While Hiruzen Sarutobi briefed the Elite Jōnin, a storm was already brewing in the Land of Wind.
Orochimaru had ambushed Rasa.
"Orochimaru?"
The Kazekage stopped in his tracks, staring at the figure adorned with purple sacred rope. His eyes narrowed. "Why aren't you in Konoha preparing for the collapse plan? What are you doing in my territory?"
He paused, his mind racing. Did he come to personally persuade me to move up the plan?
Rasa believed his ambiguous attitude from the previous day might have caused this. It must have made Orochimaru anxious, thinking he had changed his mind about destroying the Hidden Leaf. It seemed Orochimaru's hatred for Konoha was even deeper than the rumors suggested.
"Personally persuade me?" Orochimaru's expression faltered for a split second before a playful smile stretched across his face. He leaped into a canyon in front of Rasa. "Hehehe... you could say that."
Seeing Orochimaru approach without caution, Rasa followed, flanked by his two ANBU guards. They landed on the canyon floor—a secluded spot perfect for conversation.
"You don't need to persuade me anymore," Rasa stated calmly. "I felt your sincerity. I've decided to move the plan forward."
He looked at Orochimaru, who was slowly closing the distance between them. "But I still want to know. What happened that forced you to execute the plan ahead of schedule?"
As Rasa asked the question, Orochimaru's smile widened. He crept closer, his eyes gleaming.
"Circumstances arose," Orochimaru replied, his voice silky. "Unavoidable ones. As for what they were..."
Just as Rasa leaned in, listening intently, Orochimaru's jaw unhinged.
A massive, patterned python shot out from his mouth, and from its gullet erupted a rapidly extending, snow-white blade.
The Kusanagi Sword.
Whoosh!
Fizzle!
Caught completely off guard, Rasa was instantly pierced through his left collarbone.
If he hadn't reflexively twisted his body, the blade would have pierced his throat.
"Lord Kazekage!" the guards shouted. "Damn it, what are you doing?"
While Rasa was frozen in shock, his two ANBU guards reacted instantly. They lunged forward, intent on forcing Orochimaru back.
But before they could touch him, a cold, emotionless voice echoed from beneath the sand.
"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Larch."
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Beneath the sand, directly in the guards' path, sharp, snow-white bone spikes shot upward.
In the blink of an eye, a dense thicket of bone spikes erupted.
The two Sunagakure ANBU had nowhere to hide. They were riddled with holes.
"Ah!" x2
Two piercing screams echoed through the canyon as blood instantly splattered onto the surrounding sand.
But the blood-stained spikes didn't stop. They continued to streak toward Rasa behind them.
"You're asking for death, Orochimaru!"
Rasa roared in disbelief and rage. A massive surge of chakra erupted from his body, transforming into countless shimmering gold dust particles that swept outward in a terrifying wave.
Orochimaru didn't linger. He sheathed his Kusanagi sword instantly, retreating and leaping back to dodge the golden onslaught. The bone spikes beneath the sand ceased their attack and retracted.
A strange boy with gray hair and purplish-black skin leaped rapidly from the sand, nimbly dodging the gold dust. He landed behind Orochimaru, his face deathly pale.
"Orochimaru!"
Rasa roared, still reeling from the betrayal. He had been preparing a counterattack against Konoha's allies, yet suddenly he was the prey. Knowing he was injured and shouldn't linger in battle, he forced the gold dust back to cover his retreat and fled without hesitation.
Orochimaru watched him go, showing no intention of pursuit. He turned to Kimimaro beside him.
"Thank you for your hard work. Remove the Curse Mark and rest."
"I can still fight, Lord Orochimaru," Kimimaro said, his voice calm but his eyes filled with fanatical devotion. He knew his body was failing; he only wanted to serve until his last breath.
"Kimimaro, the battle ahead isn't for you to handle," Orochimaru chuckled.
As he spoke, three more figures appeared on the canyon walls: Sakon, Tayuya, and Jirobo.
Immediately after, a rectangular barrier composed of transparent purple flames enveloped the entire canyon.
"Four Violet Flames Formation!"
Rasa, trying to escape, let out an angry roar. He waved his hand, commanding his gold dust to strike the barrier.
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
As the gold dust touched the flames, a scorching sound filled the air. The dust turned into glittering ingots before dissolving into pure chakra and vanishing.
"A barrier made by four Elite Jōnin," Rasa muttered, his face grim. He charged toward Kidomaru, the closest to him. Breaking the barrier by force would take too long; killing the caster was faster.
"Fool. Did you think we were unprepared?" Kidomaru scoffed. He extended his other pair of arms, and Ukon emerged from behind Sakon. Together, they layered another Four Violet Flame Array inside the first.
"Another one?!" Rasa's face darkened, but he didn't stop his assault. The gold dust rushed Kidomaru, only to be blocked by the flame barrier again.
"Rasa," Orochimaru's voice rang out from behind him. "Turning your back on an enemy will kill you."
A flash of white light cut through the air. Orochimaru slashed down with the Kusanagi sword.
Swish!
Rasa didn't turn around; the surrounding gold dust instinctively blocked the blade.
"Why did you ambush me?" Rasa demanded, realizing he couldn't escape. "Don't you want to destroy Konoha?"
"Destroy Konoha?" Orochimaru chuckled, licking his lips. "You Sunagakure people couldn't do it even if you tried. My goal has always been singular: to assassinate Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"Assassinate Hiruzen Sarutobi..." Rasa understood instantly. "You wanted to fake my approach to the Third Hokage... to use me as bait for an ambush?"
Orochimaru laughed, nodding. "Smart. Which is why you're doomed today. Besides, I've prepared a special gift for you."
With that, Orochimaru slammed his palms together.
"Summoning Jutsu: Impure World Reincarnation!"
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