That light, almost disdainful question was like an impossibly sharp scalpel, precisely slicing through the tangible, congealed killing intent.
"Tch."
"Hey, old man."
"Do you... have bad breath?"
The terrifying aura that could make even jonin quake in fear suddenly stalled for an instant.
That instant was enough!
"Cough... Hah..."
Sasuke and Sakura were like drowning people abruptly pulled from the depths of the sea, finally able to breathe again.
Great gulps of air rushed into their lungs, bringing searing pain.
But this time, Sasuke did not fall to his knees.
He endured the trembling rising from the depths of his soul, bit down hard on his tongue, and forced himself to remain standing through the intense pain.
Cold sweat slid down his forehead drop by drop, splashing into the dirt.
His Two-Tomoe Sharingan still spun wildly. Though the illusion of mountains of corpses and seas of blood had faded from his vision, the terror branded into his soul had not diminished in the slightest.
Just now... he had died.
Under that man's killing intent, he had truly experienced death once.
And that monster had merely stood there from beginning to end.
Was this... the world of Shadow Level fighters?
Sakura was in a far worse state. She slumped on the ground, utterly drained, but her powerful will to survive kept her mind from going blank like before.
With eyes filled with the terror and shock of surviving a disaster, she stared fixedly at the figure wearing a bamboo hat, then looked incredulously at the orange back that remained calm, hands tucked into his pockets.
Amid that horror capable of freezing even one's soul, only Naruto Uzumaki could still turn around and mock his opponent.
Just where was this man's limit?
"Hehehe... what an interesting little brat."
That scalp-prickling, hoarse laughter rang out again. The killing intent receded like the tide, replaced by a deeper, more dangerous interest.
Orochimaru slowly raised his head beneath the bamboo hat.
Under its shadow, a pair of vertical golden snake eyes rested on Naruto with great interest for a moment before turning toward Sasuke.
"I received yesterday's warning."
Orochimaru's voice was slick and dangerous. "A little brat who could sense my presence and dared to provoke me first... your courage is far more interesting than your strength. I originally only wanted Sasuke-kun's perfect vessel, but it seems I have found an even finer experimental subject."
He stuck out his long tongue and licked his lips, making no effort to conceal the greed and fervor in his eyes as he regarded rare experimental material.
Naruto sneered inwardly.
So the warning was useless... Rather than making him wary, it only stirred up an even stronger desire to possess me.
Fine. The first stage of the deterrence plan failed, so we'll move straight to the second.
Since this old snake insists on taking the bait, I'll become the most delicious—and most poisonous—bait there is!
"Attack."
Orochimaru gave Team 7 no time to react. He issued a curt command to the two disguised Grass Ninja beside him while rapidly forming hand seals!
"Ninja Art: Four Violet Flames Formation!"
Four pillars of purple light shot into the sky from the positions of him and his subordinates, instantly linking into a translucent barrier that completely sealed off a hundred-meter radius!
It cut off sound, chakra fluctuations, and... all outside observation.
"Oh no! It's a barrier!"
Sakura cried out in alarm, immediately recognizing the purpose of this high-level ninjutsu. "He wants to deal with us here without anyone finding out!"
The instant the barrier was complete, the two Grass Ninja turned into afterimages and attacked Naruto from both sides in a pincer assault!
Their objective was clear: hold back the strongest one, Naruto, and create an opportunity for their master!
And Orochimaru's target had always been only one person.
"Your body, Sasuke-kun, is mine!"
Before his words had even faded, Orochimaru slammed both hands onto the ground!
"Summoning Technique!"
"Boom—!"
The ground beneath Sasuke suddenly exploded, dirt flying everywhere!
A massive purple snake as thick as a barrel burst from the earth. Its savage head blotted out the already sparse sunlight filtering through the forest. It opened a bloody maw large enough to swallow a cow, and a foul gale rushed forward as it viciously bit down on Sasuke without hesitation!
"Sasuke-kun!"
Sakura let out a terrified scream.
This time, Sasuke was no longer ruled by fear!
"Don't even think about it!!"
The helplessness of the Night of the Massacre intertwined with the humiliation before him, transforming into towering fury!
His mind screamed madly, ordering his body to dodge, but his nerves had been ravaged by Shadow Level killing intent. His reactions were sluggish, and his legs still felt as heavy as lead!
"Move!!"
"Move already!!!"
Sasuke roared inwardly. As the giant maw was about to swallow him, he suddenly pulled a kunai from his ninja pouch and, without hesitation, viciously plunged it into his unresponsive thigh!
"Squish!"
The intense pain shot through his entire body like electricity, forcibly jolting his numbed nerves awake!
"Aaahhh—!"
Sasuke roared, using the burst of strength brought by the pain to roll sharply backward and to the side, barely avoiding the giant snake's lethal bite!
"Boom!"
The snake's head smashed into the ground, kicking up dust everywhere.
"Nice one, Sasuke!"
In the distance, Naruto kicked one Grass Ninja away, praised him with ease over his shoulder, then flashed aside to evade the other Grass Ninja's tricky attack.
But the danger was not over!
Having missed its strike, the giant snake swept its enormous tail over like a steel whip. It moved so fast that Sasuke, who had only just regained his footing, had no way to dodge!
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Sasuke formed seals with one hand, ignoring the injury on his leg as he used all his chakra to spit out a massive fireball, blasting it fiercely into the snake's tail!
"Boom!"
The flames exploded, scorching the snake's hide with a sizzling sound, but to a Summoning Beast of such colossal size, it was little more than a scratch!
The enormous tail only paused slightly before continuing its sweep without losing any momentum!
Was he going to die?
No!
He could still...
Sasuke's Sharingan spun wildly, trying to find even the slightest chance of survival within that incomparably swift attack.
"Bang!!!"
At that critical moment, an orange streak shot in, moving so fast it was almost impossible to see!
Naruto had somehow already broken free from the two Grass Ninja. He leaped high into the air, his long right leg drawing an overwhelmingly fierce arc through the sky!
There was no chakra glow, no flashy ninjutsu effects—just a pure kick containing the ultimate power of his body!
It slammed viciously into the giant snake's jaw!
"Boom—!!!"
A deafening explosion erupted!
Terrifying Monster Strength burst forth completely at the moment of impact!
The summoned giant snake, dozens of meters long, had a head as massive as a small mountain—and that head was kicked apart in a single blow!
Bones shattered, flesh and blood sprayed through the air!
It did not even have time to cry out. Its massive body lost all strength and flew backward faster than it had arrived, crashing through several huge trees at the edge of the barrier before slamming heavily onto the ground, completely motionless.
One kick!
Just one kick!
Instant kill!
Naruto slowly landed and slipped both hands back into his pockets, as if he had merely kicked away a pebble by the roadside.
Meanwhile, the two fairly capable Grass Ninja were already sprawled in the distance like broken trash, their fates unknown.
Silence.
An eerie silence fell within the barrier.
Sakura covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes wide as her mind buzzed from being unable to process such a shocking sight.
Sasuke braced himself on the kunai in his thigh, breathing heavily as he stared almost blankly at the back standing in front of him.
Shame, relief, shock, unwillingness... He had struggled for his life with everything he had, even resorting to self-harm, while Naruto had ended everything so effortlessly.
The thought, That mountain has grown taller again, had barely surfaced in his mind before it was replaced by even stronger self-loathing.
Still standing there in awe? Sasuke Uchiha, you useless trash! What can you do besides watch from the sidelines?!
"Oh?"
For the first time, genuine surprise flashed through Orochimaru's golden snake eyes.
He did not care about the deaths of his Summoning Beast or subordinates. What mattered to him was the power Naruto had displayed.
"Pure taijutsu... and it can reach such a level? Besides the Nine-Tails' power, your body holds such a secret as well? How interesting... too interesting! You are a more perfect specimen than Uchiha blood!"
"Specimen my ass."
Naruto finally turned around and shot Orochimaru a disgusted glance.
"You creepy old pervert who can't even look like a proper man or woman, don't look at me like I'm some idiot. It's disgusting, got it?"
He sneered inwardly.
Good. The fish has completely taken the bait. Your attention is entirely focused on me now. That way... Sasuke won't be harassed by trash like you again.
"Brat... you want to die!"
The repeated humiliation finally provoked genuine fury from Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin.
His hands rapidly formed seals!
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
An incomparably violent hurricane formed out of thin air, instantly turning into a tornado that swept through the forest!
Countless tiny wind blades, too small to see clearly, were mixed within the gale. Everywhere it passed, giant trees and rocks were sliced into pieces!
This was no longer a ninjutsu that Genin could withstand. Even ordinary jonin would only be torn to shreds if caught inside!
The violent wind rushed toward him, making Naruto's orange jacket snap loudly.
Yet instead of retreating, he advanced. He grabbed Sasuke and Sakura, who were still stunned, by the backs of their collars and hurled them backward like discarded garbage.
"Get out of here. Stop getting in my way."
Those domineering, unquestionable words rang clearly in their ears.
Sasuke and Sakura tumbled through the air several times before landing awkwardly near the distant edge of the barrier.
When they looked up again, they saw Naruto standing alone before the storm that seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth.
He slowly rolled his neck, producing a sharp crack.
The blood and energy inside his body began to surge at an unprecedented speed. Faint, nearly invisible green steam began to seep from the pores of his skin in thin wisps.
He bared a mouthful of stark white teeth. That smile was wilder than the most savage beast in the forest!
"Today, I'm going to skin this shameless snake alive... and rip out every last tendon!"
Before you continue