BOOM—!
The explosion of energy shattered the laboratory floor like glass. The Raikage's body was blown backward, crashing through the wreckage.
Hinata didn't let up. She sprinted after Orochimaru, catching him just as he turned to flee. She grabbed him by the head, flipped gracefully over him, and slammed him into the wall. The Kusanagi Sword whistled past her face, narrowly missing as she twisted out of its path.
The entire wall crumbled under the force.
Chunks of stone rained down, but Hinata didn't pause. She lunged again, closing the distance between them.
"Your opponent is the Third Raikage, not me!" Orochimaru hissed, darting aside, trying to buy time.
Hinata's expression remained cold. "That's just your opinion. I don't take orders from you."
Orochimaru's eyes flicked to the side—and he froze. The Third Raikage was being held at bay by only two puppets. Two? he thought. Where's the third one—?
A sudden chill crept up his spine.
"Looking around won't help you," came Hinata's soft, icy voice.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
Before she could finish the technique, Orochimaru melted into the ground with a Substitution Earth Clone, narrowly escaping the barrage.
Hinata didn't stop. She slammed her palm into the floor, and the resulting shockwave tore through the room.
The ground fractured, debris exploded outward, and a thunderous rumble filled the chamber as dust and shattered rock engulfed everything.
The entire underground facility trembled violently—on the brink of collapse.
…
Orochimaru commanded the Third Raikage forward, paying no mind to the two puppets attacking him. After all, the reanimated Raikage could not die—ordinary damage meant nothing.
Hinata arched a brow and directed her own puppets into motion.
Her side held the advantage in numbers—three against two—while Orochimaru's advantage lay in invulnerability. The two combatants balanced each other out. The Raikage and Orochimaru's undead durability made them fearless of conventional damage, while Hinata and her puppets relied on precision—each Gentle Fist strike aimed to seal chakra points and restrict movement.
Orochimaru frequently slipped underground, using his earth-style techniques to evade Hinata's assaults, leaving the Raikage to engage her directly. However, Hinata refused to allow him such comfort. With her Byakugan, she relentlessly tracked Orochimaru's every move, forcing him out from beneath the earth each time he attempted to hide.
The battle fell into a tense stalemate.
"Hehehe… this is the power of Impure World Reincarnation," Orochimaru taunted, his tone laced with pride. "An immortal body and limitless chakra—if this continues, victory will be mine!"
He glanced at her glowing form, the shimmering chakra cloak surrounding her. "But what is this? A chakra-based armor? Fascinating! The power it grants you is truly astonishing. To think it could enhance your abilities to this extent…"
His grin widened. "My curiosity about you grows stronger by the second. The Hyuga clan may have a long history, but no record mentions a transformation like yours. Once I capture you, I'll study you carefully."
Hinata met his gaze, her tone calm but sharp. "You think you've already won?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Orochimaru sneered. "Without someone to save you, you'll never defeat the reanimated Third Raikage!"
Hinata rolled her eyes slightly—not that anyone could tell, given their natural pale hue.
Outwardly, Orochimaru appeared composed, but unease twisted within him. Something was wrong. Something was missing.
The third puppet.
Where had it gone? And what was it doing?
Because the puppet was an inanimate construct, devoid of warmth or chakra signature, Orochimaru's temperature-sensing abilities were useless against it. The uncertainty unsettled him.
The battle's intensity grew until the underground facility finally collapsed under their combined power. Walls crumbled, and for the first time, Orochimaru could clearly see the entire battlefield.
The ground of the island was covered in intricate incantations—countless sealing runes and ritual circles lined with unlit candles. And there, at the island's perimeter, the missing puppet was revealed—its metallic fingers carving symbols into the earth.
Hinata bit the tip of her right thumb, pressed it against her left palm, and drew a blood-red circle that extended to the back of her hand. Forming hand seals in swift succession, she pressed her glowing palm to the ground and whispered softly,
"Seal—Activate."
Buzz!
The carvings beneath the puppet pulsed to life, light surging outward as the runes expanded and merged seamlessly into the ground. The Ten-Tails' chakra flowing through Hinata amplified the seal's potency severalfold.
Orochimaru looked down, an odd mix of intrigue and irritation crossing his face as the ground solidified, preventing him from escaping underground.
"So that's it…" he muttered.
Hinata smiled faintly. "Now you can't burrow away anymore."
Without hesitation, she surged forward once more, her body blurring into motion.
Orochimaru retreated in haste, commanding the Third Raikage to intercept her. But the three puppets intercepted him first, moving in perfect coordination.
The Impure World Reincarnation granted immortality, and the puppets—being lifeless constructs—knew no fear of death. Hinata didn't expect them to overpower the Raikage; she only needed them to hold him off long enough for her to focus on Orochimaru.
Orochimaru backed away until he stood near Sasuke's unconscious form. Then he stopped retreating, flashing through hand seals. "Ninja Art: Ten Thousand Snake Formation!"
A torrent of serpents erupted from his mouth—thousands upon thousands, slithering over one another in a grotesque wave. The chamber filled with the sound of hissing, their blades gleaming and their venom dripping thickly.
Hinata didn't falter. She dashed headlong into the swarm, her Ten-Tails chakra cloak shielding her from the blades and poison. The serpents' fangs and weapons shattered harmlessly against her glowing form.
Orochimaru's smirk faltered for a moment. Just as Hinata broke through the swarm, he glanced at Sasuke and barked, "Sasuke! Help me form the hand seals!"
Sasuke, coughing blood, staggered to his feet. His entire body screamed in pain, but Orochimaru's relentless orders pressed against his mind.
Then—suddenly—his movements shifted.
Without warning, Sasuke's fist shot forward, slamming into Orochimaru's face. Before the Sannin could react, Sasuke followed with a spinning kick that struck the same spot, sending him flying.
Orochimaru's eyes widened in disbelief. "Y-You—!"
Sasuke's expression was equally shocked. His body had moved on its own, as if someone—or something—had seized control!
Orochimaru was sent hurtling directly toward Hinata.
Hinata unfurled a scroll and tossed it onto the ground, revealing a complex sealing array inscribed within.
She shifted into her Gentle Fist stance, then launched forward—her palms glowing.
"Eight Trigrams—Two Hundred Fifty-Six Palms!"
Her strikes landed in a blur, pummeling Orochimaru midair. Each palm strike sealed chakra points across his body with surgical precision. As he fell, she then attacked again using her rabbit-hair needles—embedding them to reinforce the sealed chakra points.
Orochimaru tried to sink into the earth again, but Hinata anticipated it, directing her puppets through chakra threads to disrupt his escape.
Predicting his fall trajectory perfectly, she stepped forward, pinning him in place with her foot on his chest. Her hands blurred through seals, and her right palm glowed brilliantly.
"Seal!"
The intricate sealing script from the scroll surged upward, the ink twisting into living tendrils of light. The swirling characters wrapped around Orochimaru, spreading across his body like molten chains.
"You studied sealing techniques specifically for me," Orochimaru said hoarsely, his voice weakening.
Hinata's tone was calm, resolute. "It's the perfect counter to you."
Orochimaru's form convulsed as his body was absorbed into the scroll. The sealing array on the parchment changed—new markings formed, depicting a monstrous, multi-headed serpent etched into the design, its eyes glaring fiercely.
Hinata exhaled, lowering her hands. "Did… it work?"
The Ten Thousand Snake Formation dissipated, the serpents fading into smoke. But the reanimated Third Raikage still stood, motionless but active.
Hinata glanced toward him, her expression contemplative. So… sealing truly is the key.
She bent down to retrieve the scroll.
Then—Crack!
A sharp noise made her flinch. She froze, eyes darting toward the source.
CRACK, CRACK, CRACK—
BOOM!
The seal shattered. From within the scroll burst a colossal serpent—eight massive heads roaring in unison, shaking the very air.
The monstrous form of Orochimaru's Eight-Headed Serpent Technique loomed before her.
"Hehehe…" Orochimaru's mocking laughter echoed from within the creature. "Did you really think such a simple seal could contain me, Byakugan Princess? Naïve. You've come this far—now, let's see if you can survive. You're not leaving here alive!"
Hinata stared at the titanic beast, silent and unflinching.
After a brief pause, she recalled her puppets with a wave. They returned to her side, and she sealed them swiftly into a scroll. Then she exhaled deeply, shifted into a defensive stance—
—before abruptly turning and running.
"..."
Orochimaru blinked, momentarily stunned. Then realization dawned, and a twisted grin spread across his face.
"So that's how it is… running away, are we?" he hissed, his serpentine laughter echoing across the ruined island as he gave chase.
…
Hinata deftly evaded the Third Raikage blocking her path, her hands moving rapidly through a sequence of seals. In an instant, the intricate formation beneath her feet shifted—the ground-sealing barrier transformed into a wide-area barrier that covered the entire island.
She passed through the shimmering wall effortlessly, while the Third Raikage and Orochimaru slammed against it, unable to follow.
By the time the barrier finally cracked and shattered under the Raikage's overwhelming strength, Hinata was already far away—her small vessel gliding over the sea's surface, leaving behind the two trapped men and their echoes of frustration.