Orochimaru
The next day and a half was a mix of the unusual and the ordinary.
The Sand Ninja Village trio seemed to have no further desire to 'clash' with them, and even Temari stopped coming over to make a fool of herself.
The Land of Fire merchant remained secluded, staying in his room except for the fixed times he attended meetings each day. He was a far cry from his previous gambling and womanizing image, which was the biggest anomaly.
But nothing happened, which seemed quite normal. The four Konoha Village ninjas, from Jonin to Genin, were on edge around the clock. After two days, they were all a bit tired. Given the Sand Ninja Village's expertise in poison, they were very careful about drinking water and relied entirely on Soldier Pills for food.
Finally, the morning of the return trip arrived. At the hotel:
"Click~" As the merchant, dressed in a loose kimono, was heading towards the staircase surrounded by his entourage, he suddenly turned his head and gave Lin Ke a strange smile.
"..."
Nara Yan Shui naturally noticed this. After exchanging a glance with Lin Ke, they both silently used gestures and codes to alert Yuan Wei and Xia.
After leaving the hotel, the four Sand Ninja Village ninjas left the group and departed.
The group headed straight out of the city and into the sandy wilderness. Everyone advanced quietly. The original protectors were wary of the protected, and the samurai, who were usually well-mannered and taciturn, had now become suspicious.
"Whoosh~" In the howling wind, the outline of the city grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared completely.
From sunrise to the sun gradually rising high in the sky, the surrounding environment began to change noticeably. The city where the merchants and the Kazekage met was not far from the Land of Rivers border. After entering the Land of Rivers, hills, ravines, and patches of green appeared in the flat landscape.
Suddenly, the group stopped inexplicably.
Yuan Wei and Xia drew their Kunai. Lin Ke instantly formed hand seals and released the Clone Jutsu. He also refined Chakra to sense the surrounding situation, then looked towards the human-powered palanquin.
Nara Yan Shui, while wary of the Land of Fire merchant, asked, "Sir, we—"
"Careful!" Lin Ke noticed the abnormality of the Chakra, and the warning blurted out.
"Swoosh~ Pfft!"
A Samurai Sword pierced Nara Yan Shui's shoulder. The samurai leader, who had been following beside the human-powered palanquin, was holding the Samurai Sword, and his skin began to dissolve.
"Pfft!"
Nara Yan Shui groaned, using the Body Flicker Technique to move away. Blood splattered as he stood in front of his three subordinates, his expression serious as he covered the penetrating wound with his hand. Chakra was constantly trying to heal it, but it was clear that it wasn't very effective. Although the bleeding had stopped, sweat was constantly flowing.
The abnormal pain was constantly interfering with his Chakra gathering, and with his shoulder injured, he couldn't form hand seals. The next battle...
"Crack~ Squeak~ Creak," came the sound of clothes and a green vest being torn apart. Lin Ke pressed on his shoulder, his voice and breathing becoming rough. "Yan Shui Teacher, leave the rest to me."
"Lin Ke-kun..." The samurai leader, whose skin had completely dissolved, revealed pale skin and golden, vertically elongated pupils. His voice was slightly hoarse and full of magnetism. "The moment I saw you, I knew you and I were the same kind of person."
"Orochimaru..." Nara Yan Shui reported the other party's name with a grim expression.
Lin Ke had no intention of wasting words. He quickly formed hand seals and summoned the Earth Dragon. He didn't care whether the Land of Fire merchant was really alive or not. Even if he was, he couldn't delay his battle.
It would be ridiculous to be defeated or die for the sake of the mission.
As the Earth Dragon, which was more than ten meters long, appeared out of thin air beneath their feet, a gust of wind surged. Just as it was about to ascend, Nara Yan Shui glanced with a complicated expression at the human-powered palanquin being overturned and the Land of Fire merchant, who had been thrown out several meters and whose life or death was unknown, and said nothing.
"Swoosh!"
The Samurai Sword in Orochimaru's hand was thrown out. The Earth Dragon raised its head to block the attack for the four people on its back.
"Clang~" The sharp blade failed to penetrate the scales. After the collision, it was bounced away, but it caused the Earth Dragon to transmit painful thoughts.
"Roar!" It roared and spat out a rock at the ground below.
Orochimaru formed hand seals with both hands, and a standard Rashomon rose with a rumble.
"Boom!" The rock collided with the Rashomon, splashing a large amount of dust.
Lin Ke was about to continue manipulating the Earth Dragon to attack, but he was suddenly pushed away by Nara Yan Shui. The Samurai Sword that had been bounced away had drawn an arc in the air and almost pierced him.
"Swoosh!" Orochimaru, like a flea, stepped on the wreckage of the Rashomon and jumped a second time, landing directly on the back of the rising Earth Dragon.
Confronting each other again, Nara Yan Shui had recovered a lot. His fingers trembled slightly, confirming that he had regained the ability to form hand seals.
Crimson blood filled his vision, and death followed.
"Release!"
Lin Ke disrupted his own Chakra and dispelled the Genjutsu that he had fallen into simply by making eye contact.
"Ah!" Yuan Wei screamed and knelt on the ground.
Kasumi trembled as she released the Genjutsu, reaching out to help him dispel it, panting heavily, and stood in front of Lin Ke, gripping her Kunai.
The Earth Dragon fluttered its wings, neither rising higher nor falling.
"How amusing," Orochimaru said with a faint smile, his eyes constantly watching Nara Yan Shui.
A Nara, at any time, is someone to be wary of.
However, as long as the distance is maintained, and the Shadow Imitation Technique cannot quickly capture a shadow, there isn't much of a threat.
Moreover, at his level, his own speed far exceeds the capture speed of the Shadow Imitation Technique.
Lin Ke didn't dare to meet his gaze again. Even though Orochimaru was instantly killed by Uchiha Itachi's Genjutsu, his mastery of Genjutsu was still extraordinary, and even he would be affected.
Refine Chakra, form hand seals, release—
The Shadow Clone Technique, requiring only one hand seal, was instantly activated, and the shadow beneath Orochimaru's feet just began to rise.
*"Thump!"* The Samurai Sword fell directly from the sky, grazing the suddenly and strangely distorted shadow, and pierced into the Earth Dragon's back.
"Roar!" The Earth Dragon cried out in pain again. There was something wrong with that sword; even if it didn't break its defense, it could still cause pain.
Under his command, the shadow entangled with his main body, but after only a few rounds, it was in a precarious situation. A sharp Samurai Sword that could fly and attack at will would directly cut off a portion of the shadow if it was attacked, leaving black spots on the ground.
Orochimaru didn't seem anxious, leisurely entangling with his shadow, constantly sensing something in the process. The massive consumption of stamina didn't seem to affect him at all.
Yuan Wei and Kasumi were about to rush forward but were stopped by Nara Yan Shui. That was no joke; a Genin would probably be killed instantly, and even he wasn't confident in fighting one of the legendary Sannin in Taijutsu.
Lin Ke continued to calmly form hand seals, constantly releasing the Substitution Jutsu. Orochimaru's attitude made it clear—
He didn't take them seriously at all.
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