Taking on a mission once again under the banner of a Konoha shinobi gave Aoyama a strange, almost nostalgic feeling. It was like someone who had been eating nothing but steamed buns for days finally biting into soft, fragrant rice again. The taste was different—it felt right, it felt good.
Might Guy and Aoyama took the lead, serving as vanguard. Like generals charging at the head of an army, their task was to meet danger first, striking at the enemy before anyone in the rear could be targeted.
It didn't take long for enemies to reveal themselves. Kunai rained down, followed immediately by the puppet of the Third Kazekage—controlled, of course, by the Akatsuki member Sasori of the Red Sand. Standing alongside him was Kakuzu, several of his masked beasts already split from his body.
But the third figure was the most shocking of all—Orochimaru. One of the Legendary Sannin. The same man who, during the invasion of Konoha, had nearly killed Hiruzen Sarutobi, and would have succeeded if Jiraiya hadn't intervened.
Aoyama stiffened. He could hardly believe his eyes. And yet, of all people, Orochimaru was once his teacher. He had formally bowed, formally apprenticed.
"Enemies already, huh? Then I'll be first! Konoha-ryū Taijutsu! Dynamic Prelude!"
With a roar, Guy exploded forward, launching a kick that smashed square into one of Kakuzu's masks just as it finished spitting fire. The impact sent the grotesque mask flying.
But Kakuzu had faced Guy before. He knew this was a taijutsu fanatic who knew neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu—easy prey if handled correctly.
That is, unless Guy opened the Eight Gates. If that happened… well, only his hair didn't change color. Everything else was practically a Super Saiyan transformation.
"Lightning Release: Earth Grudge Fear!"
Another mask spewed out a crackling bolt of lightning, snaking like a venomous serpent straight for Guy.
Meanwhile, Aoyama's eyes lingered on Orochimaru. His lips twitched. He wanted nothing less than to fight his former master. He knew Orochimaru too well—his survival skills were monstrous. You could fight him for three days and nights, exhaust every drop of chakra, and Orochimaru would still be alive, sneering.
Guy tangled with Kakuzu. Sasori's puppets swarmed forward, holding off Kakashi and several other jōnin with ease. Sasori alone was like an army, his mastery over puppetry unmatched.
And Orochimaru… Orochimaru stood unchallenged.
Aoyama grimaced. He had no choice. Reluctantly, he opened the Book of Monsters.
From it emerged Kong, the giant ape, snarling and wielding his axe.
"Handle him," Aoyama muttered, before charging in himself with his fists.
Orochimaru's lips curled. His fingers flew through seals. "So, you've returned to Konoha? How amusing. But to raise your hand against your teacher… have you prepared to die?"
From his wide sleeves, dozens of serpents writhed forth in a wriggling flood.
Aoyama recoiled with disgust. "Tch…"
"Orochimaru-sensei, could you really kill me? Are you not curious about the strange energy inside Kong and Godzilla? It's more mysterious than chakra itself. It might even hold the key to immortality."
Kong roared, slamming his axe down, splitting snakes apart in a spray of blood. Snarling, he raised the weapon again.
Orochimaru's arm transformed into a serpent, jaws unhinging to spit out the Kusanagi Sword. With a clash of steel, he caught Kong's axe.
"Immortality isn't that simple," Orochimaru hissed. "If it were, I wouldn't need vessels. Aoyama, if not for your lack of ninjutsu talent, you would have been my ideal host. Your body can adapt to any energy—perfect compatibility."
Indeed, Aoyama's unnatural constitution—his gift as a transmigrator—allowed him to accept Sage Chakra and even Orochimaru's bizarre experiments without side effects.
The Cursed Seal.
A mark born from Sage Chakra, granting tremendous power. Aoyama had experienced it firsthand. But when Orochimaru defected, he'd had it removed, severing their bond of teacher and student. Otherwise, their last meeting would have been a bloody clash.
Elsewhere, Kakashi was struggling. To break through Sasori's puppets, he had unleashed ninjutsu after ninjutsu. His chakra reserves were nearly empty. His body staggered.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu!"
Nara Shikaku, quick-witted as ever, bound Kakashi with his shadow and dragged him back before the puppets could strike.
"Thanks," Kakashi muttered, breath ragged.
"Take a soldier pill. Restore your chakra," Shikaku ordered firmly. "We'll cover you. This won't take long."
Akimichi Chōza swelled to gigantic size, his Multi-Size Technique turning him into a towering colossus. He reached down with hands as massive as buildings, crushing Sasori's puppets like toys.
The puppet master had finally met his natural counter. No matter his technique, even his prized Third Kazekage puppet was smashed into fragments under Chōza's overwhelming strength.
"Secret Technique: Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
Yamanaka Hiashi unleashed his clan's jutsu. One of Kakuzu's masks suddenly turned its attacks on its master, unleashing a great Fire Release straight into Kakuzu's chest.
Guy pressed the advantage. He hadn't even opened the Gates yet—just pure taijutsu. But even so, Kakuzu's masks were being dismantled one by one, his formation crumbling.
Then came the roar of flames—Hiashi's borrowed mask attack engulfed Kakuzu, swallowing him in fire.
The battle was far from over.