Orochimaru spotted me... Zou Hyuga thought, but he did not panic.
Right now, he was not a Hyuga ninja from Konoha, but the boss of a merchant company bent on avenging himself against a murderer. As long as his identity remained hidden, he had nothing to fear.
He might not be able to win, but he could certainly escape.
Besides, Orochimaru and Sasori would never reveal their true trump cards just for him.
Sure enough, after noticing the gaze from afar, Orochimaru showed no unusual reaction. He merely sent a small snake to scout the area.
Then he returned his attention to the battle between Hiruko and Sasori.
Judging by the situation, Hiruko was holding his own against Sasori thanks to his home-field advantage, but defeat was only a matter of time.
With his kekkei genkai fusion still incomplete, he remained a long way from being a Kage-level shinobi.
Just then, Orochimaru received the small snake's report and narrowed his eyes.
The snake he had sent to scout had found nothing useful. There were no ninja hiding in this forest, yet that feeling of being watched could not possibly have been false.
As the Third's student and a former ANBU commander, he had keen senses. He could not have been mistaken.
In a flash, Orochimaru appeared between Hiruko and Sasori and signaled for them to stop, bringing the unexpected battle to an end.
Panting and visibly exhausted, Hiruko realized that the puppeteer accompanying Orochimaru was not his subordinate, but a powerful shinobi on the same level as him.
Across from him, Sasori also recalled his puppets. He had achieved his goal of testing Hiruko's strength.
After a moment's deliberation, Orochimaru said, "Sasori, Hiruko, have you noticed the rat that's been spying on us?"
Sasori's gaze sharpened, and he sent the