I Just Wanted to Slack Off, But I Was Forced to Become Hokage

Chapter 75: Orochimaru's True Purpose!

Nara Keisuke had no time to spare for the mission message that popped up on his panel; Orochimaru's venomous fangs had already descended.

Poof!

Orochimaru's fangs bit into his prey with speed and precision. But before he could inject the "venom" from his fangs into the prey's body, the latter's form exploded directly into a puff of smoke and dissipated into the air.

"A Shadow Clone Technique?"

Orochimaru made an instant judgment. He retracted his twisting snake-neck and narrowed his eyes, scanning the surrounding forest.

Yakushi Nono'o, standing to the side, saw her chance and intended to take a weapon from her ninja tool pouch. Orochimaru's cold, serpentine eyes just glanced over. He raised his right hand and flung it in her direction. Without any hand signs, a thick brown python shot out from his sleeve, crossing the distance between them as if in flight and wrapping tightly around Nono'o's body.

Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!

Under Orochimaru's mental control, the brown python suddenly tightened its grip, intending to crush its target. Nono'o's oval face immediately contorted in pain, and the next moment...

Poof!

The body of the glasses-wearing nun also exploded into a puddle of ink. Droplets of ink scattered and splashed, landing on the soil and leaves.

'A self-created secret technique, the Super Beast Scroll?'

The image of Nono'o's very special "clone technique" slowly surfaced in Orochimaru's mind. He shook his head and said, "All clones? It seems I misjudged your courage..."

Just as he spoke these taunting words, Orochimaru's keen hearing caught a slight sound. He stopped talking and once again turned his gaze to the surrounding forest.

With a rustling sound, two thin, lacquer-black snakes composed of ink shot out from between the trees, leaving two continuous lines of ink on the ground as they went. The two black snakes streaked through the air as fast as the wind, arriving before Orochimaru, intending to entangle him and pin him in place.

Super Beast Scroll: Snakes in the Grass!

Faced with the attack of the ink snakes, Orochimaru was completely unconcerned. When Shimura Danzō had dispatched him, he had also given him all the intelligence Root possessed on the abilities of Nara Keisuke and Yakushi Nono'o. Although he didn't know the specific operating principle of the Super Beast Scroll, Orochimaru knew what its weakness was.

The beasts composed of ink had bodies as fragile as water, breaking with a single blow. Whether it was a physical strike or a Fire Release ninjutsu, both were effective means of countering the Super Beast Scroll. It was just...

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze focused on the black lines the two ink snakes had left in their wake. 'Are you trying to test my familiarity with the Nara clan's Shadow Secret Techniques?'

Without seeing him use any technique or take out any weapon, a cold, sinister light flashed in mid-air.

Poof!

The two ink snakes, before they had even gotten close to Orochimaru, let alone touched his shadow, exploded directly in mid-air, their slender bodies breaking apart inch by inch.

Orochimaru's nerves had just relaxed slightly, but just then, he suddenly felt a strong restraining force on his body. 'This is... the Nara clan's Shadow Paralysis Jutsu!'

Feeling his body suddenly become stiff and unable to move, a faint sense of shock flashed through Orochimaru's heart. 'When?!'

Orochimaru's beast-like vertical pupils looked down at the ground. He saw a faint, black shadow line extending from the forest, twisting and turning to connect the scattered ink drops on the ground, including the severed body parts of the two ink snakes, its end connecting all the way to his feet.

The Super Beast Scroll attack was just a feint. The real tactical purpose was indeed to hide the shadow line beneath the "Snakes in the Grass." Orochimaru had been cautious enough to intercept the "Snakes in the Grass" beforehand, not letting them or their shadows touch him. But he had unintentionally overlooked one point. Even the "severed ink snakes," the ground shadows cast by their lacquer-black bodies, could also be used to extend the length of the [Shadow Paralysis Jutsu]!

"Lord Orochimaru." Nara Keisuke's figure flickered out from the treetops. He stood on a branch, looking down at Orochimaru below. "Were you just planning to carry out the mission order issued by Shimura Danzō?"

"Do you think I am as foolish as Shimura Danzō, Nara-kun?" Orochimaru's tone showed no sign of panic. He licked the corner of his mouth and said in a hoarse voice, "The root buried in the darkness can never understand the operating rules of the world under the sun. To persuade me, Danzō did indeed offer a bargaining chip I couldn't refuse, but... I would never truly make an enemy of the Nara clan, let alone the three Ino-Shika-Chō clans, for that little thing!"

The three Ino-Shika-Chō clans had rushed to the Hokage's office in unison over the matter of "Nara Keisuke being attacked," directly confronting the Third Hokage... Orochimaru was very clear on this matter. He was naturally also aware of the extreme importance the Ino-Shika-Chō—to be precise, the Nara clan—placed on this talented junior.

At this stage, although Orochimaru was obsessed with eternal life, he had not yet reached the level of madness he would in the future. As a Konoha Jonin aspiring to the position of Fourth Hokage, why would he go to a death-match with the three Ino-Shika-Chō clans for that "little thing" Danzō gave him? Besides, once he became the Fourth Hokage... wouldn't all of Danzō and Root's "special collections" be his anyway?

Hearing Orochimaru's reply, Nara Keisuke relaxed a little. Although he had just triggered the A-rank combat mission for Orochimaru, he only found it very troublesome. The reason was simple. If one were to make a list of "who has the most tenacious life force" in the ninja world, excluding the "alien god" tier, if Orochimaru claimed to be number two, no one would dare claim to be number one. Hidan, Kakuzu, Shimura Danzō... all of them had to take a step back. Orochimaru's life-saving means and the difficulty of killing him were absolutely number one in the ninja world!

"Then your attack just now..." Keisuke thought for a moment and added, "And the nun from the Kikyo Orphanage, what was that all about?"

"What nun?" Orochimaru's brow furrowed slightly. He wouldn't take the blame for that. "I only 'invited' Nara-kun and Yakushi-san to come here. Others were not within my consideration. As for the attack just now... I said, it was just a 'small gift'."

Orochimaru indeed had no intention of following Danzō's arranged mission procedure. But as one of the esteemed Sannin, coaching—no, cultivating a talented ninja in the village, didn't break any taboos, did it? Giving Keisuke a small lesson would neither completely antagonize the Nara clan, nor would it prevent him from logically receiving the "reward" from Danzō. Orochimaru felt there was no problem with his line of thinking. The only mistake was probably that he didn't know about the relationship between Keisuke and Tsunade...

'The fat nun wasn't abducted by Orochimaru. Then it was... Oyakata En?' A thought flashed through Keisuke's mind. He didn't think too deeply about it and continued to look at Orochimaru, who was still being controlled by the [Shadow Paralysis Jutsu]. "Then, since the 'gift' has been delivered, can we leave now?"

"But I haven't personally delivered this gift into your hands yet, Nara-kun..." Orochimaru chuckled lightly, his expression composed. Even though his body was controlled by the Shadow Paralysis Jutsu, he was not a conventional ninja who couldn't cast ninjutsu after losing the ability to form hand signs.

He opened his mouth, and his upper and lower jaws stretched to an unbelievably wide distance. A slender brown snake emerged from his throat, and it too opened its mouth like him. The next moment, a cold glint appeared in the brown snake's throat.

Hiss—

A gleaming sword shot out from the snake's mouth, flying towards Keisuke's position like a hidden weapon. The incredibly sharp blade cut through the air, creating a whistling sound.

Orochimaru-Style Secret Technique, the Sword of Kusanagi!

Seeing this inhuman scene of "I spit out a snake, the snake spits out a sword," Keisuke's mouth twitched a few times. His figure moved to the side, proactively dodging the sword's attack.

Clang!

The Sword of Kusanagi passed directly through Keisuke's original position and, as if a hot knife through butter, effortlessly plunged into the trunk of a tree.

'He actively dodged the attack. Is this one not a clone, but the main body?' Orochimaru's thoughts flickered as he stood his ground. He remotely controlled the Sword of Kusanagi and launched the next round of attacks.

Sword of Kusanagi: Longsword of the Sky!

Although the sword was not in his hand, it was still under his control, flying freely through the air.

Crack! Crack!

The Sword of Kusanagi, sharp enough to cut a hair that fell on its blade, chopped through the branches and trunk where Keisuke was standing as if cutting melons and vegetables, forcing him to dodge repeatedly. Faced with such a peerless sword that could cut through iron like mud, Keisuke didn't even have the thought of blocking it with a kunai. The difference in weapon quality was simply too great.

And just as Orochimaru was concentrating on manipulating the Sword of Kusanagi to attack Keisuke from afar, several tiny black scorpions quietly approached his position from the ground behind him.

The battle-hardened Orochimaru keenly sensed the approach of danger, but the Shadow Paralysis Jutsu still firmly controlled his body, preventing him from moving freely. The control effect of Keisuke's jutsu was somewhat beyond his expectations.

With the unseen threat constantly drawing near, Orochimaru thought for a moment and decisively used another of his own secret techniques. He once again opened his mouth, and two pale, sickly hands reached out from his throat, grabbing his upper and lower lips...

As if a snake shedding its skin, a brand new Orochimaru emerged from his own mouth, his body covered in a semi-transparent mucus.

Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique!

(End of Chapter)

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