Clash

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

Perhaps he had spent too long in the ninja world. Lihuo's heart had gradually grown accustomed to life here.

The world of ninjas was forever soaked in blood.

Lihuo hurried toward Orochimaru with the scroll, paying no mind to Sha, who was still bleeding.

Ever since Sha had sealed the scroll inside his body, he had known the day would come when someone took it out. So he had deliberately sealed it somewhere that wouldn't kill him.

Orochimaru took the scroll, but didn't open it right away. Instead, he held it between his teeth and quickly formed Hand Seals.

A Fire Release Ninjutsu shot into the sky. It had no offensive power, but it was enough to alert the Anbu standing ready in the distance.

Xiang immediately made a decision.

"Lord Orochimaru has sent the signal. Move in!"

The Fire Snake Squad had already been racing toward Lihuo and the others. Seeing the Fire Release, they were all the more certain of their suspicions and quickened their pace.

A great battle was about to erupt!

Yet Lihuo and his master, at the very center of the storm, showed not the slightest sign of panic.

Instead, the unsealed scroll before them had captured their full attention.

"Little Lihuo, aren't you curious about what's written inside?"

Orochimaru licked his lips and asked Lihuo playfully.

But after getting to know Orochimaru well, Lihuo didn't bother sparing his feelings. He replied bluntly,

"Come on, Sensei. You know this is a hot potato."

"If the person behind this finds out we read the scroll, you'll be fine, but I'll be in serious trouble."

Orochimaru smiled. He still didn't open the scroll. After all, one thing at a time. Until his research was complete, it was better not to invite more trouble.

As they chatted, Orochimaru seemed to sense something and quietly put the scroll away.

Lihuo, who had remained on guard, also shifted into a fighting stance.

Suddenly, several Kunai flew out of the shadows.

For a moment, Orochimaru stood motionless, as if he'd been scared stiff. But Lihuo knew he was simply too lazy to move.

Lihuo swept a hand across his weapon pouch, and a finely crafted Kunai appeared in his grasp.

Clang! Clang!

Sparks flashed as Lihuo deflected every last Kunai!

Lihuo grinned.

"You're underestimating me."

At his words, five ninjas stepped out of the shadows. They wore identical Sand Village uniforms. Years of exposure to wind and sun had left them looking somewhat haggard, but the killing intent on their faces was undiminished!

They were the Fire Snake Squad, racing toward them!

Among the five ninjas, Fire Snake and two other Sand shinobi had Jonin-level strength, while the remaining two were Chunin.

With Sha, the Jonin tied up there, the Fire Snake Squad's full strength amounted to four Jonin and two Chunin!

Drawing on his many years of dealing with the Sand Village, Orochimaru judged that they were undoubtedly an elite Sand Village border Anbu unit.

"Looks like they mean business." The playful glint in Orochimaru's eyes faded, replaced by a more serious look.

Lihuo had clearly noticed the Fire Snake Squad's formidable strength as well. His expression grew grave.

Fire Snake, at the head of the squad, quickly assessed the situation. The moment he saw Sha, whom he'd been desperately searching for, he could no longer contain his fury.

"Kill!"

At his command, three Jonin, including Fire Snake, charged toward Orochimaru like cannonballs.

Capture the leader first. Fire Snake knew full well that the cold, sinister man before him was impossible even for him to read.

If they didn't take him out first, the mission would likely end in failure.

Orochimaru, meanwhile, casually left Lihuo with a parting instruction.

"Take care of the two Chunins. Let's see what you've gained from three months of training."

With that, he engaged Fire Snake and the other two in battle.

The three attacked fiercely, but Orochimaru moved with unhurried ease, handling them without difficulty. There was only one reason for this.

It wasn't that the enemy was holding back. Orochimaru's strength simply dwarfed everyone present.

He was only keeping the three of them occupied to give Lihuo a suitable chance to train.

Lihuo understood Orochimaru's intentions and charged straight at the two Chunins without hesitation.

The two Chunins weren't idle either. One was trying to free Sha, while the other held Lihuo off.

But Lihuo had tied Sha up so securely that even a Kunai couldn't cut through the rope quickly.

After three months of training, Lihuo had reached the level of a Special Jōnin.

He leaped forward and appeared in front of one of the Chunins in an instant.

The Chunin's face filled with fear at Lihuo's sudden appearance. He couldn't even track the boy's movements.

"That Uchiha brat!"

The Chunin hurriedly formed Hand Seals, hoping to attack Lihuo with a jutsu, but Lihuo gave him no chance. He clamped a hand around the man's arm.

Crack!

A bone snapped. The Chunin dropped to his knees in pain, temporarily unable to move.

But Lihuo didn't let up. He raised a leg and stomped down, breaking the Chunin's leg and leaving him completely helpless.

It wasn't that Lihuo lacked compassion or had grown cold. He simply knew that once the two sides had started fighting, there was no chance of reconciliation.

If he let the man go out of pity, Lihuo might be the one lying on the ground a moment later!

The other Chunin's pupils contracted when he saw this. He had never seen a boy so strong, or so ruthless!

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

But Lihuo wasn't about to give him that chance! In an instant, he raced toward the Chunin.

Sha hadn't expected the boy who had pretended to be clueless earlier to possess such terrifying strength. With no time to think, he shouted at the Chunin cutting the rope with a Kunai.

"Use a jutsu!"

The Chunin froze for a moment, then immediately formed Hand Seals without hesitation.

At last, just as Lihuo reached the two of them, the Chunin formed his final seal.

"Wind Style: Wind Blade!"

With a furious shout, the Chunin sent razor-sharp Wind Blades shooting from behind him.

But Lihuo wasn't concerned. Orochimaru's training over the past three months had perfectly made up for Lihuo's weakness in footwork.

Not only that, Lihuo had combined Soft Physique Modification with sensory abilities to develop a new Taijutsu technique: Kami-e!

By sensing dangers in his surroundings, he could use Soft Physique Modification to dodge them at lightning speed.

Since its effects were much like the "Kami-e" technique from One Piece, Lihuo had given his Taijutsu the same name.

Faced with the Wind Blades rushing toward him, their deadly aura palpable, Lihuo moved with leisurely ease. He simply turned aside, dodging every one of them without a hint of panic.

"What! How is that possible?!"

Before the Chunin could recover from his shock, Lihuo was already in front of him. He was about to do the same thing and render the man unable to move when—

Sha slowly rose to his feet!

He gave his body a shake, and the previously unbreakable ropes slid to the ground.

The reason was the numerous cuts the Wind Blades had left across Sha's body.

"So the Wind Blades were really aimed at you."

Lihuo spoke calmly.

The Chunin behind him tried to take advantage of Lihuo's distraction and light an Explosive Tag, but Lihuo knocked him to the ground with one punch, leaving him unconscious.

Crack!

That was the sound of Sha cracking his knuckles. Orochimaru had injected him with a poison that suppressed his chakra, but even a dying camel was still bigger than a horse.

What's more, Sha was a seasoned Anbu veteran. His superb fighting skills and formidable Taijutsu alone were more than enough to give Lihuo a hard time.

But Lihuo's attention didn't seem to be on that at all.

Sha: "Getting distracted in a fight is a major taboo, brat."

Lihuo: "That's true, but..."

Lihuo casually pointed at Sha's clothes, which had been burned away.

"Fighting without clothes is a major taboo too."

Sha: (ﾟoﾟ;;