arm sprayed crimson blood, deep cracks appearing down to the bone as large areas of muscle tissue underwent necrosis.

"What?!"

Kimimaro, who had been pushed aside and had yet to land, stared at the scene in disbelief.

He had never seen anyone defeat Jugo in terms of raw strength, not even Lord Orochimaru.

Once in his berserk state, Jugo was a beast of absolute power; the only way to restrain him was through joint locks, genjutsu, or ninjutsu.

Lin Qing raised an eyebrow slightly.

Countless natural energy flowed into Jugo's body, the cracks in his arm rapidly repairing themselves as a dozen thick cannon barrels sprouted all over his body, aiming at Lin Qing and Star Platinum at point-blank range, with streaks of cyan-blue light gathering at the muzzles.

Kimimaro clenched his fists.

Lin Qing was as good as dead!

This was Jugo's strongest strike—the Lotus Cannon.

Drawing upon natural energy, it accumulated a super-compressed chakra cannonball.

However...

Accumulating energy?

Who gave you permission to accumulate energy in front of Star Platinum?

"Ora! Ora! Ora!..."

In an instant, a barrage of blows shattered every cannon muzzle extending toward him.

Star Platinum turned around, and Lin Qing stopped looking at Jugo, shifting his gaze back to Kimimaro.

BOOM—

The high-pressure chakra detonated inside Jugo's body, and a pillar of fire rose up behind Lin Qing.

Only at this moment did Kimimaro, who had been pushed aside, finally land on the ground.

The flames were scorching, yet his heart had turned ice-cold.

Lin Qing was about to walk toward Kimimaro, but he stopped.

"Hm?"

The system gave no notification.

This meant the monster charred into a cinder before him was not dead yet.

Lin Qing carried his blade over to Jugo's side.

"You cannot kill him!" Kimimaro said.

"Why can't I?"

"He is a madman, Lin Qing, a madman!"

Kimimaro pounded his chest, shouting at Lin Qing, who was about to strike: "It was I who controlled him to kill; he did not want this! All the sins are mine! Kill me, but spare him!"

After just one exchange, Kimimaro had seen the reality of the battle.

The man before them was simply a monster; they could not possibly defeat Lin Qing.

Kimimaro suffered from a terminal illness; even with the treatment of Lord Orochimaru, he had at most four or five years left to live. Compared to him, Jugo was far more useful to Lord Orochimaru.

From rumors, Kimimaro had learned of Lin Qing's character.

"Lin Qing! You are a good man; you cannot slaughter the innocent!"

Kimimaro's words echoed through the village.

At the same time, five figures appeared.

Lin Qing looked over and recognized their identities at a glance.

"Root?"

When Lin Qing first appeared, the five Root ninjas had seen him. They had intended to wait until the battle between Lin Qing and Kimimaro reached its climax before stepping in to kill Lin Qing.

No one had expected the fight to end so quickly.

After weighing their options and considering the long-term cooperation between Lord Orochimaru and Lord Danzo, the five decided to step forward to protect Kimimaro and Jugo.

The Root ninja wearing a fox mask said:

"Since you recognize us, things will be easy. Lin Qing, this is the Land of Fire. These two wanted criminals should be handled by Konoha ninjas. We have been tracking them for a long time; please step back."

"Matters in the Land of Fire are handled by Konoha; that logic holds."

Lin Qing nodded slightly, as if in agreement.

Kimimaro had just let out a sigh of relief when he heard Lin Qing continue: "And what if I say no?"

The fox-masked ninja raised his voice: "Konoha has already shown you mercy by not pursuing your defection! If you remain stubborn—"

A series of ninja blades and kunai were drawn, and two of the ninjas began forming hand seals.

Lin Qing scanned the surroundings, the ground littered with corpses, and chuckled, tilting his chin toward Kimimaro:

"Didn't you hear what he said? I am a good man, and they are the villains. You don't go after the villains, yet you point your blades at me..."

"What, must a good man be pointed at by blades?"

"And another thing—"

Lin Qing raised his blade, and under the horrified gazes of Kimimaro and the Root members, he drove the edge fiercely into Jugo's abdomen.

"How much longer are you going to hide in this godforsaken place?"

As these words left his lips, Kimimaro and the Root members, who were just about to attack, froze in place.

They did not understand what Lin Qing was talking about; there was nowhere else here for anyone to hide.

But soon, Jugo's abdomen swelled up like a woman ten months pregnant. With a tearing sound, his stomach split open, and a pitch-black venomous snake crawled out from within.

If not for the clear realization that he had transmigrated into the world of Naruto, Lin Qing would have thought an Alien had arrived on Earth.

The giant serpent opened its maw, and a wet, slimy man extended his head; he stared straight at Lin Qing, as if he had laid eyes on his very own Mona Lisa.

"Oro--chi--maru!"

Jiraiya's roar echoed from the distance.

Orochimaru cast a disdainful glance at Jiraiya before turning his gaze, filled with admiration and longing, back toward Lin Qing, his raspy, magnetic voice murmuring:

"I have finally found you, Mr. Lin Qing."