"Sakura Haruno? Did that guy Madara fail or something?"
Orochimaru's face was squished under her foot, distorting as he let out a hoarse rasp.
"You two teaming up? Guess the Konoha traitors really are one big happy family, huh?"
Sakura muttered to herself, then lifted her foot and slammed it down even harder on Orochimaru's head.
The sheer power from her raw stats ran wild. Just the explosive boom from compressing the air under her stomp was enough to freak Orochimaru out.
"Not good!"
His real body in the distance hurriedly formed seals, not caring about the chakra drain as he unleashed the jutsu.
Boom!
The massive force punched straight through the ground, sending dirt and rocks flying everywhere. Orochimaru's body shattered into muddy sludge.
He burst up from the earth far away from Sakura, his soft, wriggling form slinking out as he stood.
"Taken in as a disciple by both Jiraiya and Tsunade at the same time... Looks like you're the new hope for Konoha's revival this generation!"
Orochimaru's cold, serpentine eyes shifted, a chilling killing intent building deep in their depths.
He'd come back to this village he once loved so deeply, with just one goal now.
To utterly destroy every last stagnant windmill standing!
"Hatred?"
Sakura's Observation Haki picked up on the resentment Orochimaru felt toward Konoha, and she tilted her head in confusion.
At the same time, her petite hands clenched lightly, slowly forming two massive ice axes.
"Yeah. I used to believe the village was everything—willing to give it my all.
But now, seeing it in this rotten, decayed state... All that's left is bone-deep hatred!"
Orochimaru finished his seals, plopping his head onto the ground. His mouth stretched wide like it had no bones, and countless tiny snakes hissed as they poured out!
Ninja Art: Myriad Snake Net Formation!
Chakra surged, unleashing a sky-covering dark tide that seemed ready to swallow everything!
An endless flood of colorful snakes turned into a torrent, gushing straight at Sakura!
"I can't really comment on whatever went down with your generation, but..."
Sakura gripped her axes tight, wrapping them in blazing Armament Haki while dark lightning crackled at the tips.
"Behind me, in that village, there are still people who love me and keep the lights on for my sake."
"So, if you're trying to steal my treasure, come at me with everything you've got!"
The pirate sensing a threat to her precious home froze her expression into something icy cold.
She raised her axes, stirring up a grand, majestic storm that formed the outline of a solemn, imposing spearhead.
The will to carve open the future roared loudly—the legendary spear was primed and ready!
Elbaf's Spear: Weiguo!
The spiraling massive shockwave condensed into a beam of destructive light, shooting straight ahead without a hint of hesitation.
Countless snakes, and even Orochimaru himself...
Were silently engulfed in that brilliant storm.
The deafening roar erupted next, dust blasting into the sky. Innumerable wriggling snakes turned to powder, and a huge crater scarred the ground like a fresh wound.
The intense tremors caught the attention of the proctors stationed outside. Tons of ninjas started rushing toward the battle site.
"She's a total monster. Is Konoha really not meant to fall?"
From the now-barren white soil, Orochimaru barely poked his head out. His whole skeleton had shattered from the impact—he looked like a giant hot water bottle.
If he hadn't dodged into the earth with an Earth Style jutsu just now, he'd probably be down there apologizing to the one person he owed the most!
He forced his barely working mouth open and used the Great Snake Substitution Jutsu.
Orochimaru shed all his injuries into the snake skin, rising anew with his serpentine body straight and tall.
"But... the reason I've held on this long isn't just my own ideals!"
The sacrifices of countless subordinates, the tragic deaths of important disciples...
This man, who'd recorded so many deaths, chased immortality not only for his dream of mastering every ninjutsu.
He also held a beautiful wish: to keep all those who'd passed from being cruelly forgotten.
"Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!"
Orochimaru bit his fingers and slammed them into the ground.
Intricate patterns spread across the earth as massive smoke billowed up.
A gigantic snake with purple stripes and small horns sprouting from its head burst out of the haze.
"Hey, Orochimaru, you're summoning me for some little brat like this?
The enormous Manda lowered its head, glaring down at Sakura on the ground with contempt.
"Manda, underestimate her and you'll die!"
Orochimaru clasped his hands, and a brown snake slithered from his mouth, opening wide to spit out a sharp sword.
"Hmph, a human like this..." Manda snorted coldly. "Just remember to offer me a hundred human sacrifices afterward!"
With that, Manda's huge body smashed through the Death Forest's massive trees, lunging down to bite the tiny human it saw as prey.
"Orochimaru, I've gotta hand it to you—this fighting spirit? I underestimated you!"
She'd thought he was just a cold machine, lost in endless data and experiments.
But this Orochimaru still burned with a fierce will that made Sakura thrilled.
So—she clasped her hands too, her violent chakra boiling and merging with her powers.
Ribbon-like ice crystals swirled around the girl, her frost-white skirt draping to the ground.
"Low-Temp Mode: Snow Warrior Form!"
In an instant, unprecedented frost turned into a towering flood, spinning, spreading, and singing as it blanketed the world in pure white.
Manda froze mid-bite in the air, the chilling waves forcing even the approaching ninjas to flee outward.
"S-Sakura~"
Leviathan, who'd been hiding in the girl's arms since the fight started, couldn't handle the extreme cold and shivered out a protest.
"Sorry! Head out for now—and watch over my two teammates for me!"
Sakura tapped Leviathan, layering some protection on her.
The night sparrow beat its wings and flew off, swallowing Naruto and Sasuke—who were already buried in snow—into its belly before soaring into the sky.
The intense cold created low pressure in the forest. Dark clouds gathered overhead, and fat raindrops froze into crystalline hail before they hit the ground, pelting down like sparkling ice bullets.
In the dead silence, Orochimaru's human-shaped ice sculpture suddenly shattered. He trembled, exhaling a few puffs of white breath.
He raised a hand, channeling Fire Style chakra into Manda below to thaw it from its frozen state.
"Huh? What happened? I think I blacked out just now?"
The awakened Manda was still groggy—its reptilian hibernation instincts kicking in hard in this environment.
"You got beaten. I saved your ass.
So you owe me one—no sacrifices this time!"
Orochimaru licked his lips with his tongue, gleefully ditching the promised offerings.
"You bastard, Orochimaru!"
Manda roared in frustration, but glancing around at the scene...
It knew he was probably telling the truth, so it grudgingly swallowed the debt.
"Watch out—that thing's coming!"
Orochimaru whispered a warning. Forgive him for not calling the girl in front of him human anymore.
That pure white form, chakra so massive even the Uzumaki clan couldn't match it... Maybe she was more like...
A crisp sound cut off his thoughts. From the spreading snow, a hand reached out.
Fingers spread wide, grabbing the swirling ice.
In a violent tremor, the all-sweeping frigid tide turned tame as a lamb in the girl's grasp.
Then—she hurled it forward!
"Fishman Jujutsu, Revised: Cold Current Spear Wave!"