Subduing Orochimaru (Part One)

Outside Konoha, in the distant mountains and forests.

The weakened Orochimaru did not go far. He stood on the top of the canopy of a huge tree, gazing at the fading smoke in the direction of Konoha.

"Teacher Sarutobi, hehe."

Orochimaru chuckled softly, a hint of melancholy in his eyes. He wasn't particularly happy about Sarutobi Hiruzen's death.

Of course, it seems there isn't much sadness involved.

For the old man, this ending might be the best possible conclusion for a once-powerful figure.

"Cough cough cough!"

Suddenly, Orochimaru clutched his chest and coughed violently.

Blood seeped from between his fingers, and his face grew even paler.

"The Eight Gates Formation... truly formidable!"

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as he looked at the blood on his palm. He had thought that after his life level had undergone a qualitative change and he had reached a new level, the only people who could threaten his life were Shiraha, Kushina, and the Otsutsuki Clan. However, he was severely injured by Might Duy at the level he thought he was least likely to get hurt at.

After completing the Soft Physique Modification and incorporating the Chakra of the Otsutsuki Clan, he wouldn't necessarily be injured even if he took a Tailed Beast Ball.

This time, however, Might Duy injured his very core.

But if he had known this would happen, Orochimaru would still have returned to Konoha.

It's probably just psychological.

Returning home in wealth and honor is like wearing brocade at night.

Having gained such a significant boost, Orochimaru secretly thought he should show it to some special people.

Didn't the old man say he had gone astray?

As it turns out, the path he took was the right one.

Otherwise, why would the old man have died at Kakashi's hands?

If the old man could have maintained his strength during his peak years, or even continued to improve, he wouldn't have become increasingly incompetent over the years. Ultimately, his strength declined, and he was afraid of being surpassed by rising stars. He was reluctant to relinquish the power in his hands, which is why he made so many foolish moves.

It's all over!

Orochimaru gave Konoha one last deep look before looking away.

This time, he not only needs to recover from his injuries, but also to completely restore the Otsutsuki Original Chakra within his body.

He originally planned to take advantage of the end of the Konoha Crush Plan to bring One-Tails Shukaku under his control, but then Might Duy became a huge variable.

However, he could also target other villages. Even if he didn't become enemies with Shiraha, he could still seize the Four-Tails and Five-Tails from Iwagakure, the Six-Tails from Kirigakure, the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails- Tails from Kumogakure, and the Seven-Tails from Takigakure. There were also six Tailed Beast he could capture, which would allow him to recover a significant portion of the Otsutsuki's Original Chakra.

Now that he has obtained information about the Parallel World from Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's memories, he can explore the Parallel World and avoid conflict with Shiraha in this world.

His goal was to explore the unknown, not to be enemies with Shiraha.

"Lord Orochimaru!"

Swish, swish, swish!

The Sound Four and several Jonin from the Sound Village arrived at the tree where Orochimaru was and knelt on one knee.

"Are you all the only ones left?" Orochimaru said calmly. "Where's Shin?"

"Lord Orochimaru, Lord Shin has already safely evacuated. The Konoha Ninja counterattacked very quickly, and only a few of us from the Otogakure are left."

The Jonin from the Sound Village bowed his head in response.

"Okay." Orochimaru nodded. "Go find the letter."

"Yes!"

Orochimaru's figure flashed and he disappeared into the treetops.

The others quickly followed.

The group quickly traversed the forest and soon arrived at the natural cave where Xin was hiding.

"Lord Orochimaru!"

Upon hearing the commotion in the cave, Shin rushed out and, upon seeing Orochimaru arrive, excitedly stepped forward to bow.

The commotion from the battle in the skies above Konoha was so earth-shattering that it wouldn't be an exaggeration at all.

If the battle hadn't broken out in the sky, but on the ground, half of Konoha would probably have been wiped out.

Although Shin had great confidence in Orochimaru's strength, he was still extremely uneasy, regretting that he was too weak to help Orochimaru in battle.

Seeing that Orochimaru was safe and sound, I was finally relieved.

"Lord Orochimaru, you're injured?!"

Shin noticed that Orochimaru's aura had weakened considerably, and there was a trace of blood on the front of his shirt.

"Just a minor injury." Orochimaru smiled. "Let's leave here first. The location of Otogakure will probably be discovered soon. We need to find a new base this time."

Noticing Orochimaru's attitude towards Shin, the Sound Four filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. This Shin was incredibly weak; they really didn't know what Lord Orochimaru saw in him that made him treat him so well!

"Yes!"

Shin came to Orochimaru's side and followed him closely.

Because Shin was the weakest, the group traveled at a slower pace than before, clearly indicating that Orochimaru was intentionally making do with Shin.

Within about an hour, Orochimaru and his group had encountered several ninja teams returning to Konoha from outside the village. Clearly, these people had either noticed the battle commotion in Konoha or received a notification to return and provide support.

Although these people were not very strong, with the strongest team being led by a Jōnin, Orochimaru had no intention of fighting again, so he deliberately avoided them when he sensed them, sparing their lives.

Soon, they were far from Konoha and headed north.

After Orochimaru jumped onto a thick tree trunk, he suddenly raised his hand and shouted in a deep voice, "Stop!"

He leaped down from the tree trunk and landed on the grass in the forest, his expression somewhat uncertain as he cautiously looked around.

Just now, he felt a terrifying aura that sent chills down his spine. The key point is that this aura flashed by and disappeared in an instant.

But now that Orochimaru has reached this level, especially after mastering the Otsutsuki Clan 'Ōtsutsuki Isshiki memories, he knows that what he just saw was definitely not an illusion.

The others all landed behind Orochimaru, looking wary and on guard.

Orochimaru's eyes flickered, and he looked ahead with an indifferent expression. "Come out."

The others didn't dare to breathe, because they hadn't noticed any signs of an ambush.

"Such keen perception."

A deep voice rang out, and a tall man dressed in a white haori emerged from the bushes in front of them. His hair was gathered on top of his head and styled into a small braid resembling a rat's tail. The Roman numeral IV was tattooed below his left eye, and he wore a red earring. He appeared calm and aloof.

Even though they were right next to each other, no one noticed his presence.

Even Orochimaru, in his weakened state, only noticed a fleeting emotional fluctuation in him. He didn't find his location afterward, but only had the idea of testing him, which is why he deliberately spoke to an empty place.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Jigen. I'm here to invite you to join the organization."

A smile appeared on Isshiki's face, but his eyes seemed to see right through Orochimaru as he stared intently at him.

"Jigen?! Ōtsutsuki Isshiki!" Orochimaru's pupils contracted, and his body tensed up. After absorbing Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, he gained most of the latter's memories, so he naturally knew that the other party came from Parallel World of the ninja world.

Orochimaru knew everything about Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's true form, the Vessel he used, and the condition of his Kara.

If it were in the past, Orochimaru might have actually joined Isshiki had invited him.

But that's absolutely impossible now!

Because he has already devoured Ōtsutsuki Isshiki from Parallel World, Isshiki's biggest goal is to be completely resurrected, and the fastest way to do that is to collect the Tailed Beast again.

In addition, there is a faster method than collecting the Tailed Beast, but it only existed in theory at first: absorbing the Chakra of oneself.

Orochimaru has now completely devoured Ōtsutsuki Isshiki from the Parallel World, and their Chakra has become one.

How could the Isshiki possibly resist the temptation of such a rapid resurrection?

Members of the Otsutsuki Clan generally do not kill each other, but Isshiki had been ambushed by Kaguya, a member of his own clan, and had been dormant for a thousand years before recovering, and his thoughts had completely changed.

Most importantly, to the Otsutsuki Clan Member, those who have not consumed the Divine Tree Fruit and do not have pure Otsutsuki blood are considered inferior beings and are not considered members of their own race.

Orochimaru is currently at his weakest point, and even in his prime, he wouldn't dare say he could definitely defeat the Isshiki in front of him.

Broken!

"You even know the name of my true form. It seems that the Chakra in your body is indeed from the Otsutsuki Clan and has a great connection with me. No wonder I feel so familiar with you!"

Isshiki was somewhat surprised.

"What if I refuse?!" Orochimaru said in a deep voice, his remaining Original Chakra poised to be unleashed. If he were to follow Isshiki now, it would be tantamount to surrendering.

He can't do that.

A smile appeared on Isshiki's face, "Others can, but I'm afraid you can't."

"I believe you." Orochimaru's bright yellow vertical pupils were fixed on Isshiki. Without turning his head, he said to the people behind him, "You guys go first!"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru, please be careful." Sensing Orochimaru's serious attitude, Shin knew that the enemy in front of him was incredibly strong, and that they would only be a hindrance if they stayed. So he immediately agreed and prepared to leave with the others.

"Want to leave? I'm afraid that won't work!"

A mocking voice came from behind the group.

A woman with long, curly blonde hair appeared behind the group.

She was tall and slender, draped in a black cloak and wearing a blue-green top that revealed a large expanse of snow-white skin at her chest. Her light purple eyes stared at Orochimaru and his companions with an unusually cold gaze. She wore yellow eyeshadow, red triangular earrings, and the Roman numeral I was tattooed on the center of her forehead.

The visitor was none other than Delta from the Kara.

Orochimaru's expression darkened. The woman behind him had a very subtle aura, but she was clearly not weak, having been brought here by Isshiki.

It seems the other party came prepared, and didn't just notice me on a whim.

Boom!

"Looks like you've come here to die!"

Orochimaru's Chakra suddenly surged.

Although he is currently in a weakened state, he absolutely cannot show any weakness in his demeanor, otherwise he will truly have no chance at all.

However, he didn't expect that Delta behind him was a brute.

"Die!"

Isshiki could react, Delta yelled and charged forward, launching an attack on Orochimaru.

Delta's figure flashed and appeared in front of Orochimaru, throwing a punch at Orochimaru's face.

Boom--!

Orochimaru flipped over and struck, exchanging a punch with Delta. The terrifying force radiated outwards from the two of them, and the ground beneath Orochimaru's feet suddenly cracked open.

With a loud bang, Delta's body flew backward like a cannonball, crashing through more than a dozen trees that were as thick as two people could hug before finally coming to a stop, with sand, wood chips, and dust flying everywhere.

The people around Orochimaru couldn't help but cheer, but Orochimaru looked solemnly in the direction Delta had flown away.

When the smoke cleared, Delta appeared in front of Orochimaru in a few flashes, completely unharmed except for being a little dirty.

"Damn stinky man!" Delta dusted himself off and prepared to attack again.

"Wait a moment."

Delta stopped when Yishi Isshiki spoke.

He looked Orochimaru up and down, then said, "It seems you've expended a lot of energy. Otherwise, with similar Chakra to mine, your attack just now would have definitely severely injured Delta. Joining Kara would be beneficial for both of us. What do you think?"

Orochimaru sneered, emanating an extremely dangerous aura.

His attitude was very clear.

"Let me kill him!" Delta said coldly. Seeing that Isshiki did not stop her, she launched another attack on Orochimaru.

Bang!

A small pebble made a sharp whooshing sound as it struck a nearby tree trunk, embedding itself deeply into the wood.

In the group that followed Shiraha back, Shion, Hikari, Taichi were guarding the rear.

"Taichi, can't you behave yourself?"

Hikari Taichi constantly juggling the pebbles in his hand and throwing them at the tree trunk, making noise, Mitsuko finally couldn't help but speak up.

"It's such a pity this time. The battle ended halfway through, and we didn't even get to see the final, spectacular battle," Taichi said with some disappointment. As he spoke, he broke off a small pebble from the stone in his left hand and tossed it in his right.

"What's there to regret? With your current strength, even just watching might get you caught in the crossfire. Just behave yourself!"

Hikari slapped Taichi on the back of the head, stopping him from continuing to throw stones.

"Why did you hit me again?!" Taichi bitter face. Meeting Hikari's fierce glare, he still threw the stone in front of him and patted the dirt off his hands. "Is this okay now?"

As he spoke, Taichi came up behind Shion and made a face at Hikari.

After the two joked around for a while, Taichi suddenly said mysteriously, "There are so many rumors circulating in the Shinobi World about Dad. Who do you think is stronger, Dad, Orochimaru, Might Duy? It's a pity we haven't seen Dad make a move."

"I think Dad is more amazing, but Mom is the most amazing!"

"Hikari said."

"That's right." Taichi couldn't help but nod.

Boom--!

Suddenly, a terrifying explosion resounded from afar, sending a massive mushroom cloud soaring into the sky. The earth trembled as if an earthquake were about to strike.

"What's going on?!"

"Enemies?"

"What is that?!"

"Oh My God!"

Everyone in the group was drawn to it.

"Don't panic! Stay put!" Shiraha's voice suddenly came from ahead, and the commotion in the team quickly stopped.

Shiraha shot into the sky, soaring into the heavens, gazing into the distance. "That is..."

Shiraha quickly landed and returned to the group. He came to Shion, Hikari, and Taichi Yi and said, "You guys continue on your way. I'll go take a look!"

As he spoke, Shiraha's figure flashed, and the next second he was already a hundred meters away.

Taichi looked at Shiraha's back with excitement, and was somewhat eager to try.

"Don't follow me!"

Shiraha's voice appeared in Taichi's ears.

Taichi: "."