The Poison Snake's Wariness and Retreat

Inside the basin, the air was still distorted. Dark red light flowed across every inch of the rock walls, like the veins of hell slowly pulsing. The sea of charred remains left by the Myriad Snake Array still sent wisps of black smoke into the air, giving off a nauseating burnt stench.

Yan stood where he was and did not give chase.

He lowered his head and glanced at his right arm, which was covered in a black metallic sheen. The invisible armor slowly faded away, restoring his skin to its normal color.

Armament Haki.

A pure form of energy that worked in both offense and defense. Unlike chakra, it could not take on endless variations. Its function was simple and brutal—hardening, and grasping things that could not be grasped.

For example, the elementalized body of a Logia Devil Fruit user. Or Orochimaru's endless, bizarre survival techniques, such as the Orochimaru Style Body Replacement Technique.

"What a troublesome bastard."

Yan withdrew his gaze and gave his assessment inwardly.

He could tell that the "Orochimaru" he had just punched through had been no different from the original, whether in the texture of its chakra or the intensity of its life force. Yet in the end, the man had still shed that "real" body like skin and escaped.

That kind of life-preserving ability had already exceeded the scope of conventional ninjutsu. Unless one could instantly crush his soul along with every possible space where he might have hidden a "spare body," killing Orochimaru was a false proposition.

And Yan did not yet possess that kind of power.

Meteor Volcano could erase things on the physical level, but it was powerless against "backups" hidden in other dimensions. Hell Hound combined with Armament Haki could guarantee piercing and destroying the current target, but it could not stop him from resurrecting through a "save file."

For the first time, Yan felt an intense desire for pure "destructive power," the kind that could crush every rule.

Not range. Not temperature. But a more fundamental power, one capable of erasing "existence" itself in a single strike.

[Ding—]

[Detected that the host has directly defeated one of the "Legendary Three Ninja" and planted an indelible brand of fear in the opponent's heart.]

[Achievement unlocked: Poison Snake's Nightmare!]

[Reward: Magma Fruit evolution progress +10%!]

[Current evolution progress: 85%!]

[Reward: Armament Haki proficiency +30% (current progress: 30/100)]

[Reward: Observation Haki range +200 meters! Current Lv.2 (detection radius: 1,200 meters)]

[System prompt: The host's desire for "absolute destructive power" has resonated with the advancement conditions for Conqueror's Haki. Unlock condition "Suppress the battlefield alone" progress +10%.]

Eighty-five percent evolution progress.

Yan could feel the power of the fruit within him undergoing some kind of qualitative transformation. The magma flowed more smoothly, and controlling its temperature became increasingly effortless. Both the coverage speed and hardness of his Armament Haki had improved significantly.

He glanced at the basin he had turned into a complete mess and felt a headache coming on. An A-rank reconnaissance mission had somehow turned into a personal grudge match with an S-rank rogue ninja, leaving behind such a huge mess.

How was he supposed to write this mission report?

"Upon investigating the target location, encountered unidentified large-scale geological activity, suspected to be a precursor to a volcanic eruption. The target stronghold was completely destroyed by the disaster. No survivors found."

Yan seriously drafted the wording in his mind and found the excuse flawless.

He walked to the center of the basin and pressed both hands against the scorching ground.

"Great Eruption."

There was no earth-shattering roar. Only two streams of magma, far denser than before, poured underground from his palms. The floor of the entire basin began to soften and sink at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually turning into a bottomless, bubbling lake of magma.

Every trace of battle, the slime Orochimaru had left behind, the sea of blackened snake corpses... all evidence was completely swallowed by the magma lake and reduced to nothingness.

Only after finishing all that did Yan turn around and leisurely walk out through the still-unsealed gap in the barrier.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, in the underground base of Hidden Sound Village in the Land of Rice.

"Puh—"

A brand-new Orochimaru suddenly sat upright inside a massive cultivation tank, spraying out a mouthful of blood mixed with green nutrient fluid. His face was white as paper, his entire body trembled uncontrollably, and the signature greed and fanaticism in his golden slit pupils had been replaced by pure terror from the depths of his soul.

"Cough... cough, cough..."

He coughed violently, gripping the edge of the tank as he barely forced himself to stand.

The memories of that battle replayed in his mind again and again like the most horrifying nightmare.

That had not been a battle.

It had been a one-sided... execution.

His Myriad Snake Array had been as fragile as paper toys before that rain of molten fire. The Kusanagi Sword he had been so proud of, that legendary divine weapon, had been melted into molten iron by the boy's bare hands. His Orochimaru Style Body Replacement Technique had allowed him to escape death, but the horrifying sensation of being locked onto by Armament Haki, as though even his soul had been pierced, still made his entire body go cold whenever he recalled it.

"Monster... that boy... he isn't a ninja at all..."

Orochimaru muttered hoarsely. He lowered his head to look at his abdomen. It was completely intact, yet the phantom pain from being pierced by Hell Hound remained vivid.

What terrified him most was not that power, but the attitude the boy had displayed while wielding it.

Calm. Indifferent. Completely devoid of emotion.

Just as a human would feel nothing while crushing an ant in their path.

In that boy's eyes, one of the "Legendary Three Ninja" might truly... have been nothing more than a slightly troublesome crawling insect.

"Power beyond the rules... Conqueror's Haki... Armament Haki..."

Fear and an even more morbid thirst for knowledge intertwined in Orochimaru's eyes.

He staggered over to a surveillance wall. A map of Konoha appeared on it, and a red dot was rapidly moving from the border of the Land of Fire toward the village.

That was Uchiha En.

"Uchiha En..." Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked his cracked lips, his voice carrying an uncontrollable tremor. "I must... have you! I must uncover every secret within your body!"

Though he said that, he knew that before he found a way to counter that power of "rules," any action against Uchiha En would be no different from suicide.

He needed to lie low.

Like a disturbed venomous snake, he would return to the deepest part of his den, lick his wounds, gather strength, and wait for the next chance to strike.

Three days later, in the Hokage's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the mission report submitted by "Lava" in his hand, and the corner of his eye could not help twitching.

The report was extremely brief.

"Mission location: Land of Fire—Land of Rice border, coordinates XXX.

Mission process: Upon reaching the target location, encountered severe geological activity, suspected to be a precursor to super-large-scale volcanic activity.

Mission result: The target stronghold was completely covered by magma. The mission target is presumed dead. No useful intelligence could be recovered. Recommend designating the area a 'Special-Class Dangerous Restricted Zone.'

Reporter: Shadow Guard, Lava."

Hiruzen Sarutobi set down the report, picked up his pipe, and took a deep puff.

"Severe geological activity?" He looked at Yan, who stood before the desk wearing a mask with his posture straight. "As far as I know, that region has no record of volcanic activity for thousands of years."

"The world is unpredictable." Yan's voice came from behind the mask, devoid of emotion. "Perhaps it woke up."

Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."

He stared at Yan for a full ten seconds, trying to find even the slightest trace of deceit behind that cold mask.

But he failed.

The other party was as calm as deep water.

"So what you're saying is, you found nothing during an A-rank reconnaissance mission, and because of a 'volcanic eruption,' the mission counts as complete?"

"The report is very clear. The stronghold was destroyed, and the target is presumed dead. Judging by the results, the mission was completed beyond expectations." Yan's tone was perfectly matter-of-fact.

Hiruzen Sarutobi choked again. He realized that talking to this kid seemed to shorten his lifespan particularly quickly.

He rubbed his brow and stopped dwelling on the matter. Intelligence sent back by the ANBU had already confirmed that Orochimaru's most recent appearance had been near that area. And now, that basin had completely become a bottomless lake of magma.

Anyone with half a brain could guess what had happened.

"Forget it." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand. "Archive the mission. Your training intensity has been high lately, so take three days off. Go back and get some proper rest."

"No need." Yan refused directly. "I request to continue carrying out missions."

To him, so-called rest was far less worthwhile than improving his strength through real combat at the edge of life and death. Besides, he needed more opportunities to familiarize himself with the Armament Haki he had just awakened.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at him, his expression becoming somewhat complicated.

This fifteen-year-old boy was like a tireless war machine. His thirst for power exceeded even Orochimaru's in his younger days.

Yet the desire to "protect" within his heart was as pure and untainted as Minato's.

What a contradictory combination.

"Very well." Hiruzen Sarutobi took another scroll from a drawer and handed it over. "This is your next mission. Recover classified intelligence. The location is near the border of the Land of Rain. Things have been very unstable there lately. Iwagakure and remnants of Hidden Rain Village have been particularly active. This mission requires an absolute 'individual' to complete. It isn't suitable for team operations."

Yan accepted the scroll without asking any questions.

"Understood."

He turned and left.

Watching his receding figure disappear, Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe again and muttered to himself.

"Orochimaru... the one you provoked may be a monster even more terrifying than you... perhaps even more terrifying than Madara..."

He did not know that his careless remark would soon become a prophecy.