Ling split into a Shadow Clone, then the Shadow Clone used Great Fire Annihilation while he himself used Gale Cut Technique, preparing to take down Nue in one move.
Once ready, Ling began the taming ritual for Nue, and a giant yellow bird, resembling an owl with a bizarre mask, emerged from the shadows.
The moment it appeared, it launched a lightning attack, then rapidly flapped its wings, preparing to fly high into the sky.
Unfortunately, Ling wouldn't give it the chance; the Shadow Clone and Ling simultaneously used B-rank Ninjutsu, targeting Nue, who was just about to take flight.
The chaotic flames seemed to be imbued with life, dancing wildly and spreading rapidly, completely engulfing the surrounding space for over ten meters.
These flames were like ferocious beasts, baring fangs and claws, emanating terrifying heat and destructive power.
And within these blazing fires, several invisible wind blades—Gale Cut—were hidden.
Like incredibly sharp sword qi, they carried a deadly keen aura, roaring together with the flames to form a combination Ninjutsu attack filled with infinite killing intent, surging towards the flapping Nue.
Without any surprise, Nue was instantly killed, leaving no corpse behind, directly dissolving into shadows.
The Ten Shadows Technique informed Ling that he had successfully tamed Nue, and Ling breathed a sigh of relief; today's mission objective was complete.
Just as Ling dismissed the Jade Hounds and was tidying up to leave, a commotion suddenly came from in front of Ling.
It seemed someone was rapidly approaching, and behind him, a few people were in pursuit.
Jie was rather unlucky; he had been ordered to infiltrate Konoha Village for ten years, three years passed, then another three years, and another three.
He had been in a silent state, with no one actively contacting him; if he hadn't been able to contact his superior, he would have thought he had been forgotten by the Village.
Over the years, he went from constantly missing his hometown to now not wanting to return, nor wanting his superior to arrange missions.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned; some time ago, the Third Kazekage disappeared, and he received a mission to investigate whether Konoha knew the Third's whereabouts, with the main targets being Danzo and Orochimaru.
He first chose Orochimaru's base, not expecting the defenses to be so tight; he would have chosen Root if he had known.
Subsequently, he was pursued by Anbu, led by Orochimaru himself; he fled all the way, quickly caught again, and just when he thought he was doomed, he sensed a child who could be used as a hostage.
Thus, with a glimmer of hope for survival, he rapidly approached Ling's location, preparing to instantly capture the child and exchange him for his own life.
"Lord Orochimaru, there's a child ahead; the Sand Ninja intends to abduct him," the Anbu responsible for sensing noticed all this and immediately reported to Orochimaru.
"Heh heh, no matter, attack as usual; if he dies, blame it on that brat himself."
Orochimaru showed a cold smirk, extended his tongue to lick his lips, his killing intent completely hidden in his eyes.
The Anbu moved swiftly through the forest; one second they were on a tree branch, the next their figures flashed, appearing several meters away.
"Damn it, they're coming for me!" Ling's expression was grim, wondering if his illegal transmigration was causing the world's consciousness to try and eliminate him through reasonable means.
He switched the Ten Shadows Technique to Heavenly Restriction, which could boost his recovery ability, suitable for emergencies.
A one-tomoe Sharingan appeared in Ling's eyes, carefully staring at the dense bushes in front of him; the commotion ahead grew louder and louder, completely unconcerned about being discovered by Ling.
Ling smirked, thinking, 'It's good that you underestimate me; if you do, I won't have to expose too much of my strength.' He tightly gripped the Kunai in his sleeve, ready to throw it at any moment.
The leaves rustled ahead, and a figure, like a leopard, swiftly darted out, pouncing directly towards Ling.
Ling's Sharingan spun rapidly, and the moment his gaze met Jie's, he used his Doujutsu to cast a crude genjutsu, causing Jie to lose focus for a moment.
Ling then quickly retracted his Sharingan to prevent it from being discovered by those pursuing him from behind, which would bring him trouble.
Meanwhile, wind-attribute Chakra surged around Ling, and his sword was wreathed in a gale. "Gale Sword Technique, Dash!"
Ling performed his makeshift Dash, instantly disappearing from his original spot, his figure leaving trails of afterimages; the moment Jie regained his senses, a sharp pain shot through his neck.
Ling stood behind Jie, flicking the blood from his blade before sheathing it.
Ling utilized the brief moment Jie was disoriented by the Sharingan to unleash a sword strike with extreme speed, instantly severing Jie's throat.
However, at this moment, Ling did not turn to look at the first life he had taken with his own hands; instead, he gravely watched the countless Shuriken flying towards him.
He suppressed the discomfort of killing, his eyes carrying a hint of killing intent, because the pursuers' attack clearly intended for him to die along with the Sand Ninja, with no intention of letting him live.
Ling no longer had time to perform Ninjutsu; he could only push his Gale Sword Technique to its limit, blocking all Shuriken flying towards his vital points.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!" Accompanied by a large number of sparks and some blood from Ling's body, Ling finally managed to survive, not dying under the dense barrage of Shuriken.
"Poof~!"
The Shuriken deflected by Ling turned into white smoke and disappeared; clearly, this was the Third's famous Ninjutsu, the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Ling endured the stinging and numbing pain from his body; he had sustained five injuries of varying depths on his arms and legs, which were now slowly recovering due to the healing ability provided by the Curse Power converted by Heavenly Restriction, and the blood loss had already stopped.
Ling's gaze confronted the five Anbu, wearing Anbu vests and animal masks, who appeared on the trees, not daring to relax in the slightest.
"Brat, you're quite impressive. To survive my Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu with just your swordsmanship, how about becoming my subordinate? Resources and Ninjutsu are not a problem."
Orochimaru appeared behind Ling, licking his face with his tongue—this was his habit when encountering something interesting. At this moment, Orochimaru was once again afflicted with his child-snatching illness.
"Sorry, not interested. Can I leave now?"
Ling was not interested in Orochimaru's invitation; at this time, Orochimaru had not yet developed Reanimation Jutsu, so there was no fear of being body-snatched, but Ling also had no intention of following Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was ruthless and cold-blooded; one wrong move and he could be brainwashed, not to mention having his corpse studied by him.
"Heh heh, an interesting brat. It seems you know who I am. Don't worry, I won't kill you."
Orochimaru saw Ling's tension, and with a flick of his tongue, he carefully sensed Ling's condition.
"Can I leave now?" Ling asked again, clearly a bit impatient. Don't think he wouldn't dare fight Orochimaru; at worst, he could summon Mahoraga, and they would all be doomed together.
"How interesting. The brat has a means to take us all down. You can go, but as compensation for my accidental injury to you, you can make a reasonable request, such as Ninjutsu or tools."
Orochimaru did indeed feel an extreme life-or-death crisis the moment Ling intended to summon Mahoraga, so he took the opportunity to back down gracefully, intending to befriend this brat who was both a genius and possessed strength and a trump card.