"Hokage-sama!"
Four figures landed, guarding Hiruzen's side.
The Anbu Captain in the lead knelt on one knee, his voice tense. "How are your injuries?"
Hiruzen's face was pale. He forced his back straight, blood still staining the corner of his lips. "I won't die yet."
"Let's arrange for someone to take you away from here first." The Anbu Captain's tone was urgent as his gaze warily scanned the surroundings.
"Don't mind me." A flash of resolve crossed Hiruzen's eyes.
His voice was weak but firm. "Konoha's future is more important than my life. Go lend Mamoru a hand. No matter what, Orochimaru must be stopped."
"Yes!" The Anbu members responded in unison.
This conversation reached Mamoru's ears clearly. Hiruzen was determined to keep Orochimaru here, but Mamoru had already decided to let him go.
So, how should he play this scene to avoid revealing any flaws?
"Damn it, damn it, damn it..."
Orochimaru clutched his mangled chest, letting out an unwilling roar as he stumbled to his feet.
His sinister gaze swept forward, and he hissed an order, "Do it!"
Gold dust surged around Rasa, condensing into a wave that swept forward.
The moment Rasa launched his attack, Orochimaru fled into the distance without looking back.
One of the Anbu quickly formed hand signs and pressed both hands heavily against the ground.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
A thick stone wall rose with a crash, blocking the fierce assault of the sand wave. The gold dust hissed as it collided with the stone.
Mamoru leaped backward repeatedly, dodging the gold dust hands that pursued him like living things.
Behind the stone wall, Hiruzen immediately sensed Orochimaru's intent and shouted with forced breath, "Don't let Orochimaru escape!"
The Anbu Captain leaped out from behind the stone wall, his hand signs already complete.
Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!
An invisible wind blade sliced through the air, heading straight for the fleeing Orochimaru.
A wall of Gold Dust rose into the air, barely managing to block the wind cutter. Although the wind blade sliced deep cracks into the Gold Dust wall, it failed to break through the defense completely.
Meanwhile, one Anbu stayed behind to ensure Hiruzen's safety. The other two flashed out from either side of the stone wall, lunging toward Rasa.
Amidst flashes of cold light, eight shuriken shot toward the target like a rainstorm.
Just as Rasa manipulated the Gold Dust to weave a defensive net in front of him, Mamoru finally found his opportunity.
His figure appeared behind Rasa like a phantom, the blue orb of light condensing at his fingertips ready to fire.
Blue!
The blue orb of light burst from his fingertips. The Gold Dust on the ground was too late to defend.
The blue halo erupted behind Rasa's back, instantly tearing his body apart.
Thud!
Rasa fell to the ground, more than half of his body already gone.
"It worked!"
The two Anbu members didn't stop, passing Mamoru to pursue Orochimaru when two Kunai suddenly flew from afar, pinning precisely onto the path ahead of them.
The explosive tag tied to the Kunai made their pupils shrink.
At the critical moment, Mamoru waved his hand, and gravity violently yanked the two Anbu members to the side.
Boom! Boom!
Flames soared into the sky, and scorching airwaves billowed in all directions.
The two Anbu sat on the ground, their expressions under their masks shaken, the power of the recent explosion replaying in their minds.
On a distant rooftop, Kabuto's figure flashed by. Mamoru saw clearly that the one who had thrown the Kunai just now was that guy—he was covering Orochimaru's retreat.
Orochimaru leaped onto the roof of another spectator stand and met up with Kabuto. Clutching his bleeding chest, a hint of surprise flashed across his face.
"Kabuto, you're still alive?"
"I was lucky not to die, but the injuries are severe." Kabuto smiled bitterly as he showed the wound on his chest, blood having stained his clothes dark red.
"Orochimaru-sama, let's get out of here first."
Orochimaru gave a soft grunt, a sound so faint only he could hear it.
...
"Are you guys okay?" The Anbu Captain asked urgently.
Only then did the two Anbu members snap back to their senses. "W-We're fine."
One of them turned to Mamoru, who was a few steps away, and said sincerely, "Thanks for just now."
"As long as you're okay." Mamoru replied indifferently.
"Hurry and pursue, don't let Orochimaru escape!" The Anbu Captain saw Orochimaru's figure about to vanish from sight and hastily ordered.
"Yes!"
"Wait!" Mamoru suddenly spoke up to stop them.
The Anbu Captain paused and looked back, puzzled. "What is it?"
Mamoru's tone was calm. "Don't chase. Don't you know better than to corner a desperate foe?"
"Setting aside whether the enemy has laid traps, the more important thing right now is to get the old man to the hospital. Looking at him, he won't last much longer."
"Captain..."
The Anbu staying by Hiruzen's side suddenly called out, "Hokage-sama has fainted!"
It turned out Hiruzen had lost consciousness even before Mamoru moved against Rasa. After all, he was old. Having gone through such a high-intensity battle while being severely injured, it was already a miracle he'd held on this long.
"Take Hokage-sama to the hospital first!" The Anbu Captain made an immediate decision.
"Yes!"
Several Anbu quickly escorted Hiruzen away, leaving only the Anbu Captain behind, staring in the direction where Orochimaru had disappeared, his expression under the mask unreadable.
"What about you?" He withdrew his gaze and turned to Mamoru.
Mamoru shook his head. "I'm not hurt but my Chakra is exhausted. I need to rest for a bit."
He pointed toward the faint rumbling in the distance. "There's still a big guy over there that needs dealing with."
"I see." The Anbu Captain's voice was low. "Then I'll head out first."
Before his voice faded, he had already vanished like the wind.
Mamoru let out a long breath, his tense nerves relaxing slightly.
Just as he was about to slump to the ground, a faint groan from nearby snapped him back to attention.
He looked toward the source of the sound.
...
Tayuya slowly woke up amidst the wreckage. Her entire body felt like it was being burned by fire. Every inch of her skin screamed in pain, making her let out an uncontrollable muffled groan.
She struggled for a good while before barely propping herself up. Her gaze swept the area—the roof was riddled with craters and in total disarray.
Aside from her, there was only one figure standing silently in the distance. Their eyes met across the space.
Tayuya's hair stood on end as a cold realization pierced her mind.
Orochimaru's plan... had failed.
Enduring the tearing pain throughout her body, she stumbled to her feet.
She had to escape!
"Where do you think you're going?"
The voice actually sounded right by her ear.
Mamoru had appeared behind her at some unknown moment, his eyes like ice. He raised a hand, about to grab the back of her neck.
Tayuya's body suddenly stiffened. Knowing escape was hopeless, she simply threw caution to the wind, spun her head around, and cursed, "Bastard! Ugly guy!"
"...Me? Ugly guy?"
Mamoru's hand, suspended in mid-air, froze. A vein throbbed at his temple, and his lips curled into a strained smile.
"Try saying that one more time?"
"You swine bastard! Shit-eating scumbag @#$%..." Tayuya completely let loose, a barrage of foul language bursting forth like a machine gun.
Mamoru's eye twitched slightly, and his face darkened visibly. Finally unable to take it anymore, he pinched her mouth shut, blocking the rest of her "greetings."
This girl's mouth is so sweet, it's like it's smeared with honey. It would be a waste to kill her, better hand her over to the Torture and Interrogation Force.
"Mmph, mmph..."
Tayuya tried desperately to pry his fingers off with both hands, but she couldn't budge them an inch.
"From now on, if you say one more word, I'll snap your neck." Mamoru's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a bone-chilling coldness.
He let go.
Tayuya immediately backed away two steps, clutching her reddened lips. Her eyes still glinted with ferocity as she glared at him.
As if suddenly remembering something, Mamoru added, "By the way, if you try to run, I'll cripple your legs."
His gaze swept over her slightly trembling legs.
Tayuya's fists clenched, her body trembling slightly. She was filled with frustration and rage but didn't dare speak again. The absolute gap in strength had completely robbed her of any room to struggle.
Mamoru ignored her, sat down right where he was, and closed his eyes. His sensory perception spread out like ripples into the distance.