Chapter 71

"Kō!!"

Blinding flames lit up the sky.

Half of Otogakure was engulfed in a sea of fire.

The original shinobi of Otogakure were completely stunned by the blazing scene, crawling and stumbling to escape the inferno's range.

"Orochimaru-sama..."

Sweating profusely, they looked toward the center of the flames, hoping Orochimaru would pull off another miracle.

However, the Suiton (Water Release) Orochimaru used was evaporated at a speed visible to the naked eye—it couldn't even generate steam.

The fire burned for nearly ten minutes, consuming everything flammable until nothing was left.

Only when all the fuel had been reduced to ashes did the fire gradually subside.

As the flames died down, a scorched, charred battlefield was revealed, with ashes and a pungent stench filling the air.

"Orochimaru-sama…"

Many shinobi from Otogakure gasped in fear and looked toward the scorched ground, hoping to spot Orochimaru's shadow among the remnants.

But they saw nothing.

Naruto stood atop the scorched earth, his figure formed from raging flames. He muttered coldly:

"Ran away, huh?!"

Within the range of his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), he detected countless venomous snakes.

It was clear: Orochimaru's true body had to be among those snakes. But Naruto had no interest in pursuing.

"That damn Orochimaru... Killing him is too difficult..."

Naruto exhaled lightly.

Even though he had seen the anime in his previous life, he still felt powerless when it came to actually killing Orochimaru.

Turning his gaze to the remaining Otogakure shinobi, his eyes flickered coldly:

"You lot… you're all nukenin (rogue shinobi), aren't you?"

The Otogakure shinobi: "…"

"Yakumo, Guren, come out!"

As Naruto spoke, Kurama Yakumo's face lit up with excitement. She ran forward and immediately began weaving hand signs:

"Genjutsu!"

Guren hesitated for a moment, but her gaze quickly hardened as she performed her own jutsu:

"Shōton: Kesshō Shuriken! (Crystal Release: Crystal Shuriken!)"

As the genjutsu activated, numerous Otogakure shinobi screamed in horror, caught in the illusion.

Simultaneously, an endless rain of pale purple crystal shuriken fell like flower petals from the sky, piercing into the helpless shinobi.

Under the dual assault of illusion and crystal release, these Chūnin and Genin-level shinobi had no way to fight back.

They perished, one after another, in screams of pain.

—Meanwhile—

Far away from Otogakure, on a distant hillside, a small white snake burst out of the earth.

Its eyes were filled with a cold, calculating light as it stared back toward the burning village.

"…He's strong, that guy…"

If not for reacting quickly and using Orochimaru-style Body Replacement Technique just in time, he might've become roast snake skewers.

Thinking of that, an image of Tendō Pain appeared in Orochimaru's mind, and he muttered:

"Namikaze Menma... Tendō Pain... These two monsters… their strength is about the same. Both are dangerously powerful."

"In that case, I'll just hand Otogakure over to you for now."

Finishing his words, the white snake flicked its tail and slithered swiftly into the forest, vanishing from Otogakure's reach.

——

After Otogakure was cleansed, Naruto nodded in satisfaction and looked toward Guren.

"Guren, well done. From now on, while I'm away, you'll manage Otogakure in my place. Help me build a forward base here."

Still overwhelmed by the joy of newfound freedom, Guren was stunned.

She pointed to herself and said dumbfoundedly:

"Me… manage Otogakure!?"

"Yup!"

Naruto nodded again.

Guren gasped and felt like the sky was falling.

How was she supposed to manage a village?

What if Orochimaru returned?

Wouldn't she be shredded to pieces as a traitor?

Seeing her terrified expression, Naruto smiled.

"Don't be afraid. If there's danger, just contact me. I'll come to support you immediately."

Only then did Guren breathe a sigh of relief. With this assurance, she felt much better.

She quickly asked:

"Menma-dono, how do I contact you?"

"Hmm…" Naruto rubbed his chin.

"I haven't figured that out yet… I don't have a Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique) beast right now."

Guren: "…"

——

Three days later.

Inside a dim and oppressive cavern…

Orochimaru, now wearing the Akatsuki robe, looked paler than usual and weakly stood atop the Gedo Statue's finger.

Seeing Orochimaru's wretched state, the other Akatsuki members all revealed amused expressions.

Kakuzu muttered coldly:

"Orochimaru, to think you'd come back like this. Are you dying or what?"

Sasori of the Red Sand sneered:

"If you're about to die, don't waste your corpse. Hand it over—I'll make good use of it for research."

Kakuzu grunted:

"Research is a waste. That corpse could fetch nearly 40 million ryo at the bounty station."

Sasori rasped:

"Don't speak of money. Such vulgarity. Only my art is worthy of his body. With it, I could create something truly eternal."

Kakuzu looked at Orochimaru:

"How long until you die? Or should I finish the job now?"

Orochimaru's face darkened. He was genuinely afraid they might kill him right here.

"Shut up. I'm not dying!"

If he said nothing longer, those two lunatics might really turn him into a corpse…

Then, looking toward Tendō Pain, he asked:

"Pain, as leader of Akatsuki, have you ever heard of someone named Namikaze Menma?"

Pain coldly glanced at him:

"Never heard of him."

Konan, the Angel of God, became curious:

"Orochimaru… you mean it was this Namikaze Menma who did this to you?"

Orochimaru nodded darkly.

"That guy… is powerful. He has a fire-based Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit), stronger than anyone I've ever seen using Katon (Fire Release)."

"Besides that, he has several other abilities—space-time techniques, unprecedented taijutsu, some strange chakra-draining ability…"

"I suspect… he might have even awakened the legendary Kekkei Tōta (Bloodline Selection)."

Saying this, Orochimaru turned toward Pain, smiling hoarsely:

"Pain, in my opinion, his strength is absolutely on par with yours. Interested in recruiting him to Akatsuki?"

Hearing that, Pain and Konan were both surprised.

They didn't expect Orochimaru to encounter such a powerhouse during his trip—and apparently get badly beaten.

As for Orochimaru's claim that Menma's strength was comparable to Pain?

They didn't really believe it.

They just assumed Orochimaru wanted revenge and was exaggerating.

Still, Konan looked toward another figure standing on the Gedo Statue's finger—an Akatsuki member with a pitcher plant-like head.

"Zetsu, do you know anything about this Namikaze Menma?"

Zetsu shook his strange head and replied in a bizarre voice:

"I've heard of him. Not long ago, he infiltrated Kusagakure and stole the Uzumaki clan's Scroll of Sealing."

"But back then, his power wasn't noteworthy. No signs of fire techniques either. Thinking back, he must've been hiding his strength…"

"Other than that, I know nothing else about him."

Pain and Konan both nodded.

Then, to Orochimaru's disappointment, Pain shook his head:

"Now is not the time. If he's still around in the future, maybe we can consider recruiting him."

Orochimaru raised a brow in surprise.

"Pain… are you planning something soon?"

But Pain didn't answer.

——

Moments later, night fell.

A ROOT ninja in Konoha ANBU gear walked into the cave and addressed Pain:

"Zero, has your organization considered the proposal?"

Pain's cold voice echoed:

"I've already said it. Even if we are a mercenary group, as long as Uchiha Shisui lives, we won't help you annihilate the Uchiha clan."

(End of Chapter)

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