After following the direction where Orochimaru and Jiraiya had gone, the path suddenly split into two.
Sakumo frowned at the sight. He glanced at Hoshiyomi and asked, "Should we split up?"
"Let's take a closer look first," Hoshiyomi said as he stepped forward to examine the two paths carefully. Sure enough, at the entrance to one of the paths, he spotted a small arrow carved by a kunai.
When Hoshiyomi saw the carved arrow, he smiled. That kind of foresight was definitely Orochimaru's doing—Jiraiya was too careless to have thought of it.
"This way," he said, pulling Sakumo down the path.
After just a few minutes, the distant sounds of Jiraiya's loud wailing echoed through the forest.
Exchanging a glance, Hoshiyomi and Sakumo rushed forward. It didn't take long before they saw Orochimaru and Jiraiya—but they were in rough shape.
Both were covered in tiny cuts from brushing past thorny vegetation while escaping.
Anrui stood before them, looking smug and taunting:
"What's wrong? Why aren't you running anymore?"
Panting heavily, both Orochimaru and Jiraiya were starting to lose hope. After all this time, Hoshiyomi and Sakumo still hadn't caught up—maybe they'd already been taken out.
The thought filled Jiraiya with despair. Was their four-man squad from the Academy going to die before they even made a name for themselves?
No. No matter what, he, Jiraiya, had to go out swinging.
Grimly determined, Jiraiya fished out his last kunai and yelled at Anrui, "You bastard—I'll take you down with me!"
Then, like a charging bull, he shut his eyes and rushed at Anrui. The latter sneered and easily sidestepped Jiraiya's reckless charge, then gave him a hard kick in the rear.
Jiraiya hit the ground face-first, his kunai flying from his hand. As he scrambled for it, Anrui walked up, grinning viciously, and stomped on Jiraiya's chest.
He picked up the kunai and toyed with it, then said with mock contemplation, "So… should I stab you in the throat, or the heart?"
Jiraiya didn't reply. Instead, he spat a mouthful of saliva right into Anrui's face.
Then he shouted over his shoulder, "You idiot! What are you standing there for? Run!"
But Orochimaru didn't budge. He clenched his fists—this was one of the few friends he had. How could he abandon him?
But what could he do? He didn't even have a kunai. Close combat was out of the question. The only thing he had… was the steel wire he'd brought earlier.
Looking at the coil of wire, Orochimaru remembered a vague idea for a jutsu he'd been mulling over: launching wire infused with chakra to restrain the enemy.
No time like now to test it.
He quickly unwound the wire from his arm, calculated the distance, and tied a small stone to the front as a weight.
Then, gambling everything, he hurled it.
If this worked, he would call the jutsu: Hidden Shadow Wire Technique.
Fortunately, Orochimaru's aim was precise. The weighted wire flew cleanly over Anrui's arm.
Orochimaru immediately channeled chakra into the steel threads and snapped his wrist back. The wire moved just as he intended, wrapping tightly around Anrui's right arm—the one holding the kunai.
With both hands gripping the line, Orochimaru threw himself backward, yanking the wire taut. Anrui, caught off guard, instinctively shifted, pulling his hand away.
They struggled for dominance, Orochimaru gritting his teeth as he held his ground. Anrui, realizing what was happening, tried to cut the wire with his free hand.
But Jiraiya wasn't about to give him that chance.
In a burst of strength, Jiraiya grabbed Anrui's foot and pushed with everything he had. Surprisingly, it worked—he shoved Anrui's foot off his chest and scrambled free.
Now unrestrained, Jiraiya rose and delivered a Rocket Headbutt straight into Anrui's chin.
"Time for a taste of my Rocket Headbutt, you bastard!"
The sudden blow dazed Anrui, and the pain made him drop the kunai from his hand.
Furious and humiliated, Anrui—an Iwagakure genin—was losing it. To think two Konoha brats had made him look so pathetic. If Aki ever found out, he'd never hear the end of it.
Roaring in rage, Anrui abandoned the wire and punched Jiraiya square in the face.
The punch was brutal. Jiraiya flew backward, two teeth flying from his mouth.
He crashed to the ground, knocked out cold.
Anrui turned, retrieved the kunai, and severed the steel wire. Then, with a murderous glint in his eyes, he slowly walked toward Orochimaru.
"You two little brats actually managed to make me look this bad… I'll admit, you've got some talent as shinobi.
"But it ends here. Not even the Sage of Six Paths could save you now. You hear me?!"
Just as he was shouting those words, a figure emerged silently from the forest.
With a mocking smirk, the boy said, "Not even the Sage of Six Paths could save them? You've got a big mouth."
Anrui froze, kunai mid-swing. He stared, wide-eyed. "You're… that brat from earlier! You're supposed to be dead! How are you still alive?! Don't tell me… you killed Aki? Just you, alone? That's impossible!"
While Anrui stood there in shock, a flash of silver light swept past his vision.
Then—his hand, the one holding the kunai, was suddenly flying through the air.
That… that's my hand!
Hoshiyomi appeared at his side without a sound. He winked at the stunned Anrui.
"Not alone," he said. "I'm still here."
The intense pain finally hit, and Anrui screamed in agony, howling like a slaughtered pig.
"No… no way! This is impossible! Who the hell are you?!"
From a distance, Sakumo shook his head. He hadn't expected this Iwagakure genin to be so weak once pressured.
Drawing White Fang, Sakumo dashed in, preparing to end Anrui in one strike.
But just then, a blur of motion shot out from the trees.
A shadowy figure appeared beside Hoshiyomi in an instant, as if teleporting.
Before anyone could react, the newcomer delivered a sharp chop to Anrui's neck, knocking him out cold.
Only after Anrui hit the ground did Hoshiyomi notice the symbol on the man's back…
The Uchiha clan crest.
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