"Raikiri!"
Lightning burst across the ground as Kakashi shot upward from beneath the soil, his right arm glowing with crackling thunder. The moment Souji knocked aside Orochimaru's kunai, Kakashi moved like a bullet fired from the earth.
His target was clear—
Orochimaru.
But Orochimaru reacted with chilling precision. Without even looking, he flicked a hand behind him and—
a massive pale snake slithered out of his sleeve, speeding toward Kakashi.
Kakashi sensed it instantly. With a sharp twist of his wrist, he broke away from their clash and retreated to regain distance.
Souji did not stay to spectate.
The moment Kakashi freed himself, Souji also leapt back, one hand flashing toward his waist. A kunai with a glowing explosive tag appeared between his fingers.
He threw it toward Orochimaru in the same motion he stepped away—
smooth, practiced, efficient.
But Orochimaru remained utterly calm.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall."
His hands formed seals so quickly they blurred. He slammed his palms onto the ground, and—
BOOM!
A towering wall of earth rose instantly, blocking the explosive kunai.
Fire and smoke burst outward. The entire clearing shook.
Kakashi didn't wait for the result.
"Withdraw!" he commanded sharply.
Before he even finished saying the word, Souji was already running.
In fact, Souji was so far ahead that Kakashi saw him leaning on the sword hilt like a cane, sprinting faster than an Olympic athlete.
Kakashi's mouth twitched.
But he couldn't hide the approval in his eyes.
A subordinate who knows how to escape at the right moment is priceless.
Many Anbu ninja lacked that awareness.
---
BUT THEN—
"Where are you going?"
Orochimaru's voice slithered through the trees.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A massive explosion of white smoke filled the air.
When it cleared—
A gigantic purple snake towered above the forest, coiling its body like a living mountain.
Souji stared.
His soul trembled.
Bro… I'm a small fry. A literal fry.
Why do you need this giant monster?
Do I look like someone worth summoning the whole snake clan for?!
And worst of all—
This wasn't some random snake.
This was from Manda's bloodline.
Orochimaru's strongest summons.
Souji felt like he could cry blood.
The great snake coiled its body tightly, compressing like a spring gathering power.
Souji's instincts screamed in warning.
He instantly stopped running and slipped behind Kakashi.
Kakashi turned to ask what he was doing—
But it was too late.
The snake launched forward with terrifying speed.
Kakashi reacted instantly.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow City Wall!"
He slammed both palms onto the ground.
BOOOOM!!!
A massive section of earth surged upward, forming a fortress-like wall. This technique was far larger and stronger than the earlier Earth Wall.
But Souji had one thought:
Kakashi… your chakra is LOW.
Do you really have enough energy left to cast this giant technique?!
Do you plan on fainting right after this?!
Sure enough—
As the wall finished forming—
a human head rose from the ground behind Kakashi.
Orochimaru's mouth opened unnaturally wide.
A sword shot out and—
stabbed straight into Kakashi's abdomen.
Souji froze.
A chill ran from his neck to his toes.
Orochimaru truly lived up to the title of mad scientist.
Why stab someone normally when you can stab them from the dirt?
Kakashi fell backwards, blood splattering the ground.
Souji's heart dropped.
This was bad.
Really bad.
Kakashi was the main fighter.
If he went down—
Souji stood alone against Orochimaru.
Even if he survived, it would only be after losing three layers of skin.
He cursed mentally.
Where is Sarutobi Hiruzen?!
Is that old man deaf now?!
The battle here is louder than the Fourth Great Ninja War!
Even blind people should sense this chaos!!
But no one came.
Only the sound of leaves rustling…
Followed by—
"Shhhhhh—"
A deadly whistle of metal filled the air.
From every direction—
shurikens rained down like a metallic storm.
Ninja tools were more dangerous than jutsu in close combat.
Fast. Precise. Deadly.
Souji didn't flinch.
"Dragon Nest Flash!"
He drew the Third-Generation Ghost Blade in one smooth motion.
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG—!
Dozens of slashes in a second.
His blade moved so quickly it became a blur, deflecting every shuriken.
But Souji sensed something wrong.
White smoke exploded from the cloud of shurikens.
Orochimaru had hidden himself among them.
He shot through the smoke—
kunai raised for the kill.
Souji was ready.
He had kept his legs tense like springs.
The moment the smoke burst—
He pushed off the ground, leaning backward sharply.
His body flew back just as the kunai sliced through the space his throat had been in.
While flipping backward, Souji slashed the ground.
"Earth Dragon Flash!"
His blade tore through the dirt.
Chunks of rock and soil exploded outward, pelting Orochimaru like shotgun pellets.
The forest filled with flying debris.
Orochimaru's figure disappeared behind the dust.
Souji didn't lower his guard.
Kakashi was wounded.
Orochimaru was hunting.
And the Hokage was nowhere in sight.
This was now a battle of survival.
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