Chapter 131: Battle with a Kage (Part I)
About ten miles from Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village), in a dense forest.
The weather, after days of continuous, drizzling rain, had finally cleared. Golden, warm sunlight filtered through the dense branches and leaves, casting dappled, soft patches of light onto the still-muddy forest floor.
Hiss, hiss, hiss. A subtle tremor of sound arose. An earthen-yellow banded venomous python uncoiled and slithered down a tree trunk. Its crimson, slender tongue flickered in and out, and its cold, merciless vertical pupils constantly scanned the surroundings.
Tap, tap, tap. A series of quick footsteps approached. The python instantly retracted its tongue and froze all movement.
The footsteps grew closer. A moment later, a squad of four ninja, wearing Rain Ninja headbands and displaying serious, cautious expressions, traversed the dense forest and stopped beneath the large tree where the python was hidden.
This small squad had a surprisingly luxurious composition: two Jōnin and two Elite Chūnin.
The leader, a Rain Ninja radiating a Jōnin's aura, asked his Jōnin companion behind him doubtfully: "Murai, any luck? Can you find any lingering traces or clues?"
His companion frowned, meticulously examining the area for a long time before finally shaking his head helplessly: "No, Captain Asakura. The traces of escape have been wiped completely clean. Not a single clue was left. There is nothing to work with!"
Captain Asakura, hearing his comrade's words, sighed, his expression a complicated mix of emotions. He spoke slowly: "The village's losses over the past two days have been too great. If we return like this, we'll have no way to explain it to Lord Hanzō of the Salamander! Let's cover a little more ground, check ahead for any clues, and then decide."
The others nodded in agreement. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh! They activated their enhanced movement and disappeared deeper into the dense forest.
The Hunter's Resolve
After about a quarter of an hour, the sharp, motionless, earthen-yellow banded python slowly extended and retracted its crimson tongue. It twisted its small, triangular head, carefully scanning the surroundings again.
After a long confirmation that no anomalies remained, it turned its head and began to snake upward, winding toward the treetop.
When it reached a branch about the thickness of a rice bowl, the python stopped. Its cold, vertical pupils stared at the branch, seemingly waiting for something.
A subtle chakra fluctuation emanated from the branch. The entire surface suddenly rippled like water, but the spreading waves made no sound.
A slender figure in a pale moon-white kimono gradually emerged from the ripples.
He slowly opened his eyes. His dark-golden pupils were deep and vast, seemingly holding endless wisdom and secrets. It was Orochimaru.
The chakra in his feet adhered tightly to the branch surface, allowing Orochimaru to stand steadily.
He raised his pale, slender right hand.
The earthen-yellow banded python straightened its body from the tree trunk and slithered onto Orochimaru's arm. After coiling around his right arm a few times, it raised its triangular head toward Orochimaru, constantly flicking its tongue and letting out faint hissing sounds, seemingly conveying information that others could not understand.
After listening to the message from his summoned snake, Orochimaru remained silent, contemplating the pros and cons and planning his next move.
Two days had passed since the initial attack on Amegakure. Orochimaru had been continuously ambushing the Rain Ninja in the surrounding forests.
However, Hanzō of the Salamander, having achieved Kage-level status as a ninja from a small nation, was certainly no easy target.
Immediately after Orochimaru's attack, Hanzō ordered all Rain Ninja to return to the village and consolidate their forces, preventing Orochimaru from finding opportunities. He also dispatched ten search squads. Each squad was led by at least one Jōnin, included at least one ninja skilled in tracking, and the rest of the members were Chūnin-level or higher.
The ten well-equipped search squads cast a wide net, an "indiscriminate dragnet," relentlessly searching for Orochimaru's traces in the dense forest. They were given a standing order that upon discovery, they must immediately fire a signal flare and engage the enemy to the death.
Of course, Hanzō knew that while high-pressure tactics were useful, big rewards spur brave men. He added a significant monetary prize: one million Ryo for merely finding Orochimaru's location and raising the alarm, and a massive five million Ryo for killing him on the spot.
These two orders quickly complicated Orochimaru's assassination plans. Aside from the first day, when he managed to strike a few squads while the Rain Ninja were retreating and consolidating their forces, his subsequent efforts yielded little. As the Rain Ninja search squads closed in, Orochimaru felt an increasing sense of danger.
He estimated the time limit of the secret technique he was using: he had until 3 PM that afternoon for his final action.
A look of complex resolve, excitement, and even a touch of madness flashed in Orochimaru's dark-golden eyes. He recalled the summoned snake, then turned into a ghost-like figure, sprinting rapidly in the opposite direction of the Rain Ninja squad that had just passed.
That direction led straight to Amegakure.
The Challenge
Perched atop the highest tree near Amegakure.
Orochimaru stood calmly on the treetop, looking down at the village's unique architecture and beautiful scenery.
The cold winds of December, blowing from the northern Land of Earth, swept over him, causing his pale moon-white kimono and long black hair to billow and stream behind him.
Suddenly, Orochimaru's gaze turned icy. A mountain-shattering, sea-raging wave of palpable killing intent erupted from his muscular, slender body, shooting toward the sky. With Orochimaru as the epicenter, a powerful, chilling aura of slaughter radiated outward, startling all the birds within a ten-mile radius, causing them to take flight.
This astonishing, undisguised, and unreserved killing intent was like a blunt, naked declaration of war, transmitted across the distance, aimed directly at a specific person in Amegakure.
Inside Hanzō of the Salamander's stilt house in Amegakure.
Hanzō, with a grave and serious expression, was listening to his subordinates' search reports from the past two days. Suddenly, a terrifying killing aura entered his senses.
Hanzō was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected the enemy he was desperately searching for to deliver himself to his doorstep.
Then, he suddenly stood up, his eyes flashing with cold light. He instantly understood Orochimaru's meaning. Poof! A thick cloud of white smoke erupted where he stood, and he vanished from the spot.
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