"After all these years," Orochimaru's voice was low and slow. "You are still being fooled by that deceitful brat!"
"How pathetic!"
Orochimaru stared intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his golden vertical pupils reflecting a complicated mix of emotions: spite, anger, disdain, and even a trace of subtle pity.
Upon hearing this, the anger on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face abruptly froze, and he instinctively pressed, "You... what do you mean?"
"Hmph, that fellow..."
Orochimaru sneered and was about to elaborate when he was cut off by an angry roar.
"Enough!"
The Fourth Raikage suppressed the intense pain from his severed arm, his face contorted in fury. He glared fiercely at Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru: "Are you two having a reunion?!"
"Third Hokage! Why are you wasting time talking to a rogue ninja? If you can't bring yourself to strike, then get out of the way! Don't be a hindrance here!"
"The Raikage is correct," Ōnoki said slowly, floating in the air. "Don't waste time on these two."
"Akatsuchi, Raikage, White Fang brat, and the little cat—the four of you are enough to deal with them here. Everyone else..."
"No!" Yagura Karatachi suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with deep-seated hatred, and his voice was hoarse. "I'm staying too. I must kill that man with my own hands!"
Ōnoki didn't mind, saying indifferently, "Then the rest of you come with me. We'll find the one hiding and controlling the statues, and that so-called Mōryō."
"..." Darui opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to stay as well.
"Darui!" The Fourth Raikage didn't turn his head, his tone resolute. "Do as the old Tsuchikage says!"
Darui flinched slightly, then his gaze swept over the people who were staying behind. He instantly understood the Raikage's intention.
Excluding Yagura, those remaining were all holders of Ninja Tools (referencing Naruto's manufactured weapons/jutsu, likely 'Ninja Tools' that need to kill statues to upgrade).
They needed to kill these stone soldiers to advance their Ninja Tools.
"Yes, Lord Raikage!"
Realizing this, Darui no longer hesitated and responded sternly.
Just then.
A cold voice, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, echoed in everyone's ears without warning.
"Are you all perhaps ignoring us a little too much?"
Before the words fully faded, a ghostly figure instantly appeared behind Darui.
Orochimaru's pale hand shot out, reaching for Darui's body.
Crackle!
The Fourth Raikage, enveloped in lightning, reacted instantly. He used his sole remaining arm, encased in an armguard, to grab Orochimaru's wrist just before it touched Darui.
"Hmph!"
Following the Raikage's cold snort, a grinding sound of cracking bone erupted, along with a sound of penetrating flesh.
The flesh of Orochimaru's wrist, which the Fourth Raikage had just crushed, suddenly morphed into a spike. Too fast to react, it pierced the Raikage's palm and aimed for his eye.
The Fourth Raikage's pupil contracted slightly, and he managed to turn his head just in time. The spike scraped past his cheek, leaving a bloody line.
"Die!!"
Rage flared on his face. He gripped Orochimaru's wrist and violently exerted force, slamming him into the hard ground nearby as if swinging a broken sack!
Boom!
The ground shook violently, fragments of stone flew everywhere, smoke billowed, and a massive crater instantly formed!
"Now go!"
The Fourth Raikage roared in fury, without even looking back.
Whoosh!
Rasa didn't hesitate. He formed hand seals, and the golden sand beneath his feet quickly surged and condensed into a sand cloud, lifting himself, his guards Maki and Yura, high into the sky.
Ōnoki instantly appeared next to Hiruzen Sarutobi and Mei Terumī. He placed his hands on their shoulders and used Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique, lifting all three into the air as well.
"Hey, hey, wait for me! These stones can't fully express my art!"
In the air, Deidara controlled his giant clay owl, diving sharply. Its talons perfectly grabbed the shoulders of the still somewhat bewildered Darui and Ao.
"Wait..." Darui and Ao didn't have time to shout. The clay owl flapped its wings, letting out an ear-splitting whoosh as it rapidly gained altitude.
The nine individuals followed the direction from which the stone soldiers were emerging, speeding toward the sealed location of the 'Mōryō'!
Obito Uchiha looked up at the nine figures, his left Mangekyō Sharingan spinning. He was about to use Kamui to kill them.
However, the moment he was about to activate Kamui.
"Earth Release: Stone Axe Technique!"
Akatsuchi's imposing figure rushed in. His giant axe was covered in incredibly hard stone, carrying a terrifying, mountain-splitting force as it slammed toward Obito!
"Coral Hand!" Yagura Karatachi once again condensed chakra in his right palm, striking at Obito.
Akatsuchi and Yagura attacked from the left and right, trapping Obito and cutting off all escape routes.
In Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan, a surge of eye power madly swirled again!
Clang! Crack!
A ghostly blue chakra instantly condensed into the upper skeletal ribcage of a giant Susanoo. Its arms met Akatsuchi's stone axe and Yagura's Coral Hand.
Boom! Thud!
Two incredibly dull impact sounds erupted almost simultaneously!
Akatsuchi's stone giant axe hit the Susanoo, letting out a series of sharp, cracking noises, but Yagura's Coral Hand slammed against the Susanoo's bones without breaching the defense in the slightest!
However, the instant Obito used Susanoo to block the pincer attack.
Rumble!
The hard ground beneath Obito's feet suddenly exploded, and a rapid figure burst forth without warning!
It was Kakashi Hatake, who had used Earth Release: Ripping Slashing Drill. The "Kakashi Hatake" in the distance burst into a cloud of white smoke.
He had silently crept beneath Obito at some unknown point, the space beneath Obito's feet being the only blind spot in the Susanoo's defense.
Kakashi's hand tightly grasped the wakizashi (short sword) that glittered with a chilling cold light. Savage blue lightning-style chakra violently danced and flashed across the blade, hissing!
Pfft!
Accompanied by a blinding flash of blue lightning from below, the clear sound of a blade slicing into flesh entered the ears of the three combatants.
The wakizashi sliced through Obito's clothing and deeply slashed his chest. Hot blood stained the blade, spraying onto Kakashi's face.
The wounded Obito let out a grunt of pain, a flicker of anger rising in his eyes, and he punched Kakashi's chest.
"Puh!"
Kakashi spat out a large mouthful of blood, being uncontrollably and fiercely slammed backward. He shattered several stone soldiers and tumbled a few more times before finally stopping.
Obito Uchiha slowly lowered his head, scanning the blood seeping from the wound on his chest.
"Hoo-hoo."
A hoarse, cold chuckle sounded right beside Obito.
Orochimaru instantly appeared beside Obito, his wrist, which had been crushed and twisted by the Fourth Raikage, now violently writhed, restoring itself in the blink of an eye.
"It seems..." He flicked his pale, slender hand, a cold light flashing in his golden vertical pupils, "...we really were underestimated."
Only the Fourth Raikage, Yugito Nii, Kakashi Hatake, Akatsuchi, and Yagura Karatachi were left to deal with the two of them.
Clearly, these people's assessment of their strength was still stuck on their past selves.
"You take Kakashi?" Orochimaru asked.
"..."
Obito was silent for a moment. Thinking of Kakashi's sword, he felt a wave of nausea, and shook his head. "No, Kakashi is yours."
"It makes no difference, you choose," Orochimaru's mouth under the mask curled into a crazy smile. "I'll take the others then."
As his voice fell, he suddenly opened his mouth, and the hilt of a sword emerged from deep within his throat!
Orochimaru raised his hand and steadily gripped the slick hilt. A sword was slowly pulled out of his mouth.
The blade was not straight but serpentine and twisted. The entire blade was pale white, covered in intricate, snake-scale-like patterns, and the tip was forked, like a venomous snake's tongue!
The entire sword emanated a cold, viscous, nauseatingly ominous aura!
Under the startled and uncertain gazes of everyone, Orochimaru gripped the hilt with both hands and, without hesitation, plunged the twisted serpentine blade backward into his own abdomen!
Pfft!
Hot blood instantly surged out, staining his robes and the blade of the sword!
"Hahahaha!"
Orochimaru let out a hissing laugh, his body violently shaking as he screamed, "Plunder it all! Hebi-hime (Snake Princess)!"
With Orochimaru's roar, a cold, vast aura erupted from the sword!
Crack! Snap!
The pale white serpentine blade writhed and twisted as if alive. The entire sword transformed into a living, pale white snake radiating coldness, burrowing into his body!
Even more horrifying, the hot blood surging from his abdomen now rapidly spread and extended outward, transforming into nerve bundles that flashed with an eerie blue light.
These nerve bundles spread like frantically growing mycelium, dense and omnipresent, stabbing into the surrounding stone statue remnants and the ground!
Rumble, rumble, rumble!!
The entire earth violently trembled, as if a sleeping behemoth had awakened!
The stone statue remnants pierced by the blue nerve bundles violently shook, and countless fragments of stone surged and aggregated upward!
Crack! Crack!
The earth cracked inch by inch, and bottomless fissures spread wildly. The hard ground was ripped open, and something began to swell upward, lifting Orochimaru with it as it broke out of the ground!
Huge plumes of dust soared into the sky, and large sections of shattered rock rained down!
"W-what is that?"
The Fourth Raikage and the others looked up in shock, seeing a colossal, half-body stone statue, tens of meters tall and composed entirely of hard rock, appear within the cloud of dust that obscured the sky!
Orochimaru was embedded in the statue's chest, his snake-like eyes, flashing with a look of madness, looked down upon the people below, who seemed as small as ants!
"Hahahaha, a bunch of ignorant fools! This is the power of a 'Zanpakutō'!" he hissed. "Offer up your souls!"
The next moment, the giant statue raised its fist and, generating a terrifying wind pressure, smashed down toward the people below.
Feeling the immense, terrifying sense of oppression and power, Yugito Nii and Yagura Karatachi's faces changed drastically.
Without any hesitation, they entered their Full Tailed Beast Transformation almost simultaneously!
"This time, just be reliable! Draw me a useful Orochimaru!"
Kakashi muttered with a grave expression, drawing his own 'Jealousy' and pouring his entire chakra reserve into it.
Jealousy: False Mirror Image!
BOOM!!
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