A faint flicker of doubt rose in Orochimaru's heart, but it did not slow his steps.
Ignoring the Jashin Cult captain's threatening glare, he walked straight toward Lihuo.
Once he approached, Orochimaru asked, "What exactly happened?"
Lihuo's expression was exceptionally grave as he swiftly shared the intelligence relayed by his shadow clone with Orochimaru.
"From the looks of it, there's a high chance that the Cloud Ninja or Sand Ninja have found the village. However, before my shadow clone could clearly see who the attackers were, it was instantly defeated."
Upon hearing this, no excessive panic appeared on Orochimaru's pale face. Instead, he remained composed and continued asking for more crucial information.
"Then what is my shadow clone doing right now?"
Lihuo thought for a moment before answering, "It seems to have successfully drawn away and held back some of the enemies."
As he spoke, a trace of recollection flickered in his eyes.
Hearing this, Orochimaru nodded calmly and said, "In that case, things have not yet reached an utterly irreparable stage."
However, the instant his words fell, his expression abruptly changed, becoming incomparably solemn.
With a thunderous BANG, the ceiling of the stone chamber above them was blasted open, leaving behind a massive hole!
This stone chamber had originally been buried deep underground, with only a passage formed from ancient trees serving as its entrance and exit. The sight before them was truly shocking.
Along with the deafening blast, countless clouds of dust billowed outward, obscuring everyone's vision.
At that critical moment, Lihuo's sharp eyes instantly caught the muscles all over Orochimaru's body tightening. Then, Orochimaru vanished without a trace.
Seeing this, Lihuo immediately understood that they could not sit and wait for death in such a crisis. They had to act quickly if they wanted even a sliver