Chapter 28

He could sense that Sasuke was still nearby.

And there were several targets.

A five-year-old brat had made this many Shadow Clones in one go?

Honestly, ordinary people really couldn't do that.

Mizuki stood where he was, his face showing little expression. Those brats who had run off didn't matter. The one he had truly been targeting, from beginning to end, was only one person—Uchiha Sasuke.

This wasn't that complicated.

As long as he took down this target, nothing else mattered.

In the shadows, Sasuke bit his lip hard.

With the current situation, the pressure on his side was not small. The mission in his hands concerned the success or failure of the entire plan, and he absolutely could not drop the ball. He had to hold out and let Shikamaru and the others withdraw smoothly to Konoha, or everything would go down the drain.

With Mizuki looking like this now, Sasuke had no desire at all to clash with him head-on.

He knew all too well that this kind of state, propped up by a cheat, could not last long.

Even if Orochimaru had developed that curse mark, it was still only in its embryonic stage.

Mizuki had not gone mad.

Even though his strength had surged, his mind was still clear. His very first move was to charge straight at Sasuke's Shadow Clones.

If he couldn't tell which one was the real body, then he might as well smash them all.

If he got lucky, he might even catch the real one outright.

With chakra erupting all over his body, Mizuki moved rapidly through the forest.

One after another, he dragged out the Shadow Clones hidden in various places and smashed them apart with crackling blows.

When the seventh Shadow Clone shattered in front of him, Mizuki froze completely.

The expression on his face was full of doubt about life. "This isn't scientific..."

"There is definitely something wrong. He must have done something."

"He has to still be nearby."

Mizuki's face twisted.

All the Shadow Clones he could sense had already been cleared out without a single one left. But Uchiha Sasuke's aura had vanished completely.

He didn't believe it.

There was no way Sasuke had slipped away just like that.

The next second, Mizuki abruptly turned his head and looked in Konoha's direction. "Damn it... don't tell me he took advantage of the chaos and ran off with those brats?"

As that thought turned in his mind, Mizuki charged straight toward Konoha. "Boom!"

He had not taken more than a few steps when a green figure descended from the sky and slammed heavily in front of Mizuki. "Who are you?"

Might Guy stared at the person in front of him, completely confused.

This person looked a little familiar, but he just couldn't remember where he had seen him before. "Might Guy?"

Mizuki's pupils shrank, and he subconsciously stopped. "Aren't you leading the upper grades? What are you doing getting mixed up in this?"

Might Guy, one of Konoha's elite jonin.

A lunatic who had forced his way to that position purely through taijutsu.

Why?

Why could someone like this also make it as a jonin?

While he had to be stuck in that lousy Ninja Academy as an insignificant teacher?!

In an instant, Mizuki's eyes filled with jealousy and hatred. "You know me?"

Might Guy scratched his head. "Looks like you've investigated us Konoha people. But I don't care who you are. Where did that guy Mizuki run off to? He dared attack his own people from the village. Is he trying to spend a few days in the interrogation department's cell?"

As he spoke, Guy kept looking around, searching everywhere for Mizuki's figure.

The moment those words came out, the veins on Mizuki's forehead bulged. "You... really didn't recognize me?"

Mizuki gritted his teeth, squeezing out each word through them. "I... should know you?"

Guy looked utterly baffled. "Forget it, I have other things to do. You..."

"Bang!"

Before Guy could finish speaking, Mizuki's attack had already smashed down.

Might Guy stood where he was, staring blankly at the person whose fist he had blocked.

Something was wrong.

This guy's reaction had a problem. "What do you mean by suddenly attacking me?" Might Guy's voice sank. "Could it be... you're one of those people?"

The tone from his mouth was still that same casual, careless drawl, but the aura around his entire person had already changed.

Mizuki did not answer. He suddenly broke free from Guy's hand and retreated a few steps to open up distance.

The disguised chakra on his face withdrew, revealing his original features. "I am Mizuki."

"No." Might Guy shook his head, his tone certain. "You aren't."

"I know Mizuki. Don't try to fool me."

"Although that guy is usually pretty annoying, he can't compare to your level of disgusting."

After saying that, Might Guy turned and was about to leave.

He was going to find the real Mizuki.

As for the monster in front of him, he couldn't be bothered with it. "Annoying?!"

Mizuki's voice suddenly rose, carrying an anger he could not suppress. "So this is what you think of me?!"

"A piece of trash who can't even use ninjutsu—where do you get the nerve to provoke me?"

"Die!"

Mizuki roared.

The curse mark patterns on his body began spreading wildly.

A layer of special skin covered his entire body, and the second stage was completed directly. "Hahahaha, scared stupid by my chakra, aren't you?"

"Today I'll let you pieces of trash see what true..."

"Shhk—"

Before he could finish speaking.

A flash of silver light passed.

Mizuki's neck was cut open directly.

Blood gushed out.

That massive body crashed to the ground. "Kakashi?!"

Might Guy's eyes widened. "How did you... get out?"

The moment he saw an acquaintance, he instantly forgot what he had been about to do and enthusiastically went up to him. "This person is Mizuki." Kakashi shook the blood off his blade. "Although I don't know what kind of ghostly state he turned into, it's definitely him."

"Guy, where are the students he was leading?"

Kakashi's tone was a little urgent.

Among them was someone he absolutely could not allow to get into trouble.

That blond brat.

Before, because of his own mental state, he had never properly investigated the boy's background. Now, the more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt. "They... I don't know."

Might Guy scratched his head. "If the one we just killed was Mizuki, then the children should be safe, right?"

"Guy." Kakashi cut him off directly. "I don't want to hear 'should.'"

"Go find them."

As his words fell, Kakashi followed the tracks on the ground and chased straight out.

At the same time.

Deep in the forest. "Found them."

Orochimaru licked his lips and looked at the group of brats running ahead, his eyes full of excitement. "That old thing Hiruzen Sarutobi actually let these little brats out directly."

"Perfect materials."

"I'll accept this great gift Konoha has delivered."

He had just prepared to make a move.

Every hair on his body instantly stood on end.

Orochimaru abruptly drew the Kusanagi Sword from his mouth, turned around, and stared fixedly at the figure that had suddenly appeared behind him. "You're the guy that holder mentioned, the one who would threaten his friends' lives?"

That tall figure walked out of the shadows, raised his hand, and pointed a huge club at Orochimaru. "Your energy is decent."

"But—"

Orochimaru licked the blade of the Kusanagi Sword, excitement gleaming in his eyes. "Heh... holder?"

"Sounds like an interesting object."

"What exactly are you..."

Before he could finish, what answered him was not an answer, but the long staff Susanoo swung over.

Just one strike.

Most of Orochimaru's ribs broke outright.

A thought instantly surfaced in his mind—this fight couldn't be fought.

He had only blocked that strike just now by risking his life, but that guy opposite him looked as if he had not used his full strength at all.

Damn it, when did a monster like this pop up in Konoha?

Susanoo stared expressionlessly at Orochimaru, the long staff in his hand pointing straight at him.

The next second, he charged up again.

The next ten minutes became the most humiliating experience of Orochimaru's life.

The man who had beaten him into serious injury actually began bandaging his wounds, and even conveniently set his broken bones back in place.

Then—

"Target possesses the strength to threaten mission completion."

"Continuing execution of interception order."

After these two sentences rang beside his ear, Orochimaru was beaten again.

Back and forth like that, for a full ten minutes. "Summoning Jutsu!"

Orochimaru truly could not hold out anymore.

Even though this place was not far from Konoha, he did not want to be tormented like this any longer.

With a boom, the enormous Manda appeared on the battlefield.

Seeing this giant creature that had suddenly appeared, Susanoo's face finally showed a hint of gravity. "Ultra-high-rank dangerous species?"

"But... still within the range of what can be eliminated."

His expression sharpened, and he charged out again.

Manda had just come out and was about to demand sacrifices from Orochimaru when Susanoo's attack had already arrived.

The huge snake head was sent flying straight up.

The intense pain instantly drove Manda berserk, and his tail swept horizontally toward Susanoo.

An enormous body combined with terrifying strength—

"Bang!"

Dust and smoke exploded, and Susanoo's entire body was swallowed inside.

"Such speed!"

"Orochimaru, the opponent you ran into this time is pretty interesting!"

"When did you come wandering around such a dangerous place?"

Excited light flashed in Manda's eyes.

In the past, whenever he came out, it was always to clean up some trash. This time, he had finally run into someone who could fight. "Stop making sarcastic remarks over there."

"This guy is incredibly strong."

"I'll treat myself first. After that, the two of us go together."

As Orochimaru spoke, he began healing the injuries on his body.

This body did not have many good spots to begin with, so a few broken bones were not much of an issue. "Tch—"

"Orochimaru, you're far too useless now."

Manda glanced at him disdainfully, then charged straight into that cloud of dust and smoke.

Very soon, intense sounds of fighting came from inside the dust.

By now, Orochimaru no longer wanted to keep fighting.

The guy who had beaten him just now clearly still had not gotten serious. "Retreat!"

Once he had repaired his body more or less, he decisively chose to flee.

With the huge commotion Manda had caused, Konoha's side had definitely noticed it already.

If he didn't run now, he really wouldn't be able to leave. "Boom!"

Just then, a huge figure flew out of the dust and smoke.

Manda's enormous body smashed heavily onto Orochimaru. "Manda, leave here first."

"That guy definitely has Kage-level combat power."

"And with this place being Konoha, if you don't want to lose even the sacrifices, hurry up and withdraw with me."

As soon as Orochimaru finished speaking, his whole body shrank into Manda's mouth.

Manda was furious, but that opponent really was not easy to deal with.

If their current location was locked onto by Konoha's people, and something really happened to Orochimaru, who would he demand living sacrifices from in the future?

Gritting his teeth, Manda glared fiercely at Susanoo. "Bang—"

White smoke exploded, and the enormous snake body instantly vanished. "Hah—"

A gale swept through, and Susanoo raised his hand and waved, clearing all the surrounding dust. "A rare spatial ninjutsu?"

"This place is even stranger than I thought. If I want to protect that kid properly, looks like I still need to get a bit stronger."

Susanoo pondered for a few seconds, then turned and chased in Naruto and the others' direction.

At this time, outside Konoha Village. "The higher-ups said Mizuki's plan fell through."

"Next, it's our turn to work."

"Uchiha Sasuke, and that little group of friends of his."

"Every one of them is a brat from a ninja clan in the village. For all we know, they mastered the Three Basic Techniques ages ago."

"That Sasuke is very likely mixed in among them."

"Our mission is to capture them all."

The Root Organization ninja had already set up an ambush, waiting to give those brats a surprise.

The safer they thought the village was, the easier it was for them to let down their guard.

While they were unprepared, they would take them all in one go.

The men sent to ambush Sasuke last time had lost several of their number, so this time they did not dare get careless again.

Before long, the figures of several children appeared in their field of vision. "Go!"

The Root Organization members did not waste a word and lunged straight at Naruto and the others. "They finally came?"

"Naruto, you're up."

In the shadows, Shikamaru stared at the Root Organization members charging over.

Even now, he still could not figure it out.

Why would proper ninja from the village attack a group of students?

"Got you!"

A Root Organization member reached out and grabbed Naruto, ready to take him away first.

After all, every single brat here could possibly be Uchiha Sasuke. "Boom!"

The next second, countless explosive tags burst from Naruto's body.

Flames instantly swallowed that ninja. "Shadow Clone... plus explosive tags?"

The Root Organization members were all dumbfounded.

Since when did the Ninja Academy teach this kind of thing?

"Tch, I'm one step late, but it looks like nothing was delayed."

"You people are all here for the target I'm protecting, right?"

"Then none of you are leaving."