"Your Highness, please return to the tower immediately. It's too dangerous to follow me!"
Based on the induction of the curse seal, Anko Mitarashi quickly closed the distance between herself and Orochimaru. Just as she prepared to engage, she noticed Carl appear beside her and immediately turned to persuade him.
She hadn't expected the prince to follow her. If they ran into Orochimaru, Carl would be a liability, not an asset.
Aside from Kakashi, who had fought with him, and Tenzo, tasked with protection and surveillance, most Leaf shinobi only knew Carl as the prince of the Land of Fire. They had no idea of his true strength.
And frankly, what strength could a royal noble possibly possess? The fact that he'd even managed to keep pace with her was already surprising.
"Tenzo went to the tower. I came to see if I could help," Carl replied, his face calm and composed.
Are you kidding me? Carl thought to himself. He'd finally shaken Tenzo—the watchdog who shadowed him day and night. There was no way he'd give up this golden opportunity to confront Orochimaru.
Escaping Tenzo's watch without raising suspicion hadn't been easy. Carl could teleport using Apparition, but it came with a drawback: the teleportation wasn't silent. Each time, it was accompanied by crackling bursts of sound, like firecrackers going off. Not exactly stealthy.
Tenzo was always nearby—even when Carl slept, the man was camped out on rooftops or perched in trees, ready to respond at the slightest noise. Carl had even considered using a shadow clone, but it would only last a few minutes before dissipating. Hardly useful for sneaking off unnoticed.
Plus, he lived in Sarutobi clan territory, right next to the Hokage Residence. With Hiruzen Sarutobi's home just down the road, one suspicious sound and the Third Hokage himself might show up.
"Your Highness, we're almost there," Anko said tensely, hearing the sounds of battle ahead. "Stay behind me—and if anything goes wrong, run."
"No problem," Carl said with a relaxed smile, slowing down slightly to follow a few steps behind her.
They quickly arrived at the scene.
There, standing on the head of a giant snake, was a long-haired ninja wearing the uniform of a Grass shinobi. He was towering over Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura Haruno stood protectively behind Sasuke, panting and clutching a kunai.
Naruto Uzumaki was unconscious, slumped against a tree nearby.
"Orochimaru!"
Anko's eyes flared with fury. Without hesitation, she unleashed a jutsu.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Four serpents shot out from her sleeves, lunging toward Orochimaru with violent force.
The snake sannin's eyes glinted with amusement. "My dear former student… You've grown cold. Is that any way to greet your teacher after so long?"
He made no move to dodge as the snakes clamped onto his limbs, pulling him toward Anko.
"You're a wanted S-rank criminal now. As your former disciple, it's my duty to end you!"
Anko straddled Orochimaru, slamming him to the ground. With a kunai, she locked their left hands together to prevent him from forming seals, then forced his right hand into a sequence of hand signs using her own.
"That jutsu… Are you really willing to die with me?" Orochimaru asked, looking at the markings forming between them with a trace of amusement.
"Yes," Anko said, pain flashing across her face as her palm bled. "You and me. We die here, together."
Orochimaru had once been her most trusted mentor. But after betraying Konoha, he erased fragments of her memory and vanished. She knew now—he had never cared. But for the village, and for closure, she would end it here.
"Unfortunately for you," Orochimaru's voice echoed from a tree behind her, "that version of me was just a clone."
Anko's eyes widened in disbelief as the Orochimaru pinned beneath her began to melt away.
"No!" she cried out, trying to form hand signs again, but the curse mark on her shoulder suddenly ignited in pain. Her chakra drained in an instant. She collapsed, weakened and helpless.
From behind, Carl moved swiftly, dragging Naruto away from danger and toward Sakura and Sasuke.
"Brother Carl, what's happening?" Sakura asked, alarmed.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he stepped protectively in front of them.
Carl's gaze locked onto the figure across the clearing. "That's no ordinary Grass ninja. He's Orochimaru—one of the legendary Sannin. I'll keep him busy. You two take Anko and retreat."
"Your Highness, get them out of here!" Anko screamed through clenched teeth, still fighting the curse mark's grip.
She was out of commission. Carl and three Genin stood no chance against Orochimaru.
"That won't do," Orochimaru smirked. "My experiment isn't complete. No one leaves."
With a flick of his hand, he commanded the massive snake to lunge toward Carl.
Orochimaru's objective was Sasuke. He wanted to test the boy's potential and mark him with a curse seal. If Sasuke proved worthy, he'd become Orochimaru's future vessel—his backup plan to acquire the Sharingan, after failing to possess Itachi.
He had no interest in Sakura, and Naruto was the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki—a long-term target. But Carl?
To Orochimaru, Carl was expendable.
"Not today, snake!"
Carl's voice thundered as his chakra flared. His body surged with transformation—muscles expanded, and in a burst of raw energy, he entered his second form.
Now standing over two meters tall, his muscle-bound frame was reinforced by swirling chakra. With a roar, he launched a punch straight into the snake's skull.
BOOM!
The giant snake collapsed, dead from the impact of Carl's punch.
This wasn't a time to hold back. Orochimaru was a Kage-level threat. One mistake, and Carl could die here.
He knew Orochimaru wouldn't kill Anko outright. She had been important to him once. Instead of killing her, Orochimaru had erased her memories to hide his secrets. That sentimentality saved her—for now.
Naruto was important to Akatsuki. Sakura wasn't a threat. Sasuke was Orochimaru's real target.
Carl, however, held no value in Orochimaru's plans.
So Carl responded in kind—with everything he had.