"Let's go. There's nothing of real value left here. We'll rendezvous with Captain Yamato, then start heading back to Konoha."
Yagyū Souma stood up and stretched lazily.
"What about Kimimaro?"
"Leave him to ANBU. They may be useless, but escort duty is still within their capabilities."
After all, they have Flying Thunder God, Souma added silently.
Given Kimimaro's value, Genma and the others could easily send him straight back using Flying Thunder God. But before that…
He took out pen and paper and quickly wrote a single line:
'Don't rush memory excavation.'
If he didn't leave a note, Kimimaro would probably be delivered in the afternoon—and by evening, Inoichi Yamanaka would already be probing his memories.
The Yamanaka clan's memory-reading techniques weren't without side effects.
If the excavation went too deep, and the target had prepared mental defenses, it could cause mental disorder or even complete psychological collapse.
Forcibly extracting memories was a last-resort option.
If Kimimaro were driven insane, Souma wouldn't know who to demand compensation from.
Stuffing the note into the cloth sack, Souma finally relaxed a little.
"Let's move."
Following his sensory perception, he pressed forward.
Many ANBU were still sweeping through the base, but the truly important materials had already been secured by Souma. The rest weren't particularly critical.
He continued onward.
After passing through a tunnel carved open by ninjutsu, the traces of battle stretched far into the distance.
"Looks like they fought for a while," Souma said.
"There were ANBU on this side too," Tenten replied. "It's normal they managed to intercept them."
"True. Aoba-senpai is pretty capable—much more reliable than ANBU."
"..."
Tenten barely managed to suppress the urge to complain.
Souma's open disdain for ANBU was completely undisguised in front of her.
Fortunately, there were no outsiders present.
She glanced around. "Should we catch up?"
"Let's take a look. If they manage to hold Guren, we'll take her down. If not, we can at least check for injured allies."
Souma broke into a sprint, a shadow clone carrying Kimimaro close behind.
Tenten followed the two of them.
Watching two Soumas running side by side…
The scene felt surreal.
If she could record it and sell it back in the village, it would probably fetch a high price.
As they advanced, Souma spotted several wounded shinobi lying nearby. He summoned medical kikaichū cultivated by Aburame Muta and directed them to treat the injured, while he himself continued forward.
"The situation doesn't look great. Aoba-senpai lost a lot of crows," Tenten observed carefully.
Along the way, she saw many shattered remains—some crows with broken wings, others reduced to powder.
Guren's ninjutsu.
That woman…
"In ninja combat, intelligence is the most critical factor," Souma said calmly. "If I were her, I'd also prioritize eliminating the crows—wipe out Konoha's eyes first."
"Intelligence is that important?"
Tenten mulled it over.
Souma mentioned this often, but she'd never truly felt its weight.
"For example, this time I was able to defeat Kimimaro so quickly largely because of intelligence," Souma continued. "I understood his abilities, while he knew nothing about mine. That imbalance naturally puts him at a disadvantage."
"Then as your abilities get exposed, Orochimaru will probably figure you out eventually, right?"
"So what?" Souma replied indifferently. "I'll keep improving. Whatever intelligence Orochimaru gathers now will be meaningless to me in the future."
"..."
Improvement.
Tenten thought about it.
That really was Souma's style.
Every time people thought they had grasped the limits of his strength, he would reappear with power far beyond expectations.
She stopped worrying.
Compared to him, she felt the one who truly needed concern… was herself.
If she didn't work harder, she might one day lose even the right to stand behind him.
When they returned, she couldn't afford to be so absorbed in forging anymore.
Ahead—
Guren was panting heavily.
These Konoha shinobi were far more troublesome than expected—especially the Aburame clan. They were nothing like what Orochimaru-sama had described, exceeding her estimates by a wide margin.
If she'd known this, she never would have wasted time arguing with Aburame.
And another thing—
Why did these Aburame have so much chakra?
It made no sense!
Suspicion filled her mind, but now wasn't the time to gather intelligence.
She couldn't stop.
Ignoring her battered condition, she staggered forward.
"Stop right there. You've already been—"
As Genma Shiranui was speaking, a figure slowly emerged from the ground beside Guren.
After sweeping his gaze across the scene, the figure frowned slightly.
"Guren, you're in a sorry state. Where's Kimimaro?"
"Orochimaru-sama… Kimimaro may already be dead!"
"What?"
Orochimaru's shadow clone froze in disbelief.
Captured?
Impossible!
Kimimaro was his most valued subordinate. If not for his bloodline illness, he would have been one of the most suitable bodies imaginable.
Even a Kage wouldn't find it easy to defeat Kimimaro.
Yagyū Souma…
Was his strength really that terrifying?
How was that possible?
Had he used some secret technique?
No—
What secret technique could surpass the Curse Mark?
Even the Earth Curse Mark wasn't something ordinary techniques could contend with—and Kimimaro also possessed the Shikotsumyaku.
"Enough. Since it's come to this, you should withdraw," Orochimaru sighed.
It wasn't Guren's fault. Who could have imagined that Souma's true strength had reached such a level?
A thirteen-year-old at Kage level…
Terrifying talent.
Orochimaru's clone clicked his tongue in amazement.
Figures like Souma—before him, there were only Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.
Even the Second Hokages of the villages couldn't compare.
"Yes!"
Guren lowered her head and continued fleeing.
Orochimaru licked his lips. "Shiranui Genma, was it? I recall Minato later selected you as one of his guards."
"That's right."
Genma clenched the senbon in his mouth, eyes full of vigilance, instinctively stepping back half a pace.
"Hehe, no need to be nervous. Look—I'm just a shadow clone. Won't you try defeating me before continuing the pursuit?"
Orochimaru drew a kunai.
Atsushi Raiton tightened his grip on his black blade.
A Sannin's shadow clone was no small matter.
Cold sweat poured down the four shinobi's backs.
Facing Orochimaru, even his sheer presence made it difficult to muster the will to resist—despite him being only a clone.
Shadow clones like Orochimaru's were nothing like Naruto's mass-produced versions. Unless they suffered serious damage, they wouldn't disperse easily.
Even if he was a clone, he was still far beyond their ability to handle.
And besides—
There was no guarantee he was truly a clone at all.
"Orochimaru-senpai, your presence is terrifying," Souma said calmly.
"Hehe. Hardly as impressive as you, brat—capturing my most valued subordinate alive. Repeatedly rejecting my goodwill… even I would get angry."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
He could sense Kimimaro's chakra—
Extremely faint, almost imperceptible, but still alive.
That meant Souma hadn't killed him—he'd captured him alive.
But instead of relief, Orochimaru's expression grew heavier.
From a strength perspective, capturing Kimimaro alive was far more frightening than killing him.
Because it meant Souma's abilities far surpassed Kimimaro's.
Kage-level.
Orochimaru refused to believe that a boy without a kekkei genkai could reach such heights without reason. There had to be intelligence he'd overlooked.
Replaying his encounter with Souma in his mind—
Orochimaru sighed softly. "So that's it. I was careless."
"Seems you've figured it out."
"I've been to Ryūchi Cave and know something about that power," Orochimaru said. "Unfortunately, I lack the aptitude for Sage Mode. I never expected you to have mastered it at such a young age."
Souma had no contract with the Three Great Sage Lands, which had caused Orochimaru to overlook that possibility.
Yet now it was obvious—only Sage Mode could explain how Souma had reached Kage level so young.
Otherwise, it violated every principle Orochimaru had researched and categorized.
Beside them, Genma and the others exchanged glances, not daring to interrupt.
They realized—
Orochimaru was treating Souma as an equal.
Souma… on par with Orochimaru?
Genma glanced at him, stunned.
That level of power was absurd.
"Since you've figured it out, I assume you don't intend to fight me in this state. I'll be keeping Kimimaro," Souma said with a smile.
Orochimaru fell silent for a moment, then chuckled. "Kimimaro won't betray me. But if you want to use him, I could help."
"Oh?"
"You're curious about the Shikotsumyaku and the Curse Mark, aren't you?" Orochimaru licked his lips. "If so, I can let him stay with you. After all, once you've captured him, you wouldn't return him to me anyway."
"If he helps you uncover deeper mysteries, his death would be worthwhile."
"Sounds heartless, but really you're reminding me that his lifespan is limited—and that if I want to study him, I'll need to extend it," Souma said thoughtfully. "Orochimaru-senpai, no wonder people follow you so devotedly."
"Well?"
"No need. He was already loyal to you. After hearing that, there's no hope left at all."
Souma smiled faintly. "I prefer taking things by myself."
"Indeed. We're alike in that regard."
Orochimaru nodded lightly. "Next time, I won't make the same mistake. And as for my purpose—old man wants to know, doesn't he? I hope he enjoys the gift I left behind."
With that, his figure dissolved into bubbles.
So it was true.
The research data on Hashirama's cells left in the base had been deliberately planted by Orochimaru—
Records detailing the fusion of a special human body with Hashirama's cells, and finally notes about Orochimaru cutting off one of that person's arms as a 'gift' for someone else.
Orochimaru didn't keep diaries.
Which meant—
It was written intentionally, aimed straight at Danzō.
To provoke conflict between Danzō and the Third Hokage, and continue pushing forward his Konoha Crush plan?
That was Souma's guess.
Probably so.
Lost in thought, he turned toward Genma and the others.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"That was Orochimaru!" Genma reminded him.
"So what? I've fought his real body before—why would I be afraid of a shadow clone?"
Even though his senjutsu chakra wasn't enough to maintain Sage Mode, dealing with Orochimaru's shadow clone would have been more than manageable. Neither side simply wanted to escalate things that far.
"Then Kimimaro…"
"As you can see—captured. He's behind us."
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