Doubt from Orochimaru

"Lord Kong, I..."

Jūzō Biwa lay on the blood-soaked soil, struggling to prop himself up.

He noticed that Kou was looking in his direction, and was about to say something when Kou disappeared from his sight in the next second.

In the blink of an eye, Koko appeared in front of Jūzō Biwa.

He crouched down and gently placed a hand on Jūzō Biwa's shoulder.

The force wasn't strong, but it firmly pressed his swaying body back to the ground.

You've done a great job.

The knocking was very soft, and that signature gentle smile was full of reassurance.

"The rest... you can leave it to me."

His hand rested on Jūzō Biwa's shoulder, and a soft blue Chakra appeared in his palm.

It overflowed from Kou's palm, slowly seeping into Jūzō Biwa's wound, spreading along his blood vessels, meridians, and muscle fibers.

As Jūzō Biwa felt the life force surging within his body, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, which were somewhat cloudy from blood loss:

"This is... Medical Ninjutsu?"

Seeing the surprised expression on Jūzō Biwa, he smiled and said:

"Although my skills aren't perfect, I can still manage to control your current injuries."

He paused, then turned his head to look at Kimimaro was standing to the side, still holding the bone spear in his hand.

"I'm entrusting Juzo to you, Kimimaro."

Kotoko Kimimaro said earnestly:

"Suigetsu and the patrol team are behind us; there are dedicated medical-nin there who will take care of his injuries."

His gaze shifted from Kimimaro to the direction where Orochimaru had been sent flying.

The dust cloud had gradually dissipated, revealing a long trench carved out by the shockwave, and at the end of the trench, a pile of rubble smashed to pieces.

Knocking on the path ahead, his voice turned cold:

"As for that stinky snake, I'll take care of it."

Kimimaro carefully helped Jūzō Biwa. He looked at the person in front of him, opened his mouth, and wanted to say something apologetic.

But he knew now was not the time to apologize.

Kimimaro merely pursed his lips slightly and nodded to Koko.

"Yes, Lord Kong."

Kou noticed their dejection and sincerely comforted them:

You don't need to feel discouraged.

His voice was very soft, as if he were stating something obvious:

"As your superior, I am delighted by your resolve to fight to the death for Mist Village and your comrades."

And as your companions...

A slight upturn at the corners of his mouth revealed a bright smile on his ordinary face.

"I am even more delighted that you have survived against a powerful enemy."

Hearing Koko's "sincere" words, Jūzō Biwa was slightly taken aback.

He looked at Kou's ordinary, almost unremarkable face, at that gentle yet "sincere" smile, and a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.

"This utterly rotten Mist Village actually managed to produce someone like Sora... it's like a dream."

He came to his senses and felt the concerned look in Kou's eyes. A smile slowly appeared on the stiff corners of his mouth on his face, which was covered with blood and dirt.

I don't know when it happened, but even I, with my inherently cruel nature, have become accustomed to this dreamlike reality.

"Then I'll leave it to you... Lord Kong."

As he spoke, Jūzō Biwa waved somewhat awkwardly in the direction of Kou.

Kimimaro also glanced reluctantly in the direction of Kou, a subtle ripple appearing in his red eyes.

Then, supporting Jūzō Biwa, he walked step by step towards the edge of the woods.

Kou glanced at their retreating figures out of the corner of his eye, only looking away after confirming they had truly left.

"Hmph... that's quite unexpected."

A hoarse voice slowly rose from afar, tinged with a hint of amusement.

Orochimaru's figure slowly emerged from the distance where he had been knocked away.

His white kimono was dusty, but there wasn't a single scratch on his pale face.

His steps remained unhurried, as if the blow that had sent him flying hundreds of meters was merely a gentle breeze brushing against his cheek.

He glanced sideways in the direction Orochimaru had come from.

There, a shed "skin" lies quietly in the pile of rubble.

It was a complete, human-shaped shell, like the old skin shed by a snake.

"... Snake Substitution Technique, is it?"

Looking at the unharmed Orochimaru before him, he murmured to himself:

"This cunning snake is indeed not so easy to deal with."

He was not at all surprised that Orochimaru was unharmed.

After all, if this guy could be killed so easily, he wouldn't be Orochimaru.

At the same time, Orochimaru carefully observed Kokoro before him, his golden snake eyes filled with surprise:

"Although I've long heard rumors that Mist Village has changed in recent years, and that a Mizukage Aide..."

He tilted his head, his snake-like eyes scanning Kou's body from head to toe, as if examining an interesting exhibit:

"But I never expected it to be true."

His gaze shifted from Kou's ordinary face to the twin swords Hiramekarei, in his hand.

The giant sword gleamed with a cold light in the sunlight, still bearing the lingering Chakra energy from the release of the shockwave.

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

His tongue slowly slid across his lips, and the light in his snake-like eyes shifted from surprise to astonishment:

"To be able to unleash an attack of this caliber with this Ninja Blade is truly unparalleled, even among all the previous users of the Hiramekarei."

Orochimaru observed Kokoro before him, his pale face filled with genuine curiosity, like a scholar encountering an unsolvable problem.

"Why is someone as strong as you unknown in the Ninja World?"

His voice was full of confusion, and that confusion was genuine.

In the Ninja World where information flows so readily, it's impossible for a Kage Level powerhouse to be completely unknown.

And this man is Shiina Sora.

Even someone who prides themselves on having an extremely extensive intelligence network knows nothing about this man's background.

He appeared out of Mist Village, seemingly springing from a crack in a rock, becoming the Mizukage Aide, and transforming this dying village.

This is wrong, this is very wrong...

Kou did not answer Orochimaru's question, nor did he look at Orochimaru's inquisitive eyes.

He simply lifted the Hiramekarei with one hand, then pulled it back slightly, and then flung it out!

A blue Chakra slash erupted from Hiramekarei's blade, its speed astonishing.

The slash expanded rapidly in mid-air, transforming from an initial arc into a massive, turbulent, waterfall-like blue wave.

Orochimaru's previously relaxed gaze suddenly sharpened the moment the slash appeared.

As a genius aiming to master all the Ninjutsu in the world, he saw through the principle behind this slash in an instant.

By incorporating the nature transformation of water-style Chakra into the Hiramekarei, and combining this with the Hiramekarei's inherent ability to amplify total Chakra and compress and release it,

The moment the sword is swung, it unleashes a terrifying slash that far exceeds the amount of Chakra consumed and is imbued with the power of water-attribute transformation!

Orochimaru watched the approaching slash calmly, analyzing the situation without a trace of panic in his eyes.

His feet lightly touched the ground, and his supple body floated to one side, like a leaf blown by the wind.

The slash passed by his side, the blue light illuminating his pale profile.

The slash missed its mark and struck the ground dozens of meters behind him.

Rumble!!

Mud flew everywhere, stones scattered, and a long, deep furrow was plowed into the ground.

The edges of the ravines were very smooth, marks left by water-style Chakra compressed to its extreme.

Orochimaru glanced at Koko out of the corner of his eye, a hint of amazement flashing in his golden snake eyes:

"This level of proficiency and power is at least at the level of a Shadow."

Orochimaru silently absorbed this information, but just as he was about to continue observing, a hint of doubt appeared in his golden snake eyes.

This slash, which incorporated the Chakra Nature Transformation, somehow felt somewhat familiar to him.

By incorporating nature transformation into the Ninja Blade, and combining it with the user's Swordsmanship and speed, a wide-range attack can be achieved...

Orochimaru looked at "Shiina Sora" in front of him, his golden snake eyes narrowing slightly.

The fighting style of the man wielding the Hiramekarei (Hiramisu Butterfly Blade) before me seems somewhat similar to that of the man who once piqued my interest...