Watching Yechen slowly descend from the sky, Orochimaru swallowed with difficulty. At some point, a bead of cold sweat had slid down his forehead.
The sight of those pristine Three-Tomoe Sharingan, in particular, made Orochimaru force a smile.
"Yechen, long time no see."
Seeing that hollow smile, Yechen wasted no words. In the past, he might have held Orochimaru in some regard, but after personally witnessing the things he had done, Yechen could no longer offer him a pleasant expression.
"Orochimaru, will you come back to Konoha with me quietly, or do I have to make you?"
"Is there no room for negotiation?"
Even as he spoke, Orochimaru attacked. He knew that since Yechen had appeared, Minato Namikaze must have sent him. In that case, his only choice was to go all out.
He abruptly raised his right hand and unleashed Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, reaching for Yechen.
Facing the oncoming snakes, Yechen curled his lips slightly and waved a hand. A Wind Blade sliced them straight through the middle.
Orochimaru was not surprised by the outcome. He knew quite a bit about Yechen's abilities, which was precisely why he feared him so much.
Now was no time to dwell on it. Orochimaru threw a shuriken and used the same move as before: Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!
In an instant, hundreds of shuriken flew toward Yechen.
Yechen showed no intention of dodging. The Wind Wings spread behind him once more, then folded forward around him to form a Cyclone Shield.
The moment the shuriken struck the Cyclone Shield, its cyclone force redirected them, robbed them of their momentum, and sent them falling to either side.
It was not over yet.
Orochimaru's second wave of attacks arrived. Just as Yechen blocked all the shuriken, a human head suddenly