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Homura and Koharu were running towards the Forest of Death. Kagaya and Kisame were in pursuit behind them. Within the Forest of Death, Orochimaru and Kabuto were hastening their steps to escape.
The affairs of the world are indeed full of such strange coincidences. The moment Orochimaru and Kabuto stepped out of the Forest of Death, they encountered Homura and Koharu, who were running their way.
The four of them met, and for a moment, no one spoke. After all, none of them had expected to encounter the other at this exact moment. Most importantly, both parties were in the middle of fleeing!
Behind Homura and Koharu, Kagaya and Kisame were relentlessly chasing them. They were desperate to enter the Forest of Death to find the Third Hokage. Behind Orochimaru and Kabuto, there was Jiraiya, who could descend upon them at any moment, filled with rage.
None of the four wanted to waste time; they all just wanted to escape quickly. They simply never imagined they would encounter the enemy at the final step!
Orochimaru's expression turned grim.
'Damn it, we've already escaped the Forest of Death. Why are we running into Konoha's two elders here? They were the old man's comrades-in-arms back in the day; their strength shouldn't be weak. Kabuto alone probably can't defeat both of them. I need to think of a way to divert them.'
Koharu's face maintained a calm expression as she looked at Orochimaru, but internally, she was already dripping with cold sweat.
'I can sense the continuous deaths behind us. It seems that Uchiha brat has made rapid progress in strength over these past few years. Homura and I are probably no match for him. We must find Hiruzen quickly. But why did we run into Orochimaru at this moment? Damn it! We were so close to entering the Forest of Death. Orochimaru looks very weak now; he must have been taught a lesson by Hiruzen. I guess Hiruzen still couldn't bring himself to kill Orochimaru. Homura and I might have a chance to kill him now... No, wait! That brat is still chasing us from behind. We can't afford to delay even a minute now. We must find a way to get Orochimaru to move aside!'
The four stood there, unmoving, not speaking a word, just silently watching each other.
In Orochimaru's view, since he had invaded Konoha, these two elders probably had killing intent towards him. It was highly unlikely they would let him go at this moment. After all, they weren't like Jiraiya. Jiraiya had feelings for Orochimaru, which was why he could be fooled. But these two elders? If they had any feelings, it would only be the desire to kill him, Orochimaru.
In the eyes of Homura and Koharu, since Orochimaru had invaded Konoha, it was impossible for him to let the two of them go now. Even though Orochimaru appeared very weak, he had likely invaded Konoha in alliance with Uchiha Kagaya. All Orochimaru needed to do now was stall them, wait for the Uchiha Kagaya from behind to arrive.
The two groups were deadlocked like this, each feeling the other was there to intercept them, each believing the other wouldn't let them pass, each frantically trying to think of a way to make the other side move.
Finally, it was Koharu who spoke first. She let out a cold snort and said, "Orochimaru, it seems your injuries are quite severe."
This was a threat! Koharu believed Orochimaru wouldn't let them go just because of her words. Therefore, she used Orochimaru's injuries as a threat to force him to step aside.
Orochimaru's expression changed. He immediately retorted, "I have indeed sustained some minor injuries, but nothing too serious."
Orochimaru knew he absolutely could not show weakness at this moment. If the other side perceived him as being terribly weak and decided to attack, that would be disastrous.
But to Koharu's ears, Orochimaru's words were equivalent to saying, I will not make way!
Thus, Koharu continued, "Is that so? I think Hiruzen was still soft-hearted, which is why he didn't kill you. If you know what's good for you, get out of our way immediately!"
Orochimaru felt a surge of anger at first. What did she mean, Hiruzen was soft-hearted? That old man had been killed by him! But upon hearing the words "get out of our way," his anger vanished instantly, replaced by immense relief.
"Of course, no problem! Kabuto, let's go!"
They wanted him to move aside? Why didn't they say so earlier? So they weren't here for a fight? Good, good, that's...
Orochimaru, supported by Kabuto, took a few steps before suddenly stopping.
They want me to move aside? Wait, move aside? Why would they want me to move aside?
The next second, Orochimaru sharply turned his head and shouted,
"Kabuto! Intercept those two old bastards! No one leaves here today!"
Orochimaru was no fool. Upon initially hearing "move aside," momentary relief had prevented him from thinking too deeply. But after a few seconds of consideration, Orochimaru realized something was off.
He was in such a weakened state. Even though he was verbally putting on a brave front, anyone with eyes could see he was far from his peak condition. Killing him wouldn't be too difficult. In such a situation, why would these two old bastards tell him to move aside?
If it were Jiraiya telling him to move aside, Orochimaru wouldn't think too much about it, because Jiraiya was incapable of killing him. But these two old bastards... did he have any feelings with them? None! Not a shred! So why would they still tell him to move aside?
As Orochimaru pondered this, one thing suddenly came to mind. He had once asked Kagaya if invading Konoha meant only killing Danzo. Kagaya's answer at the time had been: No.
Simultaneously, according to the intelligence Orochimaru had gathered regarding the Uchiha clan massacre, Koharu and Homura had been one of the primary instigators. Furthermore, these two old bastards usually stayed in the Hokage Office. They weren't combat personnel. So why were they on the front lines now? That wasn't normal. Unless... unless Kagaya had already made his move!
With that, everything fell into place. The reason these two old bastards were willing to let him go wasn't because of any sentiment towards him. It was most likely because they were being pursued!
Therefore, without hesitation, Orochimaru ordered Kabuto to intercept them.
Homura turned sharply to look at Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, what is the meaning of this? You dare attack us in such a weak state? Are you seeking death? I'll give you one more chance. Tell your subordinate to stand down!"
A faint smile touched Orochimaru's lips. He had already ordered Kabuto to attack, yet these two old bastards were still offering him another chance. This further confirmed his speculation. These two old bastards were absolutely running for their lives!
"Elders, as you can see, I am very weak right now. Therefore, I need to find a partner to protect me."
Koharu let out a cold laugh. "Expect us to protect you? Don't be ridiculous! Step aside now, and we won't attack you. But protecting you is absolutely out of the question."
Orochimaru clicked his tongue. "How heartless. However, the partner I'm referring to isn't you two. I'm talking about the two people pursuing you."
As he spoke, Orochimaru motioned with his eyes for Homura and Koharu to look behind them.
Both Homura and Koharu were greatly alarmed. They never expected Orochimaru to have guessed everything. But most importantly...
They turned their heads, their faces turning deathly pale.
Behind them, Kagaya and Kisame, their faces etched with killing intent, were rapidly closing the distance. They were already within visible range!