Outside Konoha,
Clang!
Sparks flew as metal clashed.
"Oh, not bad," Orochimaru said, looking at the broken Kunai in his hand. A hint of excitement showed in his pale golden eyes.
The elongated red hair slowly vanished, and Naraku's figure appeared again. He wore a deeply troubled expression.
With the Mind's Eye of the Kagura activated, he could sense just how powerful the energy within Orochimaru was. To him, it was like an insurmountable mountain.
"The Uzumaki Clan. Heh, what an interesting clan. A pity they were wiped out."
Orochimaru chuckled, the same sinister smile ever present on his face. "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."
Suddenly, Orochimaru flicked his right hand, and more than a dozen venomous snakes shot out of his sleeve.
Hiss! Hiss!
The snakes all opened their jaws and lunged at Naraku.
"Wind Release: Wind Blade." Naraku pushed off the ground and retreated a step, then rapidly formed Hand Seals. A crescent-shaped blade of wind swept fiercely toward the snakes.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The snakes struck by the Wind Blade all turned into wisps of smoke and vanished.
"My nephew's pretty capable," Orochimaru said. Seeing Naraku dispel his attack only made his smile more sinister.
He examined Naraku's body closely, as if admiring his prey.
"Uncle, don't you think that's enough? If you keep this up, your nephew won't be able to hold out!"
Naraku's expression was deeply troubled.
"Why hasn't Teacher Jiraiya come back?"
Naraku thought of Jiraiya. He remembered that, in the original story, Jiraiya had been in the village when Orochimaru defected.
Looks like some things have changed, Naraku thought.
Naraku carefully considered the situation, trying to figure out how he could escape.
He had no idea what Orochimaru was planning. He didn't think Orochimaru would let him go just because of Jiraiya.
But that didn't necessarily mean Orochimaru would kill him, either.
"This is such a pain!"
"There's not much time, nephew. Let me see what you're really capable of," Orochimaru murmured. The next instant, he disappeared.
"Not good." Naraku's pupils contracted. Although the Mind's Eye of the Kagura let him sense Orochimaru's position, his body couldn't keep up with the man's speed.
Bang!
Naraku had barely begun to move when Orochimaru's fist struck him. A tremendous force hit him, sending him flying backward before he could regain control of his body.
Only now did Orochimaru truly reveal his Kage Level strength. Even in Taijutsu, which wasn't his specialty, he was astonishingly powerful.
Naraku flew back several meters. By the time he finally managed to steady himself, Orochimaru had already launched his second attack.
"Evil Snake Wrist Explosion!"
Smoke billowed across the battlefield, and several giant snakes surrounded Naraku. His hair stood on end. Without a moment to spare, he planted the two pale golden chains extending from his back into the ground and used them to propel himself into the air.
"Explode!"
Orochimaru gave a low shout.
A tense look crossed Naraku's face as he poured a large amount of chakra into the chains.
The next instant, a third chain shot out from his back. With the extra chain, he rose even faster.
"Rumble!"
A series of deafening explosions rang out, and Naraku's figure was swallowed up in the blink of an eye.
"Ugh!"
The unconscious Yamato was woken by the huge explosions. But in the next instant, Orochimaru appeared beside him and kicked him in the shoulder.
Yamato's body flew off like a sandbag.
Leaving Yamato alone, Orochimaru looked up at the sky. The explosions had stopped, but Naraku had vanished.
Suddenly, Orochimaru seemed to sense something. He looked down at his feet as a pair of arms emerged from the ground and grabbed his ankles.
It was Naraku. Since he had been in the air, he hadn't taken much damage. Instead, he had used the shock waves from the explosions to conceal himself and slipped underground.
The next instant, Naraku heaved, pulling Orochimaru beneath the earth. The hard soil trapped his body.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Seizing his chance, Naraku unleashed another powerful jutsu.
A huge fireball burst from Naraku's mouth. The scorching flames seared the air with a crackling roar.
Boom!
The flames slammed into the spot where Orochimaru was, leaving an enormous crater in the ground.
A charred body lay motionless in the crater. But the next instant, it slowly crumbled into a mass of blackened earth.
"As expected, he escaped with an Earth Clone!"
Naraku wasn't surprised. How could Orochimaru, a Kage Level powerhouse, be defeated so easily?
Naraku closed his eyes and carefully sensed Orochimaru's position.
After a long while, he furrowed his brow, then opened his eyes, looking utterly confused.
"He's already left?"
Naraku couldn't understand why Orochimaru had retreated. He didn't believe the man had run away because he feared Naraku's strength.
"Captain Naraku,"
Yamato's voice came from behind him. Naraku turned and saw him walking over, holding his shoulder.
"Forget it." Unable to make sense of it, Naraku shook his head. Orochimaru's departure was a good thing for him.
Then Naraku and Yamato left.
In a secluded cave, Orochimaru suddenly opened his eyes.
"Oh, Uzumaki Naraku, and that 'Failed Experiment,'" Orochimaru said, his eyes glinting coldly.
"How interesting!"
The next day, at the Hokage Office
The Anbu members who had been sent to pursue Orochimaru returned one by one to report to the Third Hokage. Without exception, they had all failed.
The Third Hokage said nothing. He had expected as much.
After receiving their mission reports, the Third Hokage sent them off to attend to their own duties. As for the mission to pursue Orochimaru, he publicly assigned it to Jiraiya, who was traveling outside the village.
Once everyone had left, the Third Hokage began reviewing the reports the Anbu had submitted.
Most of the reports were more or less the same: none of them had encountered Orochimaru.
The Third Hokage nodded to himself. Whether the reports were true or not, this was what he wanted to see.
But the next instant, his pupils jolted, and surprise filled his face.
"Go and fetch Tenzo," a hoarse voice rang out in the room.
Tenzo was Yamato's codename in the Anbu. Anbu operatives generally never used their real names while carrying out missions.
Before long, Yamato arrived at the office wearing a mask.
Then Yamato gave the Third Hokage a detailed account of their encounter with Orochimaru.