Crimson Fire!

After learning that Kamizuki was coming, Orochimaru had deliberately avoided acting with Tsunade and the others these past few days.

He knew perfectly well that if Kamizuki and Tsunade met, they would start fighting after barely exchanging a few words.

It was not just the old grudge between their clans; their personalities simply clashed.

The southern border of the Land of Rain.

Where the gray mud marshes met the dry red earth, the moisture in the air seemed to have been drained away, and even the clouds were much thinner.

This was the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind, a place with a rather poetic name: the Rain-Drenched Sand Realm.

On a high slope,

Orochimaru stood beside a wind-eroded rock and said to the two boys before him, "According to intelligence, a twelve-man Sunagakure ninja squad crossed the border two days ago and has been active in this area."

"Your mission is to find them and kill them all."

"Do we need prisoners for interrogation?" Kamizuki asked.

The corners of Orochimaru's mouth lifted slightly. "That would naturally be best if you can manage it, but on the battlefield, killing the enemy always takes priority over capturing them alive."

"It will increase your chances of survival."

Shikaku was smart, but having his first mission involve an enemy ninja unit was still far beyond the norm.

He looked nervously at Kamizuki. "I'm entrusting my life to you. You'll protect me, right, boss?"

Heh. Calling him boss just to stay alive?

"If you can die to small fry, then you have no value in staying alive."

Orochimaru patted Shikaku's shoulder and said slowly, "Don't worry too much. I'll be watching over you this time. I won't let your lives be in danger."

"Let's go."

Kamizuki slid down the slope, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Shikaku really wanted to say that ninja did not move like that, but considering Kamizuki's willful personality, he could only sigh helplessly and follow.

The two walked side by side for a while. Aside from the wind, there was no sound at all.

After going a little farther, Shikaku suddenly grabbed Kamizuki, who was striding ahead.

"Wait."

"What is it?"

Shikaku did not answer directly. He pointed at the ground some distance away and said gravely, "Something's wrong!"

Kamizuki looked where he pointed. There was only red soil, gray rocks, and withered shrubs. It looked naturally barren, nothing out of the ordinary.

Before Kamizuki could ask, Shikaku lowered his voice.

"That dead little tree is tilted at a different angle from the ones we saw earlier."

"Given the wind direction in this terrain, dead trees should normally lean southeast due to the northwesterly winds. This tree's angle of deviation exceeds natural probability."

"Anything unnatural can only have one cause... human interference."

"Kamizuki, your eyesight is definitely better than mine. Can you make out any difference in the color of the soil around the dead tree's roots?"

Kamizuki frowned slightly, concentrating chakra in his eyes as two tomoe appeared.

The chilling aura made Shikaku shudder. He cried out in surprise, "The Sharingan! How did you...?"

"It's normal for an Uchiha to have the Sharingan. Don't ask. I can't be bothered explaining."

Kamizuki stared at that spot, his Sharingan catching more details.

"The color is no different, but... the soil there is slightly looser than the surrounding ground. The difference is on the millimeter level, but it's definitely there."

The two exchanged glances. Even knowing Kamizuki would not use genjutsu on him, Shikaku still instinctively shifted his gaze away.

Making eye contact with an Uchiha's Sharingan put far too much psychological pressure on a person.

And these eyes...

Nara Shikaku, who possessed Yin Release shadow techniques, could vaguely sense that the concentration of Yin Release in these Sharingan was somewhat excessive.

"Then that's it. Someone dug up the soil there and filled it back in."

Shikaku crouched down and pressed his palm to the ground. A thread of shadow extended outward.

"It's most likely an Explosive Tag. I'll use my shadow to trigger it. At this distance, we should be safe."

"Considering the possibility of a chained Explosive Tag array, Kamizuki, be ready to take me back along our original route. Your speed won't be a problem."

"Afterward, we'll find higher ground with cover. The enemy may come check after we trigger the trap. Then, once we find the right—"

"Wait."

Kamizuki grabbed Shikaku's hand, his expression somewhat strange.

"What is it?"

The familiar exchange, only with the speakers reversed.

Kamizuki did not answer. He turned and called to Orochimaru in the distance, "Sensei—come over for a moment!"

His voice was not loud, but it carried far through the dry air.

On the high slope, Orochimaru was considering Iwagakure's troop movements along the northern front.

Iwagakure seemed to be preparing for a major operation. If they pressed down from the north, Konoha's current deployment in the Land of Rain would not be nearly enough...

"Orochimaru! Can you hear me?!"

Kamizuki's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Frowning, Orochimaru had actually known the location of that Sunagakure squad all along. They were roughly three miles south, so he had not been in any hurry to stay close to the two boys.

Whoosh—

Orochimaru used the Body Flicker Technique to arrive beside them, a trace of displeasure in his voice. "Why have you stopped? Instead of searching for the enemy, what are you dawdling for?"

Kamizuki snapped his fingers. "Continue."

Shikaku understood what he meant. He controlled his shadow to seize the dead tree and yank it up with force.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—

The faint sound and sudden smell of gunpowder made Orochimaru's pupils contract.

Then...

Boom boom boom boom boom boom!!!!!!!

Violent explosions erupted from the dried riverbed, flames soaring into the sky!

Firelight reflected in Orochimaru's pupils, revealing a rare emotion.

This was...

He reacted immediately, his hands forming seals at high speed.

"Earth Release: Earth Wall!"

Four earthen walls rose in an instant, protecting the three within.

When the smoke cleared...

Orochimaru looked at the surrounding terrain, blasted beyond recognition, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Such a large-scale Explosive Tag array... and I failed to notice it in advance!!

"This level of explosion wouldn't hurt me, but if Shikaku had bad luck, he'd be dead."

Kamizuki stood with one hand on his hip, the corners of his mouth curling up. "Well, well~ Who was it that confidently said he wouldn't let Shikaku's life be in danger?"

Orochimaru's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, his voice somewhat bitter.

"Sorry... I failed to notice it..."

"This isn't Lord Orochimaru's responsibility, and nothing happened anyway!" Shikaku hurriedly said, looking at Kamizuki with mild reproach.

Why did he have to embarrass Lord Orochimaru? Nothing even happened!

Orochimaru ignored Shikaku. His tightly clenched fists trembled faintly.

How could this happen...

I actually failed to notice...

If...

Kamizuki would not be harmed this time, but what about next time...

Would he die... like them...

Could I really protect the people important to me...

Because he feared such a future, he had repeatedly emphasized the dangers of war. Deep down, he had not wanted Kamizuki to come to the battlefield.

He had seen too many war orphans suffer miserable fates. If the child he regarded as hope also...

"You realize it now, don't you? Life is fragile and unpredictable."

Kamizuki looked coldly at Orochimaru, speaking each word distinctly.

"You always try to teach me something, but from where I stand, you are the ones lost without realizing it."

"The flowers you left before my parents' graves... did they remind you of the white snake shed skin you saw before your own parents' graves?"

Nawaki's death, Tsunade's wail, the experiments in Root... all had contributed to Orochimaru's change. But at its root...

It was still that layer of shed skin.

His loneliness had begun then.

Everything that happened afterward had been inevitable.

"You think I'm like you? No. We are completely different."

Kamizuki turned around to face the enemies rushing over after hearing the commotion. The curve of his lips deepened.

"Not being bound by the dead, doing whatever you want, refusing to do what you do not want... isn't that simple...?"

He spread his arms and traced an arc before his chest, bringing his palms together with his fingertips touching.

Facing the Sunagakure ninja racing toward him, he spoke slowly.

"Ten Fingers—Ten Threads—Life-Branded—No Salvation."

"Fire Style: Crimson Fire Manipulation."

As the incantation was softly uttered, crimson fire threads exploded from all ten fingers at once, lifting the nail plates as they shot out at extreme speed with piercing shrieks that tore through the air!

Before the approaching Sunagakure ninja could realize what was happening...

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—!!!

Ten fire threads pierced precisely through their vital points, leaving charred, bloody holes.

Not one escaped.

Thud... thud...

Bodies fell one after another. The intense heat left ten pale-red trails in the air, like crimson snake sheds.

Kamizuki turned around, his charred nails peeling away as both hands trembled slightly.

He revealed an exceptionally gentle smile.

Orochimaru had rarely seen Kamizuki smile like that... no, this was probably the first time.

Nor had he ever looked so seriously at the intense emotions contained within those scarlet eyes.

"Hey, Orochimaru!"

"I won't die. Something like death is simply no match for me!"

"Got it?!"