[Fourth update ends]
"You guess."
Souma chuckled.
Then his expression turned serious.
"You really shouldn't have come. A mere clone—what are you planning to accomplish?"
"Boy, aren't you underestimating one of the Three Sannin a bit too much?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
This brat was truly arrogant.
Last time had a fluke—he'd been caught off guard. Otherwise, even as a clone, there's no way he would've lost so pathetically.
He'd originally believed he wouldn't lose at all.
But considering the possibility of new jutsu on Souma's side, he'd at least adjusted his expectations.
Still, getting blown up in a single hit had been humiliating, so he obviously wasn't going to bring that up.
"Your jutsu is impressive, I'll admit that much. But this time, I came with goodwill."
Orochimaru said.
"So then, as one of the great Sannin, what 'guidance' do you bring?"
Souma smiled lightly.
"Souma-kun, I've been keeping an eye on you quietly. To be honest, I greatly admire your talent and ability. But believe me—Konoha is not a suitable place for you to pursue your research."
"The way Hiruzen and Danzō govern the village has steeped it in rot."
"It's no longer the Konoha it once was."
Every word was earnest; his attitude couldn't have been more sincere.
Souma couldn't keep snapping back with jokes.
"I think it's fine. I've never seen what the old Konoha was like anyway."
"That's because you don't understand Danzō. When your goals align with his interests, he may help you—or help the village. But when they don't…"
Orochimaru's tone turned cold.
"It's not just Danzō. The old man is the same."
Souma made no comment on that.
Instead, he shifted the angle.
"At least in Konoha, there's still a lot I can study and learn. If I follow you, what do I gain?"
"I possess many forbidden jutsu—things most people could never master even in a lifetime. And countless hidden mysteries of ninjutsu as well."
Orochimaru's eyes glowed with fanatic heat.
"Follow me, and all of this can be yours."
"…"
"Oh, right. I wonder if you have any interest in immortality. I'm researching that as well—and I've already made significant progress."
A thin smile curled at his lips.
Souma shook his head.
"Your offer is generous. But sorry—I'm not tempted."
"No matter. That day will come."
Orochimaru laughed softly, then lifted his gaze toward the cave entrance, where two girls were just coming back in.
He licked his lips.
"Let me give you a gift, then."
The words had barely fallen when he transformed into a blur of pale snakes, appearing right behind Souma.
Souma felt that warped, malignant chakra in an instant.
A curse mark?
Chakra detonated beneath his feet as he kicked off, shooting several steps away in a single burst and landing beside Tenten and Kazusa.
"Sorry," Souma said calmly, "I'm not interested in your 'gift' either. Keep it away from me."
He threw a punch.
Boom!
A torrent of chakra exploded forward, shredding the rock overhead.
The cave ceiling shattered in an instant.
Sand and gravel poured down like a collapsing wave.
Souma retreated with the flow of debris.
They didn't slow down until they could no longer see the ruins behind them.
Kazusa wiped the sweat from her forehead, still shaken.
"So strong…"
"…"
Tenten swallowed hard.
They hadn't even really fought him.
With just a single glance, their bodies had locked up—completely unable to move, like they were drowning, every attempt to struggle utterly useless.
"Let's go. It's not safe here yet."
Souma's tone remained steady.
Though Orochimaru probably wouldn't chase them down, just to be safe, heading straight for the finish was the best option. At least there, two ANBU squads were on guard.
More importantly—
He wasn't all that interested in anyone else's techniques.
If there was one Konoha in whose jutsu he did care about, it was—
Akado Yoroi.
That guy had a secret technique that absorbed chakra.
Souma had coveted it for a long time.
Unfortunately…
Even if they encountered Kabuto's team, with Kabuto's character, he'd probably just forfeit.
Trying to pick a fight?
Unlikely.
So he might as well clear the exam properly and forget it.
"Kankurō, what happened?"
Baki's brows furrowed deeply.
Two puppeteers died.
They might not have been top-tier, but the village had invested a lot of resources into training them. And Kankurō himself had retreated in a sorry state and forfeited.
This was far from what they'd planned.
"He was too strong."
Kankurō said bitterly.
"He? Alone?"
Baki was surprised.
One person took you all apart?
You've got to be kidding.
"It wasn't just him… but it might as well have been."
Kankurō forced himself to recount everything:
His own set-up.
Souma's sudden acceleration.
The single slash, clean and decisive.
He believed Baki, as a jōnin, could judge for himself—
This wasn't incompetence.
The enemy was simply too strong.
To move freely amidst three or four puppets, poison gas, and needles without suffering a single scratch—
The gap in strength was enormous.
He'd been played with.
And Souma's last words confirmed as much.
If Kankurō hadn't been the Fourth Kazekage's son, he'd already be lying dead next to his teammates.
The realization left him both ashamed and humiliated.
"Iai."
Baki narrowed his eyes.
"Konoha actually produced a master of iai-style swordsmanship."
"Iai…?"
"A type of kenjutsu. You wouldn't understand."
Baki took a few steps forward.
In the distance, a signal flare burst in the sky.
He was silent for several seconds.
"Let's go."
He led Kankurō over and soon saw a group of heavily injured Suna shinobi.
Medical-nin were working desperately to stabilize them.
"Did they run into the Hyūga clan? But those wounds… don't look like standard Gentle Fist attacks."
"Mm."
Baki's eyes darkened. He let out a low sigh.
"Do you know why the village wants to kill Yagyu Souma?"
"Because he's strong."
Kankurō replied.
"He's not the only strong one. Konoha's physical strength, economy, and heritage are all sitting right there in the open. Every generation they produce monsters."
Baki sneered.
He paused for a moment, then continued.
"What makes him truly terrifying is this—he keeps creating and improving things. He's strengthening Konoha's foundation."
"He's only thirteen, isn't he?!"
Kankurō blurted out.
Barely a year out of the academy—
How could that be possible!?
"That's exactly why he's a genius. I'd wager this new Gentle Fist variant is his work as well."
If the Hyūga clan were capable of that kind of innovation, they wouldn't still be clinging to their old ways.
Baki didn't believe for a second that this came from the Hyūga.
His mood grew even heavier.
It seemed…
Sunagakure's face was doomed to be ground into the dirt this time.
"I'm going to see Lord Kazekage. You stay with them and make sure the wounded get back to the medical corps quickly."
"Yes, sir."
Kankurō bowed his head.
When he looked up again, Baki was already gone.
He went straight to the Fourth Kazekage.
Rasa saw Baki and immediately knew things had gone far beyond expectations.
"How bad is it?"
"Kankurō is out. The one who took him down was Yagyu Souma."
Baki said.
He thought for a moment, then added,
"If Kankurō isn't lying… I'd say Yagyu Souma right now might be on par with Kakashi back in his prime."
Rasa shut his eyes in pain.
Kakashi—
A jōnin at twelve years old, forged in the fires of war.
And now a ninja raised in peacetime…
Had already grown to a level comparable to a war-hardened prodigy?
This was insane.
Why!?
The more Rasa thought about it, the stronger his resolve for the Konoha Crush Plan became.
If they allowed Konoha to keep growing like this, Suna would never have another chance.
In the future, they'd be no different from any minor village—
Forced to live forever as Konoha's vassal.
"Go give the order. Tell them this—" Rasa said, picking up a pen.
"I, Rasa of the Sand, recommend Yagyu Souma for promotion to jōnin."
"…What?"
Baki stared, stunned.
"You heard me correctly."
Rasa calmly wrote out an official letter, composing a formal recommendation.
Not a word of praise was spared.
"…Understood."
Baki finally replied.
Today, there are only four chapters.
Five tomorrow.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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