It was time to act. Letting a gift like the Orochimaru go unchecked would be sheer idiocy.
Before his words even fully faded, Noah vanished.
Hayate immediately whipped his head toward the VIP balcony.
He wasn't alone. As soon as Noah disappeared, Kakashi and the others instinctively followed his gaze.
By now, the Third Hokage, Lord Hiruzen, and the Orochimaru had shed their disguises, poised to resume their duel.
But just as they were about to clash, Noah materialized beside the Third Hokage.
"Third Hokage, your situation doesn't look too optimistic."
"There's no helping it; that's just how it is when you get old."
The old man chuckled involuntarily at Noah's sudden appearance.
He wasn't surprised. Neither was the Orochimaru.
Unlike the Third, who knew Noah's secrets, the Orochimaru had deduced it himself; this only confirmed his suspicions.
"We meet again, kid," the Orochimaru said, licking his lips.
"Last time, I wondered if you were using your eyes to move and teleport. Now I can confirm it. Quite impressive."
"Is that so? No wonder you whipped out such a massive fire jutsu last time," Noah nodded.
"A pity you got away then. You likely won't leave this time... By the way, are you a man or a woman?"
The Third stood silently, listening.
He now knew who the Orochimaru had been fighting in the Forest of Death. It was Noah.
Why hadn't Noah reported this?
Thinking it over, the Third figured the commotion caused by the Orochimaru fell within Noah's tolerance. The boy didn't see anything special.
He sighed inwardly. Do you think everyone is a freak like you?
Of course, it helped that the Orochimaru hadn't gone all out. Pride restrained him. Going full force against a junior would be reckless.
No matter how strong he was, he couldn't take on the entire village alone. He had made the choice to preserve his grand plan.
Noah's question about his gender left the Third uneasy.
The Orochimaru had left dangerous things behind when he deserted the village. The Third knew some-specifically, the Living Corpse Reincarnation, a forbidden jutsu violating biological ethics.
Noah's sensory abilities were exceptional. The Third trusted his judgment completely.
Knowing his former student, the Third guessed Noah had already mastered that forbidden art.
"What do you think?" the Orochimaru hissed. Licking his lips, he continued, "Life is tragic and brief, yet only one thing is eternal..."
"You call yourself eternal?" Noah sneered.
To him, the man's methods were worthless.
Turning to the Third Hokage, Noah said, "Third Hokage, go take a break. Leave this to me."
"Noah..." the Third wanted to protest, but his head spun. Vertigo struck.
He suddenly found himself outside the barrier.
Inside, Noah faced the Orochimaru alone.
Clearly, the boy intended to handle this himself.
The Third was at a loss. Emotionally, he wanted to intervene, but logic told him he'd only be a distraction. It was better to stabilize the rest of the chaos or wait, knowing the Leaf's counter-attack system was already in motion.
"Interesting technique," the Orochimaru said, his gaze toward Noah sharpening.
"You use Wood Release, yet I've never heard of you. You must be a descendant of the First Clan. And skilled in spatial arts. Historically, the First Leader mastered Wood Release, the Second mastered Teleportation. You've inherited the virtues of both."
"Ancestors?" Noah smiled disdainfully.
"You're too self-important. Do you really know... who I am?"
Noah's aura surged uncontrollably. Since he decided to stop hiding, his soul had grown restless.
Initially faint, the feeling had been ignorable. Now, he no longer wished to suppress it.
Lifting his head, his ordinary eyes met the Orochimaru's amber, slitted gaze.
In that split second, the Orochimaru's soul trembled.
A gaze of ultimate indifference, looking down on all life as if it were nothing.
The sensation of being an ant shook him violently.
Most incredibly, behind the black-haired, black-eyed boy, the Orochimaru glimpsed a hazy figure with blonde hair and blue eyes, draped in a flowing black robe. Calm, yet overwhelmingly godlike.
An illusion?
He knew his limits and remembered being flattened and maimed by illusions before. But this didn't feel like one. His chakra was stable.
"Who exactly are you!" the Orochimaru demanded, forming a hand seal to dispel illusions.
"Me?" Noah's voice was calm, detached.
"Perhaps I'll tell you after I see what I came for. For now, let's see if you're qualified to know my identity."
With that, Noah was enveloped in a terrifying golden light.
Black magatama patterns appeared across his body.
He looked as if wearing a new coat-made entirely of unknown chakra.
Under this shroud, Noah appeared mysterious... almost holy.
"To be honest, I'm uncomfortable with this feeling, even after twelve years."
Noah, usually apathetic, smiled slightly.
"I've held back for twelve years. Thought I could endure. But once a dam breaks... I won't stop anymore."
In the next instant, he vanished.
The Orochimaru was sliced clean in half at the waist.
Noah stopped, looking playfully at the corpse.
He could perceive life traces more clearly than ever. Incredible-but likely a unique feature of this universe.
"Don't be boring, okay? I can see everything perfectly."
The Orochimaru wasn't dead. A man like him wouldn't be.
Sure enough, he crawled out of the severed corpse, slime coating him revolting.
Noah tilted his head, calm as ever.
His extreme indifference shattered the Orochimaru's usual "in control" facade.
"I seem to have real trouble this time," the Orochimaru said, face darkening.
"However... I'm genuinely interested in you now."
"Oh? And what do you think you can do?" Noah shook his head dismissively, focusing inward.
"Use whatever moves you have. At least give me some entertainment."
"Oh, I will. Rest assured!"
The Orochimaru began weaving hand seals.
At first, he worried Noah would interrupt-but the boy stayed still.
The Orochimaru faced a predicament: his Reanimation jutsu wasn't fully refined.
The power of a reanimated soul depended on the vessel's quality, the caster's skill, and the caster's will.
Physical quality mattered most. If the vessels were strong enough, rebellion wasn't a concern.
He had assumed the First and Second Leaders, even at ten percent power, would handle the aging Third.
But Noah's sudden appearance nearly ruined his plan.
The situation was critical. There was no turning back now.