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To be honest, Haori really wanted to fight Jiraiya. It wasn't that he wanted to fight to the death with him, but at this stage, Haori was very curious to see Jiraiya's Sage Mode.
Whether it was the Pervert Sage or the Toad Sage, Jiraiya was currently the only user of senjutsu.
Actually, what Haori needed wasn't senjutsu, but rather a savings account. Not the accumulation of Lightning Release he made up before, but a real savings account… But seeing the senjutsu of Mount Myōboku would have great reference value.
Sensing natural energy, extracting natural energy, fusing natural energy, every step of senjutsu is not simple. Jiraiya spent decades training before he mastered this mode. How long would Haori need?
If Haori used Chidori Flow: Three Steps against Jiraiya, this high-speed taijutsu would very likely force the other side to use senjutsu to counter it.
Although senjutsu requires extracting natural energy before using it, which seems a bit cumbersome, Haori wasn't in a hurry. He could let the other side extract it slowly…
But unfortunately, Haori couldn't do that. Don't even talk about directly attacking Jiraiya. If Haori were to significantly interfere with Jiraiya's snake-catching actions, it would be a very troublesome matter. It's not that he couldn't explain it, but the key is that someone would have to believe it.
"I accidentally bumped into Jiraiya and let Orochimaru escape." Even the Third Hokage would believe this, but would Shimura Danzō and the Konoha advisors believe it?
Currently, there are three types of people pursuing Orochimaru. First, Jiraiya. He has no intention of killing Orochimaru. He just wants to bring him back to Konoha.
Second, the ANBU ninjas. They were ordered to capture Orochimaru first. If necessary, they could kill him.
Third, Root, hidden within the ANBU. They were ordered to directly use snake venom and insecticide. To avoid exposing certain collusion and little secrets, they had to prevent Orochimaru from being captured alive. So, they had to find an opportunity to kill him.
Of course, they couldn't do this with their individual abilities and combat strength. So, they had to rely on Jiraiya to first damage and exhaust Orochimaru. Then, they would find a chance to kill him.
But Haori's appearance was clearly not in anyone's expectations.
"Uh, can someone explain to me what's going on? Why are you two fighting?" Since he couldn't make a move, Haori naturally had to play dumb.
Orochimaru was going to leave anyway. Haori had use for him. If he were to be brought back to Konoha, even if he didn't die, he would probably be strictly monitored. If Haori wanted to contact him, he would have to do everything in front of everyone.
So, Haori's current actions, no matter how you look at it, had a bit of a "I'm not comfortable if I don't stir things up" vibe… Even if he ignored it, would Orochimaru really escape?
Meddling.
Anyway, Haori asked Jiraiya and the ANBU while using his hidden hand to gesture to Orochimaru:
Please continue your impromptu trip…
"Actually, I just returned from Shikkotsu Forest and ran into the Sannin having a family feud?" This tone was completely about peace and harmony, as if he were saying, "Why are you fighting? Shouldn't you be a happy family?"
"Haori, to put it simply, the recent missing ninja incidents in Konoha were all done by Orochimaru. The Third Hokage discovered this. Now, he's trying to escape Konoha… In any case, we have to stop him."
Jiraiya said very seriously. His left shoulder was stained with blood. It was from his battle with Orochimaru.
But no matter how distressed he was, in fact, the "Sannin" had already disbanded. Tsunade's departure was just a departure. Orochimaru's departure was an undeniable defection.
From this point forward, Konoha's most famous and intimidating team had disintegrated and become hostile to each other.
"So, from this moment on, Orochimaru is no longer 'sama,' but an enemy?" Haori asked back.
"The mission requires us to capture him alive." Jiraiya quickly added. The so-called good friends for life. He sensed a possibility from Haori's tone, so he immediately reminded him.
"If we work together, we can have enough guarantee of capturing Orochimaru alive."
This wasn't Jiraiya belittling himself. It's just that, most of the time, capturing a ninja alive is much harder than killing one.
"No need to go through all that trouble. I'll take care of it."
Almost as soon as Haori finished speaking, his body was already covered in bright white lightning patterns, like a river of light flowing beneath the dark night.
Then, he turned to face Orochimaru. He was about to make a move.
"Lightning Release taijutsu? Is this the move you used against the Rinnegan?" Orochimaru asked, as if he were really curious.
But in terms of their outward positions, Haori no longer needed to answer his question.
In an instant, Haori disappeared from his spot. Then, he appeared in front of Orochimaru.
No matter how fast, Haori's moves could still be classified as speed. In essence, Chidori Flow: Three Steps couldn't compare to the Flying Thunder God, which changes spatial coordinates.
But fast is fast. The only people present who could completely capture his movements were Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
But capturing is capturing, reacting is reacting, defending is defending, and counterattacking is counterattacking. Orochimaru, the target of Haori's attack, couldn't make a proper response when dealing with this kind of high-speed taijutsu.
A leg strike carrying the force of a thousand tons directly hit Orochimaru's torso. Then, his body, like a cannonball, flew out with incredible speed and self-destructive power towards the distance!
The process was so fast that even Haori couldn't give a fitting "Go!" voiceover.
Would Orochimaru be kicked to death? For some reason, the ANBU ninjas present naturally had this doubt.
Although they were all Great Snakes, Orochimaru was self-modified. He wasn't Orochi. Getting kicked like that would definitely be painful.
But Jiraiya's reaction was to quickly chase after him in that direction.
Heaven knows where Haori's kick sent Orochimaru? Although the possibility of him being able to get up after taking a kick like that is low, what if? Wouldn't that mean that Haori had given Orochimaru a ride while he was running away?
As soon as Jiraiya moved, everyone followed him. They chased after Orochimaru in the direction he was kicked, at top speed…
The first to arrive was Haori, the instigator. But what he saw was a broken mud doll that had crashed into a large tree.
"Jiraiya-sensei, you've been tricked. You've been chasing a Mud Clone all this time…"
This tone of distress and resentment at his incompetence made his obviously self-serving behavior seem more justified.
...
As soon as everyone in Konoha left the spot, Orochimaru's figure reappeared. He glanced at the direction where "he" was kicked, then quickly left.
So, would they have been tricked if it hadn't been for you, Haori?
Why didn't the ANBU bring a Hyuga when they were acting?
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