Chapter 166: Windmill
"If I had to say, I find things that move to be interesting."
He raised his uninjured left hand and removed the bamboo hat belonging to the Yondaime Kazekage that he had been wearing, tossing it aside to reveal his pale, eerie face and long black hair.
"A windmill that doesn't turn, although also interesting..."
Orochimaru spread his arms as if embracing the entire chaotic Hidden Leaf Village below, his voice suddenly rising with a near-fanatical excitement.
"...is essentially not worth a single glance."
His words were like a cold poisonous snake slithering into the Third Hokage's ears.
"This Village, Hidden Leaf Village, is like a giant windmill that has rusted, turning slower and slower, becoming more and more boring."
Orochimaru turned around, his golden snake pupils staring fixedly at his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Now, I want to use this wind of Hidden Leaf Village's destruction to see if I can make this old windmill... start turning again."
"Or, in the moment it completely shatters, will it burst into the final and most brilliant sparks?"
His goal had nothing to do with power or hatred; he didn't even necessarily want to completely destroy Hidden Leaf Village.
What he wanted was change, turmoil, and the "unknown" and "possibilities" that might burst forth under the pressure of extreme chaos and destruction—things that fascinated him beyond the ordinary.
Naruto's performance, the struggle and counterattacks of those young Ninjas below in the crisis, and even the Third Hokage's current response were all "variables" and "phenomena" he was observing in this "experiment."
The Third Hokage fell silent.
Looking at the pure and crazed light in Orochimaru's eyes, his last sliver of unrealistic fantasy completely shattered.
He slowly raised his hand, pressing down the brim of his Hokage hat to hide the swirling heartache, disappointment, and resolve in his eyes.
"You haven't changed a bit, Orochimaru."
The Third Hokage's voice became incredibly calm, yet it contained a weight like the calm before a storm.
"You are clever, but you will always be like a playful and willful child, easily trampling over everything others cherish just to satisfy your own curiosity."
He looked up, his gaze already sharp as a blade, and the Aura of the 'Shinobi Legend' began to rise.
"However, Hidden Leaf Village... is not your toy."
The people here are certainly not experimental subjects for you to manipulate at will."
"Today, let me, as your inadequate teacher, put an end to this twisted 'interest' of yours."
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"Uzumaki Naruto!"
A violent roar echoed across the chaotic battlefield.
Having completely entered the Possession state, Gaara grew more and more of Shukaku's elemental features; even his right eye had turned into Shukaku's eye. With a violent Giant Palm of Sand, he slammed Shiranui Genma, who had been fighting him for a long time, flying away.
Genma was thrown against a wall, coughing up blood upon landing, temporarily losing the ability to pursue.
Those bloodshot eyes, almost completely eroded by Shukaku's will, immediately locked onto the blonde figure not far away.
It was him!
It was that Uzumaki Naruto!
In the match and in the battle just now, he had stimulated and provoked him time and again, making the monster inside him so excited, so eager to tear the opponent apart!
Now, no one could stop him anymore!
The yellow sand around Gaara surged violently, carrying him like an out-of-control cannonball as he charged directly at Naruto with startling speed.
Naruto had just cleanly finished off an Otogakure Ninja who tried to sneak attack a civilian with his wooden sword. Sensing the terrifying killing intent and the sound of breaking wind from behind, he turned around without hesitation.
He didn't retreat in the slightest; his eyes were frighteningly calm. Twirling his wooden sword, he exerted force with his feet, advancing instead of retreating to meet the pouncing Gaara head-on!
"Naruto, look out!"
Shikamaru had been moving along the edge of the battlefield, using his Shadow Imitation Technique to assist his comrades and restrain enemies.
His heart tightened when he saw Gaara suddenly switch targets to attack Naruto fiercely.
Gaara's current state was clearly abnormal and his power was violent; although Naruto wasn't weak, he would likely suffer in a direct clash.
Without any hesitation, Shikamaru's hands quickly formed seals in front of his chest. The shadow beneath his feet, like a living black tentacle, extended swiftly, aiming precisely at the shadow beneath Gaara's feet.
As long as the shadow connection was successful, even if it only controlled him for an instant, it would create a perfect opportunity for Naruto!
"Shadow Imitation..."
Whoosh—
A blast of wind, fierce beyond imagination and like an invisible giant hammer, struck suddenly from the side without warning!
The wind was so strong that it not only made Shikamaru's robes flap loudly and his footing unstable, but it also caused his newly extended shadow to shake violently, distort, and dissipate directly.
The technique was interrupted.
Startled, Shikamaru immediately steadied himself and turned to look at the source of the strong wind.
He saw that Temari had at some point closed her giant Three Star Fan. With the fan closed, she propped it against the ground with one hand and brushed back her blonde bangs with the other.
Her emerald green eyes were currently staring straight at Shikamaru.
"Hey, your name is Nara Shikamaru, right?"
Temari spoke, her voice crisp but carrying an unquestionable tone.
"This time, if you go easy on me again like you did in the match..."
She narrowed her eyes slightly, her grip on the Three Star Fan tightening as a sharp Aura radiated from her.
"...then you might... die a very miserable death."
Her words were direct, even carrying a hint of provocation, but Shikamaru heard a different meaning behind them.
During the Chunin Exams, Shikamaru had directly forfeited.
In the original story, Shikamaru also chose to give up, but he was slapped down from the railing by the original Naruto, forcing him to fight Temari.
Naruto's Shadow Clones wouldn't force Shikamaru to go up and fight.
Although Temari won, she felt slighted.
And now, in this true battle involving the survival of the Village, Temari clearly wanted to settle the score with Shikamaru.
What she wanted was a fair and square contest where both sides gave their all.
Looking at Temari's serious gaze, Shikamaru scratched the back of his head, a 'what a drag, this is such a pain' expression appearing on his face.
"Honestly... do you have to be so particular about this at a time like this?"
He sighed, but his body had already slightly adjusted its posture, and his Chakra began to flow in a different way.
The preparatory hand signs for the Shadow Imitation Technique also changed.
"However, since you put it that way..."
He didn't say anything more, but the meaning was clear.
He wouldn't hold back anymore—at least, he wouldn't "cheat" in that almost humiliating way like last time. The battle before him concerned the lives of his comrades and the safety of the Village; he had to get serious too.
The corner of Temari's mouth seemed to twitch upward, serving as an acknowledgment of his reaction.
She unfurled the Three Star Fan again, Chakra flowing over the fan's surface as she locked onto Shikamaru.
"Then, let's start the second round, Hidden Leaf Village's 'trouble-hating genius'."
"Hey, hey, don't just go giving people nicknames!"
Shikamaru grinned. He didn't just know the Shadow Imitation Technique; having practiced with a Taijutsu Genius like Naruto, if he didn't know Taijutsu, he would easily be insta-killed once an opponent closed in.