As an elite squad made up entirely of Jonin, Zou Hyuga and the others moved fast. They could leave the village in a matter of breaths.
Yet when they reached the edge of the village, their path was blocked.
Whoosh...
After knocking down a rain of Senbon, the ANBU squad looked at the two figures ahead, their eyes filled with wariness.
One of them was Orochimaru, a Missing-nin from their own village. His name was known throughout Konoha, and he was powerful enough to turn the tide of a battlefield.
They knew nothing of the other man's abilities, but anyone who could stand beside Orochimaru...
Had to possess at least Jonin-level strength. They absolutely could not underestimate him.
"It's Orochimaru!"
Kakashi identified him for his teammates, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Having fought Orochimaru before, he understood how powerful the man was. If Minato-sensei hadn't come to his rescue, he would probably have died.
Now he faced Orochimaru again, but no longer had his teacher's protection.
He didn't know whether his companions could hold out against him. If they had to retreat, he could stay behind to buy them time.
"Orochimaru!"
Yamato couldn't help calling out, his gaze complicated. As a survivor of Orochimaru's experiments, he felt deeply conflicted facing him.
With his Byakugan activated, Zou Hyuga kept a wary eye on the figure beside Orochimaru. That hunched old man was actually Sasori's Hiruko.
Sasori himself was a master puppeteer, and with his Third Kazekage Human Puppet, his strength surpassed that of many weaker shinobi villages.
To Zou Hyuga, Sasori was more dangerous than Orochimaru.
Orochimaru could at least be reasoned with, or even worked with. Sasori, whose head was filled with art, thought of nothing but making human puppets.
If Zou remembered correctly, Sasori had destroyed an entire