Orochimaru was… completely baffled.
He absolutely hadn't expected Kakashi to come looking for him now.
Even if the other party didn't look hostile on the surface…
This move alone was already way outside his expectations.
This wasn't in the plan at all.
Still—
He was one of the Legendary Sannin.
His ability to adapt on the fly was second to none.
"Kakashi-san, is there something you need from me?"
Orochimaru maintained the proper, polite bearing he should have while wearing this identity.
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, giving a sheepish smile.
"Well, you know… there are a few girls in my squad, but the rooms we were given don't seem to have a place to bathe…"
"My deepest apologies," Orochimaru bowed with an apologetic look. "Water is a precious resource in Sunagakure. We don't have the luxury of equipping each room with a private bath."
And in the instant he bowed—
Kakashi lifted his hitai-ate with a smooth practiced motion.
Orochimaru's brows twitched.
When he looked up again, the tomoe of the Sharingan were already spinning.
"...???"
Kakashi, you son of—
For a moment, Orochimaru's mind blanked.
What was this guy doing?
Why was he casting genjutsu on him out of nowhere?
Am I exposed?!
Impossible!
His disguise was flawless.
Someone like Kakashi shouldn't be able to see through it.
Besides—even if Kakashi did suspect something, it shouldn't escalate straight to this, to the point of knocking on his door and making a move.
Wasn't he worried about Suna's ANBU?
Orochimaru's brain froze, stunned by Kakashi's recklessness.
He had no idea Kakashi was just as confused on the inside—
He's not under genjutsu?
If the chūnin wasn't being controlled, then what was going on?
Was he just… mentally unstable?
Or—
Did Souma screw me over?
The two men stood there, both silently dazed for a heartbeat.
Kakashi was the first to react, tightening his Sharingan and layering on another genjutsu.
And then—
"Heh heh heh…"
A low, cold laugh slipped from the "chūnin's" lips.
Kakashi immediately leapt back, drawing a kunai.
So fast.
This guy was definitely not a chūnin.
"Who the hell are you?" Kakashi demanded.
"Kakashi… Kakashi… you're quite something. Truly."
The voice had changed.
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with excitement. "I underestimated your courage."
Kakashi froze.
He'd heard this voice before.
"You're—"
"Orochimaru! You're Orochimaru!"
Kakashi's face darkened on the spot.
Insane.
Absolutely insane.
What a terrifying infiltration.
If not for Souma's warning, he never would have noticed anything wrong.
There wouldn't even be a chance to reveal Orochimaru's true identity.
It really was a fluke.
No—
Not quite.
I stumbled into him by accident, but Souma… probably didn't.
Kakashi was sharp.
He quickly followed the thread backwards in his mind, recalling Souma's last expression—
The way the kid had insisted on bringing Guy—
He hadn't meant "Guy stays with the kids."
He meant "Guy stays with YOU."
I got careless.
Kakashi's palms were damp, but his breathing steadied.
He focused every bit of his attention on Orochimaru's oppressive killing intent.
"After Minato, Konoha has produced only a few who amount to anything. You're one of them," Orochimaru said lazily. "But with your abilities alone, you could never have pierced my disguise."
He licked his lips, eyes fever-bright.
"It was Yagyu Souma, wasn't it? What a clever boy…"
"Orochimaru, now that you've been exposed, you're not getting away!" Kakashi snapped.
He didn't bother answering the question, hands flying into seals.
Lightning crackled to life in his palm.
Raikiri.
His personal, signature jutsu.
But—
Facing one of the Sannin, even Kakashi wasn't confident he could land a decisive blow.
Originally, Orochimaru had only planned to play around for a bit, maybe see how far he could push things.
But things had spun off-script faster than he expected.
Still—
Accidents only made the game more fun.
His cold smile didn't match the ordinary face he'd taken.
"Don't even think about running!" Kakashi surged forward.
His speed instantly broke the normal limit—
Full output, fully unleashed!
A sharp flash of lightning—
Orochimaru's body was cut clean in half.
And then, in the next instant, his "body" collapsed into a pile of mud.
An Earth Clone.
At the same time, every hair on the back of Kakashi's neck stood on end.
Behind me!
His body moved before the thought finished forming.
He drew his short blade and twisted, bringing it around in a smooth iai slash.
Clang!
Metal met metal.
The two exchanged blows and broke apart.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
That sword style…
"So you've taken up the blade again. That's… unexpected."
"I've always used a blade," Kakashi replied flatly, tightening his grip on the tanto. His tone, however, was not polite in the slightest.
Orochimaru grinned, showing a row of sharp teeth.
"This cut isn't Sakumo's style. Oh, and it seems your comrades are on their way. Are you sure leaving Yagyu Souma behind is safe?"
Kakashi's eyes narrowed.
Then his pupil shrank.
Dammit. Souma!
Orochimaru chuckled.
His body suddenly slumped, melting into a puddle of formless mud.
A mask floated to the surface.
"Yoshiyuki's" borrowed face had been discarded.
The real Suna chūnin had long since been killed and replaced by him.
Kakashi turned at once to run back—
And then, masked figures dropped around him one after another.
"Kakashi of Konoha, why did you attack one of our village's shinobi?"
A harsh voice echoed from the rooftops.
Several ANBU surrounded him in an instant.
Kakashi's expression was grim.
He'd focused too hard on Orochimaru, allowed himself to be baited and dragged along, and completely neglected the surrounding environment.
"That wasn't your chūnin. Your man was already dead," Kakashi said sharply. "The one I attacked was Orochimaru."
"What? Impossible!"
The ANBU froze, stunned for a second too long.
Orochimaru?
What would he be doing here in Sunagakure?
It sounded like a terrible excuse.
In the distance, a signal flare streaked up into the sky.
"Nice to meet you properly. I'm Orochimaru."
Out on the street, Souma felt cold sweat trickle from his forehead.
So fast.
He never imagined Orochimaru would slip past Kakashi and come straight for him.
Fortunately—
He hadn't stayed put in his room.
He'd moved together with Might Guy.
With Guy here, Souma felt… a little more secure.
He quietly stirred the natural energy he'd accumulated in his body, ready to convert it into Sage Chakra at any time.
He still hadn't unlocked a full Sage Mode, but using Sage Chakra to buff himself was not difficult.
Life and death were on the line.
This wasn't the time to hold back secrets.
If he kept hiding things now…
He might not live long enough to regret it.
"I don't really know what's going on," Guy said, face deadly serious, "but Orochimaru, you won't lay a finger on my student!"
He still wasn't entirely sure of the situation.
Kakashi had dragged him to Souma's room, then together they'd used the Telescope Technique to watch things unfold. Before Souma could fully explain, Kakashi had already exposed Orochimaru and started fighting.
Orochimaru.
What was he doing in Suna?
No time to think.
Guy's chakra flared—
Eight Gates Released Formation.
"Gate of View — Open!"
Orochimaru finally turned his attention to him.
His eyes flashed with slight surprise.
Might Guy?
The name didn't leave much of an impression.
But this overwhelming chakra…
The Eight Gates… like that old man Might Duy?
Orochimaru's eyes lit up with interest.
"So you've mastered the Eight Gates as well. But your threat level is still—"
He was halfway through dismissing taijutsu as useless.
In the next instant—
Guy vanished from where he stood and appeared in front of him.
His fist crashed forward.
Orochimaru's body was sent flying.
Souma didn't relax in the slightest.
In the anime, Orochimaru had always seemed a little embarrassing as one of the Sannin—
Annoying, slippery, but otherwise not that impressive.
Facing him in person, Souma finally understood how wrong that impression was.
He was insidious, treacherous, and his arsenal of tricks was endless.
Anyone who underestimated Orochimaru's "just annoying" style ended up regretting it in the Pure Land.
Souma pushed his sensory perception to the absolute limit.
The very next moment, every hair on his body stood on end.
Danger.
He spun around and thrust a palm backward without hesitation.
Orochimaru's body bent like a snake, trying to redirect and unload the force—
But then his eyes narrowed.
This palm strike wasn't normal.
Bang!
The target exploded into smoke.
A shadow clone.
Far away, the real Orochimaru was still recovering from Guy's earlier punch.
He couldn't help the flicker of surprise in his eyes.
Gentle Fist?
How had a civilian boy learned Gentle Fist?
He barely had time to process it.
While he was distracted, Guy's chakra surged higher again.
"Gate of Wonder — Open!"
A roaring blue steam erupted from Guy's body, shrouding him from head to toe.
Orochimaru didn't know which specific gate this was, but he understood one thing very clearly—
At this level, Might Guy was no longer an ordinary human.
Even for him…
Taking a direct hit would mean death.
Boom!
He was still thinking it through when Guy's fist crashed into him again.
No—
It wasn't just a simple punch.
The blow carried terrifying chakra, punching into Orochimaru's body through a single point, then detonating from within like a raging flame.
Gentle Fist again?!
Orochimaru made an instant decision, letting his body go limp and collapse.
A new figure slithered out of his own mouth.
Even using the Orochimaru-Style Substitution, he couldn't completely avoid the damage.
He crawled out of the old "shell" coughing blood.
I miscalculated.
This boy was too cursed.
Who knew what else Souma had taught Might Guy?
And Guy clearly had his own hidden cards as well.
Orochimaru didn't care about face.
He never had.
When he smelled real danger, he ran without hesitation—
This time was no exception.
He began sinking into the earth.
He had barely started his Earth Style escape when the ground tore open.
Earth Style: Earth Flow Divide!
The soil split and he was forced out mid-technique, just in time to see Kakashi crawling out of the earth and closing in.
A palm strike swung down immediately.
Again with that palm.
He bit his finger and ran through a series of seals without thinking.
But this time, it wasn't Gentle Fist.
A roaring sphere of chakra appeared in Kakashi's hand—
Rasengan.
Boom!
The giant snake Orochimaru had just summoned was smashed into the ground, its massive body buckling under the impact. It hissed in pain, collapsing.
It barely had time to struggle when—
WHOOOM!
The air itself shrieked.
From the side, Guy launched another punch.
With the Gate of Wonder open, his blow compressed air and chakra into a massive shell and fired it like a cannon shot.
The snake's body exploded from the impact point outward, chunks of flesh flying.
When the blood mist settled—
Orochimaru was nowhere to be seen.
Souma wiped the sweat from his brow, a spark of excitement flashing in his eyes.
The Orochimaru-Style Substitution Technique…
Even a combined assault like that couldn't finish him off.
Truly disgusting.
"Souma… just now…"
Tenten's voice shook.
Kasa's did too.
The room was half-destroyed.
The surrounding area was a mess.
By the time they'd rushed over, the fight was already over—
But the scene left behind was enough to tell them just how terrifying the battle had been.
Two elite jōnin, going all out.
Who the hell had they been fighting?
Rock Lee swallowed hard, unable to form the question.
Neji silently activated his Byakugan instead.
"He's moving… northeast." Neji's pupils shrank. "So fast… what terrifying chakra. He's already gone."
"Orochimaru infiltrated Sunagakure," Souma explained calmly, stepping cleanly out of responsibility, "and Kakashi-sensei discovered him."
Suna's ANBU arrived in force.
They'd originally planned to interrogate Kakashi for fleeing earlier, but the moment they saw the rotting corpse of a massive snake on the ground, their jaws dropped.
For a long moment, none of them knew what to say.
Guy let the Eight Gates fall closed, his breathing loud and ragged.
Even so, his presence didn't diminish.
He stared down the ANBU like a beast ready to pounce.
Kakashi dispersed the chakra in his palm, face cold.
"In that case," he said quietly, "how does your village plan to explain this?"
"…"
The ANBU looked at each other, but no one dared to answer.
"Where is your Kazekage?" Kakashi pressed, gaze icy.
If it hadn't been for Souma noticing something was off, who knew how long Orochimaru would've lurked at their side?
What role exactly had Sunagakure played in this?
"Kazekage-sama will arrive shortly. Please wait a moment, Kakashi-san."
The voice came from the side.
Souma turned his head.
A cloth covered half his face, and familiar markings were painted on his cheeks.
Sunagakure jōnin—Baki.
"Fine," Kakashi replied. "I'll wait for Kazekage-sama here."
As he spoke, he gave Guy a subtle look.
Guy gave a small nod in return.
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