Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced around. "Is there anything here you absolutely need to take with you?"
Orochimaru frowned as he looked around.
Truthfully, everything here was the fruit of his research. Of course he wanted to take it all.
But under the circumstances, that was clearly impossible.
After a moment's thought, he said firmly, "No. I've got everything important on me!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood and looked at Orochimaru. "Then let's begin!"
Orochimaru formed a hand seal. "All right. Sorry for the trouble, Teacher!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was still curious to see just how far Orochimaru's Ninjutsu had come.
He swiftly formed hand seals. "Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
A barrage of flames swept toward Orochimaru.
Orochimaru knew Hiruzen Sarutobi's Ninjutsu well enough. The moment he saw the Phoenix Flower Jutsu, he leaped away.
Unlike other fire techniques, its flames did not follow a fixed path.
Phoenix Flower Fire could be steered with Chakra.
Dodging it took extraordinarily quick reflexes.
Seeing how seriously Hiruzen Sarutobi was taking the fight, Orochimaru smiled faintly. Getting to face someone of Kage Level was a stroke of luck.
He gave a sharp cry. "Evil Snake Arm Explosion!"
The instant the words left his mouth, several giant snakes lunged toward the Third Hokage.
Their enormous jaws looked ready to swallow Hiruzen Sarutobi whole.
At the sight, Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed off hard and sprang high into the air.
He stamped down on a snake's head, then flipped onto a glass tank at the side of the laboratory.
He watched the snakes, which had stopped abruptly, with a wary expression.
Orochimaru's raspy voice rang out. "Explode!"
The snakes burst in midair with a bang, like Explosive Tags.
Flesh and blood sprayed everywhere. If Hiruzen Sarutobi had been a moment slower, he would have been covered in it.
They had exchanged