"Naraku-sama ordered us to come and protect Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Oh? Naraku is here as well?"
Jiraiya wasn't surprised by the order itself, but his curiosity was piqued since he couldn't see Naraku anywhere.
"Where are the others?"
"Naraku-sama departed early and should have arrived in this area. We don't know his exact location!"
Departed early?
Jiraiya raised his eyes slightly, scanning the surrounding area. Apart from the combatants engaged in fierce battle, he couldn't spot Naraku anywhere.
If Naraku could be found easily, then there would be no reason for him to remain hidden.
"In that case, please proceed with protecting Naruto."
Although Jiraiya hadn't located Naraku, he didn't abandon his search. Instead, he instructed the tracking team to carry out their mission.
These shinobi had arrived at the perfect moment.
Jiraiya had been concerned about what might happen if he and Naruto became caught up in the battle. While he could handle himself, if anything happened to Naruto, it would create enormous problems.
Both the Akatsuki members and Orochimaru were aware that Jiraiya and Uzumaki Naruto were nearby, but the intensity of their current fight prevented them from dealing with the two observers immediately.
That was why Jiraiya and Naruto could remain safely hidden for now.
What worried Jiraiya was that this time he wouldn't be facing just one or two enemies—all of them were exceptionally powerful shinobi. He couldn't guarantee that he could eliminate the threats in the shortest possible time.
The appearance of the Konoha shinobi provided significant relief. At the very least, he no longer had to worry excessively about Naruto's safety. Even if the tracking team couldn't match their enemies in combat, they could still buy precious time.
As long as there was time to react, Jiraiya felt confident.
Moreover, Shihouin Naraku had already arrived and was somewhere nearby—that knowledge was his greatest source of confidence.
Whether dealing with Orochimaru or the entire Akatsuki organization, Jiraiya didn't believe either posed a real threat to Shihouin Naraku.
After all, Jiraiya had witnessed Naraku's battlefield prowess with his own eyes and understood the true extent of his former student's strength.
Orochimaru had been killed by Naraku once before, and this encounter would end no differently.
He simply couldn't determine where Naraku was concealing himself...
No one could have imagined that Shihouin Naraku was sitting atop a white cloud high above, observing the fierce battle below with keen interest.
Because his position was so elevated and distant, the shinobi on the ground couldn't detect his whereabouts at all.
Even though it was known that Naraku possessed flight capabilities, most people couldn't conceive of someone remaining airborne for such extended periods without landing.
Even shinobi with flight abilities typically wouldn't stay aloft for long without touching down—after all, maintaining flight consumed chakra continuously.
But Naraku was an exception. With his current chakra reserves, he could genuinely remain in the sky for twenty-four hours without descent.
His personal chakra capacity was already astonishingly vast, and combined with the Tailed Beast chakra he had acquired through various means, his reserves were truly extraordinary.
In short, it was genuinely difficult for ordinary people to imagine where Naraku might be positioned.
Furthermore, only the Konoha shinobi were aware of Naraku's presence, while the others remained completely in the dark.
"They're fighting again, and this time it's even more intense!"
"Hmm? Kakuzu has become cautious. Now that he only has one heart remaining, he won't dare to waste it carelessly."
"This is quite brutal, but unfortunately..."
Naraku, seated high in the sky, shook his head knowingly. Orochimaru was about to face serious trouble because the rest of the Akatsuki organization had finally arrived!
BOOM!!!
Bang, bang, bang...
Deidara and Kakuzu coordinated their efforts to repel several attacks from Orochimaru's forces.
The Third Raikage, the Third Kazekage, Orochimaru, and Kaguya Kimimaro—these four opponents were proving the most challenging!
Every time the two Akatsuki members found themselves in danger, it was because of these four combatants.
"Hey, there seems to be something wrong with Orochimaru's hand? Hmm!"
"Look—it's his right arm!"
Deidara and Kakuzu exchanged meaningful glances. The Third Raikage, Third Kazekage, and Kaguya Kimimaro were all Edo Tensei bodies, making conventional attacks largely useless without proper sealing techniques.
Therefore, if they wanted to eliminate these threats, they would need to kill Orochimaru first.
It was fortunate that both had noticed something amiss with Orochimaru's right hand.
If there were weaknesses to exploit, the situation became much more manageable.
Boom!
Orochimaru dodged Deidara's explosive attack and sneered coldly. He knew the two opponents must have discovered the problem with his right arm.
Indeed, Orochimaru's right arm remained in an unusable state even now.
Of course, his condition was significantly improved compared to before.
Due to Shihouin Naraku's Zanpakuto—Kurikara—Orochimaru's right arm had been severed and his soul severely damaged.
Initially, Orochimaru hadn't merely been unable to use his right hand for forming seals or daily activities—he had also endured constant pain that penetrated to the very depths of his soul.
Only with the assistance of Hashirama cells had Orochimaru managed to suppress the agony.
Later, he had traveled to Kumogakure to treat Killer Bee's injuries—Bee had also been struck by Naraku's blade. Through this treatment process, Orochimaru had gained deeper understanding of soul-related knowledge.
After conducting numerous experiments, the problems with his right arm had improved considerably.
The soul-deep pain had finally disappeared, and Orochimaru could now even use his right hand for basic daily functions.
However, forming hand seals to release ninjutsu remained impossible.
If Orochimaru were given more time to conduct his research, he might eventually achieve complete restoration.
In the shinobi world, some people believed in love, others in hatred, and still others in peace. Only Orochimaru consistently believed in science—which naturally enabled him to reach this level of recovery.
But whether he could fully heal himself remained a matter for the future. Right now, Orochimaru had not yet recovered completely.
This was indeed Orochimaru's current weakness!
Kakuzu and Deidara exchanged subtle glances while continuing to fend off enemy attacks.
Soon...
"Taste my art! Hmm!"
Deidara maintained his position atop his clay bird, utilizing its high-speed mobility for aerial combat.
He created numerous clay birds, sending some flying rapidly toward the Third Kazekage, who was also airborne. The continuous explosions temporarily prevented his opponent from escaping the bombardment.
The lightning-fast Third Raikage posed a significant problem—his speed was nearly impossible to match, let alone contain.
Hidan's injuries were extremely severe now, and after being stabbed by Orochimaru, he had no possibility of standing again.
Without Hidan's sacrifice, none of Kakuzu's previous jutsu would have successfully struck the Third Raikage.
Who could make such a sacrifice now?
Deidara couldn't abandon his aerial position, and Kakuzu only had one heart remaining. If he sacrificed himself to trap the Third Raikage, he would truly die!
Bang!
The eight massive black threads extending from Kakuzu's body whipped wildly, constantly engaging the enemies before him.
Swish!
The Third Raikage suddenly appeared directly in front of him, raising his palm and swinging it fiercely, cutting and breaking numerous black threads in a single motion.
Taking advantage of this opening, Orochimaru and Kimimaro attempted to advance quickly!
The Third Raikage spun around, preparing to attack again!
Boom, boom...
The ground in front of Kakuzu suddenly erupted in violent explosions, the terrifying flames overturning everything in the immediate area. Orochimaru and the others nearby were struck instantly and blown backward.
Now's the time!
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