The Coffin

A ramen shop on the outskirts of the Land of Fields.

"Hermit Purple!"

Lin Qing slammed his palm onto the Polaroid camera.

A photograph slowly slid out.

Orochimaru was sitting on a chair, holding a teacup in his hand. He seemed to sense Lin Qing's surveillance, slightly raising the cup to nod in greeting.

He had stopped running.

Without needing Star Platinum to fill in the details, the photo clearly showed Orochimaru sitting in the middle of a street lined with empty shops. Behind him stood over a dozen ninjas wearing headbands marked with musical note symbols.

Otogakure.

Lin Qing realized this was the reason Orochimaru had fled all the way to the Land of Fields.

For seven days, he had pursued, and Orochimaru had fled, unable to escape his grasp.

Lin Qing and Orochimaru had barely taken a moment to rest.

Under the effects of Hermit Purple, no matter where Orochimaru hid, Lin Qing could always track him down through the slightest traces.

Until now, when Orochimaru finally stopped running.

He was waiting openly for Lin Qing to appear.

Jiraiya had once said:

If it were a random encounter, Jiraiya could pin Orochimaru down and beat him—though there was certainly some boasting in that claim—but once Orochimaru was given enough time to prepare and set traps, his threat level would rise exponentially.

In the photo, the look in Orochimaru's eyes seemed to say: I am right here, Lin Qing; do you really dare to come?

"What kind of Batman setup is this?"

Lin Qing chuckled. "Shopkeeper, how far is it from here to Otogakure?"

The ramen shop owner glanced at Lin Qing's Blade of Ruin and replied, "At a normal person's pace, walking northwest, it takes five days on foot, or two days by carriage. But if you're a ninja, zipping through the trees, you could probably make it in a day."

Lin Qing nodded, having gauged the distance. He stood up and took a banknote from his pocket, placing it on the table.

"Keep the change."

The shopkeeper wiped his hands on a towel, walked over, and saw the amount. He hurriedly grabbed the money and chased after him, lifting the curtain.

"Sir! A bowl of noodles doesn't cost that much, you gave too—"

Before he could finish, he froze.

He saw Lin Qing stepping onto the Blade of Ruin, as if an invisible giant had tossed him and the blade into the sky, flying straight toward the northwest.

The shopkeeper collapsed to the ground, shouting, "Honey!"

"What is it?"

"Come out... and look at an immortal!"

Inside Otogakure.

Despite it being broad daylight, not a single soul could be seen on the streets. Only Orochimaru sat on his chair, holding a cup of hot tea, quietly sipping and basking in the sun.

If one only looked at Orochimaru, they might think he had washed his hands of the ninja world and let go of all his past grievances.

But if one shifted their gaze slightly behind him, they could see a dozen grim-faced Otogakure ninjas, and...

Two solid wood coffins.

In the resource-poor Naruto World, a meticulously crafted solid wood coffin was considered a lavish burial.

Ordinary families didn't have such luxuries; they were lucky to be wrapped in a straw mat when they died.

Most were just buried in a simple pit.

Only wealthy landlords, merchants, and powerful ninjas could afford solid wood coffins.

As mentioned before, the ninja villages of various nations were constantly infiltrating one another, and Otogakure was no exception. Spies from different villages used their various skills to hide in corners, watching Orochimaru and his group from afar.

Many had privately speculated that Orochimaru was the leader of Otogakure, but seeing it truly exposed still shocked many.

Spies, by nature, had extensive sources of information.

They had long heard of the chase between Lin Qing and Orochimaru. Now, it seemed the final battleground was here in Otogakure, right before their eyes.

"But what do these two coffins marked 'One' and 'Two' mean?"

"You don't understand? What kind of person is Orochimaru?

One of the legendary Sannin, chased across the land by a newcomer like Lin Qing—do you think he has no temper?

These two coffins are his resolve.

If Lin Qing doesn't come, so be it, but if he does..."

"And if he does?"

"The coffins are already prepared, what do you think? It's definitely a fight to the death. It seems Lin Qing has truly enraged Orochimaru; he's even prepared to go down together."

The scouts whispered among themselves in hushed tones.

Kabuto Yakushi walked over to pour tea for Orochimaru: "My Lord, do you truly believe Lin Qing will come?"

Kabuto could not imagine how Kimimaro, Jugo, and Orochimaru had been defeated by Lin Qing previously; it must have been a battle of unimaginable intensity.

From the caution displayed by Lord Orochimaru, Kabuto could surmise that Lin Qing was a formidable ninja.

However...

With Lord Orochimaru having made such exhaustive preparations, would Lin Qing really show up?

Coming alone to challenge an entire ninja village?

This went beyond the scope of recklessness or impulsivity.

It was stupidity.

Similar thoughts were shared not only by Kabuto.

Hiding in the sky, Konan and Deidara held the same opinion.

"Looks like this trip is going to be a waste of time."

Deidara yawned out of boredom. Their targets were Lin Qing and Orochimaru, but compared to Orochimaru, who acted like a rat in a sewer, Lin Qing's "arrogant and domineering" personality was more to Deidara's liking.

Konan nodded slightly.

Just then.

"He will come."

Itachi Uchiha in the sky.

Orochimaru on the ground.

Separated by a thousand meters, the two spoke the same words at the exact same time.

"Why?"

Kabuto and Deidara asked simultaneously.

Faced with this question, Orochimaru and Itachi Uchiha, two individuals of extreme intellect, could not provide a precise answer; they could only offer an ambiguous word.

"Intuition."

It was a very subtle certainty, difficult to describe in words and impossible for ordinary people to understand.

It was a feeling that only those who had truly clashed with Lin Qing could possess.

After hearing Itachi Uchiha's description, Konan raised her hand, wanting to say something, but stopped herself.

On the contrary, Deidara, standing to the side, spoke without restraint, slapping his thigh and laughing:

"A feeling born from getting beaten up... Brother Itachi, are you sure you aren't talking about some special fetish?"

Itachi Uchiha: "..."

They waited for another two full hours. Their original plan had been to wait for Lin Qing to appear and engage in a fierce battle with Orochimaru, then strike during the chaos to capture both of them at once.

Konan checked the time.

A blazing sun hung directly overhead.

High noon had arrived.

"Deidara, do your Clay Scout Bugs have any reaction?"

Centered on Otogakure, Deidara had set up a twenty-kilometer radius of clay surveillance; as long as Lin Qing stepped into this range, it would trigger a subtle explosion.

"None," Deidara replied.

Konan said: "Itachi, it seems your 'intuition' was wrong. We can't wait any longer; the news of Orochimaru being in Otogakure has already spread. It won't be long before factions from all sides arrive, and we must strike before then."

After Konan finished speaking, she did not receive a response from Itachi Uchiha.

He remained in his posture of resting with his eyes closed.

"Itachi?"

"Listen carefully."

Itachi Uchiha suddenly spoke.

Listen?

Konan listened intently, and she heard the sound of wind whistling, and furthermore...

It was getting closer!

"Look!"

The midday light fell upon Lin Qing, who was flying in on his blade.

"He's here!"

"He really came!"

No infiltration, no assassination, and certainly no gathering of an army.

Just like that, all alone, he strode brazenly into the enemy's lair under the scorching midday sun!

It was pure madness.

"Holy shit!"

Deidara's eyes lit up, his mouth hanging half-open. "Itachi, I take back what I said earlier. I finally understand what you meant by that 'feeling.' Lin Qing... this guy is actually pretty interesting!"

"And is he actually flying?!"

Both in the sky and on the ground, everyone saw Lin Qing hurtling toward them.

They channeled chakra into their eyes, only to see Star Platinum appear behind the Blade of Ruin, gripping its hilt and aiming directly at Orochimaru—

"Ora!"

Lin Qing accelerated once more, a white conical cloud of condensation forming behind him.

In an instant, the roaring sound of wind and thunder echoed across the sky, descending upon Orochimaru like divine retribution!

BOOM!

The Blade of Ruin pierced through Orochimaru's body, pinning him firmly to the ground.

A shockwave rippled outward, causing the earth to crack and cave in.

With just a single strike, every structure within a hundred-meter radius of Lin Qing collapsed, burying all the Otogakure ninjas who had been lying in ambush.

Dust and smoke billowed, obscuring the view.

A hand reached out from the dust and gave a light wave, as if pulling back a curtain.

A gale howled.

Lin Qing stood in the center of the ruins, pulling out the Blade of Ruin, when suddenly—

Thud! Thud!

The sound of two coffin lids hitting the ground echoed out.

Lin Qing looked at the two figures emerging and frowned slightly.

"Why are there 'big zombies' here too?"