Land of Rivers, at the bottom of a mountain valley.
Orochimaru smiled as he looked at the two people in front of him. Though he was smiling, his pupils were filled with gravity.
From the earlier exchange, he knew very clearly just how terrifying the opponents' strength was.
Nagato crossed his arms over his chest, his face full of disdain, while Zetsu spoke with deep regret:
"I originally thought you would be a smart person."
"After all, you were willing to betray Konoha for your own pursuit."
"I wouldn't even have held you accountable for your identity as Chizan, because I thought you could clearly see the situation."
"Unfortunately, Orochimaru, you chose the wrong path."
Black Zetsu's low voice slowly revealed a trace of killing intent.
Their plan was progressing bit by bit. Though there were some setbacks, overall there were no major issues.
They had originally thought that this trip would allow them to find a suitable candidate. Instead, the other party turned out to be so uncooperative, which greatly irritated Black Zetsu.
Not to mention Nagato.
To Nagato, Orochimaru was no stranger. Back when he was still a child, this man had advocated killing him, Yahiko, and Konan.
Such an executioner—Nagato only wanted to kill him.
And on top of that, he was the teacher of that bastard Chizan, which made him even more deserving of death.
Orochimaru: Right, right, so no matter what, I deserve to die, huh?
Nagato: No! The main reason is that you're Gekko Chizan's teacher! The teacher of that kind of scum definitely isn't anything good!
Orochimaru: .....Minimal damage, extreme insult! That brat was already like that before he even knew me! What does it have to do with me?!
"Hmph, are you done talking yet?!"
"Orochimaru, prepare to die!"
Suddenly, another voice rang out. Upon hearing it, Gekko Chizan's eyes widened.
This voice—damn it, this guy is actually here too?
That's right. This familiar voice belonged to none other than Sasori of the Red Sand.
At this moment, standing before Orochimaru were not only Nagato and Black Zetsu, but also Sasori of the Red Sand.
For Orochimaru, this day had truly been especially interesting.
First, he was blocked by Nagato and Black Zetsu and had a brief fight with them, during which he was completely at a disadvantage.
Even summoning Manda had no effect at all.
What he didn't know was that the moment Manda appeared, yet another person had already set their sights on him.
This person hated snakes to the extreme—and hated Orochimaru to the extreme as well. Without a second thought, he charged straight over.
Orochimaru had originally wanted to stall his opponent for a bit, but who would have thought that just after getting beaten up here, a massive number of puppets would suddenly attack from the side.
Along with them came iron sand filling the sky, leaving Orochimaru completely stunned.
Iron sand? That's the Third Kazekage's technique.
Immediately after, Orochimaru was locked in combat with the puppets. It wasn't until Sasori of the Red Sand appeared before him that Orochimaru realized his opponent wasn't the Third Kazekage at all, but the puppet brat standing in front of him.
Although he didn't understand why this puppet brat held such intense hatred toward him, since the other party had already made a move, he certainly wasn't going to stand there and take a beating.
Little did he know that the reason for this extreme hatred was entirely because of his precious disciple.
...
But halfway through their fight, Nagato and Black Zetsu appeared again.
Left with no choice, Orochimaru could only summon once more. After all, the current situation meant enemies on both fronts.
However, after the summoning, he felt a bit dumbfounded.
Wait, something's not right. Damn it, Manda.
Why didn't he lift me up? Why did he appear right beside me? What about the grand entrance we agreed on?!
He was Orochimaru, after all! Without proper spectacle, wouldn't people look down on him?
But he soon understood why.
"Hehehehehe, I was wondering who it was. Looks like today is full of old friends."
"It's just hard on the Land of Rivers."
At this moment of drawn swords and rising tension, Manda slowly opened his mouth, revealing Gekko Chizan.
Gekko Chizan looked down at the three below with a smiling face, his entire body radiating overwhelming battle intent.
The moment Orochimaru saw his disciple, he laughed.
That little bastard—no wonder Manda didn't lift him up. Turns out he used reverse summoning to bring Gekko Chizan along.
Looks like Manda really did deliver his message. Very good. Time for revenge.
Thinking of this, Orochimaru opened his mouth and performed a live demonstration of spitting out a sword. The Kusanagi Sword fell into his hand, and Orochimaru was fully prepared for battle.
When Nagato and Black Zetsu saw Gekko Chizan, their expressions changed drastically—one growing even more furious, the other turning solemn.
"Gekko Chizan...."
"Very well. Kill him!"
Nagato didn't hesitate at all. Banshō Ten'in activated, and countless massive boulders smashed straight toward Manda's head.
Looking at stones even larger than himself, Manda felt a chill run through his heart and muttered:
"What did I do to deserve this? Are they trying to beat this snake to death?"
Gekko Chizan laughed loudly and flashed out of Manda's mouth in an instant.
"Manda, go help my teacher. I'm going to have a little chat with my old acquaintance!"
"Tagitsuhime! Come forth!"
Blue and crimson light burst forth simultaneously. Back when Gekko Chizan was at Ryūchi Cave, he had already begun gathering senjutsu chakra—now was the perfect time to release it.
Sage Mode! Titan Python!
Tagitsuhime! Red Snake!
Two enormous serpents once again appeared on the battlefield, both far larger than Manda.
As Nagato and Gekko Chizan engaged in battle, Sasori of the Red Sand once again attacked Orochimaru.
"Iron Sand World!"
"All snakes must die! Orochimaru, after killing you, I'll go kill your disciple!"
"Die!"
Iron sand filled the sky, transforming into countless sharp spikes that rained down toward Orochimaru.
With one hand, Sasori controlled the Third Kazekage, while his other hand flicked puppet strings. The scrolls behind him unfurled, and countless puppets began pouring onto the battlefield.
"Oh? Long time no see. You've grown quite a bit—not the cowardly little kid who was scared stiff on the battlefield back then anymore, huh."
"Hehehehe—Wind Release! Great Breakthrough!"
Orochimaru mocked him first, then suddenly spat out a violent gust of wind, blocking all the iron sand.
The Kusanagi Sword in his hand instantly extended, shooting straight toward Sasori of the Red Sand's head.
"Orochimaru! I'll slaughter you!"
If Sasori had been enraged before, now he was in a full berserk state.
"Rip!"
Cloth tore apart, and Orochimaru's snake pupils shrank sharply.
"Turning yourself into a puppet body...."
"Kid, you've earned a new level of respect from me!"
Sasori of the Red Sand's upper clothing was torn away, fully revealing his puppet body. Countless mechanisms and hidden weapons began operating at once.
At this moment, Sasori of the Red Sand transformed completely into a war machine, firing at full power!
"This is eternal art!"
"Orochimaru! Come! Let me kill you and offer the most perfect sacrifice to my art!"
Orochimaru's face turned solemn.
"Kids these days... absolutely unbelievable. Every single one of them is more monstrous than the last!"