Encountering Orochimaru

Takuma walked at the front of the group, the muscles in his back constantly tensed.

His Spider-Sense had not fully settled since he finished off the three Rain Ninja. A faint, persistent prickling sensation lingered at the back of his head, constantly reminding him that something was watching them.

"How much further to the Central Tower?" Yakumo asked softly from the middle of the formation.

Tetsu tilted his head to scan the surroundings. "At this pace, we should reach the outskirts before dark. But the closer we get to the center, the more teams we'll encounter."

Takuma did not respond, his gaze sweeping across the woods on both sides.

He felt that something was wrong. The appearance of those three Rain Ninja had been too coincidental, as if someone had deliberately driven them toward him.

But what would the other party gain? Their hastily assembled team possessed neither famous bloodline limits nor any reputation; they were not worth anyone's elaborate schemes.

Unless the target was not the scroll at all.

The moment this thought surfaced, the surrounding temperature dropped without warning.

Every hair on Takuma's body stood up at once. His Spider-Sense shrieked a frantic warning, a sharp, stinging pain shooting straight from his spine to the top of his head.

"Stop!"

Takuma raised his hand abruptly. Tetsu reacted with lightning speed, stepping forward to block Yakumo, his hands forming half an unfinished seal in front of his chest as earth-style Chakra condensed in his palms.

Yakumo also tensed instantly. She unfurled half of her scroll with a rustle, the tip of her charcoal pen pressed against the paper, ready to trigger a genjutsu at any moment.

The chirping of insects and birds, which had been faintly audible just a moment ago, vanished completely.

Even the rustling of wind through the leaves ceased. The entire forest felt as if it had been throttled by an invisible hand, so silent that they could hear their own heartbeats.

Takuma's gaze remained locked on the depths of the dense forest ahead.

He could see nothing unusual, but the alarm bells of his Spider-Sense were nearly numbing his brain. The danger was right there, within arm's reach.

"Come out." Takuma gritted his teeth, his right hand already drawing a kunai, the blade gleaming coldly in the dim light.

His palms were slightly sweaty. An enemy capable of driving his Spider-Sense to this degree was far beyond the strength of the Rain Ninja from before.

A figure slowly emerged from behind a tree trunk.

The pace was slow and casual, as nonchalant as a post-meal stroll, yet with every step the figure took, the pressure on Takuma's heart grew heavier.

Long hair hung over his shoulders, and his skin was deathly pale, as if he had not seen the sun in years.

He wore a grey-black high-collared trench coat that obscured half his face, revealing only a pair of golden slit pupils.

The man stopped after a few steps, tilted his head slightly, and swept his gaze over the three of them. He paused briefly on Tetsu, glanced over the scroll in Yakumo's hand, and finally locked his eyes on Takuma.

His tongue flicked out—slender, cold, and glistening—slowly licking the corner of his mouth.

Orochimaru.

One of the legendary Sannin, a direct disciple of the Third Hokage, and an S-rank criminal who had later defected from Konoha.

He was one of the most dangerous madmen in the entire ninja world, obsessed with bloodline limits and forbidden jutsu, with a mountain of corpses to his name.

How could it be him?!

In the original story, Orochimaru had clearly entered the Forest of Death for Uchiha Sasuke, targeting him as a vessel for the Sharingan.

Why would he show up in front of a group of nobodies like them? The plot had veered off course in the most ridiculous way! He had no Sharingan and was not a Jinchuriki—what did he want with him?!

The person before him was not comparable to the rogue ninjas from earlier; the gap in their strength was so vast that they didn't even have the right to resist.

"Oh?" Orochimaru spoke, his voice raspy and languid, like sandpaper rubbing against wood, carrying an indescribable, chilling coldness. "I was just wandering around, looking for an interesting brat to test my hand. I didn't expect... to run into something even rarer."

His gaze felt like a cold, wet snake tongue, sweeping slowly from the top of Takuma's head to his feet with undisguised curiosity and scrutiny.

That look was not directed at a person, but at a piece of material, an experimental specimen laid out on an autopsy table.

Tetsu took another half-step forward, his hands reaching the final stage of the Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall seal.

He could feel the terrifying Chakra radiating from the man—heavy, cold, and like a bottomless swamp. Just standing there made it difficult to breathe.

"Who are you?" Tetsu's voice was low, filled with caution.

Orochimaru acted as if he hadn't heard him, his eyes remaining fixed on Takuma. "A descendant of the Senju Clan... no wonder your Chakra reserves are so much denser than an ordinary Genin. The boy from the Morimiya family, right? The Third Hokage has hidden you all quite well."

Takuma's heart tightened.

Even many Chunin in Konoha were unaware of his surname and lineage, yet Orochimaru had called it out instantly.

Just how many eyes did this guy have planted in Konoha?

"What's more interesting is..." Orochimaru took a step forward, and the air pressure around them dropped even further, "...there is a very special vitality inside your body."

He narrowed his golden slit pupils slightly, as if he had discovered a priceless treasure. "A very strong healing ability. It's not medical ninjutsu, nor is it a trick like the Yin Seal that stores Chakra... it's a savage, vigorous recovery force overflowing from the depths of your cells."

Cold sweat broke out on Takuma's back.

He hadn't even fully explained the secret of his Wolverine Healing Factor to Tenten or his father, claiming only that it was a gift of his Senju bloodline.

Had Orochimaru seen through it just by looking? How terrifying was this guy's perception?

"You're overthinking it." Takuma forced himself to speak, keeping his voice as steady as possible. "The Senju Clan is naturally adept at physical recovery; it's a bloodline talent."

"Talent?" Orochimaru chuckled, the sound raspy and grating, particularly chilling in the silent forest. "I know Tsunade's Yang Release very well, and even her healing cannot reach your level. The Senju bloodline... cannot produce a monster like you."

The word "monster" came from his mouth not as an insult, but with a fanatical, joyful excitement.

Alarm bells rang in Takuma's mind.

He knew Orochimaru's personality too well; the rarer the material, the more he wanted to get his hands on it for research.

Takuma's brain raced. Yakumo and Tetsu were behind him; he could not retreat.

But a direct confrontation? The three of them were no match for an enemy of the Sannin level.

The only way was to scatter and run; if one could escape, it was better than none.

He tilted his head slightly and whispered, "When I count to three, run in opposite directions. Don't look back, just head straight for the Central Tower. I'll hold him off."

"No." Tetsu refused immediately, his voice firm. "If we go, we go together."

Yakumo also gripped her charcoal pen, the outline of a genjutsu formation already appearing on her scroll. "My painting realm can trap him for a few seconds. We'll retreat together."

"It won't trap him." Takuma gritted his teeth, the hair on his back standing up even more.

Orochimaru's Chakra continued to climb, that cold, chilling aura washing over them like a tide. "He is Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. If you stay, you'll only die with me."

"Sannin..." Yakumo's face turned pale instantly.

Orochimaru seemed to have heard their conversation and chuckled again.

He walked two more steps forward, now less than five meters from Takuma.

Those golden slit pupils curved, filled with mockery and cruelty.

"Run?" he uttered a single word, his tone casual yet carrying an unquestionable dominance. "Do you really think... that anyone can run away from me?"

The moment his voice fell, a terrifying killing intent erupted without warning.

It was a pressure built upon decades of warfare, slaughter, and mountains of corpses, slamming into the three of them like an invisible mountain.

The forest fell into a deathly silence.

Only the heavy breathing of the three of them and the slow, deliberate footsteps of Orochimaru remained.

He circled halfway around them like a venomous snake sizing up its prey, finally stopping in front of Takuma.