Lihuo had never seen Orochimaru get angry, either in the original story or during the time they had spent together.
The man always kept his emotions hidden, never showing whether he was happy or sad.
But now, Orochimaru seemed to have lost even the strength to hide his feelings. He looked at Lihuo with a complicated expression.
"Humans really are so fragile."
"Don't worry. I won't let this tragedy happen again."
When Orochimaru turned his gaze back to Oniichiro and Sasori, it was filled with endless fury and madness.
Oniichiro hurriedly shouted, "What are you standing around for? Run!"
Splurt!
In the next second, Orochimaru's tongue pierced Oniichiro's right palm.
If Oniichiro hadn't shielded himself with his right hand, Orochimaru's tongue would have pierced his heart!
Watching his teacher lose the use of one hand so effortlessly, Sasori finally understood just how powerful their opponent was.
Without the slightest hesitation, Sasori turned and fled.
Seeing Sasori run without a moment's hesitation, Oniichiro wasn't surprised at all.
He knew Sasori was a rational person who would make the best decision for each situation.
But Sasori wasn't cold-blooded or heartless. Oniichiro knew the boy had lost his parents when he was young and desperately craved a sense of security, yet had still held on to a shred of kindness.
So Oniichiro believed Sasori wasn't running away from the fight. He was going to find reinforcements who could save him!
With that thought, Oniichiro ignored his wounded right hand, pulled a purple pill from his ninja tool pouch, and swallowed it without a word.
Orochimaru watched Oniichiro, his eyes narrowing. He had seen this kind of pill during the Second Shinobi World War. It had been made by Chiyo of the Sand Village.
It could draw out a ninja's potential to the fullest, but it was also extremely toxic.
If a Jonin didn't receive treatment within ten minutes of taking it, they would die on the spot!
Orochimaru glanced at Lihuo lying on the ground and realized he didn't have much time left to waste fighting Oniichiro.
"I'll have to finish you quickly, won't I, Mr. Enemy?"
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
The technique was the same, but Orochimaru's version was clearly much more powerful than Lihuo's!
Seven enormous, dark-brown snakes shot out from Orochimaru's sleeves and lunged straight at Oniichiro.
That wasn't all. The snakes were all vicious beyond measure, and their presence briefly dazed anyone who saw them, like a minor genjutsu!
Oniichiro had clearly fallen for it. In an instant, the seven giant snakes coiled tightly around him, squeezing his body without pause.
Their heads weren't idle, either. They spewed countless clouds of poisonous gas and venom, eating away at Oniichiro's skin and flesh.
If Orochimaru used this technique at full strength, anyone caught in the giant snakes' coils would be as good as dead.
Oniichiro, trapped in the center of the coils, was clearly in tremendous pain. No elite Jonin could break free from the giant snakes' crushing grip.
But he had already taken the Poison Pill. With the pill's help, his strength had nearly reached the level of a peak Jonin!
Bang!
Oniichiro thrust his body outward, releasing an invisible shockwave that even created a small sonic boom!
Crack! Crack!
The snakes' corpses fell to the ground one after another, while Oniichiro's aura continued to climb.
Orochimaru glanced at Lihuo lying on the ground again. He knew he really couldn't afford to drag this out any longer!
Orochimaru formed Hand Seals at lightning speed, draining the chakra from his body faster than ever before.
"Earth Dragon Flame Flow!"
That's right. Orochimaru, a ninjutsu prodigy, had even mastered the Third Hokage's signature compound technique!
A gigantic earth dragon quickly took shape in front of Orochimaru. It opened its enormous, abyss-like mouth, spewing a torrent of mud straight at Oniichiro.
Not only that, but the dragon spat scorching flames the very next moment.
Two terrifying natural forces, carrying an aura of destruction, surged toward Oniichiro.
Oniichiro wanted to dodge, but Orochimaru had already locked onto him with his chakra. The wounds from Hidden Shadow Snake Hands had also severely weakened him.
He could only take the attack head-on!
Boom!
The tremendous energy unleashed an incredibly powerful shockwave and deafening roar.
Hearing the sound in the distance, Sasori felt his heart sink, but he forced himself to run faster.
The roar also woke Lihuo, who had fallen unconscious.
With the little strength he had left, Lihuo used Life Return to examine his body.
The poison's entered my body. If I don't get treatment soon, I won't survive, Lihuo thought.
"Claim reward."
The moment Sasori had struck him, Lihuo had already come up with a plan: he would use the reward he'd obtained by patting Sasori's head to turn the situation around!
"Ding! Headpat B-rank ninja: Scorpion, choose two of the following rewards"
"Advanced Puppet Crafting"
"Advanced Puppet Manipulation"
"Advanced Mechanism Techniques"
"Top-Tier Pharmacology Knowledge"
When he saw the final reward, Lihuo felt relieved. If patting Sasori's head didn't yield a way to make an antidote, he'd have to leave it to fate.
Lihuo thought to himself:
"Principle"Top-Tier Pharmacology Knowledge","Advanced Mechanism Techniques""
"Rewards have been issued"
But the pain he'd expected never came. Lihuo examined himself closely and realized the poison had already begun to damage his sensory system!
But the rewards had been granted, which meant Lihuo had now become a top pharmacologist, every bit as skilled as Sasori!
Lihuo spotted the poisoned Kunai lying on the ground, where it had remained ever since striking him.
By sensing the poison in his body and carefully examining the venom's color on the Kunai, Lihuo quickly deduced its composition and figured out how to prepare an antidote.
But he couldn't muster any strength. His whole body felt cold, and as someone well-versed in pharmacology, he knew he was probably at death's door.
Suddenly, someone appeared in Lihuo's field of vision.
It was Orochimaru!
Thud!
Orochimaru tossed Oniichiro's head onto the ground. His expression was twisted and terrifying, as if he'd seen the most horrifying thing in the world!
Orochimaru hurriedly checked Lihuo's condition. When he found that Lihuo was still barely alive, he wore an expression rarely seen on him: relief.
Seeing Orochimaru arrive, Lihuo finally let out a breath of relief. Summoning all his strength, he whispered instructions on how to save him, his voice barely audible.
Then he lost consciousness again!
Orochimaru didn't dare delay. All he could do now was trust his disciple.
Trust this boy, only six or seven years old, who had managed to create miracles time and again.
At last, after taking the antidote, Lihuo's breathing gradually steadied, and warmth slowly returned to his body.
"Oh my, little Lihuo. You really are a boy full of miracles."
With Lihuo on his back, Orochimaru set off for Konoha.
Along the way, he didn't forget to clean up every trace of the battle, just in case.
Lihuo had survived by the skin of his teeth, but things weren't going nearly as well for Sasori.
"Lord Kazekage, please send reinforcements." Sasori's expression remained impassive, but there was a hint of urgency in his voice.
"You said Oniichiro had taken the Poison Pill. His chances were already slim, and his opponent was one of the Sannin—Orochimaru..."
The Third Kazekage paused, but his meaning was clear.
"Lord Kazekage, please don't abandon Oniichiro."
Sasori persisted.
"Enough!"
The Third Kazekage bellowed, releasing the full authority of a village leader. Sasori's face had already gone pale from the long journey, and now it turned even paler.
"Do you want me to send my ninja forces to their deaths?"
At that point, Chiyo, who had been listening nearby, spoke up.
"All right, Kazekage. Sasori's still young and doesn't know any better."
As she spoke, the scroll containing the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets had quietly slipped into her hand.
"Sasori, stand down."
Sasori wanted to argue, but when he saw that even his grandmother was saying the same thing, his heart sank. The light faded from his eyes.
As he slowly walked out, Sasori thought of his parents, then of Oniichiro, who had resolutely stepped in front of him.
His gaze was utterly indifferent now, just like a desolate desert wasteland.
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