Outside Konoha,
After a friendly exchange with Yamato, the guy had finally come around. At least he wasn't still clamoring to go after Orochimaru.
Although Naraku had no intention of pursuing Orochimaru, he still had to put on a convincing show. If someone caught him slacking off, he'd have a hard time explaining himself to the Third Hokage.
Naraku and Yamato slowly searched through the woods.
"Haah." Naraku yawned, thinking about the current state of Konoha.
After Orochimaru's defection, Konoha's strength had undoubtedly declined further. Apart from Danzo, who was hiding in the shadows, the Third Hokage was the village's only Kage Level fighter.
On the bright side, the Shinobi World was at peace. There was still friction between the villages, but it amounted to little more than probing. A major war wasn't likely to break out anytime soon.
That meant Konoha had plenty of time. In a few years, Kakashi and Guy would come into their own, and Konoha's strength would finally begin to recover.
Suddenly, Naraku sensed something. He tensed at once and pulled back the foot he'd been about to step forward with.
"What's wrong, Captain Naraku?" Yamato asked from behind him, puzzled.
Naraku didn't answer. He stared fixedly at a patch of grass ahead. "What rotten luck!"
"What?"
Naraku said nothing more. A figure had emerged from the grass in front of them.
Narrow eyes and pale golden irises—it was Orochimaru, the Cold Lord, one of the Sannin and the target of their mission.
"Hmm, Uzumaki Naraku, and..." Orochimaru looked at the two of them with a menacing grin. When his gaze fell on Yamato, though, his eyes twitched almost imperceptibly.
Naraku wasn't surprised Orochimaru recognized him. In terms of seniority, Orochimaru was his uncle in the shinobi sense.
As Jiraiya's student, Naraku had met Orochimaru a few times. Of course, there had always been other people around when he did.
Naraku looked at Orochimaru and felt as if he were facing a venomous serpent, every inch of him radiating a chill.
Perhaps it was a case of youthful fearlessness, but at that moment Yamato handled things far better than Naraku. Holding his short blade, he stepped forward. "Orochimaru, S-rank missing-nin of the village. Come back with me and face punishment."
"Uh..." Naraku was stunned. He truly hadn't expected this future master of greenery to be so reckless.
It took Naraku a long time to understand: what sane person would dare go assassinate the Hokage alone?
"Come back and face punishment? Heh." Orochimaru didn't seem angry at Yamato's words. He merely sneered. "And how do you plan to take me back?"
Yamato still hadn't grasped the situation. Just as he was about to step forward and attack Orochimaru, Naraku reached out and stopped him. "Tenzo, behave yourself."
Then he pulled Yamato behind him and addressed Orochimaru. "Uncle, it's been a long time."
He hadn't pulled Yamato behind him to protect him. He was only worried that if Yamato angered Orochimaru, the man might accidentally wipe them both out.
Yamato didn't understand, but Naraku was his superior, and he didn't dare disobey an order.
"Since you call me uncle, then let me see how much you've improved, Naraku." Orochimaru chuckled, and a cold, cutting aura burst from him.
Naraku and Yamato instantly felt an immense pressure.
"So this is the strength of a Kage Level fighter? His aura alone can intimidate an ordinary jonin." Sweat beaded on Naraku's face.
Under the force of that aura, Yamato staggered back several steps. His body swayed, and he nearly collapsed.
Only now did he realize how powerful Orochimaru was. Remembering what he'd just done, he reached up and touched his neck.
Boom!
Pale blue chakra instantly enveloped Naraku's body. As he unleashed his power, the pressure eased considerably.
"Looks like you've improved a bit." Seeing Naraku break free of the pressure, Orochimaru smiled. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought he was proud of him.
"You're so young, yet you already have the strength of a jonin. You're far stronger than that fellow Jiraiya."
"Let's see how much you've grown."
In an instant, Orochimaru's aura surged.
Naraku felt as though he were facing a vicious serpent, while he was nothing more than its prey.
Thud!
Behind him, Yamato finally succumbed to the pressure and fainted.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains."
Facing that pressure, Naraku struck first. He was afraid that if he waited any longer, he wouldn't get the chance.
Two pale golden chains shot from behind Naraku. They tore through the air and lunged straight at Orochimaru.
"Interesting." Orochimaru dodged Naraku's attack with nothing more than a sidestep. Then he casually reached out and caught the chains in one hand.
The next moment, there was a snap. The chakra-made chains were crushed in his grasp.
Naraku wasn't surprised. The golden chains were, after all, made of his chakra. He had plenty of chakra, but when it came to controlling and using it, he couldn't compare to a Kage Level fighter like Orochimaru.
"But..."
"The Adamantine Sealing Chains won't be destroyed that easily."
The chains Orochimaru had just crushed re-formed. Like whips, the two chains lashed fiercely toward him.
"Is that all you can do?" Orochimaru gave a slight shake of his head, as if disappointed.
He casually flicked his hand, and two pythons shot from his sleeves. They opened their mouths wide, their fangs gleaming coldly.
The pythons then coiled around the chains.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Naraku didn't waste a moment. He opened his mouth and spat out a huge fireball that hurtled forward.
The fireball scorched the air, radiating intense heat.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Orochimaru exhaled a powerful gale, which blew the enormous fireball apart.
The wind didn't die down after scattering the fireball. It continued rushing toward Naraku.
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"
Naraku didn't dare let his guard down. He quickly formed Hand Seals and used another technique.
His red hair grew at an incredible speed, enveloping him in the blink of an eye. Reinforced with chakra, it was as hard as steel. The gale struck it with a series of thuds.
"Mind's Eye of the Kagura, activate!"
Taking advantage of the moment, Naraku activated the Mind's Eye of the Kagura. In an instant, his perception expanded several times over.
But the very next moment, his expression changed.