"The poison mist is retreating!" Tsunade noticed first, her expression shifting immediately.
"The toxicity is overwhelming. I can't summon these small snakes anymore," Orochimaru said heavily.
"We can't afford to waste time. Let's pursue them," Jiraiya declared, unusually decisive. "If we keep searching much longer, we might not make it out alive."
"After them!"
Orochimaru didn't hesitate this time, advancing deeper down the path.
Although all his summoned snakes had vanished, their memories before disappearing were transmitted back to him, so they knew exactly which direction Shishio and Sakumo had taken.
"They've regrouped. Be careful."
After escaping with Shishio into an area where the poison weakened, Sakumo finally stopped and glanced behind.
"This is the edge of the range. We'll ambush them here."
Shishio said calmly.
"Right."
Sakumo nodded, rifling through his pockets.
After some time, he pulled out a small shuriken and handed several kunai to Shishio — spoils he had gathered earlier in the lab.
"This sword is for you. It's a chakra weapon."
Shishio also passed over his own weapon. Though he himself was skilled in swordsmanship, it paled in comparison to the refined techniques of the Hatake Clan.
Sakumo accepted it and infused it with chakra for testing.
Instantly—
Zzzzt!
Silver lightning surged forth, radiating an intense, terrifying pressure.
Soon after, he withdrew the chakra from the blade.
"You lie in wait and ambush them. If we can eliminate one opponent, we'll have even odds."
"Tsunade is troublesome."
Sakumo frowned. Though he'd never fought alongside Tsunade before, the physical resilience and regeneration ability of the Senju Clan were unrealistically terrifying.
Moreover, neither Orochimaru nor Jiraiya were easy opponents.
The plan sounded simple enough, but execution would be extremely difficult.
"Ignore Tsunade for now. Our target should be Jiraiya. He's just a bit weaker than the others."
Shishio burned with fighting spirit.
After all, winning or losing wasn't everything — it was just for kicks — but how often did you get a chance like this to face off against Orochimaru's group?
After a moment's thought, Sakumo said, "One strike. If it fails, retreat immediately."
"Naturally. At the very least, we mustn't let them obtain the antidote. As long as we survive until the end, once detoxified, we win."
That line perfectly captured the essence of a dark, calculating villain.
Gripping the Raijin Sword tightly, Sakumo concealed himself behind a rock.
Using Transformation Jutsu, he blended nearly perfectly with the surrounding rocks thanks to his well-hidden position. At a glance, there was no sign of him being there at all.
For him, all that mattered was getting one chance for a killing blow.
Shortly afterward, Sakumo heard overlapping footsteps echoing from the sandstone passage.
Soon after, several figures dashed down the narrow trail pursued closely by multiple puppets.
[Chikamatsu Collection!]
However—
These puppets were missing limbs or half-destroyed, their combat effectiveness nowhere near what it had originally been.
"What terrifying power! Even the puppets were beaten into such a state. Definitely cannot confront this guy head-on."
Shishio muttered to himself, a growing sense of dread telling him that killing Tsunade wouldn't be easy after all.
Sakumo didn't look, focusing his breath and spirit for the ultimate strike.
The trio chased out, entangled by the Chikamatsu Collection midway but managed to break through forcefully.
Until reaching the exit, they saw Shishio standing there.
Tsunade stopped, a cautious expression on her face.
"Shishio, why are you alone?"
Orochimaru chuckled lightly, walking ahead as if he were completely unguarded.
"One of me is enough. Since I'm Sakumo's teammate, it's my job to hold you back while he takes the antidote pill."
Shishio smiled faintly.
"You think we're that stupid?!" Jiraiya roared, forming hand seals before slamming both palms downward.
[Earth Release: Yōmu Swamp!]
A wide area Earth Ninjutsu transformed the sand and earth ahead into muddy swamp, causing rocks to collapse and sink.
The terrain had changed!
Sakumo kept his eyes closed, sensing their positions. As the last rock vanished,
[Chidori Blade!]
Massive chakra surged into the Raijin Sword, condensing lightning into a silvery-white blade of light.
He stepped on a rock, leaping—within the blink of an eye, rushing forward from hiding straight to Orochimaru's position.
One slash—and a head rolled.
Without pause, the blade kept going, charging toward Jiraiya next.
Jiraiya was still maintaining the Yōmu Swamp, unable to dodge in time. Fortunately—
Boom!
Tsunade swung her leg, kicking him away from the spot.
But the attacking Sakumo didn't even turn around.
Or rather, he couldn't—he had to follow through without hesitation.
A slash of silver light.
Tsunade's leg bore a bloody gash. Jiraiya flew backward, quickly dipping fingers into his blood, then pressing them to the ground.
[Summoning Technique!]
A toad appeared, but it couldn't withstand the combined might of Raijin Sword and Chidori Blade.
Poof!
The toad vanished. The sword's chakra was highly concentrated, blazing like silver light.
In the blink of an eye, Jiraiya's shoulder was severed.
"Aaargh!"
Pain-filled screams echoed. Clutching his severed arm, he writhed in agony.
Indeed,
while no one could truly die inside this illusion, the pain was as real as it got.
Sweat drenched his brow—he was seconds away from losing it completely.
Yet, having just used Chidori Blade, Sakumo couldn't use it again immediately, barely able to move either.
Shishio hesitated, then quickly recovered.
He hurled shuriken to block Tsunade's advance, simultaneously springing upward from his spot.
Missing Shishio, Orochimaru erupted from the earth, hands flashing through seals. His mouth expanded, firing a powerful air blast.
[Wind Release: Great Vacuum Cannon!]
A chaotic battle broke out at the most inconvenient place.
Tsunade's leg injury temporarily disabled movement, yet Jiraiya was in graver danger.
His arm was gone.
To a ninja, losing an arm meant losing the ability to use ninjutsu—and on top of that, there was poison in play.
Gasping for breath, Sakumo glanced back, then threw a kunai, piercing Jiraiya's other leg.
He didn't dare get any closer.
A dying ninja's last-ditch counterattack could gravely wound him.
"Ahh!!! Damn it! My hand can't do any jutsu anymore!"
Jiraiya screamed out in agony—his biggest regret wasn't the pain, but losing the use of his hand.
Useless without ninjutsu—completely helpless.
"So you really are Sakumo. So you chose to fight—that ends here!"
Tsunade's chakra surged.
Her wounds healed fast—one moment a deep gash, the next, the bleeding had already stopped.
Freaking monstrous—just like the Senju.
Sakumo cursed under his breath. He knew there was no way he could defeat Tsunade quickly, so he turned and fled.
His move deviated from Shishio's strategy, but having heavily injured Jiraiya, they had at least partially achieved their goal.
Shishio twisted midair, using his armor's front plating to block the [Great Vacuum Cannon], simultaneously using the technique's impact force to retreat quickly.
"He actually took the hit just to escape..." Orochimaru was somewhat taken aback.
Even with protective battle gear, there's absolutely no way to completely prevent all damage.
"You go on ahead! I'm a goner anyway!" Jiraiya tremblingly reached for a kunai with his shaking right hand. He knew he was doomed, dragging down his teammates was something he absolutely wouldn't do.
So...
"You idiot!" Tsunade hesitated for a moment, muttered angrily, then prepared to save him.
But
With a sharp hiss!
Jiraiya stabbed himself, completing the suicide instantaneously.
"Go."
Without hesitation, Orochimaru kept chasing.
Their advantage lay in fast recovery. If they allowed their opponent time to rest, the upcoming battle would become even harder.
Moreover, this poison mist was contracting again.
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