Charles paused, looking at Anko thoughtfully, "I'm aware that when Orochimaru left, he did not take you with him."
"Your next task is to assist Orochimaru."
Anko Mitarashi froze momentarily, recalling how she once wished that Orochimaru had taken her along instead of abandoning her when he defected.
After a few seconds of silence, she bowed her head and replied, "Understood, Lord Charles!"
Karin Uzumaki, who had just awakened, overheard the conversation and realized her upcoming assignment would involve working under Orochimaru once again, much like back in his base.
Charles turned his gaze toward Karin and said, "Karin, you will continue to serve Orochimaru as well."
Karin knelt and said, "Yes, Lord Charles!"
Charles retrieved a coat from his storage space and handed it to Anko, who was dressed in a swimsuit. "Put this on. I'll take you both to meet Orochimaru shortly."
"Yes, my lord!" Anko replied, slipping into the coat, which did little to hide her striking figure.
Charles left her to choose the rest of her attire once she was with Orochimaru.
With a wave of his hand, Charles opened a spatial portal directly to one of Orochimaru's secret bases, "Follow me!"
Charles stepped into the portal, with Karin and Anko close behind.
…
On the other side-
Orochimaru and Kabuto were sitting on a sofa, deep in discussion, when the portal appeared. Although it was likely that the portal signaled Charles's arrival, both men prepared themselves just in case it was an enemy.
Upon seeing Charles emerge, they both relaxed.
"Lord Charles!"
Nodding, Charles said, "Orochimaru, Kabuto—good timing."
Orochimaru and Kabuto quickly noticed Karin and Anko following behind him. Kabuto was especially surprised, not expecting Charles to provide them with new assistants so soon after their last meeting.
"These are Karin Uzumaki and Anko Mitarashi," Charles said.
"One is already your subordinate, Orochimaru, and the other is your former student."
"I'm entrusting them to you now. They are unfamiliar with this world's knowledge, so make sure they're properly educated on it."
Orochimaru smiled slyly, licking his lips with his serpent-like tongue, "Thank you, Lord Charles."
Karin's face grew pale, recalling her deep-seated fear of Orochimaru, while Anko's emotions were more complex.
Charles glanced at them before speaking again, "Accelerate the collection of the Obelisk and Titan Root Crystals. I need them."
With that, Charles created another portal and disappeared, leaving his image behind.
As he left, Karin turned to Orochimaru nervously, "Lord… Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru's lips curled into a slight grin, "Karin, welcome to the new world."
Then, turning his gaze to Anko, he added, "Well, well, little Anko. I never expected Lord Charles to place you under my supervision rather than leaving you in Konoha. What a surprise."
Anko looked up, meeting Orochimaru's gaze with a determined expression, "Orochimaru."
Despite her desire to question why he had left her behind back then, she held back her words.
Orochimaru paid no mind to her tone and turned to Kabuto, saying, "Teach them about this world, its notable figures, and give each of them a Sound Village forehead protector."
"Now we'll finally have someone to watch over the secondary base."
With a smirk, Orochimaru added, "Lord Charles certainly is considerate, sending me two assistants so quickly."
"Make sure to obtain the item Lord Charles requested from Hydra as soon as possible," Orochimaru instructed.
Pushing his glasses up, Kabuto replied, "Understood, Lord Orochimaru."
…
Meanwhile-
On Narcissus Street-
Mei Terumi, breathing heavily, gripped her water whip, frustrated that her Boil Release hadn't managed to harm the woman before her.
Somehow, even the high temperatures of her Boil Release fell within the opponent's tolerance, and every attempt with her Lava Release had been deflected.
This woman's speed and attack power were formidable—letting her get too close would be disastrous.
As Thena charged forward, Mei lashed her water whip.
Snap!
However, this time Thena neither dodged nor blocked with her shield. Instead, she grabbed the whip and began pulling herself closer, entwining it around her hands.
Mei tried to yank the whip back but couldn't dislodge it or pull Thena in.
Realizing her disadvantage, Mei dispersed the water whip, raised her hand, and unleashed her Water Release technique.
"Water Release: Water Bullet Rain!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A torrent of high-speed water bullets formed and shot toward Thena. As the water whip dissipated, Thena conjured a spear and deflected the incoming projectiles one by one, advancing closer to Mei.
"Let's try this—Lava Release: Dissolving Acid Spray!"
Determining Thena's distance, Mei leaped up, spraying several streams of acidic lava onto the ground below, then immediately triggered her Boil Release to ignite the acid.
Five jets of lava shot upwards, with a large pool directly beneath Thena. As the acid engulfed her, Thena let out a scream, her defenses weakening under the onslaught.
Her battle suit was quickly corroded by the acidic substance, now rendered useless. The acid surged against her skin, eating away at it as it broke through her barriers.
Boom!
The explosion of boiling acid filled the area, dissipating the Boil Release mist and leaving behind corroded remains of the surroundings.
As the mist finally cleared, the battlefield came back into view for Ao, Tony, Gilgamesh, and the others.
Tony turned to Gilgamesh, asking, "Did we win?"
Gilgamesh shook his head, "Thena isn't defeated that easily."
Ao, his Byakugan active and expression grave, suddenly shouted, "Watch out!"
Hearing Ao's warning, Mei went on high alert. In the next moment, golden arrows rained down from above.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Unable to evade due to the intense pressure from above, Mei swiftly summoned a barrier. This time, not just one, but three walls of water appeared in front of her.