Chapter 16: No Matter What, I Will Not Abandon My Comrades
Rumble—
Accompanied by a piercing roar that suddenly exploded, a fierce gale seemed to sweep through the forest in the Land of Whirlpools.
In the gale, Hyuga Makoto rapidly retreated backward, while on the other side, Orochimaru clutched the nearly dead Shinno.
"What a nuisance..."
Orochimaru's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He had rushed over as quickly as possible, but it seemed he was still a little too late.
'Earth Style: Earth Wall' had indeed blocked Hyuga Makoto's final palm strike, but that strike still broke through and landed on Shinno!
Orochimaru truly wanted to say, 'I don't understand'...
How on earth did this guy lose so miserably, to be beaten to this state!
While he was silent, Kakashi and Yamato also arrived.
"Are you alright, Makoto?"
Kakashi looked at Hyuga Makoto with some worry, while Yamato vigilantly watched Orochimaru, his peripheral vision sweeping over Hyuga Makoto.
"Don't worry, Captain, Senior. I'm fine."
Hyuga Makoto smiled and shook his head, though he currently felt a bit weak.
This feeling had surfaced ever since he disconnected from the moon, even though his Chakra was still abundant!
"Is it because the Bloodline development and the Tenseigan Rank are too low?"
Hyuga Makoto thought secretly, but at this moment, Orochimaru spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Very good, brat. You seem much more interesting than Kakashi and the others."
As he spoke, killing intent erupted from Orochimaru, and Kakashi and Yamato immediately tightened their grips on their weapons.
"Orochimaru, if this fight continues, this guy might actually die."
However, Hyuga Makoto remained calm. While maintaining his defense, he slowly spoke.
"You don't want him to really die because of this meaningless fight, do you?"
Hearing this, Kakashi and Yamato both felt that Hyuga Makoto was too naive.
This kid clearly didn't know much about Orochimaru's 'character'!
But at this moment, they also noticed Shinno's tragic appearance, which made their eyes widen slightly.
Orochimaru was so arrogant; his helper shouldn't have been weak either.
Unexpectedly, that guy was beaten to this state?
Hyuga Makoto's strength seemed stronger than imagined!
But they dared not relax. Even facing a three-on-one, they were up against Orochimaru...
"Oh?"
However, to their surprise, Orochimaru looked at Hyuga Makoto thoughtfully.
"You deliberately did this to him?"
"That's right."
Hyuga Makoto nodded. He did have intelligence after all!
"You probably want his secret technique, right?"
"Secret technique..."
Kakashi seemed to recall something at this moment, and Hyuga Makoto continued speaking.
"That jutsu is indeed powerful. Although it comes at the cost of accelerated cell division, it can rapidly restore injuries and Chakra, and even grant greater strength."
"Correct. As expected of the Byakugan, you saw through it at a glance."
Orochimaru's gaze flickered slightly. He asked with great interest.
"But how do you know I haven't obtained this technique, and why do you think I must have this technique?"
"Because you actively intercepted me and Yamato."
Kakashi had clearly figured it out, and Hyuga Makoto calmly added.
"That's right. Moreover, this technique has a huge flaw; it's clearly not completed, so..."
"A little interesting."
Orochimaru's killing intent began to recede, and a hint of interest appeared in his eyes.
"In such a short time, you grasped the key point, and you had enough strength to beat him down to his last breath, leaving all the trouble for me..."
Saying this, Orochimaru couldn't help but lick his lips.
"I never expected the Hyuga Clan to produce such a Genius. Why don't you come with me?"
"..."
This statement made Kakashi and Yamato exchange a look.
Although Orochimaru was a rogue ninja, his 'charisma' had gained him a large number of followers!
But...
"Sorry, I probably can't do that."
Hyuga Makoto shook his head, and he also started to smile.
"I am a member of the Branch Family, but even if I weren't, I wouldn't agree to your offer."
"..."
Hyuga Makoto's words silenced Orochimaru!
He himself hadn't expected this brat to be from the Hyuga Branch Family?
He hadn't expected a Branch Family member to master so many Main Family secret techniques, and even join the Anbu?
Had Konoha changed so much in the few years he was gone?
Had the Hyuga been dealt with?
Was that old man having a deathbed resurgence?
However, he had now lost interest; it even felt a bit dull.
"You guys are lucky. I'll let you go this time."
Looking at the dying Shinno, he slowly injected his Chakra, and his and Shinno's figures began to sink.
But as he left, Orochimaru glanced at Hyuga Makoto one last time.
"Brat, I hope your luck is just as good next time."
As the words fell, Orochimaru completely vanished from the spot.
And through Hyuga Makoto's Byakugan, he clearly saw that he had taken Shinno and left!
"It's finally over..."
Hyuga Makoto finally breathed a sigh of relief. Even with intelligence, he was still somewhat nervous facing a ruthless person like Orochimaru.
The current Orochimaru was not the one who later suffered the Reaper Death Seal, constantly changing bodies while stuck with permanent Debuffs.
As the Third Hokage's 'most favored student,' his strength was unimaginable!
"Yeah..."
Yamato couldn't help but nod, but Kakashi's gaze became severe.
"Makoto, what was your mission?"
"Transmit the intelligence back to Konoha."
Hyuga Makoto blinked. He knew Kakashi's fear of Orochimaru.
In memory, when Orochimaru defected, Kakashi ambushed him but was instantly defeated by one move.
Even during the Chunin Exams, Orochimaru could leave Kakashi unable to move!
But he still shook his head and said with a smile.
"But Captain Kakashi, our mission was also completed, wasn't it?"
"It's not the same."
Kakashi's voice was even deeper.
"If your judgment was wrong, forget the intelligence; you would have died too..."
"But Captain Kakashi, my judgment was correct."
This time, Hyuga Makoto proactively interrupted Kakashi, and he also became serious.
"If I had left, you and Senior would have been in danger. Besides, have you forgotten something I once said?"
Here, Hyuga Makoto paused. He removed his mask, revealing a refreshing smile on his lips.
"Comrades are the most precious things. Although I disobeyed the Captain's orders, for me..."
"No matter what, I will not abandon my comrades!"
These words instantly stunned Kakashi.
And this sentence seemed to pierce his heart!
For some reason, he seemed to see another youth shouting loudly at him.
"Those who do not follow the rules are trash, but those who do not cherish their comrades are worse than trash!"
These two voices overlapped continuously, and the two figures slowly merged.
In that moment, Kakashi also became somewhat dazed.
He quietly looked at Hyuga Makoto, remaining silent. For a moment, the only sounds on the battlefield were the rustling of branches and the crackling of flames.
"I understand."
After a while, Kakashi finally broke the silence.
He turned his back to the two and spoke softly.
"Let's go. We've been out long enough; it's time to return."
"Huh?"
Yamato was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Okay, let's hurry back!"
"Mm."
Hyuga Makoto also nodded along. They had been out long enough; it really was time to go back!
It was just that they didn't notice that beneath Kakashi's mask, a rare smile had appeared.
And just at that moment, a piece of information flashed through Hyuga Makoto's mind.
[Side Mission Completed: Loot Orochimaru's Laboratory]
[Reward Obtained: Orochimaru's Sealing Jutsu]
[Side Mission Completed: Comrades are the Most Precious Things; Assisted Kakashi and Yamato in Facing the Crisis]
[Reward Obtained: Partial Ninja World Scientific Data from Orochimaru]
"?!"