"Ho ho ho ho!"
"Nice reaction!"
"I'm getting more and more interested in you, Uchiha Itachi!"
As the smoke from the detonating tag explosion dissipated, Orochimaru's figure emerged from the haze. His once-pristine robes were now in tatters, his chest bore severe burns, and blood dripped from his wounds. The explosion had inflicted significant damage on him.
Yet, strangely enough, Orochimaru's voice remained lively, showing no signs of weakness or distress. Seeing this, Kakashi and the others instinctively tensed up—there was something unsettling about him.
"Vomit!"
Despite his injuries, Orochimaru suddenly opened his mouth wide. A few seconds later, a pale hand protruded from within, dripping with thick, slimy mucus.
"What the hell is this?!"
Obito and the others were dumbfounded. They had never seen anything like it before.
The hand continued emerging, followed by an arm, then a shoulder. Before long, a figure identical to Orochimaru slowly crawled out of his own mouth.
It was one of Orochimaru's signature techniques—the Living Corpse Reincarnation.
"It's like... a snake shedding its skin?!"
Kakashi's eyes widened in disbelief. The sight before him defied all logic—he never imagined that such a technique existed. The newly emerged Orochimaru bore no wounds or scars, as though all previous injuries had simply vanished.
Kakashi's heart sank. The situation had just taken a turn for the worse.
Itachi's expression darkened as well, his brows knitting slightly.
For a shinobi of Orochimaru's caliber, the same technique was unlikely to work twice. The genjutsu had only caught him off guard the first time. With his immense resistance to illusions, normal genjutsu wouldn't be effective against him, and now he would be on guard against Itachi's Sharingan.
Having failed to take advantage of their brief opening, Kakashi and the others were now at a severe disadvantage.
"His techniques are just as disgusting as ever," Sasori muttered, eyeing Orochimaru with wary disapproval. But despite his disgust, he remained cautious. Orochimaru was not someone to be underestimated.
"Now then, shall we start the second round?"
Orochimaru retrieved his Kusanagi sword from the ground, twirling it effortlessly in his hand as he grinned at Itachi and the others.
However, before he could make a move—
A terrifying chakra erupted, instantly engulfing the entire courtyard.
"Boom!!!"
The air trembled with an oppressive hum, and an immense pressure bore down on everyone present. The sheer force of the chakra distorted the air itself.
Orochimaru and Sasori felt it most directly. The ground beneath Orochimaru's feet cracked, forming long, jagged fissures. Outside the courtyard, Sasori's clothes billowed violently, and the shell of his puppet body let out a strained "creak."
"Let's stop here, Brother Orochimaru."
A hoarse voice cut through the tension.
The moment he heard it, Orochimaru's pupils shrank, and a chill ran down his spine.
"When?!"
His expression darkened as he turned his head.
A red-haired figure stood beside him.
Orochimaru knew that hair all too well.
"Raiden... long time no see!" Orochimaru greeted with a grin, masking his unease.
"Yeah, more than four years," Uzumaki Raiden replied, his intense chakra still radiating through the air.
"I didn't get the chance to talk to you when I was in the village. I figured we'd meet again sooner or later, but then I got the news from Minato... that you betrayed Konoha."
His sharp gaze locked onto Orochimaru.
"Looking at you now, I guess you've found yourself a new place to belong?"
Raiden made no effort to suppress his overflowing chakra, carefully watching Orochimaru's every movement. Meanwhile, his Kagura Mind's Eye locked onto Sasori at the entrance, ensuring he wouldn't make any sudden moves.
In truth, Raiden had sensed Orochimaru's arrival long before the fight began. However, he had deliberately chosen to observe instead of intervening immediately.
Against an opponent like Orochimaru, Raiden wanted to see just how far Kakashi and the others had progressed. To his surprise, they had managed to push Orochimaru to the point of shedding his skin.
That was more than he had expected.
However, one thing puzzled him—Orochimaru's fighting style had changed. He now relied more on swordplay rather than his usual elusive techniques. Raiden wasn't sure if Orochimaru had shifted his focus to kenjutsu or if he simply wasn't taking the fight seriously.
Either way, this wasn't the Orochimaru he remembered.
"So, this is the Uzumaki Raiden from Konoha..."
Sasori, still standing at the entrance, felt a shiver of unease under the weight of Raiden's chakra. "What terrifying pressure..." He narrowed his eyes, staying alert.
"A new place, huh?"
Orochimaru let out a casual chuckle.
"It's nothing special. Just an organization that takes in strays. Not worth mentioning."
With that, he twirled the Kusanagi sword in his hand before performing an exaggerated sword-swallowing technique, as if putting on a show.
Raiden raised an eyebrow.
"...Senior brother, if you don't start a street performance with that, it'd be a real waste of talent."
His deadpan remark dripped with sarcasm.
Orochimaru simply smirked, unfazed by the jab.
"I have something I need to ask you, Raiden. Would you come with me?"
Orochimaru briefly glanced at Sasori, signaling his intent.
Raiden, however, didn't even acknowledge the request. Instead, he smiled.
"What are you saying, senior brother? If you have something to ask, just say it here."
"I actually have plenty to talk to you about too... I'm sure Lord Sarutobi would be thrilled to see you again."
Raiden's smile didn't waver, but his words carried a heavy weight.
He also took note of Orochimaru's attire—the black cloak with blood-red clouds. He recognized it immediately.
And that man standing outside the courtyard—Sasori of the Red Sand.
This wasn't just a rogue ninja wandering around. Orochimaru and Sasori had already joined Akatsuki.
Raiden hadn't expected that.
"Could something have happened to Yahiko and Nagato in the Land of Rain?"
His mind raced with speculation. He had so many questions, but before he could ask, Orochimaru had already made up his mind.
"Since you're unwilling, then forget it. I won't force you."
"We'll meet again."
Orochimaru's tone remained indifferent, but deep down, he had already decided to retreat.
He hadn't even seen Raiden fight, yet the sheer chakra pressure alone had made him realize the gap between them. He had once entertained the thought of taking Raiden to Akatsuki with Sasori's help, but now, that idea seemed foolish.
"Not so fast, brother."
"Since you're already here... why leave in such a hurry?"
As Raiden spoke, his figure suddenly disappeared.
Seeing this, Sasori reacted instantly—abandoning his puppet body, he leaped away without hesitation.
"BOOM!!!!!"
A split second later, Raiden's devastating punch obliterated Sasori's discarded puppet armor, shattering it into fragments.
At the very spot where Sasori had stood just moments ago, Raiden reappeared—his fist still extended.
"He runs fast," Raiden remarked with a smirk, retracting his fist.
(End of this chapter)