The weather in the central region of the Land of Fire had been dry lately. The sky was cloudless, and the air held little moisture. Consequently, the moon at night seemed to have been drawn closer, appearing full and exceptionally bright.
Under such moonlight, aside from the shadows between buildings, all of Konoha was illuminated. The ninjas moving below looked like fish swimming in a tank.
Given the special operation the ninjas were currently undertaking, Habara was reminded of a famous piece he had learned in his previous life, called "The Tale of the Snake Catcher."
"The fish in the pond numbered around a hundred, all seemingly swimming in the void, without anything to rely on… Huh, I seem to have misremembered. My knowledge is all jumbled up."
Habara and Tenzo stood atop Konoha's high wall, ostensibly "observing the battle situation." In reality, they were just slacking off.
After about half an hour, Habara finally spoke to Tenzo, "Let's get moving."
For Orochimaru to escape Konoha was no simple feat. Given that his actions were far too illegal and unconventional, the Third Hokage had been forced to issue a kill order. Therefore, even if some people were irresponsible enough not to go all-out, many more ninjas would faithfully follow the order.
Jiraiya couldn't bring himself to kill, which was understandable. The Third Hokage also didn't go all-out, which was also understandable, but the former was forgivable, while the latter was incomprehensible... When dealing with this kind of situation, the Third Hokage shouldn't have considered himself anyone's teacher; a Hokage is a Hokage.
Perhaps it was truly his age, but the Third Hokage did seem somewhat weak. Not just in terms of strength, but also in his mindset, he was quite different from the First and Second Hokage.
The First Hokage seemed to have a screw loose, but he unhesitatingly stabbed Uchiha Madara to death. The Second Hokage was even more notorious for being ruthless and merciless.
Habara switched to perception mode and began pursuing Orochimaru. "This way."
Following the direction Habara pointed, they soon came across a ninja lying on the ground. The two had to stop and approach the fallen figure.
The person was sprawled out in a standard face-down position. Habara reached out and flipped them over, revealing their face.
"This is Orochimaru's disciple, Mitarashi Anko."
Tenzo didn't care who it was. He was staring intently at the curse mark spreading across the fallen ninja's body. "Habara, this is a curse mark, you..."
Habara quickly shook his head. "Don't look at me, it wasn't me, I had nothing to do with it... I know Orochimaru has a special test subject named Jugo. He's the source of all curse marks."
What did curse marks have to do with him, Habara? Even without him, wouldn't Orochimaru have successfully developed various types of curse marks?
"High fever. This is probably the initial reaction. But it's not a big deal, nothing compared to what I went through. She should survive, just looks a bit pitiful... Do you want her? She's all yours."
Tenzo shook his head. "I don't want her. Let's go after Orochimaru."
And so, these two scoundrels abandoned Mitarashi Anko where she lay and continued their pursuit of Orochimaru.
...
Heavy breathing, unsteady steps, and the thick scent of blood. Orochimaru was severely injured. He hadn't been this badly hurt since the end of the Second Shinobi World War.
First, he clashed with the Third Hokage, then with Jiraiya, and on top of that, he faced a large number of Konoha's elite ninjas. Even ants can kill an elephant if there are enough of them, and Konoha's elite ninjas were certainly more than just ants. If nothing else, just being targeted by a multitude of Byakugan made it impossible for Orochimaru to hide his movements.
Ninjas are most effective in covert operations, but Orochimaru was being tracked by countless searchlights.
However, despite his dire situation, Orochimaru wasn't panicking. He had certainly anticipated this kind of predicament.
"Hehe, so everyone who was supposed to come has arrived..."
Blood dripped steadily from Orochimaru's left arm onto the ground. Excessive blood loss made his already pale complexion even paler. He seemed to view the previous battles as a grand farewell ceremony. For him, this kind of parting wasn't bad.
Orochimaru struggled onward. His vision was gradually blurring, but he knew he was getting farther and farther away from Konoha. It seemed he would soon escape the village.
But at that very moment, just as Orochimaru's mind was becoming hazy, the trees around him – below, above, and to the sides – suddenly came alive. The plants moved with lightning speed, instantly seizing Orochimaru's hands and feet.
Just as Orochimaru realized he was ambushed, another figure appeared before him. A dark red sword pierced his chest, while a mercury sword, gleaming silver and radiating cold, slashed towards his neck.
Habara and Tenzo had launched a sneak attack on a heavily injured Orochimaru, a move devoid of any martial ethics.
Compared to Habara's killing intent and sharp movements, Orochimaru seemed incredibly slow. Yet, for some reason, even though his arm movements were sluggish, he still managed to grab Habara's mercury sword with his free hand.
The mercury sword only sliced a third of the way through Orochimaru's neck before being stopped by his hand. Habara had no idea what method Orochimaru used, but the previously unstoppable blade was now firmly held.
"I said everyone who was supposed to come had arrived, and I was right... Habara, didn't you say you wanted to fight me head-on? Two against one doesn't count as a fair fight," Orochimaru said, a smile inexplicably appearing on his face even at this moment.
"Habara!" Tenzo shouted, reminding Habara not to waste time talking to Orochimaru and to finish him off quickly.
The problem, however, was that Habara wasn't confident he could finish off Orochimaru in this state, so he didn't mind chatting with him for a bit.
The iron sword in Habara's left hand sprouted thorns, barbs, and branches, repeatedly piercing Orochimaru's torso. The scorching heat caused a foul, burnt smell. As if to extinguish the molten thorn sword, a large amount of blood gushed from Orochimaru's chest like a fountain.
"Lord Orochimaru, someone reported you, right? Your partner has problems."
"No one cares about that kind of self-righteous person, no matter what he does."
Although Danzo had reported Orochimaru, forcing him to leave Konoha, Orochimaru still considered him insignificant.
Shimūra Danzō truly had a small-minded outlook. Even elementary school kids who fight will make oaths, always saying, "If you have the guts, don't tell the teacher!" But what about Danzo? Reporting someone is nothing; if you have the guts, arrest Orochimaru yourself.
"But you, Habara, what's the point of you staying in Konoha? Instead of Konoha, why not join hands with me and leave?" Orochimaru began a counter-seduction.
"I don't particularly want to stay in Konoha, but other than Konoha, I have nowhere else to go," Habara refused, shaking his head.
Orochimaru seemed completely at ease, while Habara was becoming increasingly nervous.
"Is that so? That's truly regrettable. You're a ninja with very interesting ideas."
"Lord Orochimaru, do we really have to chat in this state?"
"...You're right."
Orochimaru's chest now had a large, gaping hole burned through it. Logically, he should have passed away peacefully by now. However, as he realized that this conversation was somewhat inappropriate, a powerful surge of chakra suddenly erupted from his body.
"Self-destruct? Holy crap, no way! You're in the wrong show!"
This concentration of chakra was chilling. Habara immediately retreated without a second thought. Simultaneously, Orochimaru's upper body began to swell rapidly, a swelling that looked remarkably similar to Deidara's technique.
"Retreat! Retreat!"
Habara warned Tenzo as he quickly retreated.
But as he ran, Habara suddenly felt the enormous and violent chakra stabilize. The feeling was subtle, as if... something was brewing.
Habara instinctively looked back and saw Orochimaru stretching his neck and opening his mouth wide. At the same time, the bulging part of his chest began to move upwards, and then Orochimaru's head expanded grotesquely.
And then...
"Ptooey..."
An oval, egg-shaped object, complete with a shell, was spat out by Orochimaru... Okay, it wasn't just some egg-shaped object; it was clearly an egg.
Habara: "..."
Sure enough, he was right.
This was truly the wrong show.
_______
+100 chapters on: patreon.com/Shinobi_Scrolls