"Lord Shura!" Gotta arrived at the entrance of the stone chamber, reporting in a low voice. "A Konoha ninja tracked us into the caves. We have captured him."
Inside the chamber, Menma was flipping through the historical scrolls of the Iburi. He glanced up slightly at the news. He had already surmised that Kakashi would follow the trail.
According to the original flow of events, Kinoe would save Kakashi, and the two would be led away by Yukimi. That part of the story was likely already in motion.
"Chief! Yukimi! Yukimi has taken the two of them away!" Sure enough, moments later, a clansman rushed in, panting with panic.
"What!" Hearing that Yukimi had released the prisoners, Gotta's face paled. A flash of anger crossed his eyes, followed by a look of nervous trepidation as he looked at the figure standing in the stone room. "Forgive us... My Lord... my discipline was lacking..."
"It's of no consequence." Menma shook the scroll in his hand, his tone indifferent. "I already knew the identity of that Konoha ninja. He won't harm Yukimi."
He paused, his voice low and composed. "Children go through rebellious phases; it's only natural. She'll come home after a while. For now, you should focus your thoughts on how you plan to deal with Orochimaru."
Hearing "Lord Shura" mention Orochimaru again, Gotta's expression turned grim.
Meanwhile, in a bustling marketplace of a nearby town outside the forest, the escaped Kakashi and Kinoe were strolling through the crowded streets with Yukimi.
Having never left the lightless underground, Yukimi was experiencing a world of color for the first time. Her large eyes were filled with wonder as she darted from one stall to another, even picking out a bolt of fabric to make a new dress.
Kakashi and Kinoe temporarily set aside their mission, accompanying her as she explored. They even spent their own money to buy her the various snacks and street foods she was curious about.
Seeing the radiant, genuine smile on Yukimi's face, both Kakashi and Kinoe—shinobi who had lived their lives in the shadows of the ANBU and Root—found themselves moved. For a brief moment, they shed their burdens and worries, enjoying the market like three ordinary friends.
At the same time...
"Huff... huff..."
Clutching his wounded abdomen, a blood-stained Orochimaru finally arrived at the Iburi clan's hollow.
"Lord Orochimaru!" A swirl of mist coalesced into two Iburi clansmen, who rushed forward with concern to support him.
But Orochimaru struck without warning. He lunged at one of them, his jaw unhinging as he bit deep into the man's neck!
"Aaaargh! Lord Orochimaru!" The captured clansman screamed, trying to trigger his smoke transformation, but Orochimaru's Curse Mark flared, suppressing his ability.
The Iburi felt his very life force being drained. In an instant, his blood was siphoned away, leaving his body a shriveled, desiccated husk.
Having replenished his strength, Orochimaru licked his lips. A spark of predatory satisfaction flashed in his eyes as he regained some of his vitality. He cracked his neck and opened his maw again, lunging at the other clansman who stood paralyzed with horror.
Whoosh—
Just as the fangs were about to sink in, a blade of wind whistled through the air, forcing Orochimaru to release his prey and flip backward.
"Who goes there!" Orochimaru looked up, his golden serpent pupils seething with murderous intent.
From the darkness of the cave's depths, the Death God drifted out like a ghost, the cold light of its scythe shimmering with a lethal edge.
"Shura..." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed with deep wariness. He found this "Shura's" presence increasingly unfathomable.
How did he know about the Iburi clan?
How did he get here before me?
What exactly is his goal?
Countless questions swirled in the Sannin's mind.
"Lord Orochimaru! You...!" A cloud of mist gathered as Gotta appeared. Looking at the withered corpse of his kinsman, his shock and fury were impossible to hide, even despite Menma's warnings.
"So it's Gotta..." Orochimaru's voice was a raspy hiss. "Do you intend to betray me?"
The rest of the Iburi clan deactivated their mist forms, standing behind Gotta. The adoration they once held for Orochimaru had vanished, replaced by a profound, burning loathing. He had lied to them! He had murdered their children! And now, he was hunting them like cattle!
"Where are the children!" Gotta grit his teeth, his voice trembling. He desperately hoped the children were still alive, even if it meant Orochimaru was lying to him now.
"Heh heh... it seems you've already found out..." Orochimaru's cold chuckle shattered Gotta's final shred of hope.
"Shura, come out." Orochimaru lifted his gaze, his eyes dark and predatory as he stared into the tunnel.
He ran through a mental list of every Konoha ninja he knew—ANBU, Root, even the elite Special Jōnin of the great clans. But in his forty-one years, Orochimaru could recall no one who matched Shura's profile.
Step.
The sound of a footfall echoed from the darkness. The Iburi clansmen respectfully parted, lining the sides of the tunnel.
"It seems I've won," Menma said as he walked to Gotta's side, his tone light and almost cheerful.
Yet, his next words carried an absolute, undeniable authority: "Remember this. This clan is now my private property."
"Yes... Lord Shura..." Gotta knew his clan lacked the strength to remain neutral in this "war." They had to pick a side. Orochimaru had burned his bridges; if the Iburi wanted to survive, they had only one choice.
They had to submit to this man.
Watching "Shura," Orochimaru laughed out of sheer, venomous rage. First, Shura had robbed him of the Hashirama cells, and now he was stealing the Iburi clan. To be played like a fiddle time and again—how could a member of the Legendary Sannin tolerate such mockery?
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands: Thousand Snake Formation!" Ignoring the pain in his gut, Orochimaru dropped to all fours and vomited a literal ocean of venomous snakes from his maw.
Hundreds of thick vipers, each brandishing a blade from its mouth, surged toward Menma and the Iburi like a tidal wave. Simultaneously, Orochimaru pulsed the Curse Marks, paralyzing the Iburi to prevent them from turning into smoke.
Cries of agony filled the cavern as the Iburi clutched their necks, falling to their knees. Even Gotta was stripped of his fighting strength.
"Death God, Maiden—guard them," Menma ordered calmly. The Iburi were his property now; he wasn't about to let Orochimaru kill off his assets.
The Death God and Jade Maiden spun their scythe and ribbons, creating a zone of absolute death that shredded any snake that dared approach. These were merely common vipers; they were no match for two Nine-Masked Beasts of elite Jōnin caliber.
Meanwhile, Menma blurred forward. A sphere of pitch-black chakra—the Spiralling Ring—coalesced in his hand. The violent energy instantly tore a vacuum through the sea of snakes!
Orochimaru felt a jolt of genuine fear as he sensed the sheer brutality of that chakra.
"Striking Shadow Snake Needles!" Orochimaru's right hand transformed into a dozen serpents that lashed out like vines, attempting to entwine his foe while he unhinged his jaw to reveal razor-sharp fangs.
"Spiralling Ring!" Menma thrust the orb forward. The hyper-compressed dark chakra, encased in a ring of wind-natured energy, functioned much like a Wind Style: Rasenshuriken. Its destructive radius was immense, atomizing the incoming snakes into a mist of blood and scales.
Seeing the massive black sphere about to collide with him, Orochimaru's pupils shrank. His hands blurred through a set of signs.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
BOOM!
Smoke erupted from beneath Orochimaru's feet. A gargantuan, purple-scaled serpent with horns burst through the floor. But the moment it appeared, it took the Spiralling Ring head-on.
"ROAR! OROCHIMARU! YOU BASTARD!" Manda let out a piercing, agonized shriek as his massive body bore the full brunt of the attack.
"I WANT A HUNDRED SACRIFICES FOR THIS!" Manda hissed, his forked tongue flickering with venomous spite.
As the smoke cleared, a large section of Manda's hide was a mangled mess of blood and shredded scales.