As expected, during her ascent, Yamato still couldn't control the flame cloud's density properly. She lost her balance, about to fall downward.
"Huh?"
Yamato hadn't learned the "Air Walk" technique. So, if she couldn't grab onto the rock wall, she'd likely end up like her old man usually did—charging into the ground with her body.
She wouldn't die, but it would still hurt.
Her claws instinctively tightened on the flame cloud, but the flame cloud, now more slippery than wide noodles in a hot pot, slid right out from between her claws.
Thwack-
A familiar large black-furred paw caught Yamato from behind.
"No need to be in such a hurry."
Sasuke attached chakra to his feet, standing on the sheer rock wall as if on level ground. Yamato stared dumbfounded.
"Is this also one of the Mythical Zoan abilities?"
Saying this, she tried to break free from Sasuke's grip, attempting to place her own paws on the rock wall.
"Hey! Stop moving. We have serious business."
Unlike others Sasuke had grabbed, Yamato's strength was truly enough to break free from his grip.
Sasuke even had to use both hands to barely control this '"big dog'.
How to put it... if using dog breeds as analogy, the proud and independent Sasuke was a Doberman, while Yamato was undoubtedly a Husky.
And you better not provoke her… otherwise, the more you provoke, the more energetic she gets, and the unfortunate one in the end can only be you.
Suddenly, both of them froze in their movements.
In their Observation Haki perception, among the chaotic auras above, a 'big one' suddenly appeared.
The two exchanged a glance.
"You sensed it too, right?"
"Yeah, looks like that guy named 'Orochimaru' isn't planning to surrender quietly."
...
When Sasuke and Yamato arrived before the castle, what they saw was a scene of snakes dancing wildly.
Enveloped in the pink gas, the castle's guards and servants had already turned into snake-people, beginning to fight each other.
And when the two appeared, the snake-people's gazes unanimously turned in this direction.
"You handle it or me?"
Just as Sasuke turned his head to ask, Yamato transformed into a white blur and charged out.
"... Okay, I shouldn't have asked."
Shaking his head, Sasuke stood still and closed his eyes.
Since Yamato actively cleared the cannon fodder, he would be responsible for finding Orochimaru.
Within this range, Sasuke's Observation Haki could already completely cover the entire castle.
Scanning from bottom to top, besides the mindless snake-people, the most prominent spots were a small room and the rooftop.
The aura wasn't strong, even weaker than an average adult.
In Sasuke's perception, there were two auras in the secret room: one stronger, one weaker.
But saying that, even the stronger one wasn't that strong, only about the level of those officers at the Summit War.
And on the top floor, there was only one relatively stronger aura. Using the [Marine Conversion Method] for comparison, it was at least at Vice Admiral level.
-Of course, not on the level of Fujitora; that guy was obviously a special case among Vice Admirals.
'It seemed Orochimaru was on the top floor.'
Opening his eyes, Yamato had also mostly finished. The entire first and second floors of the castle were now covered in ice and snow.
"Let's go. That guy should be on the top floor."
"Woah! Let's go finish this mastermind!"
Regarding Orochimaru, who plunged a country into chaos, turning it into hell, Yamato had no problem killing mercilessly.
A hero's 'righteousness' wasn't stubbornly merciful and soft.
This was also guidance from the Great Hero.
Compared to the high rock platform below, the castle seemed much shorter.
They didn't even need flame cloud assistance.
Thud, thud.
The two landed almost simultaneously on the rooftop balcony. The aura in their perception, much stronger than the other snake-people, was in the room ahead.
"Ugh… this smell is really awful."
Yamato suddenly covered her nose, and Sasuke also frowned involuntarily.
The gas here was denser than below.
And perhaps because of the Inu Inu no Mi, both had enhanced senses of smell to varying degrees.
This scent, which others might find at most 'sickly sweet', didn't smell good to their noses.
"Let's finish this quickly. Don't kill him for now."
Sasuke didn't rashly ignite the Calamity Flames.
Because besides turning people into snake-people, the pink mist was, in essence, flammable gas that would ignite easily.
He had observed this before coming here.
"Huh?"
Hearing Sasuke say to spare Orochimaru, Yamato tilted her head in confusion.
"... If that Princess Mansherry can't cure the snake-people, we'll have to interrogate Orochimaru for the cure."
"Huh? Interrogation? I'm not very good at that."
Yamato rubbed her temples with both hands. She still preferred straightforward combat.
"It's fine. Leave that to me."
The Sharingan is a good partner for interrogation.
Pushing the door open, what greeted the two was a somewhat dim room and a massive snake-person with a physique deserving of the term 'burly'.
No, 'burly' was somewhat inappropriate.
The excessively expanded, even somewhat deformed muscles deserved the term 'muscular monster snake'.
Even with Yamato's height exceeding 2.6 meters, she only reached about the waist of this snake-person.
"So big!"
Unlike Yamato, who was marveling at the snake-person's size, Sasuke's Sharingan quickly scanned, finally landing on the somewhat familiar face of the huge snake-person.
Even though the snake-person's head had undergone some transformation, one could still see traces of Orochimaru's features from the facial contour.
Actually, this was a change brought by the snake-person transformation.
Originally, the body Orochimaru's main self created wasn't that similar to him… it was closer to a younger Hidan.
After Orochimaru and Caesar completely teamed up and began researching and experimenting on this special body, his appearance instead became more and more like Orochimaru's main self.
"You've kept me waiting, you two."
The familiar effeminate voice is identical to the one Sasuke heard during the Chunin Exams.
"Yamato... right? Young Master of the Beasts Pirates."
Clearly, from earlier surveillance footage, Orochimaru also knew Yamato's identity.
Hearing this, Sasuke glanced sideways slightly.
He hadn't heard Yamato introduce herself with this identity yet.
'But saying Young Master... so she was that Kaido's daughter?'
The Sharingan swept over Yamato, making her shudder.
"Hey! What are you looking at?!"
Yamato roared, very displeased.
'Hmm, personality and the horns on her head matched… just her appearance wasn't as rugged as her father's.'
Seeing Sasuke silent, Yamato turned angrily toward Orochimaru.
"I'm not any Beasts' Young Master! I'm the [White Hero] of Wano Country! Remember that!"
By the time she said the last word, Yamato's figure had already vanished from her spot. Takeru, wrapped in cold air, smashed directly toward Orochimaru.
Clearly, although angry, Yamato hadn't lost her reason, remembering to spare Orochimaru.
Otherwise, what would be wrapped on the kanabo wouldn't be cold air but Conqueror's Haki.
Clang!
The large and small figures collided, emitting a sound like the striking of a giant bell.
"Kukuku... no need to be so impatient."
The grayish-black cloak on Orochimaru's body had now become incredibly hard, withstanding Yamato's strike.
"But truly powerful."
"The offspring of the strong are born stronger than ordinary people."
Seeing Orochimaru still stomping on Yamato's sensitive spots, Sasuke didn't indulge him either. He widened his Sharingan, about to cast genjutsu.
Squelch-
Under Sasuke and Yamato's somewhat surprised gaze, Orochimaru actually unhesitatingly used his fingers to gouge out his own eyes.
"An ability to control others through eye contact? Perhaps tricky for others."
"But fortunately, I don't need eyes to 'see' you."
Saying this, Orochimaru stuck out his long snake tongue, then with a large wave, curtains, tablecloths… all sorts of fabrics flew around.
Those seemingly lightweight fabrics instantly hardened as they approached Sasuke and Yamato.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The tablecloth cut into the ground like blades, while the curtains were held by Orochimaru, transforming into the shape of a long sword.
"Come, kill me... or subdue me."
"You'll both get the answers you want."