Confrontation

Looking at the scroll stained with fresh blood in his hand, Lihuo felt neither sorrow nor joy.

Perhaps because he had been in the ninja world for too long, Lihuo's heart had gradually adapted to the way of life here.

The world of ninjas was forever filled with blood.

Lihuo walked quickly toward Orochimaru with the scroll, paying no mind to the bleeding Sha.

Ever since the scroll had been sealed within his body, Sha had known that the day would come when it would have to be removed, so he had specifically sealed it in a non-lethal location.

Orochimaru took the scroll but did not open it immediately; instead, he held it in his mouth and quickly formed hand seals.

A Fire Style jutsu shot rapidly into the sky. Although it had no offensive power, it was enough to alert the Anbu who were standing by in the distance.

Xiang said decisively, "Lord Orochimaru has sent a signal. Charge!"

The Fire Snake Squad, who had already been sprinting toward the trio, became even more convinced of their intentions upon seeing the Fire Style, and they could not help but quicken their pace.

A great battle was on the verge of breaking out!

Yet, the master and disciple at the center of the vortex showed no signs of panic.

On the contrary, the scroll before them, which lacked any seal, deeply captured their attention.

"Little Lihuo, aren't you curious about what is written inside?" Orochimaru licked his lips and asked Lihuo playfully.

But having grown familiar with Orochimaru, Lihuo gave him no face at all and said bluntly, "Forget it, Teacher. You know as well as I do that this is a hot potato."

"If the people behind this find out that the two of us have read the scroll, you might be fine, but I'll be the one in trouble."

Orochimaru smiled and likewise did not open the scroll. After all, why invite extra trouble? Before his own research was complete, it was better to avoid unnecessary complications.

Amidst their banter, Orochimaru seemed to sense something and silently tucked the scroll away.

Lihuo, who had been maintaining constant vigilance, also entered a combat state.

Suddenly, several kunai shot out from the shadows.

For a moment, Orochimaru stood motionless, as if he had been scared silly, but Lihuo knew he was simply being lazy.

Lihuo swept his hand across his ninja tool pouch, and a fine kunai appeared in his grip.

Clang!

With a flash of sparks, Lihuo intercepted every single kunai!

Lihuo grinned. "You all are underestimating me a bit too much, aren't you?"

At these words, five ninjas emerged from the shadows. They wore uniform Sand Village attire, their faces looking slightly haggard from long-term exposure to the wind and sun, yet the murderous intent on their faces remained undiminished!

It was the Fire Snake Squad that had come rushing over!

Among the five ninjas, Fire Snake and two other Sand ninjas possessed the strength of Jonin, while the remaining two Sand ninjas held the strength of Chunin.

Including the Jonin Sha, who was tied up there, the Fire Snake Squad's full combat strength actually consisted of four Jonin and two Chunin!

Judging from his years of dealing with the Sand Village, Orochimaru determined that this was definitely an elite Sand Village border Anbu unit.

"It seems the visitors are not here with good intentions," the playfulness in Orochimaru's eyes dissipated slightly, replaced by a touch of seriousness.

Lihuo clearly realized the formidable strength of the Fire Snake Squad as well, and his expression turned grave.

Fire Snake, the leader, quickly assessed the situation. Upon seeing Sha, whom he had been desperately searching for, Fire Snake could no longer suppress his fury.

"Kill!"

As soon as the word fell, the three Jonin, including Fire Snake, rushed toward Orochimaru like cannonballs.

To catch the bandits, one must first catch the ringleader. Fire Snake knew clearly that he could not even see through this cold, sinister man before him.

If he didn't deal with him first, the mission would likely end in failure.

Orochimaru, however, left a single sentence for Lihuo without haste.

"Take care of the two Chunin and test the results of your three months of training."

With that, he engaged in a melee with the three Jonin.

Although the offensive from the three was fierce, Orochimaru still moved with leisure, as if taking a stroll. There was only one reason for this.

It wasn't that the enemies were holding back; it was that Orochimaru's strength already crushed everyone present.

It was only to train Lihuo that Orochimaru intentionally dragged the three of them out to create a suitable environment for him.

Lihuo realized Orochimaru's intention and, without the slightest hesitation, charged directly at the two Chunin.

The two Chunin were not idle at the moment either; one was responsible for rescuing Sha, while the other was tasked with holding Lihuo back.

But as it turned out, Lihuo had tied him up quite securely, and the rope used was so sturdy that even a kunai couldn't cut through it in a short time.

After these three months of cultivation, Lihuo's strength had reached the level of a Special Jonin.

Lihuo leaped forward, appearing before a Chunin in an instant.

Looking at Lihuo, who had suddenly materialized before him, the Chunin's face filled with panic; he hadn't even been able to track Lihuo's movements.

"This Uchiha brat!"

The Chunin hurriedly formed hand seals, attempting to attack Lihuo with ninjutsu, but Lihuo gave him no such chance, gripping the man's arm in a vice-like hold.

Snap!

With the sound of cracking bone, the Chunin collapsed to the ground in agony, temporarily losing his ability to fight.

Lihuo did not stop there; he raised his leg and stomped down, snapping the Chunin's leg and rendering him completely immobile.

It wasn't that Lihuo lacked humanity or was cold-blooded; he simply knew that from the moment they had started fighting, there was no room for reconciliation.

If he were to show mercy now, there was no telling if it would be Lihuo lying on the ground later!

The other Chunin's pupils constricted at the sight; he had never seen a youth with such terrifying strength and such ruthless methods!

Even so, he didn't stop what he was doing, knowing that freeing a Jonin was far more valuable than rushing over to fight Lihuo to the death.

But Lihuo wouldn't give him that chance! He sprinted toward the Chunin in a flash.

Sha had not expected the youth who had been playing the fool earlier to possess such terrifying strength. With no time to think, he roared at the Chunin, who was currently using a kunai to cut the ropes.

"Use ninjutsu!"

The Chunin froze for a split second, then immediately began forming hand seals without delay.

Finally, just as Lihuo appeared before the two of them, the Chunin completed his final seal.

"Wind Style: Wind Blade!"

With the Chunin's roar, a razor-sharp blade of wind shot out from behind him.

Lihuo, however, remained unconcerned. Orochimaru's training over the past three months had perfectly compensated for Lihuo's shortcomings in movement techniques.

Not only that, but by combining Soft Physique Modification with his sensory abilities, Lihuo had developed a brand-new taijutsu: "Paper Art"!

By sensing external danger, he could use Soft Physique Modification to execute rapid evasive maneuvers.

Because the effect was very similar to the "Paper Art" from One Piece, Lihuo had named this taijutsu "Paper Art" as well.

Facing the incoming wind blade, which radiated a dangerous aura, Lihuo strolled along unhurriedly; with a slight tilt of his body, he dodged every single blade.

"What! How is this possible!"

Before he could even finish his shock, Lihuo had already appeared before the last Chunin. Just as he was about to repeat his previous move and disable him, he saw Sha slowly stand up to the side.

With a shake of his body, the previously sturdy ropes slid to the ground.

The cause of this was the numerous wounds carved into Sha's body by the wind blades.

"So, the true target of the Wind Blade was you," Lihuo said calmly.

The Chunin behind him tried to take advantage of Lihuo's distraction to ignite an Explosive Tag, but Lihuo knocked him to the ground with a single punch, rendering him unconscious.

Crack!

That was the sound of Sha cracking his knuckles. Although Orochimaru had injected him with a toxin to suppress his chakra, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.

Furthermore, Sha was a veteran Anbu who had been through countless battles; his exquisite combat skills and formidable taijutsu alone were enough to give Lihuo a run for his money.

However, Lihuo's attention didn't seem to be on that at the moment.

Sha: "Brat, losing focus in the middle of a battle is a major taboo."

Lihuo: "That may be true, but..."

Lihuo pointed casually at Sha's incinerated clothing.

"Not wearing clothes in the middle of a battle is also a major taboo."

Sha: (ﾟoﾟ;;