Chapter 46 – Izaya's Counterattack
Escaping to the Hokage Building is my only safe option!
With a single glance, Izaya made his decision. The idea was simple, but the execution was anything but. The power level of the Orochimaru standing before him was arguably the combat ceiling in Konoha prior to the Chūnin Exams. Few within the village could rival him. In the original story, the only one who had definitively subdued Orochimaru was Uchiha Itachi with his Mangekyō Sharingan.
While Izaya also possessed the Sharingan, the gap between his Three Tomoe and the Mangekyō was a chasm as vast as that between a genin and a peak Kage-level shinobi. A sliver of panic began to creep into his heart.
The most damning factor was their location. The Hokage Building was right there, visible in the distance, but the actual distance between them was over two kilometers. Even at a full-speed sprint…
Forget it, no point overthinking it!
As he calculated the odds, a wave of helplessness washed over him. Seeing his chances of escape grow increasingly slim, Izaya forcibly cleared his mind of all complicated thoughts, focusing solely on the planned route. A fierce glint of determination flashed in his eyes.
"Although I do not know the full extent of your abilities, little one," Orochimaru's voice slithered through the silence, "with courage like that, I, Orochimaru, am willing to offer you one more chance."
"Will you come with me?"
After he spoke, a heavy stillness fell between them. It was obvious Orochimaru was fully aware of Izaya's desire to flee. Standard procedure would be to subdue him immediately. But Orochimaru disdained such measures. The person before him was merely a twelve-year-old boy. Interesting, perhaps, but in Orochimaru's eyes, he was still just an ant. Was he truly worth an early, serious effort?
"Thank you for the offer," Izaya stated, his voice firm and clear, leaving no room for doubt. "But my answer is still no."
And with that refusal, Izaya moved.
He had already positioned himself during their exchange. The moment the last word left his lips, he erupted into motion, pushing his body to its absolute limit. In mere seconds, he burst out of the confines of the alley.
But as he took in the new environment, his face fell.
"Of all the luck… no one…"
He found himself in a desolate, empty stretch of land on the village outskirts. A wave of bitter frustration hit him. His plan had relied on finding other Konoha civilians outside the alley. Among a crowd, he would be safe. Orochimaru had killed the watchers because Izaya's home was isolated. But he wouldn't dare attack a Konoha citizen so close to the main street. For all his power, Orochimaru was still weaker than the entire village of Konoha, and Izaya knew the Sannin was still collaborating with Danzō and had no desire to reveal his presence.
The plan was sound. His luck was not.
There was no one in sight. Just him, and the predator emerging from the alley.
"It seems your luck has run out, boy," Orochimaru mocked as he stepped out, his tone dripping with amusement. He showed no concern whatsoever about Izaya escaping his grasp.
"This is just great…" Izaya muttered, his mood souring further under Orochimaru's taunt. A sense of impending doom settled on him, but he refused to surrender.
His eyes frantically scanned the surroundings, searching for any alternative route. Then, he saw it—a dense grove of trees.
That forest…
Memories flashed in his mind—Tenten's bright, cheerful face.
'Big Brother Izaya, want to go play?'
'Big Brother Izaya, let me tell you a secret! If you cut through this little forest, you can get directly to the Ninja Academy. It saves so much time!'
That's it!
He had originally planned to head for the Hokage Building and the Third's protection, but the distance was too great. The Ninja Academy was a much closer, and viable, alternative. There were no powerful ninjas stationed there, but he refused to believe even Orochimaru would dare launch an assault on the Academy itself!
As this new plan solidified in his mind, Izaya noticed Orochimaru beginning his slow, deliberate advance again.
Seeing this, Izaya acted.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
He focused the chakra in his body, his hands flying through a series of hand seals in less than half a second.
Whoosh!
A crimson fireball, roughly the size of a basketball, shot forth from his mouth, roaring directly toward the approaching Orochimaru.
"It seems I have indeed underestimated you, 'Dead Last'," Orochimaru mused, feeling the heat of the incoming jutsu. A faint, intrigued smile was his only reaction. In his vast experience, the skill and speed required to execute that Fire Release technique were far beyond the capabilities of a failed Academy student. The boy before him possessed at least chūnin-level prowess.
"Twelve years old… Chūnin-level…" Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with thought. "If I recall correctly, a certain genius from the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Itachi, achieved a similar feat."
"And such a child… was labeled a 'dead last'?" A dark, pleased smile touched his lips. "As expected… Konoha is truly rotten to its core."
As Orochimaru finished his internal monologue, the blazing fireball arrived before him.
Shing!
In a single, fluid motion, he drew the Kusanagi Sword. A silver arc flashed through the air, and the basketball-sized fireball was cleanly bisected, its form dissipating into harmless embers that faded into nothingness.
"As expected…" Izaya muttered, his expression grim but unsurprised. "This level of ninjutsu is nothing but a child's toy to him."
The fireball he had launched was a basic technique, unenhanced by his Blaze Fruit, his Sharingan, or any system-given amplification. If a jutsu of that caliber had managed to harm Orochimaru, that would have been the real shock.
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