"Kill him!" Sasori of the Red Sand's voice was practically dripping with venom.
"Universal Pull!" Nagato's soft shout echoed through the cave as he raised his palm. The Rinnegan in his eyes flared, and a terrifying gravitational force locked onto the escaping Orochimaru.
This kid...
Orochimaru realized the situation. Nagato wasn't sick anymore. It wasn't Tsunade's doing; Shirou must have healed him. And that Yin Seal...
Shirou probably taught her that, too! He'd forgotten—Tsunade may have developed the technique, but he was likely her guide from childhood!
As Orochimaru was yanked back, sheets of origami paper swarmed him, one of them clearly a paper bomb.
"Die!" Konan's palm shot up. The paper bomb detonated.
But in that split second, Orochimaru's mouth gaped open, and a long snake shot out. From that snake's mouth, another Orochimaru emerged, this one with a snake tail for legs, slithering away at an incredible speed.
"Don't even think about escaping!" Sasori roared, giving chase. He couldn't care less about the power shifts in the Akatsuki; his desire to kill Orochimaru was all that mattered.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Orochimaru's hands flew through seals. A massive brown python erupted from the smoke, its jaws wide open to swallow Sasori.
"You're really bringing out this petty trick?" Sasori scoffed. Chakra threads shot from his fingers, instantly dicing the python into several pieces. Blood splattered everywhere, but Sasori charged through it fearlessly. He knew he couldn't let Orochimaru go.
Tendo Pain, Nagato, and Konan followed closely behind, taking flight almost simultaneously. A lineup like this was enough to flatten a ninja village, let alone hunt down one man.
"Hmph," Orochimaru raised his fingers, intending to try and control the reanimated Shirou. But the connection was severed. The man had already broken free of the Edo Tensei.
As expected, he gritted his teeth.
The jutsu is completely useless on him!
Atop the Demonic Statue, Shirou calmly finished breaking the jutsu's control. This time, he didn't need any tricks. He'd even mastered the technique himself from Tobirama's memories.
A black receiver materialized in his hand and he threw it. It struck Orochimaru's shoulder, instantly blocking his chakra flow. Orochimaru ripped it out and scrambled away.
"Orochimaru!" White paper swirled around Konan as she transformed into a paper angel, her voice as cold as ice. "You cannot escape today!"
"That remains to be seen," Orochimaru hissed, spitting a cloud of purple poison mist at them.
"It's poisonous!" Nagato warned. "Wind Style: Airflow Scramble!"
He quickly formed seals, and a gust of wind blew the poison away. In this narrow cave, a powerful jutsu could easily bring the whole place down.
Orochimaru knew this. He knew he couldn't just run; they would hunt him endlessly. Three Rinnegan users... it was a death sentence. But staying was also a slow death.
His hands came together. When it came to self-preservation, he was second to none. The next moment, his body dissolved into countless white snakes, slithering into every crack and crevice. The Akatsuki members' scalps tingled. They couldn't find him. Or rather, every snake could be him.
"I'll go outside and sense his whereabouts," Tendo Pain declared, charging out. "The moment I sense a snake, I'll kill it! Konan, let's go!"
Nagato and Konan followed. Sasori, gritting his teeth in hatred, charged out after them.
"If he spreads the news about the Akatsuki and Lord Emiya..." Kakuzu began, black threads of Earth Grudge Fear emerging from his body.
"That won't happen," Shirou said, leaping down from the statue. His palm landed gently on the ground. The entire cave floor began to tremble.
Outside, Nagato and the others felt the vibration. Nagato rubbed his forehead. "How did I forget I can use Earth Style? It seems I've been relying too much on the power of the Rinnegan."
"That's not it," Konan comforted him. "At least you still remembered to use a Wind Style jutsu just now."
Inside, the crevices in the ground were shrinking, crushing the snake clones one by one. Finally, one white snake couldn't take it anymore. It scurried out from a hidden corner and spat out Orochimaru's body.
A flash of green light pierced his eyes. A blade of chakra, tens of meters long, shot through his chest, pinning him to the wall. Chakra Scalpel.
Only one person in the Akatsuki could wield it with such terrifying precision. And his sensory ability... the moment Orochimaru appeared, the blade was already there.
"Cough," Orochimaru spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Surrender," Shirou said, walking towards him. "You should know you are by no means my opponent."
The corner of Orochimaru's eye twitched. This man, Shirou, exuded an aura of absolute command.
And his confidence... how confident was he in his own power to say such words?
Orochimaru gritted his teeth, his neck suddenly stretching out, his mouth open to bite. He also spat out a strange-looking paper tag.
"Earth Style: Earth Spear!" Kakuzu stepped in front of Shirou, his fist turning pitch black as he punched Orochimaru's head.
Bang! The head snapped back.
"Shinra Tensei," a repulsive force appeared in Shirou's palm, but it was controlled with such subtlety, it just squeezed Orochimaru's body, pushing him against the cliff wall.
"Pfft," Orochimaru felt his already damaged organs being crushed. He hurriedly opened his mouth, and another Orochimaru emerged. Body Replacement. It saved him, but it consumed a massive amount of chakra.
Bang!
The green blade slashed again, just as he shed his old skin. It was even sharper this time, always striking when his vigilance was at its lowest. His body was severed, but countless fine snakes sprouted from the wounds, wrapping him back together.
Swish!
The Chakra Scalpel swung again, severing one of his arms. Blood finally splashed out.
"It seems you are not immortal," a hint of realization appeared in Shirou's voice.
"Hah," Orochimaru breathed heavily, clutching his arm. He had been completely suppressed. Unable to resist.
How did such a terrifying figure become a medical ninja? That girl Tsunade learned from him since she was a child, how come she couldn't learn to do this!
He knew he could recover, but he couldn't possibly dodge Shirou's attacks.
A hint of fear flashed in his eyes, but a smile appeared on his lips. "As expected of a ninja from the ancient era. Your sensory abilities are terrifying. Your control over the Rinnegan is even better than Pain's. Your scalpel technique always strikes when I am unable to resist."
"Then are you ready to accept your fate?" Shirou's eyes lifted. "Before the Akatsuki's plan is truly implemented, I cannot let you pass on the information."
At this moment, he was not a medical ninja. He was the decisive, ruthless controller of the Akatsuki.
"I have never passed on any information to Konoha," Orochimaru said helplessly. "I have long since defected. I was never a spy. I just thought you might have a favorable impression of Konoha ninjas, so I tried to deceive you. It's really just a misunderstanding."
"Is that so? But it's a pity," Shirou's gaze turned cold. He raised his palm, the Chakra Scalpel glowing again. "In the two times I was resurrected, both you and the Konoha ninjas deceived and used me. I will no longer believe you."
Orochimaru's heart felt as if it had been struck by lightning. "This is really... the sins of my predecessors," a bitter smile appeared on his lips. He hadn't expected Tobirama's deception to have turned this noble person into someone so full of suspicion.
"If you have someone to blame, then go blame the ninjas of Konoha. Blame Tobirama, blame Danzo, blame Hiruzen," the Chakra Scalpel solidified, his killing intent released without reservation.
"If you were really a spy sent by Danzo, perhaps you would still have some intelligence value. Unfortunately, you are no longer worthy of trust, and have no value at all."
"Wait!" Cold sweat broke out on Orochimaru's forehead. He immediately sold out his ally without a second thought. "I can really provide some information on Danzo! I can even help you trick him! When I was in Konoha, Danzo was always my ally! In a sense, I can become a spy sent by Danzo at any time!"
A smile appeared on his lips again. "And if you give me some time, I can even become a spy sent by you to Danzo's side. I know he deceived you and has used that power to do many things that would disgust you."
Selling out an ally gave Orochimaru no psychological burden. If it could save his life, he would do it without hesitation. His morals had always been below the horizon, even within the Akatsuki.
He could sell out his allies on a normal day; at a time like this, what was the point of keeping them?
Anyway, Danzo was no good either.
Shirou frowned, falling into thought.
"Lord Emiya," Kakuzu disapproved. "A dangerous person like Orochimaru, it's better to execute him."
"Dangerous?" Shirou glanced at Orochimaru, who was miserably clutching his severed arm, his face still showing some lingering panic.
Orochimaru's expression was faintly unsightly. This man's gaze was really a bit impolite.
Am I very weak? At least I'm much stronger than Sasori of the Red Sand, right?