Someone Else Was Lurking Too

The moment the two Sunagakure jonin recognized Orochimaru, their hearts sank.

The Cold Lord had made his name back in the Second Shinobi World War. They had only been ordered to investigate the new toxin in the Land of Rivers. They had neither the confidence nor the strength to face Orochimaru head-on.

But retreat was no longer up to them.

"We'd barely found a lead before you showed up. Your timing is impeccable."

Orochimaru walked slowly toward them, his golden slit-pupiled eyes fixed on the two jonin. The killing intent in his gaze sent chills down their spines.

The lead jonin forced down his panic and fear, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes. Orochimaru intended to kill them. If they dragged this out, they would all die. Their only chance was to end the fight quickly, seize the clue, and scatter.

"Prepare for battle!"

At his sharp command, the coordination the squad had built over years snapped into place. None of the six hesitated as they took their assigned roles.

"Shali, Shuofeng, Caotai, with me. We'll hold Orochimaru off. You two, deal with those three brats. Grab the fragment and retreat immediately!"

The two jonin charged forward, with two chunin right behind them. The four formed a ring around Orochimaru while the remaining two chunin rushed straight at Tsukimi and the others.

To the lead jonin, those three were just children—elite genin at best. Two chunin would have no trouble with them.

After giving the order, he put them out of his mind and focused on Orochimaru. His hands flew through seals as wind-release chakra surged inside his chest.

"Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel!"

A storm of air swept across the entire valley. The gale surged forward, grinding weeds and stones alike to dust in an instant.

The other jonin pulled a scroll from his ninja tool pouch and spread it open before him. He formed a seal, and after a puff of white smoke, two silver-gray puppets landed on the ground.

Mechanical openings riddled the puppets' joints. They clicked into place as they landed, slender blades snapping from their hands. The blades were coated in deadly poison, while dense rows of ports opened across their backs to reveal countless hidden needles.

The Sunagakure jonin's hands moved constantly, chakra threads running from his fingertips to the two puppets. They skimmed along the ground from either side and attacked from the left. One lunged at Orochimaru's face while the other swept at his legs.

Surrounded, Orochimaru remained composed. Faced with a sky full of wind blades, he completed his hand seals in an instant.

"Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!"

Orochimaru spat out a massive fireball. Scorching flames swept forward, swallowing and breaking apart countless wind blades.

Click, click, click!

A puppet's poisoned blade came within inches of his throat. The flesh at Orochimaru's neck rippled, and his modified, supple body let him slip past the fatal thrust by a hair. At the same time, a dark shape shot from his sleeve and bit into the puppet's joint.

Crack!

The puppet's joint snapped, and half its body collapsed to the ground.

The chunin on the right charged under cover of the turbulent wind, bringing down a blade coated in wind-release chakra. Ports burst open across the other puppet's back, sending countless poisoned needles toward Orochimaru's legs.

Attacked from above and below, Orochimaru's eyes flashed with disdain. He leaned back lightly to avoid the slash, then drove a powerful kick into the chunin's chest.

Thud!

The impact sent the chunin flying.

At the same time, the ground beneath Orochimaru burst open. A giant snake erupted from the earth, intercepting every poisoned needle and blocking the puppet's remaining attacks with its massive body.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Orochimaru turned and raised his arm. Countless small snakes sprang from it and smashed the last chunin's small puppet.

In just a few breaths, the four Sunagakure shinobi had attacked without pause, surrounding Orochimaru and throwing everything they had at him. It looked as though their relentless assault had him pinned down. In truth, every attack had missed. He had been toying with them the entire time.

Meanwhile, the remaining two chunin closed in on Tsukimi's group from either side.

"Finally, a fight!"

Asuma burned with fighting spirit. Being cowed by the two jonin's killing intent had been embarrassing, and he meant to make up for it against these two chunin.

Flying Swallow in hand, he stepped forward to meet one chunin's attack.

"Kurenai, let's take this one together!"

Asuma might usually act like an idiot, but he would not fall apart at a crucial moment like Obito. Nor would he foolishly challenge a chunin alone.

Idiot Four > Idiot Two. No question!

"Right!"

Kurenai Yuhi answered and moved lightly forward. She and Asuma worked from either side, keeping the chunin tied down.

The last chunin looked at Tsukimi, who stood where he was, and contempt flashed in his eyes. Of the four people before him, Tsukimi's presence was the weakest. He should be the easiest to break through.

He wasted no more time. His hands flashed through seals. "Wind Release: Sickle Weasel!"

Howling wind swept toward Tsukimi. The chunin wanted to kill him as quickly as possible, then go help his comrades.

Tsukimi showed no less of his usual laziness as the wind rushed toward him. Shadow Energy gathered beneath his feet. In the next instant, he activated the Mantis Squad's Flash Step. Moving at jonin speed, he vanished completely from the chunin's sight.

"What? Where did he go?"

The chunin's pupils shrank. He had not expected the brat to move so fast. He searched frantically for Tsukimi, but saw nothing.

"Where are you looking?"

The question came from behind him. The chunin froze, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

Shhk—

A dark blade pierced his chest. Tsukimi gave him no chance to react; as soon as he spoke, he drove the sword of condensed shadow in. The chunin's consciousness faded before he could even scream. The entire exchange took less than two seconds.

For low- and mid-ranking shinobi, someone with overwhelming speed was an opponent they simply could not handle. They could neither react in time nor counterattack.

Minato Namikaze in the Third Shinobi World War was proof enough. With the Flying Thunder God Technique, anyone below Kage Level could only flee when they encountered him. He was a jonin reaper.

Nearby, the Sunagakure chunin fighting Asuma and Kurenai caught sight of Tsukimi killing his comrade in an instant. Every hair on his body stood on end. A chill ran through him, and even his once-fierce attacks faltered.

A genin had just killed a full-fledged Sunagakure chunin in an instant?!

How was that even possible?

Kurenai seized the opening while he was shaken, forming hand seals and trapping him in a genjutsu. Asuma took his chance. Wind-release chakra coated Flying Swallow, and the blade flashed across the chunin's throat.

The second Sunagakure chunin was dead!

On the main battlefield, the four Sunagakure elites were still desperately trying to keep Orochimaru occupied. With his fight over, Tsukimi slipped silently behind them, ready to strike from the shadows amid the chaos.

But just as he moved, the Shadowkhan he had scattered around the valley—and had not all called back—sent him a view of the dense forest. A Sunagakure shinobi was lurking there, suppressing his presence as he waited.

Tsukimi stopped short.

Huh? Someone else was lurking even deeper than me?!