Chapter 24: A Fake Fight? Kazuya Starts Fanning the Flames! Let's Go, Working Man!
When Kazuya arrived on the scene, the Third Hokage and Orochimaru were still locked in a verbal battle!
Judging by the Third Hokage's darkening expression, it was clear he was losing the argument.
The two stood about ten meters apart, neither making a move.
Behind his mask, Kazuya's smile was calm and collected.
Perfect.
They hadn't started fighting yet, which meant he hadn't missed out on any of the valuable energy drops!
This was going well.
"Orochimaru, today you will pay for your crimes!" the Third Hokage roared, his voice loud and furious.
But for all his shouting, he wasn't making any moves.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru merely smirked coldly, throwing in a few more taunts now and then.
It was almost as if they were putting on a staged fight.
And honestly, that wasn't far from the truth.
The Third Hokage wasn't attacking because he couldn't bring himself to kill his most beloved student.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, wasn't attacking because, frankly, he couldn't win.
"This isn't good enough..." Kazuya sighed quietly.
If they kept dragging it out, where was his chance to collect all that precious energy?
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, Kazuya flung three shurikens toward Orochimaru.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Orochimaru easily deflected them with his kunai, as if swatting away a minor inconvenience.
"So, the battle finally begins, huh..." Orochimaru's snake-like eyes gleamed with a strange, eerie light.
Boom!
Suddenly, Orochimaru's chakra erupted, sending a powerful shockwave through the air.
The fight was finally on!
[You've collected 100 Chakra Points]
[You've collected 100 Chakra Points]
[You've collected 50 Combat Experience Points]
Behind his mask, Kazuya's lips curled into a satisfied grin.
Success!
His interference had worked!
Now, all he had to do was watch the Third Hokage tank this fight!
"Summoning Jutsu: Enma, the Monkey King!"
The Third Hokage rapidly performed hand seals and slammed his hands onto the ground.
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke exploded, and when it cleared, a towering, armored monkey stood before them.
"Sarutobi..."
The monkey's deep voice rumbled. "What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?"
The last time he had been summoned, he had faced the Nine-Tailed Fox.
What a nightmare that had been!
And now...
The monkey's eyes widened as he looked at their opponent. "Orochimaru?"
Sarutobi's face darkened. "Yes, Orochimaru. He has fallen completely into darkness. There's no saving him now!"
"Ah..."
Enma fell silent.
It was strange. Surely, they didn't need him for something like this, right?
Whoosh!
In a flash, the Third Hokage and Enma surged forward, closing the distance with Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru!!!"
"Striking Shadow Snake!"
Orochimaru's right hand morphed into countless writhing snakes, lunging toward the Third Hokage with deadly intent.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Unfazed, the Third Hokage channeled his chakra and charged directly into the attack.
It was a clash of taijutsu—a fight up close and personal!
He was determined to remind Orochimaru that, no matter what, a master was still a master!
[You have collected 200 Chakra Points]
[You have collected 200 Chakra Points]
[You have collected 100 Combat Experience Points]
[You have collected the Ninjutsu: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands]
[You have collected 1,000 Hidden Shadow Snake Hands Skill Experience Points]
[Your Hidden Shadow Snake Hands has leveled up: lv2 (0/1000)]
...
Kazuya: "?????"
What kind of stuff is dropping here?!
Hidden Shadow Snake Hands...?
Damn it! Is this even a technique a normal human can use?
Only someone like Orochimaru could pull off something like this without batting an eye!
Whatever! I'll pretend I didn't see it.
Nearby, Elephant hesitated for a moment, then grabbed a kunai and rushed into the fight.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The four figures clashed repeatedly, trading blows.
Surrounded and in a perilous situation, Orochimaru was on the defensive, constantly evading danger. Even the formidable Enma, the Monkey King, was in the fray, making things even more difficult for him.
It was getting tough for him.
However, Kazuya was not satisfied.
His taijutsu talent was already maxed out, yet here these people were, still trading basic punches. What was this, a fake fight?
Not pulling their weight, huh?
Kazuya got the hint. It seemed like he would have to heat things himself.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Boom!
In an instant, a massive fireball hurtled toward Orochimaru, the temperature in the entire room spiking.
"Dodge!" the Third Hokage barked, quickly sidestepping.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The four combatants instantly distanced themselves from each other.
Boom!
The massive explosion rocked the room, causing it to collapse.
"Heh!" Orochimaru chuckled coldly as he stood in the small square outside the rubble. "It seems, my dear teacher, that you've found yourself quite the formidable subordinate!"
His cold, snake-like gaze fell on Kazuya.
This guy is strong! Just from the power of that Great Fireball Jutsu alone, it's clear he's no ordinary ninja.
The explosion and the resulting collapse hadn't harmed anyone—after all, the weakest person present, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, was still a Jōnin-level ninja.
"You're getting old, Sarutobi-sensei!" Orochimaru sneered, suddenly producing a scroll.
Poof!
A massive black shuriken appeared.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Orochimaru swiftly made the hand signs.
In an instant, the large shuriken flying through the air multiplied into a storm of shuriken, heading toward everyone at lightning speed.
"Orochimaru! Do you think you can defeat your teacher using the techniques I taught you?!" the Third Hokage roared in fury.
Poof!
The Third responded with a Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu of his own.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dozens of enormous shuriken spun through the air, a sight that made even the most seasoned ninja feel chills down their spine.
"That's the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Elephant exclaimed in shock. "It's an A-rank jutsu created by the Hokage himself. A single shuriken is thrown forward, then cloned to create a dense array of shuriken for an all-out attack."
"The power is terrifying!"
Kazuya, under his mask, glanced at Elephant out of the corner of his eye.
It begins.
The Number One Commentator in the ANBU!
It seemed that this habit of providing live commentary started from a young age.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The giant shuriken collided mid-air, shattering into fragments.
Countless shuriken shards flew toward the group.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Elephant quickly cast defensive jutsu.
In an instant, the rising earth and water walls blocked the incoming shards.
[You have collected the Ninjutsu: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu]
[You have collected 1,000 Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu Skill Experience Points]
[Your Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu has leveled up: lv2 (0/1000)]
[You have collected 20 Earth Style Talent Points]
[You have collected 20 Water Style Talent Points]
[You have collected 50 Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall Skill Experience Points]
[You have collected 50 Water Style: Water Wall Skill Experience Points]
...
At that moment, dozens of golden lights flew toward Kazuya.
Behind his mask, Kazuya's face lit up with a satisfied smile.
Finally, the big rewards were coming in!
Orochimaru! The Third Hokage!
Keep fighting like this! Don't stop!
Keep working hard!
Note: If you are interested, read up to chapter 40 at patreon.com/MythicForge11