Orochimaru's raspy laughter was like a bucket of ice water, dousing all the cheerful chatter in the pavilion.
His killing intent-cold, cloying, and thick with the stench of blood and death-swept across the entire clearing like a tangible current of freezing air.
This killing intent was worlds apart from that of those Grass Ninja small fry!
If their killing intent had been a few rusty little knives...
Then this killing intent was a Demon Blade that had weathered countless battles and drunk its fill of blood!
"Aagh!"
Sakura couldn't even put up a proper resistance.
Her vision went black, and she felt as though an invisible hand had clamped around her throat, instantly choking off her breath.
Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed in her chair, unconscious from sheer terror.
Sasuke wasn't faring much better.
Though he managed to keep himself from passing out, his body felt frozen stiff and shook violently beyond his control.
Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
He felt as though he wasn't facing a human being.
Instead, he was facing an Ancient Venomous Python that had crawled out of the depths of hell, ready to devour its prey!
"What... what kind of monster is this?!"
Sasuke clenched his teeth so hard that blood seeped from his gums.
He desperately tried to muster his chakra and activate his Sharingan.
But under that almost tangible Kage Level pressure, the chakra inside him was like a frozen river, unable to flow even the slightest bit!
A tree trunk at the edge of the clearing began to slowly dissolve and twist in an utterly bizarre fashion.
A "woman" with a face as pale as paper and golden, slit-pupiled snake eyes slowly stepped out of the trunk.
Orochimaru, in disguise.
He completely ignored Naruto, who had been frightened senseless