"Hiss… Parasitic insects that feed on chakra?"
Orochimaru licked his lips. "In that case, even using Flying Thunder God, such a space-time ninjutsu, to escape won't help. The bugs that have devoured the host's chakra will follow."
"Once they're burrowed into your flesh and blood, even the Flying Thunder God can't shake them off. So these are Root's elites, huh… The Aburame clan's secret techniques really are impressive."
Aburame Torune gave Orochimaru a glance, then calmly looked at Ku. "No matter how you got your hands on the Flying Thunder God technique, even if you're one of the Fourth Hokage's men, since you dare lay a hand on Lord Danzo, then prepare to die here."
Plink.
Only then did Orochimaru pull the Flying Thunder God kunai from his chest, glance at the seal on it, and toss it away casually.
Then his jaw unhinged like a snake's, and a new Orochimaru slithered out, pristine.
The new Orochimaru eyed Ku with curiosity. "Ku, was it? The Fourth's ANBU roster has no such name."
At this point, Danzo, who had remained still the whole time, finally turned around and gestured for Torune to stop the swelling of his parasite bugs.
"No matter whose man you are, you have two choices now," Danzo said, raising his head slightly and looking at Ku with the gaze of someone in complete control.
"Join Root, become a hidden power of Konoha. If you do that, I'll overlook everything that happened today."
The other choice, Danzo didn't speak aloud, but everyone understood it.
Nonō, who'd retreated earlier, frowned. This red-haired stranger seemed to help her, yet wasn't from Konoha.
"Tch…"
Uzumaki Ku sneered, "You sound like you think victory is yours. The Aburame clan's bugs are indeed formidable, but if my chakra is paired with something special, they won't be so easy to devour!"
As he finished speaking, a tear split open in the muscle of Ku's arm, and three bugs dropped out along with his blood.
The bugs were large, but not large enough to burst through the human body.
With a soft sound, sharp wooden spikes suddenly protruded from the insects' bodies like sea urchins, leaving them completely motionless.
"Wood Release…!"
Danzo, who had been sitting calmly, lost his composure. Only those who had seen Hashirama Senju's power would have such an obsession with Wood Release.
But what they didn't know was: to fully unleash Wood Release's power like Hashirama, one needed the vitality of the Sage Body and vast chakra reserves.
No one knew exactly how much Asura's chakra had contributed to this.
Or perhaps it was precisely because of Asura's chakra that Hashirama awakened the Sage Body's power.
"Wood Release outside of Konoha… Uzumaki clan… Hisss… You've truly piqued my deepest interest," Orochimaru said, greed flashing in his eyes.
Ku simply smiled and glanced at the human skin Orochimaru had just shed; the Flying Thunder God seal was still on it.
'Looks like, as expected from the original's best escape artist, Orochimaru wasn't someone easily kept.'
However…
"Swoosh!"
In a flash, Ku disappeared and reappeared right beside Aburame Torune, who stiffened in place. A kunai was lodged in his neck, blood spurting out.
On the stub of his severed arm, a Flying Thunder God seal glowed faintly.
"You took advantage of our brief contact to implant your parasitic insects in me. But I also marked you with the Flying Thunder God seal. A space-time ninjutsu formula like this is beyond your ability to remove."
Thud!
Aburame Torune collapsed. The moment the seal was etched onto his true body, his life was already in Ku's hands.
As for the parasitic insects...
The chakra produced by the Sage Body wasn't something just anyone could absorb. Among all of ROOT's experimental subjects, only one Yamato had succeeded.
"Orochimaru, my target is only Danzo. But if you want to get involved, our next meeting won't be so simple."
As Ku pulled out his shuriken, blood flowed freely from Aburame Torune's corpse.
Orochimaru chuckled. "Ever since I was dubbed one of the Legendary Sannin, it's been many years since I've heard such insults. Ku-kun, do you really think you have what it takes to kill me?"
Nearby, Danzo slowly stood up. "It's been a long time since I've fought, but people seem to forget, I was once a shinobi, too!"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Wind chakra burst from Danzo's mouth, forming a slicing gust like a sickle, flying straight for Ku's face.
Swoosh!
Ku activated the Flying Thunder God, but in the next moment…
"Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
Five wind blades shot out like giant wind sickles, targeting the direction of Ku's Flying Thunder God kunai.
"Orochimaru!"
At Danzo's shout, Orochimaru instantly understood.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Numerous snakes shot from his sleeves, covering several of the Flying Thunder God kunai that Danzo hadn't attacked.
Boom!
Boom!
The room beside the orphanage exploded as the wind blades tore it apart. Ku, using a kunai to block, was blasted away.
Facing two legends - one of the famed Sannin Orochimaru and Konoha's ROOT leader Danzo, relying solely on the Flying Thunder God was indeed too arrogant.
If not for the vitality and physical resilience granted by the Sage Body, those Vacuum Serial Waves would have been impossible to withstand.
But the confined space of the room had also prevented the Flying Thunder God's speed advantage from being fully utilized.
In that case…
"Swoosh!"
Ku threw over a dozen more Flying Thunder God kunai, scattering them widely across the ruins to create more space.
"You noticed?" Danzo frowned slightly. As the Fourth's signature technique, the Flying Thunder God was indeed difficult to deal with. Combined with the Fourth's reflexes and his seal-less Rasengan, it had been nearly invincible.
This was why, during the Third Great Ninja War, other villages dubbed him the "Yellow Flash." Because in Minato Namikaze's hands, the Flying Thunder God… was unstoppable!
Swoosh!
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
In an instant, Ku appeared behind Danzo and unleashed a massive red dragon of flame, roaring forward.
"Summoning: Triple Rashomon!"
Boom
The massive fire dragon was stopped by the three Rashomon gates. Orochimaru glanced at Danzo.
"We're not far from Konoha. That Vacuum Serial Wave from earlier surely already alerted the Fourth. Are you sure you want to use Wood Release here?"
Danzo paused, letting go of the bandages he was about to tear off. Just now, he hadn't only considered using Wood Release, but even his right eye, with the three-tomoe Sharingan, he had been prepared to activate.
Nearby, Ku released his hand signs. Thanks to the sensory abilities granted by the Sage Body, he could already tell Konoha's forces were fast approaching.
Swoosh!
In a blink, he appeared beside Nono.'
"My newly acquired power isn't fully adapted yet, so I won't be able to kill Danzo this time. But the Fourth's ANBU should arrive soon. You can look for one named Kakashi, explain the situation, and he'll help you."
"Danzo's current position in Konoha doesn't give him absolute authority. Both the Third and Fourth keep him in check. In the power struggles among the higher-ups, he doesn't even have a seat at the table anymore."
"So don't make unnecessary sacrifices. Oh, right, tell them, I'm a friend of Kabuto."