"Is the enemy over there?"
Jirobo's whole body was covered in tadpole-shaped Cursed Seals. He was the first to launch a technique at the direction Orochimaru was watching.
"Earth Style: Earth Shore Return."
In an instant, the ground ahead split down the middle. Then two sections of earth tilted up and crashed down to either side.
Under this technique, the situation ahead was laid completely bare.
Qiuyang, who had been waiting for a long time, had already leapt into the air as soon as the fat Jirobo began his technique.
"Whoosh—"
Just as his body reached its highest point, the sound of something cutting through the air rang out. A golden arrow appeared before his face in the blink of an eye.
It was the Sticky Gold Arrow shot by Kidomaru.
Qiuyang hurriedly poured Lightning Release chakra into his short sword and knocked the arrow aside. He was just about to explain why he had come when a mournful flute melody reached his ears.
It sounded like a sorrowful funeral song he had heard in his previous life.
Tayuya had used Demonic Flute: Phantom Sound Chains.
The sound-based genjutsu made Qiuyang freeze for over a second, causing him to land right in the earthen pit as it closed.
Jirobo: "Earth Style: Earth Prison Dome."
After breaking free of the genjutsu, Qiuyang looked up just in time to see the last sliver of light covered by the piled-up earth. That meant the Earth Prison had fully formed.
These three techniques—shooting to kill, playing a funeral dirge, and burying him—had really given Qiuyang the full funeral-service experience right at the end of his life...
The user of this technique could continuously absorb the chakra of anyone trapped inside.
If Neji hadn't used his Byakugan to observe and work out its weakness back then, the team pursuing Sasuke would have been wiped out by this move.
Qiuyang knew the technique's weakness, of course, but he wasn't worried at all. Instead, he couldn't help praising the Sound Four.
Their long-range and close-range attacks worked together flawlessly. Every move was perfectly timed. They really had great teamwork!
Outside, Tayuya saw that her companion had trapped the enemy. She lowered the flute from her lips and praised him with a fake smile.
"Good job, you fat pig."
"Tayuya, girls should speak more gently. And don't distract me while I'm absorbing chakra."
"Shut up, you fat pig."
The two often bickered, so Sakon and Kidomaru were used to it. They turned to ask Orochimaru what they should do next, only to find that his expression was still stern.
Their faces changed, and their hearts, which had just begun to settle, leapt back into their throats.
Could there be another enemy nearby?
"Jirobo, release your technique. What you caught was only the enemy's Shadow Clone."
Clap, clap, clap...
Qiuyang applauded as he appeared behind the Earth Prison Dome, having seen through the ruse.
As expected of Orochimaru. He was right: the one who had fallen into the Earth Prison just now had been nothing more than a Shadow Clone.
No wonder everyone who had dealt with Snake Auntie thought he was difficult to handle. That insight alone was beyond what an ordinary ninja could match.
"Well, well. Isn't this Lord Orochimaru, the famed Konoha Sannin? How did you end up in such a sorry state today?"
It was a cutting opening remark. As he spoke, Qiuyang's hands formed seals faster and faster.
He'd just been hit with a whole combo of ninjutsu without doing anything. If he didn't return the favor, he might end up at a disadvantage when they negotiated later!
"Sakon."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
Sakon understood. He entered Cursed Seal State 2, sprouting long horns, bit his finger, smeared the blood on the back of his hand, and slapped it to the ground.
"Summoning: Rashomon."
With a rumble, a gate resembling one from a fairy tale, with large bronze-colored bells hanging on either side, rose from the ground.
Before Rashomon had fully risen, the Sound Four whisked Orochimaru behind it. They had barely steadied themselves when a cold voice rang out.
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique."
Two dragon-headed balls of flame, each nearly half the size of Rashomon, shot from Qiuyang's mouth and slammed into the gate one after the other.
Though Rashomon blocked the scorching flames, Orochimaru and the Sound Four, sheltering behind it, still felt the blistering heat surging around both sides of the gate.
This technique's range and destructive power were incredible!
Orochimaru's expression was grim. When the second ball of flame struck the gate, he distinctly heard Rashomon emit several brittle cracks, as if it couldn't withstand the heat...
After resisting Great Dragon Fire, Rashomon went "poof" and vanished into smoke.
The power of Qiuyang's Fire Release was plain to see. He nodded with satisfaction when he saw the result.
"Not good. This enemy is at least a jonin, and there's a very good chance he's an elite jonin."
The Sound Four were a little flustered, but they still bravely stood in front of Lord Orochimaru, warily watching the man walking toward them.
"I came hoping to have a proper talk with you, Orochimaru, but your subordinates don't seem very welcoming!"
All four of them had already entered State 2.
Snake Auntie pushed Sakon away as he supported him. Seeing Qiuyang's unusually dark pupils, he narrowed his eyes, and a cold glint flashed from his vertical pupils.
"Gahaha. I'd heard that fool Jiraiya had taken on a new Uchiha student. Sure enough, he's just as foolish as his teacher, daring to come here alone."
As he spoke, his long tongue suddenly slid out of his mouth. He licked his face and then waved it around in the air.
Who knew whether Orochimaru did that out of habit when speaking or was getting ready to launch a surprise attack, preparing to put on a show of:
I spit out a snake, the snake spits me out; I spit out another snake, and the snake spits me out again.
In any case, Qiuyang felt a chill of revulsion. On top of that, Orochimaru still had the appearance of the young woman whose body he had reincarnated into... The visual impact was simply too much.
"I suggest you behave yourself. I came here to make a deal with you, not to fight. Besides..."
Qiuyang closed his eyes helplessly and secretly gathered chakra in them.
Unless he left Snake Auntie with a deep impression, it seemed he wouldn't cooperate willingly.
"Orochimaru, none of your techniques will work against these eyes of mine."
Orochimaru shuddered at those words. His restless tongue stopped moving. As disbelief filled him, he saw a pair of crimson eyes...
"Ah... Agh, damn it..."
Same formula, same taste. He had been caught by the Sharingan's Golden Binding Genjutsu again.
In Snake Auntie's consciousness, four rusty iron spikes had pinned him down. He couldn't move at all.
Poor Snake Auntie. When facing a group of enemies, he'd still had a hand free to try to lift and dispel the genjutsu.
Now that both his hands were sealed, he had no way to break the genjutsu himself. He could only resort to the most primitive method.
He knew that injecting chakra into the person under the genjutsu wouldn't do much against the Uchiha's ocular techniques.
"Sa...kon, quickly stab me with a kunai..."
"Huh? Lord Orochimaru?"
Sakon hesitated, then moved to carry out the order, but as soon as he raised his hand, Orochimaru stopped him with a look.
Qiuyang had voluntarily released the Golden Binding Technique. A warm, sunny smile appeared on his face.
"Lord Orochimaru, can we have a proper talk about our deal now? I know your hands are already..."
Snake Auntie's face shifted between pallid and ashen. At last, he uttered a single sentence: "Come with me."
Before you continue