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Garaga shifted its enormous, serpentine body restlessly. It was growing increasingly impatient. If it had been anyone else who had commandeered its lair like this, it would have swallowed that person whole long ago. Only Midorima could have compelled it to relinquish its own dwelling so willingly.
Still... wasn't this taking far too long?
Garaga raised its head slightly, directing its gaze towards the cave entrance. The scent of blood that had once wafted from within was now completely gone. So too were the agonized cries that Midorima had emitted during the earlier days of his ordeal. In fact, it could no longer sense any movement whatsoever from inside the cave. If not for the fact that it could still clearly perceive Midorima's chakra signature, Garaga might very well have concluded that the young man had perished.
Admittedly, there had been a period during which that chakra had become wildly, terrifyingly unstable—so much so that even Garaga had felt a cold prickle of genuine fear. But that period had been mercifully brief, lasting only a few hours at most. Afterward, the chakra had gradually diminished in intensity. Following approximately two days of adjustment, Midorima's chakra had finally stabilized.
Garaga had only just turned its head away and let out a wide, fang-baring yawn. Guarding the cave entrance was not physically taxing, but it was undeniably, mind-numbingly boring. Particularly in a place like Ryuchi Cave. Because of its fearsome, widely-known reputation, virtually no one—human or serpent—dared to disturb it. The sole exception was that little black snake. And now, with Midorima requiring absolute peace and quiet, even if that black nuisance showed up, it would have to be kept silent.
No, wait. That was wrong. Two snakes could not share a single den! Under no circumstances would it ever tolerate that black snake coming anywhere near this place. Merely thinking about the black snake was enough to jolt Garaga back to alertness. Its eyes gleamed with sudden, sharp focus, and its mind began churning with schemes. It was desperate to figure out a way to eliminate that accursed black snake as quickly as possible—without, of course, incurring Midorima's wrath. After all, having a serpent like that lurking so close to Midorima made Garaga deeply uncomfortable. The simple truth remained: a single shinobi had no need for two giant snakes serving identical functions.
Garaga was still mulling over possible solutions with its walnut-sized brain when it suddenly sensed another powerful chakra signature rapidly approaching its position. At first, it assumed it must be the black snake. But as the presence drew nearer, Garaga immediately ruled out that possibility. There was no sign of that familiar, pitch-black, writhing silhouette anywhere.
"Who goes there?" Garaga wanted to raise its voice, but at the last moment, it deliberately lowered its volume, terrified of disturbing Midorima inside the cave.
The approaching figure offered no reply. Garaga began to steel itself for battle, preparing to confront the intruder. But just then, a dark speck appeared on the horizon of its vision. It held its breath, watching intently for over ten seconds, until the speck resolved into the recognizable outline of a human form. Only then did its hostility begin to ebb.
"Orochimaru?! What are you doing here?" The moment Orochimaru came within forty or fifty meters, Garaga abruptly called out, halting his advance. Since Orochimaru and Midorima had first arrived at Ryuchi Cave, Garaga had only laid eyes on the man once—and that had been merely in passing, when Orochimaru had been searching for the Second Generation Manda. In many respects, there was virtually no connection between them. If not for Midorima, Garaga would not have bothered to spare Orochimaru even a passing thought.
"I need to see Midorima," Orochimaru stated flatly, tilting his head back to meet the gaze of the mountain-like serpent looming above him.
"Hah~" Garaga yawned widely, displaying its cavernous maw. "Do you honestly think I'm about to let you through?"
Orochimaru shrugged nonchalantly. "It makes no difference to me. After all, this matter doesn't particularly concern my own interests. But if you'd rather not end up as a slab of roasted serpent, I strongly suggest you allow me to see him."
Garaga stared hard at Orochimaru, its long, forked tongue flicking out menacingly. Its expression grew increasingly savage and menacing by the second.
"Are you threatening me?!" Garaga's enormous fangs seemed to gleam with even sharper, more lethal intensity.
"The one threatening you isn't me. It's Midorima himself. If you cause him to miss something critical because you delayed me... I shudder to imagine what might happen," Orochimaru replied, his own unusually long tongue snaking out to moisten his lips.
Garaga lowered its massive head, glaring at Orochimaru and his cold, serpentine smile. A twinge of genuine unease stirred within its chest. It did not fear Orochimaru in the slightest. Even if Orochimaru maintained cordial relations with the other sages of Ryuchi Cave, Garaga could not have cared less. But Midorima was another matter entirely. The man had still not emerged from the cave. Garaga could not be certain whether disturbing him now would provoke his displeasure. In that moment, Garaga found itself trapped in an excruciating dilemma.
"Well? Are you afraid?" Orochimaru's tone was mocking, yet his expression had grown colder and more severe.
"Wh-who's afraid?! It's just..." Garaga's head swiveled towards the cave entrance behind it. But in that instant, it detected a subtle change in the chakra emanating from within. After that earlier, hours-long "eruption," Midorima's chakra had stabilized, yet it had retained a distinctly sharp, cutting edge—a quality that had persisted for several days thereafter. Now, however, that chakra had become noticeably gentler, softer, almost serene.
As these thoughts churned through its mind, the person inside the cave finally emerged—floating, no less. His feet hovered roughly thirty centimeters above the ground, and his entire body was enveloped in a thin, translucent layer of crimson chakra. Though the intensity of his aura was less overwhelming than before, the sheer, oppressive pressure it exuded had not diminished in the slightest.
This... compared to a week ago, he has grown far too powerful.
Garaga thought to itself, sneaking a sidelong glance at the figure. Midorima's face was calm and composed, betraying no hint of emotion. This only served to deepen Garaga's unease. At the same time, it shot a venomous, resentful glare in Orochimaru's direction.
Orochimaru could also see the dramatic transformation that had taken place in Midorima since their last meeting. It had been less than ten days. How could such a profound change have occurred in so short a time? The ability to float in mid-air was not particularly surprising—Ryuchi Cave possessed a sage technique that allowed one to levitate, and Midorima's mastery of it was hardly unexpected. What truly unsettled Orochimaru was the overwhelming, suffocating pressure radiating from Midorima's very being, a weight that seemed to press down from within.
"I trust I haven't disturbed you?" Orochimaru said, forcibly suppressing the wave of unease that had crept over him.
"What is it?" Midorima asked without preamble.
"The Akatsuki has launched their assault. Their target is the Hidden Mist Village. I estimate that the village has, by now, very likely been plunged into a desperate, bitter struggle. Though, you needn't worry too much. The main force of the Allied Shinobi Forces has already moved to engage them. It probably won't require your direct intervention," Orochimaru reported, the corner of his mouth quirking upwards.
The Akatsuki was indeed formidable, and Pain certainly harbored secrets unknown to the world. Still, Orochimaru found it very difficult to imagine the Akatsuki winning a direct, head-on confrontation against the combined might of the Allied Shinobi Forces. Hiruzen Sarutobi might be advanced in years, but he was still Hiruzen Sarutobi!
Midorima, however, was clearly far more grave. His expression darkened abruptly. "This is bad."
"What is it?" Orochimaru's composure faltered, caught off guard by Midorima's reaction.
"I need to leave Ryuchi Cave immediately... Garaga, please convey my apologies to the White Snake Sage for me. I don't have time to take my leave in person," Midorima instructed.
Garaga did not fully understand what was happening, but seeing the grim severity etched on Midorima's face, it knew this was no trivial matter. It nodded its massive head in acknowledgment.
"Why are you in such a hurry? I have personally clashed with Pain before... I do not believe the Allied Shinobi Forces are incapable of handling the Akatsuki. Perhaps Hiruzen Sarutobi has aged, but the Raikage, the Tsuchikage, and the Mizukage are all equally formidable. Moreover, the Akatsuki's true objective is the Ten-Tails. As long as they cannot capture you and extract the Six-Tails from within your body, they cannot possibly obtain the Ten-Tails. This place remains the safest possible location for you," Orochimaru reasoned. He was a man who thrived on chaos and cared little whether Pain ultimately succeeded in claiming the Ten-Tails.
But when forced to choose between the two, he found the thought of Pain's victory deeply distasteful. After all, Midorima had played no small part in facilitating his own resurrection. All things considered, he preferred to see Midorima emerge victorious in this conflict.
"Who told you they needed the Six-Tails itself? All they require is a sample of the Six-Tails' chakra," Midorima stated, his voice low and heavy with foreboding.