Chapter 107

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While the shadow clones continued mercilessly kicking Kabuto's body, Naruto lowered his gaze and locked eyes with Orochimaru.

He kept his foot firmly pressed against Orochimaru's face, forcing him to look up.

"That day… when I let you escape, my father couldn't understand it," he said calmly, without looking away. "I told him not to worry. That your death would come very soon…"

Naruto's Kubikiribōchō suddenly appeared in his hands.

"Guess what. That day has come."

Orochimaru's eyes widened in rage and desperation. Unable to use his arms, he tried to hit Naruto with his legs, twisting his body, trying to bring him down.

But Naruto had already anticipated it. He jumped back fluidly, landing a few meters away, right in front of Tsunade and Shizune.

The Sannin struggled to his feet, panting, his face dirty and bloodied.

"I must apologize, Orochimaru," said Naruto, with a serious expression… though his eyes gleamed with malice. "I didn't know I had stepped on dog shit along the way."

Orochimaru looked at him in confusion for a second, blinking, before frowning… and sniffing the air.

His expression changed instantly.

A foul, nauseating, unbearable stench invaded his nostrils.

"YOU!!" he shouted, with a mixture of rage and disgust, squirming as best he could, while Naruto took a delicate step back, feigning courtesy.

The Sannin spat on the ground, but the filth was still stuck to his face.

"What can I say?" Naruto added, shrugging. "Sometimes, fate has a weird sense of humor."

Tsunade put a hand to her face, torn between disbelief and restrained laughter.

Shizune, still weak, let her laughter out freely.

Even one of the shadow clones still kicking Kabuto burst out laughing at the scene:

"Now we can say Orochimaru is uglier than shit and not be lying."

The other clone nearly fell over laughing, still kicking Kabuto.

Tsunade looked away, amused, trying to hide her laughter.

Naruto just smiled, satisfied.

He hadn't done it on purpose. He hadn't even realized he'd stepped in dog shit along the way.

But now, after seeing the scene that incident had caused, he was glad it had happened.

Orochimaru wiped his face as best he could, rubbing it with his shoulder like a wounded animal. His breathing was heavy, full of rage. His face, usually pale and serene, was now contorted with anger, with humiliation.

His bloodshot eyes didn't leave Naruto for a single second.

He had endured many things in his life. The disdain of the Konoha council when he wanted to become the Fourth Hokage, the fear of his comrades upon discovering what he had done in the past, the rejection of his experiments. But being stepped on — literally — by an impertinent brat, and on top of that, being covered in excrement, was a degradation even he couldn't ignore.

Naruto watched him without a shred of compassion. In his eyes there was no hatred, no contempt.

There was only absolute indifference.

"Putting the shit aside... How do you want it to be, Orochimaru?" Naruto looked toward his Kubikiribōchō, resting naturally on his shoulder. His voice was calm, as if asking what he wanted for dinner. "How do you want to die?"

The question landed like a slab. With force.

"I can do it with my hands, but I wouldn't recommend it…" he continued, turning his wrist slightly so the blade caught the sunlight. "It would be slow. Very slow."

Tsunade swallowed silently. Not because she felt sorry for Orochimaru, but because of how blunt Naruto was with those words. Without hesitation. Without hatred, without anger… only the certainty that Orochimaru would die that day.

Orochimaru didn't respond immediately.

He knew that look didn't lie.

He knew he didn't have a single chance of resisting.

And the worst part… was that Naruto knew it too.

"You think just because I can't use my arms you can defeat me?" he shouted, with rage and desperation in his voice.

Naruto let out a dry laugh.

"Did you already forget the Forest of Death? Or do you have memory loss?"

He had defeated him once, effortlessly. And back then, Orochimaru still had his arms.

"I'm Orochimaru, the Immortal! One of the Three Legendary Sannin!" he shouted, as if the title could protect him.

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

Even though he had said that, in that instant, Orochimaru remembered that battle in the Forest of Death. He remembered how Naruto had humiliated him.

Orochimaru swallowed hard.

"Listen… I can offer you whatever you want," he finally said, with a twisted smile. "You just have to ask."

He knew he had no chance. He hadn't even been able to handle Itachi Uchiha… What hope did he have against Naruto Uzumaki?

He had already heard the rumors. The death of Itachi at the hands of Reika, his younger sister. And along with him, that of Kisame Hoshigaki, another monster Orochimaru considered far above himself.

Both had been members of Akatsuki, the former organization he once belonged to.

Naruto completely surpassed him. Orochimaru knew it.

And so… he gave up all thought of revenge. He even gave up the idea of facing him.

Naruto seemed to pause and think for a few seconds, as if he were genuinely considering sparing his life. That pause brought a faint smile to Orochimaru's lips.

Tsunade, watching with her arms crossed, frowned at the sight of that gesture.

"Brat, don't let him fool you," she warned, stepping forward. "You've got a ridiculous amount of chakra, yes… but that's not enough. Even without his arms, Orochimaru is still a dangerous enemy."

She placed a firm hand on Naruto's shoulder, as if to stop him from making a hasty decision.

Naruto turned his face just enough to glance at her, then let out a snort that was half laugh, half challenge.

"Want to bet I take him out?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. For a moment, her addiction to gambling seemed to flicker in her gaze. But she soon shook her head, returning to seriousness.

"It's too dangerous to bet on something like this," she sighed. "I think… I've gotten over my hemophobia a bit thanks to Nawaki. I can face Orochimaru myself."

The mention of Nawaki was like a knife to Orochimaru.

He remembered his former student.

That bright, curious boy, with latent power that made him stand out even among the most talented of his generation.

And with that memory came back the reason that had driven him to chase immortality so obsessively.

It wasn't just about knowledge. Not even about absolute power.

It was fear.

Fear of loss. Fear of being forgotten. Fear of seeing everything he had built, everything he had loved or hated, disappear with time.

Death was his natural enemy. His greatest weakness.

His lips tightened into a hard line, and his brow furrowed automatically. Not just because Tsunade had overcome her weakness… but because of who had been the key to achieving it.

Apparently Nawaki had also returned to life, like many others, just as he had seen during the Chūnin Exams.

"Seems like my proposal to you, Tsunade, was always doomed to fail. I didn't know Nawaki had also come back to life."

Orochimaru said it quietly, almost like talking to himself, but loud enough for Tsunade to hear.

"Don't you dare say his name, you bastard." Tsunade clenched her fists tightly.

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"I bet I take Orochimaru out in under a minute," he said suddenly, with a grin, insisting on placing a bet.

Tsunade turned her head toward him sharply. "Stop trying to take my money, you've already taken it all, brat!"

Naruto smiled mischievously.

"What I want isn't money."

Tsunade, confused, blushed slightly and covered her chest with both hands, conscious of her own assets.

"Brat, don't think you'll get my body! I would never bet something like that!"

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"I don't want the body of an old woman with more alcohol in her veins than blood. If anything, I'd try to hit on your student…"

His gaze shifted to Shizune, who blushed just as intensely as her teacher had a few seconds earlier.

A vein throbbed furiously on Tsunade's forehead at those words.

Just as she raised her fist to hit him, Naruto lifted a hand and pointed at her chest — more specifically, the pendant she wore around her neck.

"I want that thing right there, between your two big balls of fat."

Tsunade lowered her gaze to her chest, to the jewel that meant so much to her.

It was the same pendant she had feared her entire life…

She had never dared part with it for fear of passing its curse on to someone else.

But her attention immediately shifted to something else.

"They're not that big, damn it!" exclaimed Tsunade.