Seeing the blatant scorn in the eyes of the three leaders, Orochimaru inwardly sneered.
The blade-wielding ninja, with a ferocious expression, rushed forward, seemingly already envisioning Orochimaru and his two companions being sliced into pieces by his ninja blade. The two leaders behind him stood with their arms crossed, watching with arrogant indifference.
Orochimaru keenly noted that the remaining bare-handed ninja among the three posed the greatest threat to his own group.
There was a thin layer of calluses on every finger of that Chunin, a clear result of years of frequent hand signs from practicing ninjutsu. If this Chunin wasn't dealt with, once Orochimaru exposed his true strength, the Chunin would release ninjutsu from a distance. Even if not a fatal blow, the constraint on Orochimaru would be obvious, not to mention the already weaker Jiraiya and Tsunade behind him!
With this thought, Orochimaru licked his lips, and a sinister plan suddenly formed in his mind.
His pair of dark-golden snake eyes were fixed on the charging blade-wielding Chunin. With his killing intent concealed, Orochimaru looked like a fragile six-year-old child. His perfectly timed expression of "terror" successfully fooled the three scornful leaders.
Orochimaru slowly and awkwardly drew a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and began to clash with the blade-wielding Chunin. Jiraiya and Tsunade, being watched by the other two Chunin, dared not make any sudden moves.
Clang, clang, clang—
The crisp, sharp sounds of clashing metal echoed intermittently.
"Huff, huff—"
Orochimaru looked "exhausted," panting heavily and feigning "fear." After defending a few more times while acting "weak," he slowly retreated backward, his back facing the cold-eyed, bare-handed Chunin watching them.
When he was about an arm's length from the bare-handed Chunin, Orochimaru stopped, gasping for air, and half-crouched on the ground, appearing to have used up his last bit of stamina.
The blade-wielding Chunin charged forward excitedly. His long, narrow ninja blade, enhanced by the ninja's high-speed rush, carved out a sharp flash of light like a bolt of silk, slashing towards Orochimaru's half-crouched figure on the ground, determined to cut him in two.
Just then, the "exhausted" Orochimaru abruptly lifted his head. His dark-golden pupils held cold, ruthless killing intent, and an aura of immense killing intent raged around him. The disdainful, evil smirk on his lips seemed eternal.
The deep, overwhelming killing intent, like an icy wind in the dead of winter, instantly swept over the entire area.
The three bandit leaders collectively shuddered. It was as if a fierce giant python had suddenly appeared before them, and they were the prey unable to escape its jaws.
The instant the blade-wielding ninja staggered from the shock of Orochimaru's killing intent, his sword-style inevitably paused. A blinding flash erupted in Orochimaru's eyes. He fiercely pushed off the ground, back-flipped with the kunai reversed, and transformed into a black shadow. Pum— He created a small dent in the earth as he rapidly somersaulted backward, turning and charging towards the bare-handed Chunin.
Eight Branches Seal, Release!!
The pale-gold Eight Branches Seal on his chest instantly dissolved, turning into surging chakra that dispersed into his entire chakra network.
It's not enough! Eight Inner Gates, First Gate, Gate of Opening, Open!!!
The bodily restriction was forcibly broken open by a powerful will and spiritual strength. Ping— A faint sound, audible only to Orochimaru, emanated from inside his body, as if something had suddenly shattered.
The torrent of chakra pouring from the Gate of Opening instantly replenished his entire chakra supply, and his physical strength instantly rose a notch.
In the brief charge, Orochimaru, holding the sharp kunai, increased his speed again, becoming like a black bolt of lightning.
In less than a second, he had covered the distance of several arm's lengths with his body hunched, his dark-golden snake eyes meeting the stunned gaze of the bare-handed Chunin!
Puch— A head was separated from its body, trailing a fountain of blood as it flew into the air.
The moment Orochimaru moved, Jiraiya and Tsunade had already rushed forward to engage the other blade-wielding leader who was watching from the side.
Having instantly killed one person, Orochimaru didn't stop. The sharp kunai in his right hand flew out of his grip, lodging into the airborne head and propelling it toward the opposite blade-wielding Chunin.
That blade-wielding Chunin was furious at Orochimaru for killing his comrade right in front of him. Having shaken off Orochimaru's killing intent, he grimly sliced the head Orochimaru sent at him in two.
Kapu—
Creamy brains mixed with crimson blood splattered everywhere, forming a shower of droplets.
In this instant, Orochimaru, like a swiftly moving black python, lunged forward until he was right in front of the blade-wielding ninja. His left hand contorted into an eagle claw and, fast as lightning, seized the Chunin's blade-wielding right hand. The Chunin was slightly startled, instinctively feeling something was wrong, but it was too late.
Orochimaru's left hand coiled and twisted like a venomous snake.
Crack—
The crisp, chilling sound of bones snapping rang out.
"Ah—"
Amidst the Chunin's sharp scream, the long, narrow ninja blade fell from his hand.
Orochimaru spread his right hand below, catching the ninja blade, and straightened his body, retreating slightly. A crescent-like flash of light from the blade cut across the Chunin's throat.
Puch—
The long blade sank into the flesh, and another head flew into the sky. It spun twice in the air before falling limply to the ground and rolling far away.
The subtle, evil smirk on Orochimaru's lips seemed even more demonic. He dragged the long blade behind him, walking toward the last bandit leader. The ninja blade was even taller than he was, Tz-tz-tz— carving a shallow track on the ground. Sharp, grating sparks flashed on the track, contrasting with Orochimaru's wicked expression, sending a chill down the Chunin's spine!
His mind had been completely overwhelmed by Orochimaru's presence, his blade-style grew weak, and his resistance became increasingly futile. Jiraiya and Tsunade were, after all, much stronger than ordinary Genin.
Jiraiya threw a kunai, pumped all his chakra, and unleashed a fire ball the size of a millstone, which struck the Chunin. The Chunin frantically dodged, looking even more flustered, and Tsunade seized an opening, plunging a kunai into his heart.
The three of them finally let out a sigh of relief when the last bandit leader fell.
After killing the two Chunin, Orochimaru was already completely drained internally. He had held on with sheer willpower to avoid collapsing, but now that everything was over, he immediately sank to the ground. The side effects of opening the Eight Inner Gates began to emerge: his entire body was sore, and he couldn't move.
The completely exhausted Jiraiya and Tsunade changed color when they saw Orochimaru fall and rushed over, looking at him with concern.
Lying on the ground, Orochimaru spoke with difficulty to Jiraiya: "Jiraiya, you go and collect the spoils first, and also check if those three Chunin have anything unusual on them!"
Jiraiya complied and left.
Tsunade hesitated for a moment, then knelt on the ground. To Orochimaru's surprise, she placed her hand behind his head, propping him up, and let him rest his head on her soft lap. Then, grabbing her own sleeve, she carefully wiped him with concern.
Orochimaru lay stunned on Tsunade's tender lap, gazing at her gentle, focused expression, his eyes becoming extremely complex!
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