"Damn it! This jutsu—!"
"You're Orochimaru!"
To be a member of the Root, one had to have sharp eyes. That technique—only two people in the entire shinobi world could use it.
Orochimaru and his disciple. And among the two, the one who could perform it with such mastery—could only be Orochimaru himself.
"Hehehehe, not a bad reaction."
"If you hadn't recognized me by now, I'd honestly feel sorry for Danzō."
"But since you've figured it out, that also means you must die here today. After all, you've seen something you were never meant to see."
The two Root members exchanged glances. One of them stepped forward and said,
"Orochimaru, did you think we came unprepared?"
As he spoke, his hands flew into hand seals, and with a puff of smoke, dozens of shadow clones appeared around him.
Hidden Mist Technique and Shadow Clone Technique—Root truly lived up to its reputation. Their methods were always insidious, built for ambush and assassination, never giving their opponents a chance for direct confrontation.
Orochimaru's lips curved into a disdainful smile.
"And you dare to show off such petty tricks before me?"
His fingers blurred through hand seals, and in response, the snakes surged outward like an unstoppable tide, slithering across the ground in all directions.
The swarm of serpents formed a living barrier around him—anyone who dared to approach would be shredded to pieces.
Who was Orochimaru? One of the Legendary Sannin, a veteran of countless battlefields. A mere Hidden Mist Technique wasn't enough to stop him. That was wishful thinking.
To put it bluntly—Orochimaru had fought in more wars than these men had seen women.
Each of the three Root members had summoned three shadow clones, forming nine figures in total, and they charged straight at the sea of snakes, blades flashing.
Their Konoha-Style Swordsmanship was decent enough.
"Damn it! We can't break through!"
"Shield! Use that technique!"
One of them felt as if his sword was about to shatter. No matter how many snakes he cut down, more kept coming, endless and relentless, forcing them to retreat.
They had no choice but to abandon close combat and turn toward their comrade.
"Got it!"
"Lightning Release!"
Four towering stone pillars burst from the earth, trapping Orochimaru within. Lightning surged between them, spreading in countless arcs.
Another Root member joined in, forming hand seals of his own.
"Water Release!"
Water conducted electricity—these two had learned that lesson well. The combination of Lightning and Water Release amplified both techniques' power to another level.
Orochimaru merely smiled at the sight, not even attempting to move. He allowed their ninjutsu to engulf him completely.
Water and lightning consumed his form.
Meanwhile, the remaining Root shinobi from the Yamanaka clan clasped his hands together, forming the seals of their secret technique.
"Ninja Art: Mind Body Disturbance!"
The Yamanaka's techniques targeted the mind, and this one in particular confused the opponent's thoughts and actions. Even if the target's will remained conscious, it could still force them to act against themselves.
The three coordinated flawlessly—one attacking the body, one paralyzing the target, and the last one finishing the job with a mental strike.
Against most shinobi, this formation was unbeatable.
Unfortunately, their opponent was far from ordinary.
Soon, the Yamanaka operative realized something was wrong. His jutsu had been released—but it had no effect. He couldn't sense Orochimaru's mind at all.
"Something's off! He's not in there!"
"What?!"
The Root members cried out in shock. They had trapped Orochimaru—how could he not be inside?
They hadn't even noticed when he slipped away.
"Hehehehe… not bad. You've got some skill. But didn't Danzō ever teach you not to be deceived by appearances?"
"You can't even tell the difference between a real person and a shadow clone?"
Suddenly, Orochimaru's voice came from behind them—by the carriage.
He stood there next to Gekko Chizan, amusement flickering across his face. Clearly, he hadn't been taking them seriously at all.
"I say, sensei, toying with them like that isn't very proper, is it?"
"And what's improper about it?"
"Nothing. You're the sensei—you make the rules."
Chizan shrugged lazily. He didn't really care; it was just his habit to grumble.
He had been about to urge Orochimaru to hurry up, but then remembered—if not for Danzō, neither of them would be in such a situation. So he let it be.
"Hehehe, Chizan-kun, you're not going to join in?"
"Of course not. It's only fitting for you, my dear sensei, to do the honors. That way, when Root sends someone after me later, I can just say—hehehe… my cruel teacher didn't even spare his own disciple. I fought desperately, failed to save my comrades, and ended up gravely injured."
Chizan chuckled darkly, his grin twisted and shameless. His stream of words made the three Root members blanch in horror.
Even Orochimaru fell silent for a moment.
So this was what true scheming looked like.
"Bastard! Danzō-sama will never forgive you for this!"
"Hmph. He won't forgive me? Don't be ridiculous. Once you're all dead, what can he possibly do?"
Chizan snorted coldly—and in the next instant, both he and Orochimaru vanished.
Before the Root shinobi could react, two chilling voices echoed from above.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Dozens of serpents rained down from the sky, sending the three into a panic.
"Water Release! Water Formation Wall!"
Without thinking, one of them cast the defensive jutsu—but the massive snakes tore through it effortlessly, crushing through the wall of water as if it were air.
"Damn it!"
"Scatter!"
Seeing their defense crumble, the three immediately split up, fleeing in different directions. Their coordination was sharp—they knew they couldn't win against the two before them, so they did the only thing that mattered: escape and report.
But unfortunately for them, no one escaped from the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Don't run. Stay."
Shu!
Orochimaru's cold, emotionless voice echoed as Chizan used the Flying Thunder God to teleport them.
The Kusanagi Sword flashed—and claimed a life. The blade pierced through the Yamanaka's chest.
The agony and the draining of his life force left him unable to even utter final words.
With one enemy down, Chizan glanced toward the two who had fled in opposite directions, the corner of his lips lifting.
"Yamoryū, don't let them escape."
The next instant, an invisible wave erupted from underground.
The two fleeing Root members froze as the sound struck them, clutching their heads and collapsing in agony.
"Hehehe… from Ryūchi Cave, huh?"
"I heard from Manda that each of those beings had unique powers. Looks like this one's is sound waves."
Orochimaru held his sword, a chilling grin spreading across his face. His tongue flicked out unconsciously, licking his lips.