Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed.
"How fascinating… That strange force. The Senju clan's physical arts are known for generating explosive air pressure through raw chakra control."
His smile thinned.
"Are you truly just an orphan with distant Senju blood… Kazuki?"
For the first time—
He became completely serious.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."
From his sleeves, several massive serpents shot forward—
Only to strike empty air.
Orochimaru paused.
The Darkness Technique still blinded him completely. His vision was swallowed in absolute blackness.
He could only rely on instinct.
And for once—
His instinct was wrong.
The snakes tore through nothing.
A faint whistling sound cut through the air behind him.
"Behind—?"
Orochimaru bent forward instantly—
Pain shot through his lower back.
Too fast.
Too abrupt.
The earlier impact had already strained him.
Blood seeped from reopened wounds.
Not good.
"Substitution—!"
Boom!
The first strike destroyed the decoy.
The second—
The wind pressure from Kazuki's fist grazed his cheek.
"Body Flicker!"
Orochimaru vanished backward just in time.
He landed lightly, breathing steady, but his eyes were colder now.
This boy's timing…
Positioning…
Execution…
It wasn't the combat style of a newly awakened shinobi.
It was surgical.
Even if Orochimaru wasn't known for taijutsu, he was still one of Konoha's Sannin.
A shinobi on par with Kage-level combatants.
Yet this teenager—
At barely five percent of Hashirama's fusion—
Was forcing him to retreat.
Kazuki frowned slightly.
He's backing off already?
This was one of the Legendary Sannin?
He felt… underwhelmed.
"Again," Kazuki said calmly.
Orochimaru's smile vanished completely.
Originally, he had only been using about thirty percent of his strength.
He didn't want to cause a disturbance inside the village.
He only intended to test Kazuki.
But now—
He felt challenged.
"Kusanagi no Tsurugi…"
Orochimaru tilted his head back and slowly drew the blade from his mouth.
The air grew sharp with killing intent.
"Stop."
A colossal black staff crashed down between them.
The ground split.
The force separated both fighters instantly.
Orochimaru was knocked backward, slamming into the earth, coughing blood.
At the same time—
Kazuki's Darkness Technique dissipated.
The King Enma's Adamantine Staff stood planted between them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped forward, staff in hand.
His eyes were no longer warm.
"Orochimaru."
Orochimaru wiped blood from his lip and smiled faintly.
"Sensei… I merely heard rumors of a Senju bloodline awakening and came to test it."
Hiruzen's expression darkened.
"Test it? Without reporting first?"
His voice hardened.
"You've grown bold."
He wasn't just angry.
He was furious.
If anything had happened to Kazuki tonight—
How would he answer to Mito?
Orochimaru remained calm.
Kazuki watched silently.
Something about this felt… off.
Was this planned?
No.
Unlikely.
Hiruzen might be soft-hearted—
But he wouldn't risk provoking Mito Uzumaki like this.
More likely—
Orochimaru acted on his own curiosity.
Hiruzen turned to Kazuki.
"Go home. I will handle this."
Then to Orochimaru:
"We'll speak tomorrow."
Without another word, Hiruzen forced Orochimaru to withdraw.
The night fell silent again.
Kazuki stood alone in the broken remains of his cabin.
Wood roots slowly retracted into the soil.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Orochimaru had held back.
That much was clear.
But so had he.
Five percent fusion.
And he already pushed a Sannin to caution.
In one year—
When Hashirama's power fully integrated—
Even the Five Kage combined might not be enough.
Kazuki looked at his hand.
Then at the Ryūchi Cave scroll beside him.
A faint smile formed.
"Impure World Reincarnation… Ryūchi Cave…"
When the time was right—
He would visit Orochimaru personally.
And maybe—
Discuss forbidden techniques like civilized shinobi.