Orochimaru the retreating one

The air grew thick with tension as Team Hakashi neared the Tenshi Bridge, the mist rolling in from the surrounding riverbanks, veiling the land in an eerie quiet. Naruto, Harry, and Kakashi split off from Sai and Sakura, while Yamato, clad in his transformation as Sasori, stepped onto the bridge. From their concealed positions, the team watched as Kabuto Yakushi arrived, his ever-present smirk betraying no fear.

Naruto furrowed his brows, watching Kabuto closely. Something about him felt familiar. "Harry… I know this guy from somewhere."Harry, crouched beside him, only gave a slight nod. His eyes gleamed with recognition, but his tone was nonchalant. "Of course you do. This is the same guy we fought when Jiraiya and Tsunade were with us. Back then, he was troublesome." He smirked slightly. "Now? He's nothing to us."Kakashi, crouching beside them, kept his visible eye trained on the scene but was already tuned into the conversation.Harry, without looking, signed in ANBU hand signals, keeping it subtle and quick so only Naruto and Kakashi could follow.🖐️💨❄️ — Water and wind together. Create ice needles. Aim for Kabuto's joints. Immobilized is better than dead. Orochimaru is the real target.Naruto nodded silently, gathering his chakra as he shaped water and wind nature chakra into fine ice needles, dozens forming at his fingertips. The tension in the air thickened as Kabuto spoke with "Sasori," but then everything went wrong.The atmosphere shifted instantly as a new presence emerged from the mist. Orochimaru.His golden slitted eyes gleamed with malicious amusement as he stepped onto the bridge, his voice a sinister purr. "What an interesting gathering we have here… I should've known you Konoha brats wouldn't leave me alone."Before Yamato could react, Kabuto suddenly spun—his hands lashing out at the transformed Jonin with deadly precision. The disguise was broken."NOW!" Harry commanded in a whisper.Naruto's ice needles launched forward, whistling through the air with deadly accuracy.Kabuto barely had time to react—one of the needles struck his right arm clean off, severing it instantly with a burst of frozen chakra.Thud! His severed limb hit the bridge, still twitching.Caught off guard, Kabuto staggered—his balance failing—and the remaining hail of ice needles struck, burying into his legs, shoulders, and remaining arm, locking his body in place like a grotesque pincushion.His eyes went wide in shock. "Impossible…!"Orochimaru's smirk vanished instantly, his slitted pupils narrowing dangerously. His tongue flicked out once, but the irritation on his face was clear. "Oh? That was… unexpected."He shifted his focus to Naruto, a slow grin creeping onto his face. "Naruto-kun… You've grown stronger. But tell me…" He tilted his head mockingly. "How much stronger? I wonder—do you still lose yourself to rage?"Naruto narrowed his eyes, realizing what Orochimaru was doing.He was baiting him, trying to make him lose control. Trying to unleash the Nine-Tails.It wouldn't work.Instead of rage, a smirk tugged at Naruto's lips. He dropped into a stance, his chakra flaring as he activated the First Inner Gate, unlocking an immediate burst of speed and power. He reached up, tapping his gravity seals, loosening them slightly, allowing his body to move with even greater ease.His smirk grew wider. "Nice try, Snake-face. But you don't scare me."Harry chuckled, stepping forward to stand beside Naruto. "And in case you forgot, there's no such thing as fair fights."While keeping his casual grin, Harry's fingers moved subtly, signing to Kakashi in ANBU code:✋🐍🛑 — Orochimaru will retreat. Gather the rest. Track him. Sasuke is close.Kakashi nodded subtly, vanishing from their position instantly.Naruto's Sharingan activated, but it remained behind a special chakra seal, allowing only his blue eyes to be seen from the outside. Despite that, the raw presence of his dojutsu filled the air.Then, nature itself trembled.Naruto slammed his hands together, invoking the Wooden Golem Jutsu, and as the colossal wooden entity rose, he layered a Wood Dragon onto it, the enormous serpent-like construct wrapping around its shoulders like a living guardian.The entire bridge shook under the sheer weight of Naruto's summoned constructs.Harry, meanwhile, smirked lazily, raising a single hand. Chakra surged around him like a roaring storm as he began forming his own dragon—but this was no ordinary jutsu.His dragon was crafted from all elements at once—fire, water, lightning, earth, wind, wood, ice, even lava. Each scale pulsed with a different elemental force, shifting and crackling with raw energy.Orochimaru's expression twisted into something between awe and unease. "You brats… You're ridiculous."But he wasn't backing down yet.He immediately summoned Rashomon Gates, slamming his hands together to erect massive iron doors between himself and his opponents.Naruto and Harry didn't even blink."Go." Harry said simply.Naruto's golem roared, surging forward, smashing through the first Rashomon gate like paper.Harry's dragon coiled around Naruto's construct, reinforcing it with every element at once. It shattered the second gate effortlessly, flames and ice colliding into a storm of destruction.Orochimaru gritted his teeth, flicking his wrist—Kusanagi shot out, aimed directly for Naruto's head.Naruto didn't even move.His Wood Dragon lashed out and caught the blade mid-air, snapping it in half as Naruto formed a Rasengan and drove it into the shattered sword, sending the blade's remnants exploding backward toward Orochimaru.For the first time in years…Orochimaru was actually being forced back.His body was already regenerating, but the speed at which Naruto and Harry were attacking was simply too overwhelming.This wasn't a fight. It was a pursuit.And Orochimaru was losing ground.His golden eyes flickered, and finally, he snarled. "Tch. Enough."With a final wave of his chakra, Orochimaru's body melted into the ground, vanishing into a retreat, leaving Kabuto pinned in ice behind.Naruto grinned, rolling his shoulders. "Knew it. You're all talk, Snake-bastard."Harry sighed dramatically, stretching. "Man, that was boring. I was hoping he'd actually put up a fight."Kakashi flashed back onto the battlefield, his Sharingan active. "He's retreating. Tracking him now."Naruto and Harry exchanged glances."Then let's finish this."With one final burst of speed, the Konoha shinobi surged forward—the hunt for Sasuke had begun.

TO BE CONTINUED…

AN: Sorry for the block of text, my bad.