A New Snake In The Shinobi World-Chapter 353:

Tsunade was the Hokage.

Mei was the Mizukage.

A meeting between the leaders of two great nations should have been a grand affair, reflecting the prestige and dignity of their respective villages.

Yet, instead of a formal summit, they had chosen to meet in a desolate, unremarkable location.

The reason was simple, neither of them cared for unnecessary formalities.

The two sides met while maintaining a safe distance.

Tsunade was accompanied by six ANBU operatives and her trusted assistant, Uchiha Mikoto.

TMei had brought along two bodyguards—Ao, a seasoned veteran, and to Tsunade's surprise, Hōzuki Mangetsu.

This meeting wasn't arranged for any hostile reasons.

There were two objectives.

First—Tsunade had received word from Orochimaru and had come to return two of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swords.

Second—the two villages were finalizing a peace and alliance treaty.

Negotiations had been ongoing for a while. It had taken a full month to finalize the details and arrange a meeting time and location.

By convention, Terumi Mei should have traveled to Konoha to formally sign the agreement.

Alternatively, Konoha, as the more dominant power, could have sent envoys instead of a Kage.

But Tsunade, for whatever reason, wanted to meet Mei in person.

And so, she found an excuse and slipped away from Konoha.

Yet, as she laid eyes on the Mizukage for the first time, she felt something… off.

An inexplicable sense of unease settled in her chest.

It was a feeling she had never experienced before.

Mikoto, who was well-acquainted with Tsunade's temperament, noticed immediately.

She also realized that Tsunade had no idea what Orochimaru had been doing in Kirigakure.

So why was she acting so tense?

As for Mei, she, too, was puzzled.

Because from the moment they locked eyes, she could sense hostility from Tsunade.

Not the hostility born of political tension between villages.

But the kind that came from women's intuition.

---

Land of Sound

BOOM!

A deafening explosion rocked the canyon.

The ground trembled, sending shards of rock flying in all directions.

"Lord Raikage!"

"Sir!"

Nozomi and Darui watched in horror as Orochimaru's Wood Clone unleashed a Susanoo rocket barrage, obliterating the terrain.

The sheer force left a massive crater in the battlefield.

They wanted to rush in, to help

But their bodies were battered, their injuries severe.

"Damn it!"

Darui clenched his fists, striking the ground in frustration.

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Orochimaru's power was so overwhelming that it felt hopeless.

Could he really force the Fourth Raikage to this level using only five Wood Clones?

If his clones alone were this powerful.

Then how strong was his true body?

"What do we do now, Darui?"

Nozomi groaned as he pushed aside a boulder pinning his leg.

He began healing himself while keeping a wary eye on the battlefield.

The Fourth Raikage had barely managed to withstand the full force of Susanoo's attack.

His Lightning Armor had provided some protection.

But what truly unsettled Nozomi was that Orochimaru himself hadn't even been fighting seriously.

If this dragged on, there was only one possible outcome—death.

Darui picked up his fallen sword, using it to steady himself as he rose.

"There's no other option," he muttered.

"Even if reinforcements arrive, they'll only suffer the same fate."

His voice was heavy with resignation.

"We'll just have to fight to the end."

Even though he had heard the rumors about Orochimaru's strength, experiencing it firsthand was an entirely different kind of fear.

This wasn't human power.

---

A gentle breeze swept across the canyon.

Orochimaru's long, silky hair drifted in the wind.

He stood motionless, quietly observing the battle, an unreadable expression on his face.

Then, suddenly.

His eyes narrowed.

A shadow loomed overhead.

"Big bro, I'm comin' in hot!"

A new voice boomed from above.

Killer Bee—The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki—entered the fight.

A figure plummeted from the sky, swords glinting in both hands, aiming directly for Orochimaru.

"Heh… Finally."

Orochimaru grinned and took a casual step back.

CLANG!

Two blades stabbed into the ground where he had just been standing.

"Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin… I've heard about you plenty…"

Bee's rapping accompanied a blindingly fast sword dance, his seven-sword style a whirlwind of slashes aimed at Orochimaru's vitals.

But Orochimaru wasn't fazed.

His golden snake pupils flickered.

Behind them, hidden beneath a thin retinal membrane, lay his true Rinnegan.

Using its enhanced perception, he sidestepped the first slash.

And in an instant, the Kusanagi Blade materialized in his grip, gleaming silver.

"I'm not much of a swordsman myself…"

His voice was almost amused.

"But I don't mind playing along."

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Their blades clashed in rapid succession, sparks flying with each strike.

Despite the relentless assault of seven blades, Orochimaru deflected every attack with perfect precision.

He hadn't used the Flying Thunder God technique.

He hadn't deployed the Truth-Seeking Orbs.

Because Killer Bee had studied his teleportation abilities beforehand.

If Orochimaru teleported away, Bee would anticipate his landing point and counter him immediately.

Regular ninjutsu wouldn't be effective at this range, either.

And using Rinnegan abilities would make things too easy.

…Where was the fun in that?

---

On a nearby mountaintop.

Kakuzu, who had distanced himself from the battle, frowned as he observed the fight.

"The speed of those attacks… I can't even follow his swordplay."

His expression was unreadable.

"…Orochimaru is actually blocking all of that?"

Just then, the wind shifted.

Snowflakes?

No—paper.

Dozens of tiny paper fragments fluttered through the air before quickly converging, taking the form of a woman adorned with a purple flower in her hair.

"Hm? You're here."

Kakuzu's voice remained impassive.

Konan's expression was calm, yet piercing.

"Kakuzu, I heard you captured the Two-Tails?"

"Over there."

Kakuzu jerked his chin toward the distant boulder where Orochimaru's python summon rested.

Yugito lying atop it, conscious, but completely restrained.

"…Hmph. You weren't slow, either."

Konan turned her gaze toward the canyon.

"Who's fighting?"

Kakuzu crossed his arms.

"The Fourth Raikage. And the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki."

"…One against two Kage-level shinobi?"

For the first time, Konan hesitated.

She had heard rumors of Orochimaru's power, but she had never seen him fight directly.

Was he truly capable of handling both opponents at once?

Just as she was about to speak.

A new figure descended from the sky.

Pain.

Konan turned to him.

"Pain, you arrived just in time. Want to help him?"

Pain glanced at the battlefield.

His Rinnegan gleamed.

"Four Shadows? And they're still standing without taking action?"

He studied the scene carefully.

Then, after a moment of silence, he smirked.

"No need."

"He's just blowing off some steam."

***

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