["Hmph! No matter how many bugs there are, they're still just bugs!" Zaku Abumi sneered.]
[Shino was unfazed, replying calmly, "If you fight me, you won't be able to stand up afterward."]
["Just surrender."]
[Zaku Abumi was stunned.]
["It seems like there's something wrong with your head."]
["Surrender for no reason?"]
["Heh heh... I'll return those words to you."]
[His voice pausing, Zaku Abumi bent down and roared, "Me? What I hate most are bugs!"]
[Whoosh—]
[The next instant, Zaku Abumi vanished from the spot.]
[Boom—!!!]
[A punch was thrown.]
[It smashed onto Shino's face.]
[Buzz—]
[Zaku Abumi's pupils contracted slightly.]
[The Shino in front of him turned into a cluster of bugs.]
["Tch!"]
["It's useless." Shino's voice sounded from behind him.]
["Stop rambling!" Zaku Abumi roared, then spread open his palms.]
[The sonic device in his palms activated.]
["Take this!"]
["Decapitating Air Waves!"]
[Boom—!!!]
[The air wave and white light covered Zaku Abumi's vision.]
[Zaku Abumi watched the dust rise before him and sneered, "Is that all?!"]
[The feeling just now was correct.]
[He had hit someone.]
['What a disgusting guy... actually using his body to raise bugs... then you can die along with the bugs inside you!']
[Zaku Abumi was about to press the attack.]
[Suddenly, from the second-floor stands behind him, Kin's voice rang out: "Zaku!"]
["Watch out behind you!!!"]
[What?!]
[Zaku Abumi froze.]
[Didn't he just send that guy flying?!]
[He quickly spun around.]
[Instantly, Zaku Abumi's scalp tingled, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead.]
[His face was filled with disbelief... and at the same time, goosebumps rose all over his body.]
[Bugs!]
[When?!]
[How are there so many?!]
["Their name is Parasitic Insects. They attack in groups and devour Chakra."]
["If you are attacked by this many bugs simultaneously, there is no doubt that your probability of death is extremely high."]
["If you don't want to die, surrender."]
["Because you have already lost your only chance to defeat me."]
[When Shino's voice reached Zaku Abumi's ears, it seemed to come from all directions.]
[On the second-floor stands.]
[Dosu and Kin both had gloomy expressions.]
[Even without being in the Arena, they could still feel the pressure Zaku Abumi was facing.]
[Because, even watching from the second-floor stands, they still couldn't think of a way to break the situation.]
[And at this moment, Shino, hidden among the Parasitic Insects, had already raised his hand and begun forming hand signs.]
[Zaku Abumi's body was stiff, trembling incessantly.]
[Memories of the past surfaced in his mind.]
[The scene shifted.]
[They entered Zaku Abumi's memory.]
[Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly.]
[A first-rate Ninja knows what the enemy is thinking after only a brief exchange.]
[But he was different.]
[Under the setting sun, on a ruined street, a young boy was running desperately, clutching a loaf of bread...]
This scene was clearly Zaku Abumi's memory.
Seeing this, Orochimaru paused for a moment.
Then her lips curled slightly.
This time, she chose not to speak.
"Watching Black-framed Naruto-kun grow... is truly a pleasure."
"It seems this time, Zaku's memory will slightly change some of his ideas."
Murmuring to herself, Orochimaru's gaze fell upon Sasuke's back in the Arena below.
"Because of Black-framed Naruto-kun's existence, many people in the black frame world are influenced by him."
"Sasuke is the same."
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
["You damned thief!!"]
[Behind the ragged boy were two middle-aged men.]
[They were chasing the boy.]
[Shouting for people to catch the boy.]
[Just then.]
[In the blink of an eye.]
[The boy entered a dead end.]
[The outcome goes without saying.]
["What a stubborn brat."]
["Caused us a lot of trouble."]
[The two men glanced at the boy lying on the ground, kicked him a few more times, and then swaggered away.]
[The boy struggled on the ground, trying to get up.]
[He didn't notice that someone had arrived outside the dead end.]
[After a while, the boy trembled all over as he got up. The loaf of bread he had fiercely protected in his arms had long since been crushed flat.]
[Looking at the bread in his hand, the corner of the boy's eye twitched.]
[A moment later, the boy's eyes turned fierce, and he then swallowed the bread bite by bite.]
["You still have hope."]
[Just as the boy was leaving with a fierce expression, a gentle voice sounded.]
[The boy's footsteps paused.]
[He looked back, saw nothing, and thought he was hallucinating.]
[However, when he turned his head again, a person was standing in front of him, having appeared seemingly out of nowhere.]
[That person wore a long robe, had a slender figure, and long black hair.]
[Those eyes were like a poisonous snake's.]
["I am very satisfied with the look in your eyes just now."]
["If you follow me, you can become stronger."]
["Come with me."]
[After saying that, Orochimaru turned around and left without hesitation.]
[Under the setting sun, the boy remained silent for a moment, then suddenly started running, chasing after her.]
[...]
[The memory abruptly ended.]
[Inside the Sealing Space.]
[The Great Fox was uninterested: "What's so good about that?"]
["You even went out of your way to peek."]
["Wasting a lot of Spiritual Power."]
["Didn't they already make it clear that the Sound Village is being secretly supported by someone?"]
["Besides, didn't you confirm it when you saw Orochimaru earlier?"]
["Orochimaru..." Naruto murmured.]
[He smiled and said, "It seems that choosing not to attack Orochimaru that day was a good choice."]
["It's not bad. Let's see what he plans to do first."]
[The Great Fox rolled its eyes, "What? Are you planning to subdue him?"]
["I do have that thought, but... Orochimaru clearly cannot be subdued, even if threatened with death."]
["Perhaps, cooperation?"]
["Oh, whatever you want." The Great Fox turned its head and continued with its own business.]
[Naruto withdrew from the Sealing Space.]
[His gaze fell on Zaku Abumi's back.]
['Looking at it this way, even without my interference, Sasuke meeting Orochimaru might not necessarily be a bad thing.']
[Afterward, Naruto fell silent.]
[Seeing the big picture from the small details.]
[This pathological Ninja World.]
[Too many people are suffering.]
[Whether it was Zaku Abumi or himself.]
[They were merely insignificant members among countless sufferers.]
[What is the reason that caused this Ninja World to become like this?]
[He shook his head.]
[Hadn't the answer been known for a long time?]
[It was just... much clearer now.]
[Naruto looked up at Orochimaru across from him.]
[Indeed.]
[Orochimaru's disguise might seem extremely clever in the eyes of others.]
[But to Naruto.]
[It was as if she were wearing no clothes.]
[Even white humanoid creatures could have their disguises seen through by him.]
[Let alone a Ninja?]
[Their eyes met.]
[A burst of intense light erupted in Orochimaru's eyes.]
[Naruto: "..."]
[So it was his... He thought it was an Anbu Ninja nearby.]
[He withdrew his gaze and looked down at the practice hall.]
["Shino, just make him lose the ability to fight."]