Chapter 204: I Only Feel Sorry for Snakey

Being an incomplete ninjutsu, after all, Habara's high-energy burst lasted only for an instant. After thoroughly burying Orochimaru alive, the "Gundam" construct Habara controlled collapsed rapidly, unable to maintain its shape any longer, much like a Giant God Warrior after firing its laser.

Before long, the "ultimate weapon" that had radiated such immense pressure just moments ago had crumbled into a mountain-like heap of Iron Sand.

"What was that? A suicide attack?"

Kakashi hurried over to the front of the sand pile, his expression incredibly conflicted. Wasn't Habara supposed to be showcasing his might? Was this the result? Over before it even truly began?

"Ahem... cough..."

With a series of soft coughs, Habara laboriously climbed out of the sand mound. He clutched his chest with one hand, appearing to be in considerable pain. "Cut the commentary. Precisely controlling that scale of Iron Sand while outputting such enormous chakra at my limit isn't exactly easy, you know."

"With your abilities, you didn't need to go that far, did you? Our only goal was to escape," Kakashi said. He felt that if escaping was the sole objective, unleashing such a massive, ultimate technique was unnecessary. After all, they weren't trying to fight Orochimaru to the death here.

Apprehending the rogue Sannin Orochimaru was certainly a Konoha objective, but it wasn't a simple task. More importantly, Kakashi felt his current priority was the joint mission with Sunagakure. This mission involved diplomacy and alliance relations; it was best not to create unnecessary complications right now.

Therefore, from Kakashi's perspective, Habara's all-or-nothing battle approach seemed unwarranted.

"No. Only a demonstration of power at this extreme limit could successfully force Orochimaru to retreat," Habara said, shaking his head. He didn't agree with Kakashi's assessment but offered no further explanation.

Kakashi didn't know that during the fight, Orochimaru had switched his target to him. In that situation, if Habara hadn't hit Orochimaru with something truly severe, why would the Sannin have willingly backed down?

"Besides, do you think I was attacking recklessly? That was actually self-preservation," Habara added. His heartbeat and breathing were still erratic; Orochimaru's earlier armor-bypassing shockwave had done significant damage.

"Right... well, it is Orochimaru, after all," Kakashi conceded, noticing that Habara was indeed injured.

Wait, hold on. Kakashi's thoughts took a sharp turn. Why am I worrying about this guy? I'm seriously injured too, you know?

Habara had internal injuries, coughing up a mouthful or two of blood. Kakashi had external wounds; his shoulder was practically a fountain earlier.

Habara carefully sensed the movements of their two enemies. Detecting two chakra signatures withdrawing from the area, he knew the battle was truly over.

"Orochimaru has withdrawn. I'm injured, but there's no way he escaped unscathed either."

"Faced with a technique like yours, any normal ninja would feel helpless. If I were suddenly confronted with that kind of attack..." Kakashi shook his head, feeling his own powerlessness. "I suppose I'd have to gamble everything on a desperate strike while the enemy was still gathering chakra. Otherwise, there'd be no chance."

Kakashi believed that once he perfected a certain fighting style he was currently conceptualizing, he'd have the confidence to win even against Habara—provided Habara didn't pull out such a ridiculously large construct. That's why he emphasized the importance of striking first.

"Don't worry," Habara said cryptically. "You'll get that chance later."

Kakashi: "?"

What's that supposed to mean? Is that comfort?

"Why do you think I developed a jutsu like this? Just for visual effects?" Habara added, seeing Kakashi's blank stare.

It's not entirely impossible, Kakashi thought privately. Knowing your personality, engaging in a little 'prestige project' engineering is completely plausible. Grand wonders might bankrupt nations, but people just love building them.

"I developed this to counter the Uchiha's Susanoo," Habara clarified. "You'll understand later."

Uchiha? Susanoo? Kakashi wanted to ask more, but Habara simply waved a hand dismissively and stood there, eyes closed, completely still. He was using natural energy to alleviate his injuries. While his recovery abilities weren't as monstrously abnormal as some infamous shinobi, applying it temporarily still provided some relief.

Seeing this, Kakashi began tending to the piercing wound on his own shoulder.

After a short while, Habara opened his eyes, feeling the discomfort in his abdomen temporarily suppressed. Kakashi had finished even faster; he merely needed to apply simple bandages to his external wound.

Habara waved an arm. A massive black iron whip, dozens of meters long, emerged from the Iron Sand pile. He swung it in a half-circle, and with a sharp cracking motion, the thick iron spear—the one that had impaled Kakuzu—was launched straight and fast into the distance. With a solid thunk, the spear easily pierced through several walls.

"If giant Gundams aren't practical, maybe a giant Slime or Octopus could work..." he muttered softly to himself afterwards.

"What's next? What do we do now?" Kakashi hadn't quite caught Habara's mumbling and was more concerned with their next move.

"Withdraw," Habara said after a pause. "Head towards the Land of Wind. Provide some backup for the Suna ninja."

Habara was worried Orochimaru might circle back—perform a feint—and attempt to intercept Zaemon Matsuyo to seize Sasori of the Red Sand.

Kakashi nodded; he agreed it was necessary caution. But as he prepared to turn and leave, he noticed Habara still standing there.

"Don't be hasty. I still have some luggage to sort out."

As he spoke, Habara's gaze scanned the sand pile intently, as if searching for something. After a minute or two, he finally said, "Found it."

He extended his left arm, palm facing upwards. With a lifting motion, a humanoid figure shot out from the mound of Iron Sand.

"A puppet?" At first, Kakashi paid it little mind. It's just a puppet. He'd seen puppet users among both allies and enemies on this mission; it was perfectly normal for Habara to retrieve one from the battlefield.

However, as he casually glanced at the puppet's appearance while turning away, Kakashi froze mid-motion. This puppet... why did it look somewhat familiar?

If Kakashi were a Suna shinobi, he would undoubtedly recognize the puppet's identity instantly. But being from Konoha, he only felt a vague sense of familiarity, yet couldn't quite place it.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru was heading towards the Land of Rain. His black cloak, adorned with red cloud patterns—the Akatsuki Cloak—was splattered with messy bloodstains. He looked utterly wretched.

He had indeed been thoroughly smacked around by Habara. Yet, judging by the expression on his face, there was no anger at being beaten by a younger ninja. Instead, he looked rather... happy. For him, although failing to obtain certain 'materials' was regrettable, the discoveries made were reason enough for joy.

One had to admit, Orochimaru was truly one of the ninja world's rare dedicated research scholars.

Those high-value 'consumables' who stubbornly refused to enter his laboratory were truly deplorable. Upon seeing Orochimaru's current pitiful state, any ninja genuinely concerned about the future of the shinobi world should really feel sorry for poor Snakey.