Chapter 35: Fierce Battle Against Orochimaru
“Lord Shura!” Gōta arrived at the stone room entrance and reported softly to the inside: “A Konoha ninja chased into the cave and was captured by us.”
In the stone room, Menma was flipping through the Iburi Clan’s historical scroll, and upon hearing this, he slightly raised his eyes.
He had already guessed that Kakashi would come chasing.
And the following plot, where Yamato rescues Kakashi and the two are taken away by Yukimi, should still happen.
“Clan Head! Yukimi! Yukimi took those two away!” Sure enough, not long after, a clan member came running in panic to report.
“What!” Gōta heard that it was Yukimi who let those two go, his face changed abruptly, a flash of anger in his eyes, and he looked somewhat uneasily at the figure standing in the stone room: “Sorry…… Lord…… It was my failure in discipline……”
“No matter.” Menma shook the scroll in his hand, his tone indifferent: “I have already guessed the identity of that Konoha ninja; he won’t harm Yukimi.”
He paused, his voice low and composed: “Kids, huh, it’s normal to be rebellious at that age; after some time, she’ll still come home. You should first think about how to deal with Lord Orochimaru.”
Hearing Lord Shura mention Orochimaru again, Gōta’s expression also became grave.
Meanwhile.
In the market of a city on the outskirts of the forest, the escaped Kakashi and Yamato were accompanying Yukimi strolling through the bustling streets.
Yukimi, who had never left the underground space, was shopping on the streets for the first time, and in the bustling market, her big eyes were full of novelty toward the things around her.
Sometimes looking at this, sometimes looking at that, and even buying a piece of cloth to make a new piece of clothing.
Kakashi and Yamato temporarily set aside their mission, accompanying Yukimi wandering around, even taking out money to buy some snacks that Yukimi was curious about.
Seeing the brilliant smile blooming on Yukimi’s face, Kakashi and Yamato, these two ninjas who had long lived in Anbu and Root, were both infected.
Temporarily set aside all burdens and worries, just like three good friends, having a great time playing in the market.
————
At the same time.
“Huff…… huff……”
Covering his injured abdomen, bleeding Orochimaru slowly arrived at the Iburi Clan’s tree hole.
“Lord Orochimaru!” A puff of smoke drifted over, transforming into two Iburi clan members, who concernedly stepped forward wanting to support him.
But Orochimaru suddenly attacked, grabbing one of them, and bit down toward his neck!
“Ah! Lord Orochimaru!” The grabbed Iburi clan member screamed, wanting to activate his smoke transformation ability, but was controlled by Orochimaru’s curse mark, unable to use the curse mark.
Feeling the blood draining from his body, this Iburi clan member was instantly sucked dry of blood, his body rapidly shriveling.
After replenishing blood, Orochimaru licked his lips, his body recovering a bit of strength, a flash of satisfaction in his eyes.
He moved his neck, then opened his bloody mouth again, biting toward the other Iburi clan member who was scared silly.
Whoosh—
Just as this person was about to be bitten, a wind blade came assaulting, forcing Orochimaru to let go and retreat backward.
“Who’s there!” Orochimaru looked up, his golden snake pupils surging with malice.
From the darkness deep in the cave, the Third Shinigami floated out like a ghost, the scythe in his hand gleaming coldly.
“Shura……” Orochimaru’s pair of snake pupils filled with deep dread.
At the same time, he felt Lord Shura’s mystery to be unfathomably deep.
‘How does he know about the Iburi Clan?’
‘How did he find this place before me?’
‘What exactly is his purpose?’
Countless questions popped into Orochimaru’s mind.
“Lord Orochimaru! You!” A puff of smoke gathered, Gōta looking at the clan member drained of blood; even though he was prepared, he couldn’t hide his shock and anger.
“It’s Gōta, huh……” Orochimaru rasped in a hoarse voice, coldly saying: “Are you going to betray me?”
The other Iburi clan members also dispelled their mist form, standing behind Gōta, their faces toward Orochimaru no longer showing the previous worship, but deep hatred!
Orochimaru had deceived their clan! Killed so many children! And now wanted to exterminate them all!
“What about those children!” Gōta gritted his teeth, his voice trembling.
He so hoped those children were still alive, even if Orochimaru had lied to him.
“Heh heh, looks like you already know……” But unfortunately, the sneering laugh from Orochimaru’s mouth completely shattered Gōta’s last glimmer of hope.
“Shura, come out.” Orochimaru raised his snake pupils, his gaze sinister, looking toward the deep underground space.
His mind flashed with one Konoha ninja after another, including Anbu and Root ninjas, even special jonin from various families.
But Orochimaru, at forty-one years old, looking back on the first half of his life in Konoha, couldn’t find any Konoha ninja resembling ‘Shura’.
Step—
A footstep came from ahead.
The Iburi clan members respectfully parted to the sides.
“Looks like I win.” Menma walked to Gōta’s side, his tone light and pleased.
Yet carrying an unquestionable authority: “Remember, your clan is now my private property.”
“Yes…… Lord Shura……” Gōta knew well that with their clan’s strength, they couldn’t remain neutral in this ‘war’; they had to side with one.
And Orochimaru had already completely torn with them; for the Iburi Clan to survive, there was no other choice.
Only submission to this lord.
Looking at the opposing ‘Shura’, Orochimaru laughed in extreme anger.
First robbed of Hashirama cells by ‘Shura’, now having the Iburi Clan snatched by ‘Shura’.
Toyed with by ‘Shura’ again and again!
As one of the ‘Sannin’, how could he tolerate such mockery?
“Ten Thousand Snakes Great Formation!” Orochimaru endured the pain in his abdomen, prostrating on the ground, spewing a large number of venomous snakes from his mouth.
Over a hundred arm-thick venomous snakes, each stretching out a sword from their mouths, surged toward Menma and the Iburi Clan like a tide.
At the same time, Orochimaru activated the curse mark, controlling the Iburi Clan to prevent them from entering smoke transformation.
Ah! Ah! Ah!
In an instant, screams filled the cave, the Iburi Clan clutching the curse marks on the backs of their necks in painful wails; even Gōta lost his combat power.
“Shinigami, Celestial Maiden, protect them.” Menma calmly ordered.
Now the Iburi Clan was already Menma’s private property; he didn’t want his property damaged by Orochimaru killing a few.
The Third Shinigami and the Celestial Maiden wielded the scythe and ribbon in their hands, slaughtering the surrounding venomous snakes completely.
These were just ordinary venomous snakes; the two elite jonin-level Nine-Faced Beasts could naturally handle them with ease.
And Menma had already closed in, condensing a pitch-black ‘Spiral Ring’ in his hand; the violent chakra instantly tore a vacuum through the snake tide!
Seeing the opponent’s ninjutsu, feeling that brutal chakra, Orochimaru felt a palpitation.
“Shadow Snake Hand!” Orochimaru’s right hand turned into over a dozen snakes, spreading quickly like vines, trying to bind the enemy opposite, while opening his bloody mouth, revealing sharp fangs.
“Spiral Ring!” Menma raised the Spiral Ring in his hand; extremely compressed dark chakra wrapped with a ring of wind-attribute chakra on the outside, like Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, with huge destructive range, slicing the incoming snakes into countless chunks of flesh.
Seeing the opponent suddenly up close, that huge dark black dango about to smash into him, Orochimaru’s pupils contracted sharply, hands quickly forming hand seals.
“Summoning Jutsu!”
Bang!
Smoke rose from under Orochimaru’s feet.
A purple-bodied, horned giant snake burst out of the smoke.
But the moment it appeared, it was smashed head-on by the Spiral Ring.
“Roar! Orochimaru! You bastard!” Manda let out a shrill hiss, its body forcibly taking the hit from the Spiral Ring.
“I want a hundred sacrifices!” Manda flicked its tongue, threatening resentfully.
The smoke dispersed, revealing a section of Manda’s body blown to bloody pulp, many of its sturdy snake scales blasted off.
