Suppression! Beating Orochimaru

At Neji's words, Sakura immediately realized the gravity of the situation.

He's right, she thought. If I stay, I'll definitely be a burden to the Anbu. After all, we're only Chunin; I should be following orders...

With that, she swallowed a Military Ration Pill, immediately hoisted Naruto onto her back, and then went to help Sasuke up.

"Remember, three Sound Ninja will come to give you trouble. Their target is Sasuke; you must not let them succeed."

Neji reminded Sakura, knowing that at this critical juncture, preventing anything major from happening to Sasuke and the others was a vital part of the plan.

Otherwise, if Konoha were to fall into chaos prematurely, he would be dragged into a conflict where death could come at any moment, long before he had the time to slowly grow stronger.

Watching a mere brat rescue people from Konoha right under his nose time and time again had already begun to irritate Orochimaru.

And Neji's reminder to Sakura just now had piqued Orochimaru's interest even further!

"Brat, who exactly are you?"

The corners of Orochimaru's mouth twitched slightly, making it impossible to tell if his twisted expression was one of excitement or rage.

In any case, Neji had finally captured the attention of the powerhouse before him.

This was a confrontation between the strong and the weak, but Neji had never been content to remain a weakling!

It was precisely because he was constantly growing stronger on this path that he had the courage to stand here.

The current Neji looked exactly like a seasoned Anbu; Orochimaru couldn't tell the difference at all!

"Could you be Itachi Uchiha? No..."

Orochimaru furrowed his brows, shaking his head repeatedly.

"Impossible, impossible. That guy has already joined the Akatsuki, and the methods he uses are worlds apart. Hehehe!"

Neji had already stepped back with his left foot, ready to meet an attack at any moment.

He could not afford the slightest bit of laxity, especially against this particular enemy!

Not to mention that this opponent was the strongest he had ever fought, if the man got serious, the killing intent he projected would be the real deal!

If he were to lose focus for even a second, he might very well lose his life right here.

Coming to find Orochimaru was Neji's calculated risk; surviving with everything he had and reaping what he wanted from this encounter was the decision Neji was most confident in.

Orochimaru looked at the Anbu brat before him and thought to himself, Clearly, this kid isn't at Itachi's level. But that highly unique palm technique... since when has the younger generation of the Hyuga Clan produced someone this formidable?

"Kid, what is your objective?"

Orochimaru sneered and said, "Don't tell me you think you can kill me all by yourself? Or are you trying to stand up for your Main Branch?"

Orochimaru's words caught Neji, who had only intended to engage in combat, completely off guard.

"What do you mean?" Neji asked, hesitating.

"Heh, little brat of the Hyuga, no matter how much you hide it, you can't conceal it. That damned keen insight and the Gentle Fist infused with chakra..." Orochimaru said through gritted teeth, as if recalling something.

"But clearly, your talent is even higher than Hizashi's."

"Hi..."

Orochimaru's words gradually caused Neji to freeze in place.

What was he talking about? Could there be something he didn't know that had happened?

But he couldn't show it; he only clenched his fists tightly.

"I don't know anything about the Hyuga Clan. I only know that your plan to destroy Konoha will fail in the end!"

With that, Neji took the initiative to strike.

In an instant, he was right up against Orochimaru.

"Fast, kid!" Orochimaru's eyes widened as he barely managed to block Neji's palm with his arm.

"Hah!"

As the next palm came down, Orochimaru couldn't hold his ground and retreated straight back.

"I won't let you get away with this, brat!"

Just as Orochimaru tried to weave hand signs, Neji's third palm struck.

Another palm!

And the final one!

The speed of his strikes grew faster and faster, completely on a different level of frequency and power than the first.

Orochimaru wondered inwardly, Has this kid been triggered by something? Why is he so fierce?

As for Neji, he only wanted to know what kind of unknown connection this guy Orochimaru had with the Hyuga Clan!

To find that out, he couldn't just ask—he had to fight!

Snap!

Orochimaru dodged, and Neji's palm struck a tree instead.

The air went still for a moment, and then, the tree... suddenly exploded!

"Crack!"

The tree shattered into pieces, the entire trunk collapsing in an instant.

"Over here!"

Sensing the intense battle on the other side, especially that ominous chakra, Anko gripped the Cursed Seal on the back of her neck and gritted her teeth. "It's right ahead. I could never forget that guy's chakra!"

"Hurry, let's provide support!"

The two Anbu rushed forward with Anko, yet when they saw the scene, they were all struck speechless.

Orochimaru had absolutely no time to weave hand signs, not even enough time to use the Substitution Technique.

The child wearing Yugao's Anbu mask was now also clad in an Anbu uniform, his movements seamless as he pressed Orochimaru step by step.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Tree after tree crashed to the ground, all without exception caused by his palm strikes.

"That boy... is actually chasing Orochimaru?"

Anko opened her mouth in astonishment and blinked, momentarily thinking this must be a dream!

"What... exactly is going on here?"

The entire battlefield had been destroyed beyond recognition. Orochimaru's agile body moved like a python, rapidly fleeing and slithering across the ground.

But no matter what, the masked boy refused to let up for even a second. Whenever Orochimaru let his guard down, a palm strike would come flying, and Orochimaru only narrowly escaped each time by the skin of his teeth.

In terms of taijutsu, the boy was undoubtedly completely suppressing Orochimaru!

One of the more composed Anbu pondered, "Extremely sharp insight and taijutsu talent. The rhythm of his palm strikes and the way the trees are damaged... there is no doubt, this kid is using the Gentle Fist of the Hyuga Clan!"

The other, sturdier Anbu hesitated, "The Hyuga Clan? The younger generation of the Hyuga Clan hasn't shown much talent in recent years! There are no Anbu this young, how could he be from the Hyuga Clan!"

Anko rubbed her chin and said, "The Hyuga Clan has always been reclusive; it wouldn't be strange if he were some hidden master."

"But... what kind of boy becomes a hidden master at such a young age?"

Over there, Neji had already finished several sets of Gentle Fist combinations, yet he still couldn't land a hit on Orochimaru.

It looked like he was suppressing him everywhere and held the upper hand, but in reality, he didn't have much of an advantage.

If this continued, he would only exhaust his stamina; he was currently only holding on by having swallowed three Military Ration Pills at once.

"Click!"

Neji missed a palm strike, hitting only air, and stumbled forward.

"Oh no!" Anko and the Anbu were shocked.

Orochimaru grinned, "You were still careless, little brat! Let me see who you really are!"

He immediately reached out, and two snakes shot forth to bind Neji's body. He then reached out, intending to tear off Neji's mask...

However, beneath the mask, Neji merely let out a cold, soft laugh.

"If I didn't intentionally reveal a flaw, would you have ever given me this chance?"

Orochimaru was suddenly struck with realization: the one in front of him was a clone, while the real body was already behind him, limbs extended, striking a highly standard pose!

"This is... Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!?"