By the time Naruto finished his business, Sasuke had already handled the Rain ninja who tried to ambush them.
Noah couldn't tell if the guy was stupid or had a death wish, but he sure knew how to pick a losing fight.
In this world, Noah always felt that if you weren't born lucky like the protagonist, you should stick to being a "camper" or a "shadow player." Even someone as strong as Madara Uchiha spent years playing from the shadows.
Of course, Madara eventually got overconfident-and ended up with a hand through his chest.
Here, the only people who could afford true arrogance were Naruto and Sasuke.
Well, maybe Noah too.
Since he didn't belong to this world, even if he "died," his soul would simply leave his body. It wasn't a true death.
Sasuke's victory was swift, but the enemy didn't have a scroll. Sasuke didn't care-just one scroll, and there were plenty of other teams to choose from.
The fight gave him a boost of confidence. He felt like these opponents weren't much of a threat.
It was a dangerous mindset. If Noah had known, he would have said: "Don't get cocky just because you saw a little success."
Naruto, oblivious to everything, stayed cheerful-until the atmosphere shifted.
The air twisted, sharp and turbulent, turning into a violent gale that tore through branches and gouged the earth, kicking up a wall of dust.
Noah and Sasuke sensed the anomaly and dodged easily. Naruto wasn't so lucky; he took the hit full-on and flew through the air.
"Seriously, could his reaction time be any slower?" Noah face-palmed. Sasuke, hidden under some brush, wore the same expression.
Then Noah felt a cold surge of energy from the ground.
He activated his eyes-the power of darkness.
To his surprise, he saw a woman-or rather, a figure that shifted into Naruto-running toward them in panic.
Noah knew exactly what Orochimaru was doing.
Exactly what he expected.
"Let's see what tricks you've got."
Noah gathered his energy.
As "Naruto" reached him, Noah unleashed a massive burst of power.
The fake Naruto froze, unable to react. Noah vanished into thin air.
Orochimaru, a veteran "Shadow-level" fighter, immediately sensed a threat from behind.
"The Flying Thunder God technique?"
He stopped hiding. He didn't know how he'd been exposed-but it didn't matter now.
A blade of energy sliced the fake Naruto in half, but the body dissolved into mud.
Noah reappeared where he had been moments before, as if he hadn't moved.
"Give it up. I see you," he said casually, addressing a tree trunk.
"You're good at hiding, but did you really think you could fool me?"
Orochimaru's figure emerged from behind the tree, licking his lips.
"You didn't use a knife to teleport. How did you get behind me so fast? That wasn't a standard flicker. Did you modify the technique?"
Orochimaru was genuinely puzzled. Noah's speed rivaled the Fourth Shadow's legendary teleportation-far beyond standard movement. Yet there were no marks-on him or the surroundings.
It was incomprehensible, and the more he failed to understand, the more curious he became.
"You could say that," Noah said, spinning his short blade.
"It's teleportation, but throwing knives is too much hassle-and my aim is terrible. So I tweaked it a bit."
"Oh? Modifying the Second Shadow's ultimate technique? You have talent," Orochimaru said, licking his lips again.
"Show me more. I'm interested. I don't have much time, but I can play for a bit."
"Play?" Noah smiled.
"I'm interested in some of the things inside your head. But sure, let's play first."
"Interesting kid..." Orochimaru's eyes turned dangerous.
He released his killing intent.
Decades of battlefield slaughter had left him drenched in bloodlust, heavy and tangible.
If Zabuza or Kakashi's killing intent scared with cruelty, Orochimaru's was pure silence-black and white, a mountain of corpses behind it.
Noah stayed perfectly calm, almost bored.
This guy thought he could intimidate a demi-god mage with killing intent? Like an ant screaming at a human-the human wouldn't even hear it.
To Noah, whose soul had reached a new height, Orochimaru's constantly body-swapped soul was fragile.
He could probably end this with a single illusion.
Noah sighed. He wanted to test his other abilities-couldn't finish things too quickly.
"Oh?" Orochimaru was shocked.
This freshman was unfazed.
"Born with such cour-"
Before he could finish, the kid vanished.
Simultaneously, a terrifying surge of energy vibrated behind him.
Orochimaru immediately recognized it-a focused energy blade, the sensation of a certain white-haired man from his past.
There was no time for nostalgia.
He ducked and performed a hand sign, raising a stone wall.
But the kid appeared in front of him before the wall finished, swinging the energy-laden blade at his chest.
"Dammit, what's wrong with his teleportation?" Orochimaru cursed internally.
He prepared his signature shedding technique-but the kid missed.
The blade sliced through Orochimaru's clothes. The wind pressure cut his chest, drawing blood. Far from a direct hit, but enough.
Noah vanished again, appearing a short distance away with a stoic expression. Inside, he was dying of embarrassment.
How did I miss that? Is this knife too short?
Orochimaru didn't know what Noah was thinking.
To him, it felt like this brat was mocking him. How long had it been since anyone dared?
Furious, Orochimaru performed more signs.
The earth shook as a massive python burst up, jaws wide, ready to swallow its prey.
Noah was too fast; he vanished before the snake reached him. A massive stone spear erupted, skewering the snake through its mouth.
Orochimaru's expression turned grim.
He blew a stream of roaring flames from his mouth.
He'd figured it out: the kid was using his eyes to move.
Incredible, but logical-there were no knives, no marks. The only anchor was visual.
A fascinating and dangerous brat.
Orochimaru used the fire to create a smokescreen, giving himself room to maneuver.
He hadn't expected someone like this on his return to the village. A full-scale battle could ruin his plans if reinforcements arrived.
He glanced at Sasuke, hidden nearby-his real target.
Then his expression shifted.
He felt a massive surge of energy erupt...