Hinata's body trembled uncontrollably.
"No… this is bad…"
"That chakra…"
"Orochimaru!"
Naruto and Sasuke's expressions changed instantly.
"What?!"
The moment their shocked voices rang out, a sinister yellow glow appeared deep within the forest. A pair of snake-like eyes stared at them from the darkness.
Rustle…
Leaves swirled in the wind as a tall figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
Orochimaru approached them step by step, his pale face twisted into a malicious grin. Every movement carried an overwhelming pressure that suffocated the air itself.
Clap. Clap.
He lightly applauded them while speaking in a hoarse, amused tone.
"Incredible…"
"Truly incredible…"
"Naruto, Sasuke… and that little girl named Hinata…"
"As expected of Team 7, Konoha's strongest team."
Even though Karin had never met Orochimaru before, her sensory abilities allowed her to instinctively sense the terrifying chakra radiating from him.
It was cold.
Sinister.
Inhuman.
Her face turned pale immediately.
"What… what is this chakra?"
"It feels like a monster… definitely not human…"
Orochimaru's snake-like eyes shifted toward her.
"Oh? An Uzumaki…"
"You are one of my targets as well."
Karin felt as though a giant python had wrapped itself around her body. Her entire body shook violently in fear.
She had barely escaped death at the hands of the Grass Ninja, only to encounter an even more horrifying monster.
Naruto clenched his fists tightly.
"Orochimaru?!"
"Why are you here?!"
"What about Pervy Sage and the others?!"
Orochimaru licked his lips slowly and smiled.
"You mean Jiraiya and the others?"
"They're nothing but fools."
"Did they really think they could capture me?"
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances instantly.
Their expressions darkened.
"So this was a diversion…"
"You lured them away from us."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes coldly.
"And the only way you could know their movements beforehand…"
"There's a spy inside Konoha."
Orochimaru's smile widened.
"As expected of Sasuke."
"You truly are sharp."
Hinata's heart sank.
The fact that Orochimaru admitted it so openly meant only one thing.
He had no intention of allowing anyone here to return alive.
Orochimaru's gaze locked onto Naruto and Sasuke.
"Sasuke… I told you long ago."
"You belong to me."
"My prey never escapes."
He then looked toward Naruto.
"And Naruto… although I would love to take you as well, unfortunately there are certain agreements in place."
"What a pity…"
Finally, his eyes landed on Karin and Hinata.
"Uzumaki Karin… you are quite the unexpected surprise."
"And the youngest daughter of the Hyuga Clan…"
"You have impressed me greatly."
"Unfortunately…"
"I'll have to kill you."
Naruto's chakra flared violently.
"Orochimaru!"
"I'll never let you hurt Hinata!"
Hinata stared at Naruto in shock before determination filled her eyes.
"Naruto…"
Orochimaru chuckled darkly.
"Really?"
"Then let me see how much you've grown."
At that moment, Team 7 faced a true monster.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata were all powerful enough to rival elite jonin.
But Orochimaru was different.
Even Kakashi Hatake, one of Konoha's strongest ninja, had once been nearly paralyzed by fear in front of him.
Orochimaru stood at the pinnacle of the ninja world.
Naruto gritted his teeth.
"Sasuke… we fight with everything we have!"
Sasuke nodded immediately.
"Understood."
Hinata stepped forward without hesitation.
"I'll protect Naruto and Sasuke no matter what!"
"I won't let Orochimaru take either of you away!"
Karin hurriedly raised her hand.
"M-Me too!"
"I don't want to fall into that monster's hands either!"
Orochimaru laughed softly.
"Excellent…"
"Come at me, little birds."
The next instant—
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata charged forward simultaneously.
After countless life-and-death battles, Team 7 had completely cast aside their former immaturity.
They were no longer inexperienced genin.
They were real ninja.
A true team capable of standing on their own.
Even against Orochimaru, they refused to retreat.
Naruto formed hand seals instantly.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
A violent storm erupted forward.
At the same time, Sasuke unleashed blazing flames.
"Fire Release: Great Flame Projectile!"
Hinata thrust both palms forward.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"
Boom!!!
The three attacks merged together instantly.
Compared to their earlier battle against the ANBU of the Grass Village, this attack was on an entirely different level.
Back then, they had held back to avoid killing their enemies.
But now—
They attacked with full power.
The roaring wind amplified the flames into a gigantic inferno while Hinata's Vacuum Palm compressed the combined force into a devastating shockwave.
The fusion of wind, fire, and chakra transformed into a monstrous dragon of destruction.
It roared across the battlefield, tearing apart everything in its path as it charged directly toward Orochimaru.
Even Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Remarkable…"
"Truly remarkable…"
Yet despite his praise, his expression remained playful.
As though he were merely watching children struggle.
Boom!
Orochimaru bit his thumb and slammed his hand against the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A gigantic white serpent suddenly appeared before him.
The massive snake coiled around Orochimaru like a living shield.
An instant later—
BOOM!!!
Team 7's combined attack struck the serpent directly.
The enormous snake was instantly torn apart.
Blood and scales exploded everywhere as the summon let out a miserable scream before collapsing lifelessly onto the ground.
But Orochimaru himself emerged completely unharmed.
Naruto's eyes widened in fury.
"Damn it!"
"He used his own summon as a shield!"
Orochimaru smirked mockingly.
"This is only the beginning…"
His body slowly bent forward.
Then his mouth opened unnaturally wide.
Wider.
And wider.
Until it became almost impossible for a human being.
The next second—
Countless snakes burst out from his mouth.
Hissssss!
The horrifying mass of snakes surged forward like an endless tide.
Thousands upon thousands of serpents flooded the battlefield, covering the ground in a writhing sea of scales.
Karin nearly screamed.
"What the hell is this?!"
Hinata's face turned pale.
Even Sasuke frowned in disgust.
Orochimaru laughed darkly.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Formation!"
The battlefield instantly transformed into a living nightmare.
Even the surviving Grass Village ANBU, who had already lost the ability to fight, stared at the scene in horror.
Everywhere they looked—
Snakes.
An endless ocean of snakes.
Naruto gritted his teeth fiercely.
"What a disgusting monster!"
"Sasuke! Hinata!"
"Right!"
"Understood!"
The three attacked once again.
Naruto inhaled deeply before unleashing another massive gale.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
The storm swept across the battlefield like a hurricane.
At the same moment, Sasuke's Sharingan spun rapidly.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Three enormous fire dragons erupted from his mouth simultaneously.
One charged from the front.
The second swept from the left.
The third circled from the right.
Under Sasuke's control, the blazing dragons changed direction freely while combining with Naruto's powerful wind release.
The result was catastrophic.
A gigantic sea of fire exploded across the battlefield.
The endless snakes were instantly swallowed by flames.
Hissssss!
Countless serpents burned alive, turning into black ash before scattering into the wind.
At the same time, Hinata leapt into the air and slammed her palm downward with terrifying force.
BOOM!!!
The ground shattered instantly.
Massive cracks spread in every direction as the earth itself flipped upward.
Dozens of snakes were crushed beneath the collapsing terrain.
Unlike Naruto and Sasuke's ninjutsu, Hinata relied purely on overwhelming physical force and chakra control.
Yet the destruction she caused was no less terrifying.
Under the combined assault of Team 7, Orochimaru's snake army was annihilated rapidly.
The battlefield became a scene of pure devastation.
Burning flames.
Broken earth.
Scattered corpses of giant snakes.
Even Orochimaru's expression changed slightly.
For the first time, his amusement faded just a little.
But only for a moment.
Soon, the familiar sinister smile returned to his face.
"As expected of Team 7…"
"To think you actually managed to defend against my Snake Formation."
Naruto panted heavily while glaring at him.
"We're not done yet!"
Sasuke activated his Sharingan fully, carefully watching Orochimaru's every movement.
Meanwhile, Hinata stood protectively beside Naruto, refusing to step back even once despite the terrifying pressure crushing down on her.
Karin stared at Team 7 in disbelief.
Even while facing a monster like Orochimaru, they still had the courage to fight head-on.
At that moment, she finally understood why they were feared throughout Konoha as the strongest team among their generation.
But Orochimaru merely laughed softly.
A chilling killing intent slowly spread across the battlefield once more.
"You children…"
"You truly are entertaining."
His neck suddenly stretched unnaturally forward like a snake striking its prey.
Naruto's pupils shrank instantly.
"Move!"
Boom!
The ground exploded where they had been standing just moments earlier.
Team 7 scattered in different directions.
Orochimaru's elongated neck twisted through the battlefield like a monstrous serpent, smashing rocks and trees apart effortlessly.
Even Naruto felt cold sweat running down his back.
Too fast.
Too dangerous.
This was an enemy completely different from anyone they had fought before.
Orochimaru's laughter echoed throughout the forest.
"Yes…"
"That's it…"
"Struggle harder."
"Fight harder."
"Show me the true limits of your talents!"
His killing intent intensified further.
The surrounding forest trembled under the pressure of his chakra.
Naruto clenched his fists tightly.
No matter what happened—
He could not lose here.
Not while Hinata, Sasuke, and Karin were standing beside him.
Even if the enemy before them was Orochimaru himself.
Team 7 prepared for another desperate battle.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)