After Jasper's voice echoed across the clearing, not a single one appeared.
Alex observed him carefully, noting that the way Jasper was staring forward told Alex that Jasper was sensing if or when Orochimaru would reveal himself or not.
But nothing happened. No response and no movement from the hideout. Jasper's smirk faded, and he clenched his fist.
"This is a bad idea," William said. "We should be careful. Oro's not someone we can just approach like this."
Jasper still didn't look away from the entrance. The others were ready to call him out on such a stupid tactic, but he suddenly began rising toward the sky.
"What're you doing?!" Margaret shouted from below.
His body sparkled with purple electricity as crackles danced across his skin like arcs of lightning. The glow intensified, and the air seemed to vibrate for a second.
"Jasper!" Alice yelled. "You don't need to go that far!"
The crackling grew louder. The purple electricity surged around Jasper's body, then burst outward in a violent display. Alice's and Alex's eyes widened in alarm.
"Get back!" Alice shouted.
Her voice was urgent as she quickly reached out, pushing the others to retreat.
"What the heck is his problem?!" William asked while running.
But Jasper was deaf to their protests. His hand rose, and he amplified the electricity, drawing it all into himself. The sky behind him seemed to darken as the storm of chakra intensified.
Jada's Sharingan instinctively activated. Her eyes widened as she watched the dense, swirling mass of lightning forming around him. She could see how thick the chakra was, how much power he was forcibly channeling into this attack.
"Whoa," Alex muttered. "He's being for real."
"Is he going to nuke the hideout?!" Margaret wondered.
The ground practically trembled under the force of the lightning storm as a deafening crack echoed across the area. Jasper was ready to unleash the attack.
"Lightning style: lightning clone…!" In an instant, five figures materialized amid the storm of crackling lightning. They hovered next to him and looked down at the entrance. Then they activated the same technique: "Cry of the raijin...!"
The five Jaspers clenched their fists, condensing purple lightning into their palms. With a synchronized motion, they thrust their fists forward, unleashing a wave of power. Multiple blinding bolts of lightning shot down from the sky, striking the entire hideout in a flash.
The explosion was deafening, like a blinding flash of white and purple illuminating the night.
The force of the attack shattered the remaining walls and collapsed the structure into a deep cavern filled with broken debris and scorched earth.
The air was thick with smoke and dust, causing the group below to widen their eyes as they stared at the aftermath.
Margaret was stunned by the sheer magnitude of Jasper's attack.
"Did you see that?" she asked, voice trembling. "That was… that was insane."
Jasper's clones had dispersed moments after the attack was unleashed. He descended slowly with his body crackling from the residual lightning. And from the look of his satisfied grin, he seemed more than capable of unleashing that technique again.
"That should bring him out," he casually said upon touching the ground.
The others quickly approached. William looked at the wreckage, then back at Jasper.
"Seriously… how did you know that technique?" he asked.
Why he was so interested was because "Cry of the raijin" was from Boruto; it shouldn't exist in this world, per se.
"If that surprised you," Jasper chuckled after brushing dust from his shoulders, "then you're definitely not on my level."
William blinked and was unable to make a comeback.
"No way you can use techniques from Boruto!" Margaret commented.
"Who knows?" Jasper shrugged. "Maybe I'm just more special than you realized?"
Before anyone could respond, a deep rumble vibrated through the ground. The dust fully settled, and a figure slowly emerged from the dust cloud: Orochimaru, walking out of the wreckage with a calm, composed expression.
From what everyone remembered of this snake, he was still one of the legendary Sannin, renowned for his unparalleled ninjutsu and his obsession with uncovering the world's deepest secrets.
His ultimate goal is immortality, driven by a desire to live long enough to learn every technique and decode all the mysteries of life. This relentless pursuit of knowledge led him down a dark path of unethical experiments and body modifications, making him one of the most feared and enigmatic figures in the shinobi world.
Orochimaru's childhood was marked by tragedy and brilliance. Orphaned at a young age, he was taken under the wing of Hiruzen Sarutobi, alongside Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Despite his prodigious talent, Tsunade noted his twisted personality even as a child, possibly stemming from the loss of his parents. A snake that appeared near his parents' grave became a symbol of rebirth and fortune for him, inspiring his obsession with forbidden jutsu.
As a young ninja, he distinguished himself during the Second Shinobi World War, fighting Hanzō and earning him the Sannin title. His exceptional skill saw him participate in major conflicts, including the Third Shinobi World War, where his performance was so outstanding that he was considered a candidate for Hokage.
His ambition, however, would eventually lead him to darker pursuits beyond his duties for the village.
After joining the Anbu and Root, his ambitions grew more sinister. Working under Danzō Shimura, he conducted illegal experiments, including attempting to recreate Hashirama's wood style by kidnapping children and implanting the first Hokage's DNA.
These acts eventually drew the ire of Hiruzen, who caught him in the act but chose to let him escape rather than execute him due to the recognized potential.
Now today, this same legendary shinobi was staring at the players with anger and surprise.
Behind him was Kabuto, adjusting his glasses and watching the scene with a calculating look. A couple hundred Sound ninjas also emerged from the shadows, surrounding the area.
Orochimaru's gaze swept over the group. He looked no different than the last time the group saw him in the Leaf Village: pallid skin, golden slit-pupiled eyes, and long, black hair.
His arms were also intact and unsealed, giving players like William the impression that Orochimaru had already used the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique to restore his body.
Their hope was that he hadn't used it on Sasuke Uchiha.
Orochimaru's expression darkened, but he quickly masked his emotions. He was neither impressed nor intimidated; instead, he looked curious.
"I didn't think the Leaf would show up here," he said in a smooth voice tinged with irritation. "And I must say, after that display, I'm somewhat surprised…"
"We came to stop you," Jada said, stepping a little forward.
"Yeah," Margaret added. "Don't play dumb after reviving everyone."
Orochimaru's eyes flicked over her, then to William. He recognized them instantly—the two responsible for foiling his plans during the invasion.
After that look of recognition crossed his face, he settled into a smirk.
"Margaret Senju and William Uzumaki…" Kabuto commented. "How nostalgic to be seeing you two again."
"The feeling's mutual!" William replied.
"As much as I'd love to entertain your ideas," Orochimaru scoffed, "you're beginning to be quite the thorn in my side. Perhaps I should finish you off right now."
Now the group was confused. Was he really playing dumb or did he honestly have nothing to do with the revival of those from the Leaf Village?
Alex's voice cut through, declaring, "It seems like you don't know anything. But that doesn't mean we're not leaving without Sasuke and Jiraiya."
"And just who might you be?" Orochimaru asked, studying him carefully.
"That's Alexander Hyūga," Kabuto firmly answered. "Last we heard, he's next in line to lead the Hyūga clan."
Orochimaru's smile widened; he liked the idea of a specimen with a Kekkei Genkai.
"To think your group blew up our base looking for someone that isn't even here," Kabuto mocked.
The group exchanged glances because now something was severely off. Why was Kabuto implying that Jiraiya wasn't here?
"You can stop playing mind games," William tried, "and at least tell us what you did with Jiraiya-sensei."
But Orochimaru ignored him, and his gaze flicked to Jada because she still had her Sharingan active. "Maybe Jiraiya is here, and maybe he's not. I simply don't care to tell you. But I do find your persistence amusing."
"Whether you're implying Jiraiya's here or not," Alice argued, "that's not gonna stop us from taking back Sasuke."
Orochimaru looked toward Kabuto, who explained that the person making such a bold declaration was Alice Yamanaka from the Yamanaka clan. Orochimaru himself didn't find any interest in her whatsoever until Kabuto revealed her impeccable sensing abilities.
"That's a shame," Kabuto said, adjusting his glasses once more. "If Sasuke's not with you guys, then our search for him is going to be more difficult."
"Are you saying that Sasuke isn't here either?" Margaret questioned.
The Sound ninjas refused to answer. Instead, Orochimaru's smile became deliberate as he glanced at Jada again and asked, "Tell me, Jada. Would you consider joining us? Your Sharingan looks impressive enough from what I was told."
Jada's expression hardened. "I'd never join you."
Orochimaru's eyes just glinted with amusement. "My, my. I don't take rejection easily."
The mood grew tense. The group prepared for a fight, but Orochimaru's expression remained calm, like he wasn't at all bothered after losing his hideout.
How could he be when he was a very wanted shinobi? These hideouts had various traps in them that would detonate the entire land if set off. Meaning, at any time, Orochimaru was prepared to abandon everything to start over again.
"You'll regret having come here," he threatened in a dangerous tone.
"Hey, snake-boy!" Jasper finally announced after remaining quiet for so long. "I think I've heard enough of your trash."
The verbal insult hadn't seemed to faze Orochimaru, who looked at Kabuto for confirmation.
"That's Jasper Ōtsutsuki," Kabuto answered. "I have the least amount of data on him out of everyone here."
"You mean you don't know anything about me, the ultimate ninja, when I know everything about you?" Jasper tried.
"And what does a boy like you know?" Orochimaru wondered.
In detail, Jasper explained how Orochimaru's personality was just meant to terrify others. He exhibited a superiority complex, relishing in his own perceived dominance and delighting in frightening others.
Despite his ruthlessness, he showed a genuine interest in the development of his underlings and experiments, often manipulating them for his own ends. He also had an obsession with Sasuke Uchiha, whom he sought to take over the Uchiha's body just to attain false immortality.
And Jasper didn't stop there. He went as far as exposing Orochimaru's versatile abilities, such as his body modifications and curse seals that granted him regenerative abilities and access to sage-like chakra.
"I see someone did their research," Orochimaru commented with a smile.
The knowledge Jasper held had indeed piqued Kabuto's interest.
"Strange," Kabuto added. "I don't recall the Leaf having information on something like that."
"Let's just say I admire his darker side," Jasper replied with an evil grin. "Pursuing immortality, being that quintessential villain for a little moment—we should be friends."
"Jasper!" the group behind him yelled.
He didn't bother to turn their way. Instead, he said something that surprised them, "Since Sasuke's clearly not here, why not try and take the next best thing?"
The group looked at one another. Was Sasuke really not here? And if so, where could the Uchiha have gone?
After hearing all these things, Orochimaru let out a sinister laugh that sent shivers down William's spine. "And which of you six thinks they're worthy enough of being my next vessel?"
"The same person who destroyed your hideout," Jasper confidently answered, pointing toward himself.
Then suddenly, his body crackled with purple electricity as he lunged with his hand forming into a fist. Kabuto leapt back, narrowly avoiding the attack as Orochimaru caught the fist effortlessly.
"It seems someone wants to play," he said in a calm but dangerous voice.
The electricity spiraled between their point of contact as Jasper smirked.
"This is gonna be fun."