The ninja, codenamed "Moth," who was hiding in the shadows and about to speak, suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold on his neck. A sharp kunai was already pressed against his throat, the keen edge drawing an extremely shallow scratch of blood on his skin.
Orochimaru stepped out from behind the "Moth," holding the kunai to his neck with his right hand and making a shushing gesture with his left, smiling wickedly.
On the other end of the ear-mic, the lack of an answer led to some impatience.
"Moth, please report the enemy situation as quickly as possible! Report the enemy situation as quickly as possible!"
The "Moth" was about to report "Three," but Orochimaru's eyes sharpened, and he pressed the kunai in a little further.
The scratch on the "Moth's" neck deepened, and drops of blood continuously flowed down the kunai.
The "Moth's" eyes were filled with the fear of death, and he dared not speak an extra word.
Orochimaru smiled with satisfaction and held up a "Two" sign with his left hand.
The "Moth" reluctantly replied: "Two Genin enemies are heading towards Squad Two's location!"
A torrent of curses and shouts came through the ear-mic: "Damn it, the intelligence said there were three! I swear, they send so many elites to intercept just two! This is truly frustrating..."
Orochimaru reached out and switched off the ear-mic on the "Moth's" head.
The "Moth" was wearing an expression of terror and was about to beg for his life, but Orochimaru's eyes flashed with severity, and he immediately slit his carotid artery.
The "Moth" fell, his face a mixture of disbelief and unwillingness. Blood rapidly gushed out, saturating the forest floor beneath him.
Orochimaru stepped over the corpse with indifference, a hint of worry in his eyes. He swiftly rushed toward Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Orochimaru didn't bother to conceal his tracks, chasing forward frantically.
Suddenly, violent chakra fluctuations, the sounds of clashing metal, and explosions reached Orochimaru's senses from a location a few dozen meters ahead.
His heart tightened. He immediately concealed his presence again, transforming into a black shadow and stealthily approaching.
Upon reaching the edge of the battlefield, Orochimaru cautiously hid behind a large tree. Shielded by the dense bushes, he exposed only his eyes to quickly observe the battle situation.
The "Squad Two" mentioned by the "Moth" consisted of two Genin and two Chūnin. They were all fully equipped and wore no forehead protectors, making it impossible to tell which hidden village they belonged to.
Duo duo duo, boom boom boom—
The two Chūnin, each with a Genin, were surrounding and attacking Jiraiya and Tsunade. The two Chūnin occasionally released ninjutsu that constantly put Jiraiya and Tsunade in perilous situations and added several new wounds. However, their strong foundation in taijutsu (body techniques) and their skillful Three Basic Jutsu allowed them to escape death time after time. Still, with their stamina rapidly depleting, defeat and death were only a matter of moments away.
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, mixed with a faint scent of blood!
Orochimaru began to feel excited again. His dark-golden snake eyes carried a bloodlust as he rapidly absorbed the battle information, constantly judging the optimal moment for a surprise attack.
He reached up and patted his chest.
The dormant little Yamata, awakened by Orochimaru, slithered out, looking at him with displeasure. Its head emerged from the collar of Orochimaru's shirt. Its scarlet snake tongue seemed to have detected some special information, and it quickly darted onto Orochimaru's shoulder, adopting a posture of alert readiness, its body coiled into an "S" shape, ready to shoot out at any moment.
With Yamata's assistance, Orochimaru felt an added layer of confidence. His eyes were locked on the battle situation.
"Huff, huff—"
Jiraiya was constantly panting heavily. His stamina was starting to give out, and his chakra was running low. Orochimaru had not yet arrived.
He looked at Tsunade, whose situation was also extremely critical under the simultaneous attack of the other Chūnin and Genin, and a flash of decisiveness appeared in his eyes.
Jiraiya threw the kunai in his hand, forcing the opposite Genin to retreat. His hands quickly began forming complex ninjutsu hand seals.
Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!
Five or six small, reddish fireballs, the size of an adult's fist, flew toward the Chūnin from all directions.
The Chūnin seemed surprised that the Leaf Village Genin in front of him could use a Jutsu of this level, and his movements stiffened slightly, missing the best opportunity for a counterattack. He was forced to fly backward in retreat, and his hands also began forming hand seals.
Orochimaru, who had been waiting on the side, inwardly praised Jiraiya for his skills. Seeing that the Chūnin was retreating directly toward his position, his eyes lit up. A boundless killing intent erupted like a thunderclap, covering the entire area.
Orochimaru raised his sharp kunai. With a "Puch—" sound, it instantly plunged into the unsuspecting Chūnin's heart from behind.
The critically wounded Chūnin spat out a mouthful of crimson blood mixed with fragments of his heart. The ninjutsu he hadn't finished casting could no longer be released. He closed his eyes and went to meet the King of Hell.
Orochimaru revealed his face from behind the Chūnin, winked at Jiraiya, and gave an evil smile.
The astonished Jiraiya felt a wave of delight and surprise, and his nearly exhausted stamina seemed to recover by a few points.
The Yamata on Orochimaru's shoulder also shot out in the blink of an eye, biting the Genin whom Jiraiya had forced back.
On the other side, the Chūnin who was attacking Tsunade saw the sudden situation. His eyes flickered rapidly. In a brief moment, powerful reinforcements had arrived for the enemy, and two of his comrades had been killed. He didn't hesitate. He made a snap decision, abandoned the Genin next to him, threw a handful of shuriken, and turned to flee into the depths of the dense forest.
Orochimaru's pursuit was momentarily blocked by the shuriken the Chūnin threw. Jiraiya wanted to give chase, but Orochimaru stopped him. Together, they apprehended the remaining Genin, who was utterly despairing and had lost all will to fight.
Orochimaru explained to Jiraiya, "Your chakra is nearly depleted. I heard that there's another squad of ninja on their way. If we chase them and then run into the other squad, no matter how strong I am, it would definitely be a complete wipeout."
Jiraiya, covered in wounds, nodded in sudden realization.
Relatively speaking, Tsunade had fewer wounds. Orochimaru was not surprised; the extraordinary, strong physique of her clan's descendants was their basic innate talent.
Tsunade pointed at the Genin restrained by Orochimaru. Still feeling a little squeamish about killing, she hesitated and asked, "What should we do with this Genin? Should we kill him?"
Orochimaru looked down at the terrified Genin, who was tied up like a mummy on the ground. He licked his lips and smiled wickedly: "Heh heh, don't worry, he's still a little useful!"
The bound Genin was a half-grown boy, about ten years old. He was trembling with fear, his eyes filled with deep horror and despair.
Orochimaru yanked him up from the ground, forcefully pushing him against the big tree with a "Pum—" sound. The frantic killing intent and intense excitement in his dark-golden snake eyes continuously brewed and surged, pushing the Genin's psychological limit as they met his gaze.
He held a sharp kunai in his hand, scraping it down his eyelids, neck, heart, and other vital spots, relentlessly breaking down the Genin's mental defense.
Puch—
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