"Boom!"
One foot slammed heavily onto the ground, the crisp sound of explosion echoing as a figure instantly vanished, turning into a twisted residual shadow in the air.
Hunter's face was grim, his breath hurried, stubbornly sprinting forward.
Fires flashed beneath his feet, the recoil from the explosion propelling him onward as the scenery on both sides sped by. With the addition of his "exploding steps," he had unleashed an unimaginable speed.
This velocity was nearing madness; he was either fleeing for his life or… hunting!
Until a tree, lush with foliage, appeared in his line of sight. A glint finally flickered in Hunter's cold eyes.
He stomped down, his whole body shooting out like lightning, fist clenched at his waist, roaring in anger:
"You're dead, Ghost! Explosive Release: Landmine Fist!"
"Boom!"
The moment his fist made contact with the tree bark, Hunter's explosive chakra surged violently, infusing the furious energy, and the massive tree that could be embraced by four people instantly shattered, dust rising as splinters flew everywhere.
A man's figure crawled out from beneath the fallen trunk, rolling to the ground and lying weakly.
He wore Konoha battle attire, his silver-gray long hair in disarray, gasping heavily as his small abdomen, chest, and left leg were pierced with scattered wooden fragments, the fabric beneath stained with crimson blood.
"You're the infamous Ghost?" Hunter walked step by step towards him, casting a towering gaze downwards.
Katō Dan struggled to prop himself up, lifting his head with difficulty, blood still hanging from the corner of his mouth, clearly showing that he had been severely injured by the previous explosion.
"Your spirit's strength can't shake my soul, but it's such a pity for all my subordinates…" Hunter's voice was low, "A ninja who erases souls… worthy of remembrance. Tell me your name."
"My name is… Katō Dan…"
"Good, then, Katō Dan, I will erect a tombstone for you." Hunter raised his fist, his aura swirling around him, "Now, you can go die!"
Suddenly, a white snake lunged out like a ghost, biting into Hunter's arm, then jerked violently, forcibly altering the direction of his punch.
His fist slammed into the ground, causing a tremendous roar.
"What!"
Hunter's eyes narrowed, gritting his teeth against the intense pain in his shoulder, he swung his fist at the white snake's head, but it deftly dodged, and a snake tail took the opportunity to coil around his waist.
"Explosive Release: Great Explosion Wave—"
The white snake swung its tail, using brute force to fling Hunter far away, slamming him into dense thickets. Following a loud bang, the shockwave transformed into a gale that swept through the forest.
"What is…?"
Katō Dan weakly raised his gaze, only to see the white snake slithering in front of him, slowly opening its mouth wide.
The mouth opened to an exaggerated extent, and just as Katō Dan was bewildered, a pair of pale, long hands reached out from the snake's mouth, pulling apart the jaws of the white snake, and a living person crawled out, coming into view before Katō Dan.
With wet, black long hair, a face pale as bone, and a faintly sinister smile at the corner of his mouth, his pure white snake outfit billowed slightly in the chilly air.
"It's been a long time, Katō Dan." Orochimaru emerged from the snake's mouth, stretching lazily.
"You are…" Katō Dan warily scrutinized the young man before him, trying to discern his identity.
"What? Has it been too long that you can't even remember an old classmate?" Orochimaru laughed, arms spread wide, his voice hoarse.
"Old classmate…" Katō Dan gazed at Orochimaru's face in confusion, suddenly struck by a realization as the visage overlapped with that of a genius boy from his memories, "Orochimaru!"
Orochimaru licked his lips. "That's right, it's worth it to save you once."
Suddenly, Katō Dan's pupils constricted in terror as he shouted: "Watch out behind you!"
No need for his warning; Orochimaru turned just in time, narrowly avoiding a fist that whizzed past him, his amber slit pupils reflecting Hunter's furious face.
Seeing Hunter charging towards Katō Dan, Orochimaru opened his mouth, and his long tongue whipped out like a serpent, coiling around Hunter's neck.
He yanked back sharply, and Hunter stumbled, losing his balance.
Seizing this opportunity, Orochimaru thrust out a palm. As the wind swirled around his hand, a point of blue light glowed, rapidly condensing into a bright blue chakra ball, which he pressed against Hunter's chest with a sharp buzz.
"Boom!"
The blue light burst forth, a powerful torque instantly enveloping Hunter's body, sending him flying out like a kite with its string cut, crashing again into a distant thicket.
"You… you have defected, haven't you?" Katō Dan struggled to prop himself up, weakly speaking, "Why did you save me?"
"What? Feel embarrassed to be saved by a rogue ninja like me?" Orochimaru tilted his head slightly. "If you don't like it, I can just kill you again."
As Orochimaru spoke, the white-scaled viper slowly crawled towards Katō Dan, its cold body gliding over his skin inch by inch, finally resting on his chest, lifting its head slightly, its pair of slit pupils flashing with predatory light.
Katō Dan couldn't help but swallow hard, not daring to say another word.
Orochimaru, the paranoid and reclusive genius, had a quirky personality since his youth, quietly defecting from Konoha. Now, as an adult, it was no surprise if he suddenly erupted into violence.
Orochimaru couldn't be bothered to respond, turning his head as he stepped forward. "And… my target is…"
"Explosive Release: Thunder Flash!"
Hunter returned, transforming into an indistinguishable residual shadow as he pounced forward, his palms together, strong blasts erupting rhythmically, instantly destroying the trees in his path.
Orochimaru's hands clapped together, then pulled apart again, the airflow swirling around him, once more executing the "Rasengan," but this time, the Rasengan had expanded dozens of times!
"Great Rasengan!"
He raised his palms, pushing forward, the dazzling blue light illuminating the forest as the "Rasengan" acted as a shield before him, regardless of Hunter's brutal charge.
"Boom boom boom!"
The explosions continued unabated, the deafening sounds filled his ears as the airwaves surged violently, the harsh winds blowing away everything within a ten-meter radius!
When the explosions subsided, Orochimaru stood there unfazed, while Hunter had been blasted over a dozen meters away, the ground between them severely damaged, black smoke swirling everywhere.
"Has Konoha's reinforcements arrived? Dammit! I won't concede!" Hunter wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, feeling a painful heat in his chest from taking the "Rasengan" head-on.
"You seem to have misunderstood something." Orochimaru tilted his head, "I have nothing to do with Konoha, nor with this boring war. I am here for you."
"Stop joking!" Hunter gritted his teeth in anger, "I won't be fooled; you all can go die!"
"Tsk tsk, you can still move." Orochimaru cracked his neck, sizing up Hunter, "What a nuisance. Since I can't kill you, I'll just leave you with a little breath."