Orochimaru radiated cold power.
He licked his lips confidently, certain his overwhelming presence would shock these two brats. Even though Sasuke had sneered at his status as a missing-nin earlier, that wouldn't matter. Throughout the entire ninja world, few possessed his particular temperament.
His subordinates didn't submit merely because of his strength. They submitted because his very presence commanded obedience, an almost magnetic pull toward his will.
Of course, if Sasuke and Naruto still refused to surrender, he didn't mind demonstrating his power more directly.
Seeing Orochimaru's calculating gaze, Naruto didn't particularly care about the contemptuous look. What concerned him were the words coming from Orochimaru's mouth. "Orochimaru, according to what you're saying, it seems you plan to kill Hiruzen Sarutobi?"
Orochimaru studied Naruto's expression carefully, then smiled with serpentine amusement. "Oh? Looking at Naruto-kun's face, it seems you're protecting Hiruzen Sarutobi? Yes, I genuinely intend to kill him."
Hearing Orochimaru's affirmative answer, something flickered in Naruto's eyes before his expression returned to calm determination. "You can't kill Hiruzen Sarutobi. Because I still need to make friends with him."
Orochimaru couldn't suppress his laughter at those words. "Hahahaha! Naruto-kun is joking, surely? As far as I know, the information about your status as the Nine-Tails jinchūriki was leaked with Hiruzen Sarutobi's involvement. Because of this, Naruto-kun suffered indifference and loneliness throughout your childhood. Yet you still want to make friends with Hiruzen Sarutobi?"
"Yes." Naruto's voice was firm and unwavering. He not only wanted to make friends with Hiruzen Sarutobi—he wanted to do so properly, following his process.
However, another thought crossed Naruto's mind. This Orochimaru seems to know quite a lot of valuable information. I'll need to capture him later and ask for details.
"What a naive, simple child." Orochimaru shook his head, genuinely perplexed.
After Konoha treated him so poorly, this boy hasn't turned bitter or resentful. What could be the reason? It was genuinely strange. I'll have to ask after I capture him.
His serpentine eyes swept over both genin. "So? Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun—have you reconsidered? Will you join me?"
"Join your organization?" Sasuke's voice dripped with scorn. "Are you even strong enough? From where I'm standing, you have garbage-tier strength. Why would I join someone like you?"
He had Naruto beside him—outrageously strong, far beyond anything Orochimaru could offer. Why would he ever join this snake's subordinates? His brain wasn't damaged.
As for Naruto, he naturally wouldn't join Orochimaru's organization either. With Orochimaru's strength, he simply wasn't worthy. Besides, why join him? All of Naruto's friends and his farm were in Konoha.
Therefore, Naruto shook his head firmly in refusal.
"It seems Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun are unwilling to join me?" Orochimaru's voice remained eerily calm. His scarlet tongue flicked out, licking his lips in that characteristic gesture.
"Ah..." The next second, Orochimaru froze.
His lips—or rather, the mask covering them—had been licked through. A hole appeared, revealing the rosy lips of his true face beneath the Kusagakure disguise.
Irritation flashed through Orochimaru. He'd licked his lips habitually for years, but today of all days he'd damaged his own disguise. Especially in front of Naruto and Sasuke, it was a loss of composure, undermining his carefully cultivated mystique.
Should I kill them to silence witnesses? The thought crossed Orochimaru's mind briefly.
However, this concern proved unnecessary. Neither Naruto nor Sasuke seemed to care about his slip at all. Sasuke turned to Naruto, completely dismissing Orochimaru's embarrassment. "Naruto, let me handle this guy."
Seeing Sasuke's fierce fighting spirit blazing in his eyes, Naruto nodded in agreement. "Be careful. I'll back you up if needed."
Sakura also called out worriedly, "Sasuke-kun, please be careful!" She looked at the gloomy Orochimaru, instinctively feeling that man was extremely dangerous.
Sasuke nodded, then stepped forward confidently. "Orochimaru, if you want me to join you, you'll have to defeat me first."
"Oh?" Orochimaru's amusement returned. "Sasuke-kun, do you truly want to fight me? As far as I know, you can't even defeat Itachi yet. And Itachi cannot defeat me." His smile turned predatory. "Following that logic, Sasuke-kun, you still insist on fighting me?"
He tilted his head slightly, eyes gleaming with dark humor. "I must say, Sasuke-kun is remarkably brave."
"You talk too much. You sound like a nagging old woman!" Sasuke's hands flew through seals almost too fast to follow. His mouth opened, and flames erupted forth. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive sphere of roiling fire materialized, surging toward Orochimaru at tremendous speed. The heat distorted the air, turning the forest clearing into an inferno.
Because of his relationship with Naruto, opportunities for Sasuke to showcase his abilities were rare. The last time he'd truly been in the spotlight was during the Wave Country mission when he'd fought Zabuza. That had been immensely satisfying.
A wish fulfilled, finally getting to shine.
Especially when Zabuza had been beaten until his face swelled beyond recognition, Sasuke's mood had been indescribably refreshing. After being beaten by Naruto every single day in training, that first experience of thoroughly defeating someone had felt incredible.
So in the days following that mission, whenever Sasuke got beaten by Naruto during training, he'd go visit Zabuza for a sparring session to feel better.
However, this time he faced Orochimaru—Konoha's S-rank missing-nin, reportedly a Kage-level powerhouse known throughout the ninja world for many years. Zabuza had been merely an elite jōnin, hardly adequate training for what was coming.
Now Sasuke stood up without hesitation, wanting to see exactly how far behind Orochimaru, who possessed Kage-level strength, he truly was.
If he could defeat or even kill Orochimaru in this battle, then he'd know he was ready to seek revenge against Itachi.
"Hehehehe, Sasuke-kun, this kind of technique is useless against me." Orochimaru's lips curved into a mocking smile. He remained completely motionless, allowing himself to be engulfed by the sea of flames.
The fire consumed him entirely, his body seeming to burn.
But Orochimaru's voice echoed from within the inferno, unbothered. "Sasuke-kun, it seems I'll have to knock you down first. Then you'll follow me obediently." His eyes found Naruto through the flames. "Naruto-kun, wait for me. After I defeat Sasuke-kun, I'll come for you. I want both of you."
His tongue started to flick out again, that habitual gesture, but he caught himself—remembering he'd just damaged his own mask. He forced his tongue back with visible effort.
Simultaneously, Orochimaru's body rippled and transformed. Using the Body Replacement Technique (Kawarimi no Jutsu) with a snake substitute, he sank directly into the ground. The burned body left behind in the flames was merely a shed snake skin.
The next moment, he emerged from the earth several meters away, looking at Sasuke with that same unsettling smile. Sasuke's massive fireball had been completely ineffective.
Sasuke had launched the Fireball Jutsu primarily to test Orochimaru's capabilities. As a ninja, you never opened with your strongest technique immediately. You fought gradually, bit by bit, testing the opponent's abilities and searching for flaws before delivering a killing blow.
This was standard ninja combat doctrine.
In essence: fight three hundred exchanges first, gather intelligence, then strike decisively.
The fireball having failed, Sasuke's eyes burned with intensity as he stared at Orochimaru. His pupils began changing gradually. In the next blink, Sasuke's eyes transformed to crimson red. Not only that, but three distinct tomoe slowly formed in each eye, spinning lazily.
His three-tomoe Sharingan blazed to life.
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