Forcing Snake Aunt

Is the enemy over there?

Jirobo, his body covered in tadpole-like curse marks, took the lead and unleashed a jutsu in the direction Orochimaru was staring at:

"Earth Style: Earth Shore Return."

Instantly, the ground in front of them split down the middle, and two slabs of earth rose up before slamming together from left to right.

Under this jutsu, the situation ahead was laid bare.

Qiuyang, who had been waiting for a long time, had already leaped into the air the moment the fat man Jirobo initiated his jutsu.

"Whoosh—"

Just as he reached the peak of his jump, a piercing sound cut through the air, and a golden-feathered arrow appeared before his face in an instant.

It was a Sticky Gold Arrow fired by Kidomaru.

Qiuyang hurriedly channeled Lightning Style chakra into his short sword to deflect the arrow. Just as he was about to state his intentions, his ears caught the sound of a mournful flute.

It sounded like a sorrowful funeral dirge he had heard in his past life.

It was Tayuya unleashing her Demonic Flute: Phantom Sound Chains.

The auditory genjutsu successfully stunned Qiuyang for over a second, causing him to fall right into the earth pit that was currently closing up as he landed.

Jirobo: "Earth Style: Earth Prison Dome."

After breaking free from the genjutsu, Qiuyang looked up and saw the last sliver of light covered by the piled earth, meaning the prison had been fully formed.

These three jutsu: the long-range kill, the funeral music, and the burial—they really provided Qiuyang with a one-stop funeral service for his final moments...

The caster of this jutsu could continuously absorb the chakra of the person trapped inside.

If Neji hadn't observed and analyzed the weakness with his Byakugan back then, the squad tracking Sasuke would have been wiped out by this very move.

Qiuyang certainly knew the weakness of this jutsu, but he wasn't in a hurry at all; instead, he couldn't help but offer a word of praise for the Sound Four.

Their coordination between long-range and close-quarters combat was simply impeccable; every step was perfectly timed. Their synergy was truly something else!

Outside, Tayuya saw that the enemy had been trapped by her partner, took the flute from her lips, and praised him with a mocking smile:

"Nice work, you fat pig."

"Tayuya, girls should speak more gently. Also, don't interfere with my chakra absorption."

"Shut up, you fat slob."

The two often bickered, and Sakon and Kidomaru were long used to it. When they turned back to ask Orochimaru what to do next, they found that Orochimaru's expression remained grave.

Their expressions shifted, and the hearts they had just settled began to race again.

Could it be that there were other enemies nearby?

"Jirobo, release the jutsu. What you've caught is nothing more than the enemy's Shadow Clone."

Clap, clap, clap...

Qiuyang, having been seen through, clapped his hands as he appeared from behind the Earth Prison Dome.

As expected of Orochimaru; he was right. What had just been trapped in the earth prison was merely a Shadow Clone.

It's no wonder everyone who has dealt with Orochimaru finds him so troublesome; this level of insight alone is beyond that of an ordinary ninja.

"Tsk tsk, isn't this the great Orochimaru of the Konoha Sannin? How did you end up in such a state today?"

It was a sharp-tongued opening line. As he spoke, Qiuyang's hands moved faster and faster, weaving seals.

He had been hit with a combo of jutsu without doing anything; if he didn't return the favor, he feared he would be at a disadvantage during the upcoming negotiations!

"Sakon."

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."

Sakon understood, immediately entering the horned Curse Mark State 2. He bit his finger, smeared blood on the back of his hand, and slammed it onto the ground:

"Summoning: Rashomon."

With a thunderous boom, a gate resembling a demonic face with large bronze bells hanging on both sides rose from the ground.

Before the Rashomon had even fully risen, the Sound Four and Orochimaru ducked behind it. No sooner had they stood steady than a cold voice rang out:

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique."

Two dragon-headed fireballs, each half the size of the Rashomon, erupted from Qiuyang's mouth, slamming into the gate one after the other.

Although the scorching flames were completely blocked by the Rashomon, Orochimaru and the Sound Four hiding behind it could still feel the searing heat waves rushing in from both sides of the gate.

The range and destructive power of this jutsu were terrifying!

Orochimaru's face was grim. Furthermore, when the second fireball struck the gate, he clearly heard the crisp "crack" of the Rashomon failing to withstand the intense heat...

After resisting the Great Dragon Fire, the Rashomon let out a "poof" and dissipated into smoke.

The power of Qiuyang's Fire Style was evident. Seeing the results, he nodded with satisfaction.

"This is bad. This enemy is at least at the Jonin level, and in all likelihood, an Elite Jonin."

The Sound Four were somewhat flustered, yet they bravely stood in front of Lord Orochimaru, watching the person approaching step by step with vigilance.

"I originally wanted to have a proper talk with you, Orochimaru, but your subordinates don't seem to welcome me very much!"

They had all already activated State 2.

Orochimaru pushed away Sakon, who was supporting him, and upon seeing Qiuyang's pupils, which were distinctly different from an ordinary person's, he shot a cold, sinister gaze from his slit pupils:

"Heh heh, I heard that fool Jiraiya had taken on a new Uchiha disciple. You're just as foolish as he is, daring to come here all alone."

As he spoke, his long tongue shot out of his mouth without warning, licking his face and flicking through the air.

I don't know if this action was just a habit of Orochimaru's speech or if he was preparing to launch a surprise attack, performing a live show of:

I spit a snake, the snake spits me; I spit a snake again, the snake spits me again.

Regardless, Qiuyang felt a chill run down his spine, and given that Orochimaru was currently wearing the skin of the young girl he had reincarnated into... the visual impact was simply too much.

"I advise you to behave yourself. I came here to make a deal with you, not to fight, and besides..."

Qiuyang helplessly closed his eyes, secretly gathering chakra into them.

It seemed that if he didn't leave a deep impression on Orochimaru, he wouldn't cooperate obediently.

"Orochimaru, none of your techniques have any effect in front of these eyes of mine."

Orochimaru's entire body shuddered upon hearing these words; his restless tongue stopped swaying, and in his disbelief, he saw a pair of scarlet eyes...

"Ugh... ah, damn it..."

The same recipe, the same flavor; he had been immobilized by the Sharingan's Golden Binding Genjutsu once again.

Within Orochimaru's mental world, his body was already pinned down by four large, rusted iron nails, rendering him unable to move in the slightest.

Poor Orochimaru—when he faced Itachi, he at least had a pair of hands to try and lift to break the genjutsu.

Now that his hands were sealed, he had absolutely no way to break this genjutsu on his own and could only rely on the most primitive method.

He knew that the method of injecting chakra into the victim had little effect on Uchiha ocular techniques.

"Sa... Sakon, quickly, stab me with a kunai..."

"Ah, Lord Orochimaru?"

Sakon hesitated for a moment before preparing to execute the order, but he was stopped by a look from Orochimaru just as he raised his hand.

Because Qiuyang had voluntarily released the Golden Binding Genjutsu, a gentle and warm smile hung on his face:

"Lord Orochimaru, can we have a proper talk about our cooperation now? I happen to know that your hands are currently..."

Orochimaru's complexion shifted between pale and ashen, finally settling into a single sentence: "Follow me."