Orochimaru's snake-like pupils narrowed.
In his eyes, a clean-cut boy of about fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a Konoha Chunin vest, stepped out from behind the roots of a tree.
"Big Brother Kaede!"
When Uzumaki Naruto saw who had arrived, he could not help crying out in surprise.
"We're saved!"
When Sakura Haruno saw him, it was as if she had seen their rescuer descend from heaven.
"It's Kaede Kitahara. Thank goodness."
The moment Uchiha Sasuke saw Kaede Kitahara, he let out a breath of relief. He had been forcing himself to hold on until now, and at last, he could safely pass out.
"Kaede Kitahara?"
Orochimaru studied the boy's face. It looked somewhat familiar.
He should not have known him, but because Kaede Kitahara had previously hypnotized Gaara and the One-Tail Shukaku with ease, he had entered Orochimaru's field of vision. Orochimaru had even had Yakushi Kabuto specifically investigate him. He had only just looked through the information not long ago, yet here he was, meeting the real person.
"Oh? Someone interesting has arrived."
A faint smile curled at Orochimaru's lips, but his eyes were filled with caution.
According to the intelligence, Kaede Kitahara should be extremely skilled in Genjutsu. Otherwise, he could not have instantly controlled Gaara and the One-Tail Shukaku.
As for Orochimaru, he feared almost nothing except masters of Genjutsu.
Although he did not believe Kaede Kitahara could possibly have Uchiha Itachi's level of Genjutsu mastery, much less the ocular power of the Mangekyo Sharingan supporting it, he still could not be careless.
After all, Uchiha Sasuke had just given him a tremendous surprise. The lesson was right in front of him.
"Well, well. Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, actually got involved in a little Chunin Exams," Kaede Kitahara said. "If this gets out, who knows how many people will be shocked senseless?"
Orochimaru grinned. "Looks like Anko discovered things quickly. Did she already find the Kusa-nin corpses? I suppose you're trying to stall for time until they arrive, but do you really think you can?"
Orochimaru had absolute confidence. A Jonin was still only a Jonin. Whether it was a Tokubetsu Jonin, an ordinary Jonin, or even an Elite Jonin, none of them mattered to him.
"Stall for time? I don't have any intention of doing that," Kaede Kitahara said. "I'm wondering whether I might be able to keep you here. After all, you're one of the Legendary Sannin.
"Let's see how long you can last."
"Hahahahaha. Interesting."
Orochimaru's hoarse laugh drifted out.
Without a doubt, Kaede Kitahara's words struck him as utterly absurd. This boy knew he was one of the Legendary Sannin, yet still dared to say something so arrogant.
He really had been away from Konoha for too long. Long enough that these juniors no longer understood just how terrifying the Legendary Sannin truly were.
He could even see a trace of eagerness on Kaede Kitahara's face.
As for whether to kill Orochimaru here, Kaede Kitahara had not fully decided yet. Before, his strength had been too weak, so anything that might change the plot had been absolutely forbidden in his mind.
But now, unless he directly ran into Nagato, he had nothing to fear. Even Nagato would not be able to keep him there. After all, Flying Thunder God was simply too useful.
So what if he changed a critical plot point now?
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Orochimaru attacked without hesitation. In an instant, his hands turned into countless venomous snakes that surged toward Kaede Kitahara.
At that moment, the long sword Kaede Kitahara carried, a Chakra Blade forged from Chakra metal, flashed out of its sheath. A dazzling storm of sword light bloomed, and the snakes were cut down one after another.
Not even water could have slipped through. The snakes could not touch Kaede Kitahara at all.
Seeing this, Orochimaru's pupils shrank again. Earlier, he had only been wary of Kaede's possible Genjutsu. Now he understood that Kaede Kitahara's swordsmanship was also terrifyingly powerful. It was not any sword art he currently knew, and it was certainly not the Konoha-Style Sword Art most popular in Konoha. It was an entirely new sword style carrying lightning.
Based on this Chakra control alone, Kaede Kitahara was already qualified to stand among Jonin.
Clearly, Orochimaru began to realize he had underestimated Kaede Kitahara.
"Orochimaru-senpai, if this is all you have, then I'll be taking your life."
Kaede Kitahara's voice was calm.
"Hahahahaha. Arrogant."
Orochimaru was finally angered. A terrifying aura erupted from his body, and for a moment, the pressure of a Kage Level powerhouse seemed to freeze the entire space.
"S-so scary."
At that moment, Sakura Haruno felt as if she could not even breathe. After only a little while, she felt like she was about to suffocate to death.
She knew this was a kind of mental intimidation, but she could not break it. It was not Genjutsu, so there was no way to release it using ordinary Genjutsu-dispelling methods.
In the next second, she seemed to see herself dying miserably at Orochimaru's hands. The terror nearly frightened her to death on the spot.
Even Uzumaki Naruto's hand was trembling. It felt like the first time he had faced the Elite Jonin-level Jiraiya. His breathing became ragged, and his pupils contracted slightly.
Then, at that moment, Kaede Kitahara suddenly took one step forward.
The overwhelming aura bearing down on them split apart as easily as hot steel cutting through butter. It dissolved completely, vanishing without a trace.
"S-saved."
Sakura Haruno let out a breath. For that instant, it had felt as if the sky itself had collapsed.
With just one step, Kaede Kitahara had erased it all.
The terrifying murderous aura Orochimaru had honed on the battlefield was astonishing. It was something Kaede Kitahara did not possess. But Kaede Kitahara's aura as a powerhouse was different. It was pure strength, without the slightest impurity.
Orochimaru's expression changed at once. Clearly, he had finally realized his intelligence had been wrong. Terribly wrong. Kaede Kitahara was not weak at all. He was far more terrifying than Orochimaru had imagined.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Orochimaru instantly unleashed a terrifying surge of air that swept straight toward Kaede Kitahara.
Although this technique was not high-rank, when Orochimaru used it, it burst out with unimaginable power.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Kaede Kitahara instantly released the same Wind Release: Great Breakthrough as Orochimaru.
Both of them were terrifyingly strong. This Wind Release, which could not be considered a high-level technique, erupted with tremendous force in both their hands. The nearby trees were ripped from the ground and sent flying.
At that moment, Kaede Kitahara sensed Orochimaru had somehow arrived right in front of him. Orochimaru erupted with a terrifying aura and attacked.
Bang!
Kaede Kitahara blocked the punch with ease.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Their collisions were unbelievably fierce. With their strength, even exchanges of pure Taijutsu still carried enormous destructive power.
From time to time, they vanished from where they stood.
Orochimaru was indeed not especially skilled at Taijutsu, but that was only compared to his Ninjutsu and research ability.
To ordinary ninja, his Taijutsu was still astonishing.
"They're so fast. I can't see them at all."
Sakura Haruno stared at the two fighting figures in shock. Every punch and kick carried terrifying force. She even felt that if any one of those blows struck her, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Orochimaru, however, grew more alarmed the longer they fought. Kaede Kitahara could easily receive his attacks, and could even predict them in advance. It felt as though Kaede Kitahara had a pair of Sharingan, eyesight capable of seeing through all his movements and even foreseeing his attacks.
Impossible.
The more Orochimaru fought, the more startled he became. He did not believe it, but disbelief changed nothing.
He had chosen Taijutsu because he did not want to cause too much commotion. Kaede Kitahara, on the other hand, seemed to be using his attacks to temper himself.
No. That was exactly what he was doing.
He was using Orochimaru to polish his own Taijutsu.
A real battle at this level was clearly something Kaede Kitahara lacked. The judgment and instincts of ninja at this rank were not something low-level ninja could compare to.
And this was a rare, precious opportunity for Kaede Kitahara.
That was why Kaede Kitahara was willing to compete with him in Taijutsu.
The two of them darted back and forth through the forest at extreme speed.
Forget Sakura Haruno. Even Uzumaki Naruto, who was stronger, could only catch faint traces of their shadows.
They were unbelievably fast.
They fought for quite a while before finally stopping. Orochimaru had already consumed a great deal of stamina, but across from him, Kaede Kitahara looked completely unaffected.
Orochimaru finally realized just how terrifying Kaede Kitahara's strength was. Almost all of his tactical intentions had been seen through. Kaede Kitahara could even judge his next move from the slightest twitch of his shoulder.
What kind of astonishing eyesight was this? Orochimaru could tell this was not because Kaede had overwhelming battle experience. It was because his insight was stronger than Orochimaru's. He did not know Kaede Kitahara had the Sharingan, and that even without activating it, his perception was still above that of ordinary people.
He could only feel that Kaede Kitahara's talent in this area was frighteningly strong.
"As expected of Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. But today's game should end here."
Kaede Kitahara looked up at the sky, which had gone completely dark. Moonlight spilled down into the forest.
"Game?"
When Orochimaru heard that, he almost laughed from anger. He had no idea what was going on with this Kaede Kitahara, or why he was so far beyond the standard, but that so-called game nearly infuriated him.
In Kaede's eyes, that fierce exchange just now had only been a game?
"Then let me see what else you have," Orochimaru said in his hoarse voice.
"Then watch carefully. You only get one chance. Thunder Breathing, First Form, Lightning Flash Step."
The Chakra Blade at Kaede Kitahara's waist was finally drawn.
Thunder roared around him, and his entire body seemed to be wrapped in lightning.
Not good!
Orochimaru immediately realized this attack would probably be terrifying.
But his vision blurred, and Kaede Kitahara had already appeared in front of him at some unknown moment.
Then his sword fell.