Chapter 282: Backup Plan
After the First and Second Hokage were temporarily sealed, transforming into two stationary cocoon-like objects, only one target remained on the field—Orochimaru. Had this guy escaped while taking advantage of chaos? Just now he'd used a water clone as cover and his true body's whereabouts became unknown.
However, within Mind's Eye of the Kagura's sensing range, he absolutely couldn't hide completely. Menma was confident he could drag him out.
Moreover, even if "Menma's" power dissipated soon, Naruto's true body could also use his ability to sense life energy to find that slippery snake.
Just as Menma focused his senses, preparing to move and hunt—
"Wait!"
The Third Hokage's urgent voice suddenly rang out. Menma turned his head puzzledly to see the old man's face tense, lips slightly moving as if thousands of words were stuck in his throat, unable to form sentences.
Menma felt a trace of incomprehension. Though this "Menma" identity indeed wasn't exactly aboveboard, this action was clearly protecting Konoha—why did this old man have such a hesitant appearance?
"ROAR—!!!"
During this brief standoff, a sharp hiss completely unlike a normal creature suddenly came from nearby! Immediately after, a massive shadow cast down, covering part of the rooftop.
Menma felt he'd heard enough roars from giant creatures today. What was it this time?
He turned to look, only to see an enormous creature coiled on the already severely damaged main Chunin Exam venue! Though not sky-reaching like Tailed Beasts, it was undoubtedly a giant beast.
Possessing a bone-pale body, continuously hissing and writhing heads numbering eight, and correspondingly, eight crazily dancing tails!
"Eight Branches Technique..." Menma's gaze beneath the mask focused slightly, recognizing this technique. "Is this the final form you obsessively pursue, abandoning human body? Orochimaru."
"HISS—!!"
One of the massive Yamata no Orochi's hideous snake heads shot forth like an arrow, carrying foul-smelling wind, lunging viciously toward Menma on the rooftop!
WHOOSH!
Menma merely casually raised his hand. An extremely condensed wind blade instantly slashed out!
SQUELCH!
Blood light burst! That attacking snake head was severed with the sound, heavily crashing to the ground. However, the remaining seven heads released even more frenzied, chaotic shrieks, the other snake heads still eyeing him covetously.
Not far away, Kakuzu had long since retreated to a safer distance to observe after being affected by Menma's earlier battle with the previous Hokage.
Though this strange snake displayed rather frightening momentum and form... he calmly assessed, for the leader it was probably just a matter of spending a bit more time.
His gaze swept over Konoha Village below gradually calming. With the One-Tail's defeat and that golden Nine-Tails' earlier appearance... Kakuzu realized Konoha seemed to possess incredible power far exceeding his prior estimates.
Currently on the battlefield, the Sand and Sound remnant forces, having witnessed Shukaku's defeat and the golden Nine-Tails' descent, had completely lost fighting spirit. They either knelt in surrender or fled in panic, the rest quickly subdued and captured by Konoha ninja.
It seems this farce... is finally ending. Kakuzu thought silently. Then now, time to rendezvous with them.
With Body Flicker activation, Kakuzu's figure silently vanished from its position.
---
Outside Konoha Village, in the dark forest—
An inconspicuous pure white snake merely finger-thick was silently traversing rapidly between fallen leaves and shrubs.
Regarding escape and life-preservation trump cards, looking across the entire ninja world, aside from those Otsutsuki, probably no one could surpass Orochimaru.
As expected, when that little white snake reached a relatively hidden tree root, its body suddenly began "melting" like wax. Its snake mouth opened, slowly "spitting out" a viscous humanoid substance.
As the little white snake's life force completely dissipated, that substance rapidly expanded, ultimately transforming into a soaking wet, paper-pale Orochimaru.
"Cough..."
Orochimaru coughed violently several times, feeling his nearly depleted chakra within. To deploy the Eight Branches Technique to stall Menma, he'd paid a tremendous price.
But right now he had no time to waste, not even to clean the mucus from his body.
All core plans—seizing the Nine-Tails, destroying Konoha—had completely failed. Now only the final backup plan remained.
Damn it... Orochimaru unwillingly gritted his teeth, but his eyes immediately became sharp as a hawk's. He forced his weak body to carefully sense, searching for specific chakra trace remnants in the air.
---
Simultaneously, at another relatively hidden forest corner—
Temari had just found a clean stream, using a water pouch to collect some water, carefully handing it to Gaara. "Here, Gaara, drink some water." Her voice carried a trace of barely perceptible probing and tension.
Gaara silently accepted the water pouch, responding in a low voice. "Mm... thank you."
Though he tried to appear natural, this soft thanks made Kankuro and Temari nearby simultaneously freeze, unable to suppress the surprise appearing on their faces.
Gaara... said "thank you" to them? This memory had long blurred in these siblings' minds like something from a previous life.
What exactly happened? Temari and Kankuro couldn't understand. That bone-chilling cold aura on Gaara had disappeared, his eyes no longer held deathly numbness... Though he looked somewhat fragile now, this Gaara was far easier to get along with than that frightening brother.
CRACK
Suddenly, a faint sound of a dry branch being stepped on came from the dense forest to the side!
"Who?!" Kankuro reacted extremely fast, instantly summoning the puppet "Crow" before him, mechanisms clicking. Temari also immediately gripped the Three-Star Fan behind her, looking vigilantly toward the sound's source with guarded expression.
Was it a passing wild animal? After brief deathly silence, Temari and Kankuro's tense nerves tried consoling themselves this way.
However, the next moment, a massive shadow covered the sunlight above their heads without warning.
Both instinctively looked up to see an abnormally massive serpent with scales flickering with ghostly light silently coiled in the tree canopy above them!
"HISS—!"
Before they could react, several slender venomous snakes shot forth like arrows from that giant serpent's head!
"Watch out!"
Kankuro controlled Crow trying to block, Temari also wanted to swing her fan, but everything was too late. The venomous snakes precisely avoided the puppet's interception, instantly winding around Temari and Kankuro's arms and necks. Sharp fangs pierced skin as intense paralytic toxin instantly flooded their bloodstreams!
"Gah!"
"Gaara... run..."
Temari and Kankuro only managed brief cries of alarm and garbled warnings before feeling all bodily strength instantly drained, vision darkening as they collapsed heavily to the ground, losing consciousness.
Gaara watched in terror as this happened in a flash, watching his siblings instantly collapse, his brain completely blank.
In this fear and helplessness, he heard that cold, hoarse, nightmare-like voice ring in his ear.
"Come with me, One-Tail jinchuriki!"
***
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