Orochimaru looked at Naruto with great interest as the boy's eyes slowly turned red. He paused for a moment, as if realizing something, then used his other hand to lift Naruto's shirt.
Soon, Orochimaru saw the seal he had been looking for. As expected, it was there—and it had clearly been tampered with multiple times. Was it the Third Hokage who did this? I didn't expect him to have such courage. I thought he wouldn't dare touch that seal before Jiraiya returned…
As he examined it more closely, Orochimaru noticed another layer of sealing techniques.
"What are these…?"
He froze for a moment. These didn't seem related to the Nine-Tails' seal at all. And what was that technique in the center?
Suddenly, a sense of foreboding rose in his heart. As if sensing something, he looked up—only to see a shadow appear above him, and in that figure's hand was a familiar sphere of chakra.
"Rasengan?!"
One shout came from Xia Li, and another cry of shock from Orochimaru. With just one glance, Orochimaru recognized the Fourth Hokage's supreme technique.
Using the Flying Thunder God mark on Naruto, Xia Li arrived instantly. Without hesitation, he slammed the Rasengan directly into Orochimaru's face.
"Boom!!"
In the next instant, Orochimaru was smashed into the ground. The earth exploded, dust scattering everywhere. Xia Li immediately retreated with Naruto to a relatively flat area nearby.
"Cough!" Naruto clutched his throat, coughing violently. He had nearly been strangled to death.
"Xia Li, you came just in time!" Sakura cried in relief. With Xia Li here, she finally felt safe. After all, he was a jonin—and this was the first time Sakura had ever spoken up like this.
"Be careful!" Xia Li's expression changed suddenly. He had never expected to kill Orochimaru so easily. Even a direct hit to the face with the Rasengan wouldn't be enough—unless it were a Rasenshuriken.
But in such a short time, how could he possibly gather enough chakra to form one?
Sure enough, in the next moment, a long neck shot out from the smoke, like something from a horror film, lunging straight toward Sakura.
Xia Li stepped forward, his speed explosive. He had always focused on speed above all else.
However, just as he moved in front of Sakura, Orochimaru's head twisted unnaturally, grinning grotesquely as it redirected itself toward Sasuke.
Sasuke was still dealing with countless small snakes. Even with Fire Release, he couldn't burn them all instantly. When he saw Xia Li appear, he had felt relieved. Seeing Sakura move away, he relaxed further.
But he never expected Orochimaru to suddenly change direction and charge at him.
Facing that horrifying head—enough to make a child cry—Sasuke's eyes widened. He had already used a large amount of chakra for Fire Release and was momentarily stiff. He couldn't dodge!
"Chidori Spear!"
In the next instant, lightning flashed. A blade of crackling electricity pierced straight through Orochimaru's neck. At the far end of that lightning blade stood Xia Li.
He really was reliable.
Everyone present couldn't help but think the same thing. Xia Li's sudden arrival had resolved every crisis in an instant.
If they had handled it themselves, it would have been over long ago.
Chapter 129 – The Cursed Mark of Heaven
The three of them sighed in relief. Surely it was over now… there couldn't possibly be another twist, right?
But Xia Li didn't think so.
He had used Chidori Spear earlier purely for speed. Now, he intended to sever Orochimaru's neck completely.
Yet no one expected that even after being pierced through the neck, Orochimaru's head merely paused—
And then continued moving.
The vicious head opened its mouth wide, and under Sasuke's widened gaze, a small snake slithered out from within.
Fortunately, Sasuke had recovered slightly. He immediately slashed downward with a kunai, cutting the snake in half.
Is it finally over?
Looking at the severed snake, Sasuke inhaled sharply. The continuous shocks had dulled his reactions.
"Watch out!!"
Naruto's scream rang out again.
What now?
Before Sasuke could even turn around, a sharp pain exploded in his neck.
The snake he hadn't finished off had climbed up a nearby tree and bit him.
Though Sasuke quickly cut it down, it was already too late.
After severing Orochimaru's long, slender neck—stretching dozens of meters—Xia Li rushed over with Naruto and Sakura. As he looked at the cursed mark slowly appearing on Sasuke's neck, he felt something… stirring. Something alive.
Orochimaru was truly formidable—not just in strength, but in sheer absurdity. Even after his neck had been cut, he could still move.
Although it had seemed like Xia Li had the upper hand during those brief minutes, Orochimaru's focus had never truly been on him. His target had always been Sasuke. Otherwise, Xia Li wouldn't have managed so much.
After all, Orochimaru was one of the Legendary Sannin. If he fought seriously, Xia Li still couldn't defeat him.
"Is he… really dead?" Sasuke asked with difficulty, clutching his neck.
"Not necessarily…" Xia Li replied solemnly as Sakura continued treating Sasuke with basic medical ninjutsu.
"Not necessarily?" Sasuke gritted his teeth. How could that be?
They all looked toward the crater.
As the dust cleared, they saw a headless corpse kneeling there. For a brief second, it seemed like it was truly over.
Then—
Two pale, slender hands suddenly emerged from the severed neck.
The skin was unnaturally pale—almost feminine.
The hands grabbed the headless body, tore through flesh and blood, and a new body, slick with mucus, emerged from within.
Most horrifying of all—it looked exactly like the previous one. Even the clothes were intact.
"What is that…?" Naruto swallowed hard, fear flashing in his eyes. This was a monster.
Heh heh heh…
Orochimaru let out a strange laugh. His voice sounded neither male nor female.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're the former 'Little White Fang' of Konoha. It seems the rumors were false."
He licked his lips, making Xia Li visibly uncomfortable.
"Little White Fang?!" Sasuke and Sakura gasped. They had heard the title before—but never imagined the person before them was truly him.
Naruto scratched his head in confusion. He had never paid attention to such things.
"To receive praise from Orochimaru is truly an honor," Xia Li said mockingly. "After all, you're one of the Legendary Sannin who enjoys bullying three genin."
Xia Li had sensed the Nine-Tails' chakra flaring within Naruto and had used Flying Thunder God to arrive instantly.
If he had been there from the beginning, Sasuke wouldn't have been marked.
Though it wasn't necessarily a bad thing for Sasuke, Xia Li had originally planned to cooperate with the process. But since Sasuke clearly hated it, he wanted to stop it.
Yet he was still too late.
Orochimaru had already completed most of the preparation.
"If not the Little White Fang, then perhaps the Fourth Hokage's successor," Orochimaru mused lazily. "Rasengan. Flying Thunder God. All signature techniques of the Fourth."
Even Naruto understood now. The Fourth Hokage!
He stared at Xia Li in shock.
"Yes. Your eyesight is sharp," Xia Li admitted calmly.
"You're Jiraiya's disciple, aren't you?" Orochimaru said. "That man lacks talent himself, but his students surpass everyone."
He licked his lips again and glanced at Xia Li's body.
"What a pity. Since you lack a bloodline limit, this is probably your ceiling. I might have wanted your body otherwise."
"I don't believe this is my limit," Xia Li replied evenly.
Orochimaru burst into manic laughter.
"I was once as confident as you—until I met that person…"
His gaze shifted to Sasuke.
"Well, my objective this time has been achieved. I have my golden successor. Even if I can't take him today, he'll come to me on his own."
"I don't think so. You're too arrogant," Xia Li said coldly.
Orochimaru merely smiled.
"Someday, when you reach your limits, you'll understand."
With that, he withdrew. Having successfully placed the Cursed Mark, there was no need to continue fighting—especially against someone who possessed Flying Thunder God.
After Orochimaru left, Team 7 finally relaxed.
Sasuke collapsed. Sakura continued healing him.
"Who was that?" Sasuke asked.
"Orochimaru. A former student of the Third Hokage. He betrayed Konoha and became a missing-nin. In terms of strength, he's probably on par with the Third Hokage."
Team 7 was stunned.
"So you all did very well," Xia Li said. "Including you, Sakura."
Sakura gave a bitter smile. "It's because of you. You give us such a strong sense of security."
"Oh? Then it's my fault for not being strong enough?" Xia Li teased.
She relaxed slightly.
"Alright. Let me handle this."
He placed his hand on Sasuke's neck. Under Sakura's envious gaze, the bite wounds healed with Mystical Palm Technique.
But the three black tomoe of the cursed mark remained.
Xia Li felt instinctive disgust.
"Come with me. I need to deal with this properly."
"Is it serious?" Naruto and Sakura asked anxiously.
"It'll be fine," Xia Li reassured them with a smile, lifting Sasuke onto his back.
"I can walk—"
"Rest. With me here, you can sleep peacefully."
Sasuke finally stopped resisting.
Even if Orochimaru returned, Xia Li would simply take them away with Flying Thunder God.
And for the first time that night, Sasuke allowed himself to relax.
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