By this time, the cave's roof had been torn apart, revealing the night sky above. Kabuto carried the weakened Nono farther from the battle and continued trying to save her.
Looking back at the glowing crimson giant of a woman, Kabuto's mind went numb. The only thing keeping him sane was Nono's faint breathing.
At the heart of the giant Kushina, Renji raised his right palm toward Orochimaru. Mirroring his motion in real time, the crimson giant also extended her palm.
On the open hand, yin and yang chakra appeared and merged together, rotating at tremendous speed.
Seeing the massive sphere forming, Orochimaru's eyes widened in disbelief. "Bijūdama?! And why is it so big?!"
Manda hissed in panic. "Orochimaru, you bastard! Did you bring me here just to die?!"
Luckily for Orochimaru, the snake hadn't bolted—yet.
He quickly changed the seals he was weaving. Just before the attack completed, he slammed his palm to the ground. "Brace yourself, Manda! Summon: Rashōmon Gates!"
With the limited time he had, three enormous gates carved with demonic faces crashed down in front of them. Orochimaru braced himself as Manda coiled protectively around him.
A heartbeat later, the Bijūdama launched forward at blinding speed and struck the first gate within a fraction of a second.
BOOM!!!
Kabuto stared blankly at the explosion, tears streaming down his face. Even Nono—on her deathbed—weakly turned her head to witness the chaos.
The blinding blast illuminated everything: Renji standing within the translucent crimson giant, the Rashōmon Gates shattering apart, and Orochimaru and Manda desperately struggling to survive.
"Renji... who are you?" she whispered.
---
Far away in Konoha, the people noticed the bright flash in the distance, followed by vibrations that shook the ground like a small earthquake.
Within minutes, multiple scouting teams were dispatched to investigate.
Hiruzen, standing in the Hokage's office, watched the dimming light on the horizon. He set aside his pipe once the glow faded completely.
'I hope it's not what I think it is. We can't afford another attack like the Kyūbi's.'
---
As the dust gradually cleared, the result of the devastating attack revealed itself before Renji.
All three Rashōmon Gates had been obliterated. Manda lay coiled on the ground, bleeding and covered in wounds. Orochimaru was nowhere in sight.
Even in his wrathful state, Renji hadn't lost his intelligence—only his restraint. Using the sensory powers of the [Avatar], he easily tracked a small snake tunneling through the earth, escaping the battlefield.
Manda couldn't endure the pain any longer and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Now, only Nono, Kabuto, Renji, and the fleeing Orochi-snake remained.
Orochimaru cursed his luck. Running into such a monster on a simple mission was absurd.
'If he's this powerful, why act like a powerless civilian? Unless... he has something he cares about in the village. I should find his weakness before he comes after me. And... it wouldn't hurt to get a few of his cells. That strange Kekkei Genkai—manipulating hair, summoning Kushina's image, that overwhelming attack power...'
He licked his lips, fear and greed mixing in his eyes.
As he kept planning while slithering away, something suddenly surrounded him underground, wrapping tightly around his snake body.
'Hair again?!' He struggled to break free or slice through it with chakra, but nothing worked. The strands quickly hardened, trapping him completely.
'Damn it! Hurry up, Manda!'
---
Renji gave him no time to recover. Another Bijūdama began forming—this one twice the size of the last.
Orochimaru sensed the enormous chakra swelling behind him and panicked. He used a substitution technique to slip out of the bindings, reverting to his original form.
He still had trump cards left.
Just as Renji prepared to launch the attack, a heart-wrenching cry pierced the air.
The blood-red glow in his eyes flickered. He turned toward the sound.
There, Kabuto was kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down his face as he held Nono—her skin now purple, her breathing shallow. She was still trying to wipe his tears away with trembling hands.
The sight shattered Renji's rage, reminding him why he had lost control in the first place.
"Nono..." he whispered. 'What was I doing?'
His eyes slowly returned to normal, and the Bijūdama dissipated into thin air.
Orochimaru, noticing the change, seized the chance to use his newly perfected technique. His mouth stretched unnaturally wide as another Orochimaru crawled out of it.
'My injuries are healed, but the chakra cost is still too much.'
He summoned a swarm of snakes and transformed into one himself, hoping to escape amid the chaos.
But Renji's senses caught every detail. He simply waved his hand as he walked toward Nono, and a massive glowing white chain shot from [Kushina], piercing directly through Orochimaru's escaping form.
"You're not going anywhere, Orochimaru. Stay there until I decide your punishment."
Orochimaru's eyes widened in disbelief as he felt his chakra being sealed.
"Even Adamantine Chains?!"
---
Renji leapt out of the Avatar and rushed toward Nono and Kabuto.
As he approached, he could feel Nono's life force fading through [Kushina]'s senses—and her emotions through his own.
He couldn't save Pakura, but she had died before he ever transmigrated. Nono, though—she was right here, and still he couldn't protect her.
Lost in self-blame, he barely noticed Kabuto stand up and turn toward him, weapons drawn.
"Why?!" Kabuto shouted. "If you were this strong, why did you let her protect you instead? TELL ME!"
He lunged forward and struck Renji across the face.
Renji didn't dodge. He understood the boy's anguish. They had risked everything to protect him—suffering, bleeding, dying—while he sat back, pretending to be weak.
Even through her pain, Nono's emotions radiated confusion and betrayal.
Renji exhaled slowly. "...Sigh... I deserve that. I'll explain later. But first, let's try to save her."
Kabuto's voice cracked. "It's too late... I can't do anything..."