Chapter 285: Catching the Snake
Outside Konoha Village, atop a relatively high cliff—
Jiraiya lowered the telescope in his hand, watching the gradually subsiding battle fires and smoke within the village, releasing a long breath. Originally, he'd merely secured an excellent viewing position, planning to leisurely observe the Chunin Exam finals.
With his status in Konoha, obtaining premium seating would have been a simple matter, but he'd still chosen this approach more suited to his style—staying alone at a distance. He just hadn't expected that while watching, his telescope would accidentally "slip" toward the nearby women's bathhouse...
By the time he redirected his attention back to the arena, Naruto's match had just begun. He'd been watching with satisfaction when the attack erupted without warning.
"Thanks for your hard work, Gamaken." Jiraiya patted the massive, taciturn purple-red toad beneath his feet.
"It's fine. I'm quite heavy anyway." Gamaken responded in his deep voice. Beneath his mountain-like bulk lay a summoned giant serpent beaten half to death.
Throughout the surrounding forest, numerous Sound and Sand ninja bound tightly by Toad Bind Technique lay scattered about—these were Jiraiya's "spoils" after rapidly throwing himself into battle once chaos erupted.
However, those rather substantial explosions that had periodically echoed from the distance earlier didn't seem like standard Konoha ninjutsu... Had that mysterious Ember organization intervened? This point concerned Jiraiya considerably.
Just then, from the corner of his eye he suddenly caught a familiar figure—his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, rushing alone into the dense forest outside the village at extreme speed!
The old man? Where's he going?
Jiraiya immediately formed seals, releasing Gamaken's summoning. The massive toad disappeared in white smoke, leaving only the unconscious serpent and captives on the ground. His figure flashed as he swiftly gave chase.
"Hey! Old man!" After several bounds closing the distance, Jiraiya called toward that figure clad in black combat gear ahead. "Has the war ended? Though I'm not officially Hokage yet, as the about-to-retire Hokage, shouldn't you still be handling the aftermath?"
Hearing this, the Third Hokage didn't stop his steps, merely glancing back quickly. Seeing it was Jiraiya, he immediately turned his head forward again, tone grave. "Jiraiya, your timing is perfect. Now isn't the time for idle chat! Orochimaru escaped at the end. Your tracking skills haven't gotten rusty, have they? Come with me—this time, we must capture him no matter what!"
Ultimately, that brief, probing conversation with "Menma" had ended with the other's clear denial. Powerhouses at that level generally didn't bother lying about identity matters. However, the Third's heart remained filled with difficult-to-dispel doubts and heaviness.
But the instant he confirmed Orochimaru's escape, he forcibly suppressed all chaotic thoughts. After ordering ANBU to focus fully on cleaning the battlefield and calming the populace, he'd pursued alone.
Seeing this, Jiraiya immediately shed the somewhat frivolous expression from his face. Countless questions filled his mind indeed—about that organization, about that mysterious Menma... Especially whether the old man's contact with Ember this time had dispelled that speculation—the guess that Menma might be Minato.
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What exactly is that Orochimaru bastard scheming?!
Upon arrival, after successfully landing a surprise Rasengan strike, Naruto unhesitatingly entered Nine-Tails Chakra Mode again! Brilliant golden light erupted instantly, making him shine like the sun, dispelling the forest's gloom.
Bang!
Just as Orochimaru was sent flying by the Rasengan, his body still airborne and hurtling backward, Naruto suddenly raised his right hand, swinging down viciously. An incredibly condensed golden chakra giant fist manifested from nothing, ruthlessly smashing toward the giant serpent body below that had turned to counterattack!
BOOM!
The serpent's resilient body was instantly pierced through with a massive hole, blood mixed with shattered organs splattering everywhere! It released a brief yet shrill hiss. Its enormous body convulsed violently several times before completely going limp, losing all vitality.
Naruto didn't even glance at the dead summoned beast. Golden light flashed as he instantly appeared beside the still-rolling snake head, carefully supporting Gaara who lay curled inside the snake's mouth with a dazed, vacant expression. He planned to first send Gaara to safety, then return to settle accounts thoroughly with Orochimaru.
But... what exactly is going on with that Orochimaru bastard?! Naruto's mind filled with confusion. Wasn't this guy always obsessed with the Sharingan and various kekkei genkai? How had his target suddenly shifted toward Tailed Beasts?
Recalling the three individuals Orochimaru had summoned with Impure World Reincarnation—Mito Uzumaki, Kushina Uzumaki, and the Fourth Kazekage Rasa—every one possessed extremely strong suppression abilities against Tailed Beasts.
From that moment, Naruto had vaguely suspected Orochimaru's actions seemed targeted at himself.
Now, seeing Orochimaru kidnap Gaara, he was completely certain. This guy's initial target was probably capturing himself! Only because his plan hit obstacles did he settle for second best, redirecting his target toward Gaara.
This "settling for second best" sense of déjà vu resembled the original story where Orochimaru, after getting shut down by Itachi Uchiha, turned his gaze toward Sasuke Uchiha instead.
Was this the butterfly effect? Had his own appearance and actions caused Orochimaru's research direction to shift, beginning to develop interest in Tailed Beast power?
As for why Naruto could so precisely locate this place, credit went to Golden Experience's keen perception of life energy. Once the battle situation stabilized somewhat, he'd immediately begun scanning the battlefield, quickly discovering two familiar life energy signatures—only their states were extremely weak, like candles flickering in wind, obviously near death.
Fortunately, Naruto's storage scrolls kept ample supplies of dishes with universal detoxification effects made using Pearl Jam's ability.
After all, he could treat physical injuries and missing body parts anytime, but detoxification and creating specific antibodies weren't those two Stands' specialty—no time to develop vaccines on-site either. Thus these two Sand siblings who'd come searching for their brother were saved by Naruto who'd come out to "catch someone."
Under their weak yet anxious pleading, Naruto had merely responded calmly with one sentence: "Even without you saying so, I would have gone to save him." This slightly reassured the nearly despairing pair.
"How... how did you find me..."
The Gaara being supported by Naruto finally spoke, his voice terribly hoarse and dry, as though his vocal cords had been scraped with sandpaper.
Naruto discovered with shock that Gaara's complexion was paper-white, his eyes having lost all luster, leaving only a hollow numbness after complete destruction. His body also trembled slightly.
"Flying Thunder God marks don't disappear." Naruto showed a reassuring smile. "I told you—I'll protect you." He gently patted Gaara's shoulder, where a Flying Thunder God seal unique to him flickered with barely perceptible chakra afterglow.
Gently settling Gaara behind a relatively safe large tree, Naruto slowly turned around. His gaze met that of Orochimaru, who'd just shed from a damaged "husk" and stood up anew in the distance.
Their eyes met.
Naruto clearly saw that in Orochimaru's serpent-like pupils, undisguised jealousy and possessiveness now burned, locked firmly upon him.
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