Naruto: Starting with the Ōtsutsuki Bloodline

Chapter 94: Oh No, Did He Just Die?

While Kitagawa Gen clashed with the Fourth Raikage, Jiraiya's battle with Orochimaru had only grown fiercer by the second.

These two knew each other far too well—so well, in fact, that there was no need for any drawn-out probing or feints.

"Damn bastard! You really dragged me into a fight right in the middle of a town!"

That familiarity, however, was exactly what Orochimaru exploited to catch Jiraiya off guard at the start.

Dodging a sudden strike, Jiraiya cursed inwardly, gritting his teeth.

The only silver lining was that the townspeople of this small village in the Land of Sugi reacted quickly.

Perhaps due to repeated wars always breaking out in smaller nations—especially border towns like this—the locals had long learned to flee at the first sign of danger.

The once-peaceful scene of "vibrant life in full bloom" still lingered in Jiraiya's mind, but now it was being torn apart.

As the residents scattered like mad out of town, Jiraiya felt slightly relieved—until his eyes swept across the crumbling buildings.

His lips twitched uncontrollably.

How much is all this damage going to cost?

"Fire Style: Great Flame Bullet!"

With his temper rising, Jiraiya quickly formed seals, sending a massive wave of fire toward Orochimaru.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

Orochimaru wasn't in the mood to play around either. With a flare of chakra, he summoned a wall of earth to block the flames.

At the same time, he left behind a shadow clone and slipped underground.

"Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"

Seemingly unaware, Jiraiya slammed his hands together. His hair suddenly lengthened, piercing through the wall and lashing toward Orochimaru from behind—binding him tightly.

"Gotcha!"

"Idiot."

But in that moment, Orochimaru burst from the ground behind Jiraiya and drove his fist straight at him.

Boom!

His strike shattered Jiraiya's head—only for the target to dissipate into dirt. A mud clone.

Jiraiya's real body emerged from the opposite side, and the two resumed their close-quarters brawl.

"Orochimaru, stop this madness!"

Jiraiya yelled between attacks.

"Madness?"

Orochimaru sneered and shook his head, mocking him with a cold voice.

"You know what I hate most about you? That hopeless naivety of yours. Always putting your faith in those dumb frog prophecies… always trying to shove your ideals onto others."

He scoffed. "Why don't you just stay in Mount Myōboku and keep chasing your little fairytales?"

"Tell me—have you found your so-called Child of Prophecy yet? Or was it Minato?"

He clicked his tongue with feigned pity.

"What a shame. The 'Chosen One' you picked turned out to be a short-lived ghost."

"You bastard—!"

Jiraiya nearly lost it. Orochimaru's words hit deep, every one like a poisoned dagger.

Still, Jiraiya forced himself to stay calm. He narrowed his eyes and asked in a low voice:

"What exactly is your organization's goal? I've been looking into it, and I've uncovered some very... interesting things. Just what is that group up to?"

"..."

Orochimaru looked annoyed now.

Does this guy ever shut up?

But suddenly, something clicked in his mind.

Danzo wanted me to contact Hanzo of the Salamander... could this be related?

As he glanced at Jiraiya—still attacking relentlessly but clearly waiting for answers—his thoughts began to race.

So Jiraiya found something that pointed him to the Land of Rain. And Danzo, after losing Root years ago, is too scared to go there himself… so he used me to test the waters?

Orochimaru's fists clenched tightly. That bastard used me as a pawn!

He never intended to visit the Land of Rain, but had he gone, would he have run into Jiraiya?

With Danzo's nature, that was a guarantee.

"Damn it... if that's how it is…"

A flicker of malice crossed Orochimaru's eyes. His lips curled into a wicked smile.

"You're still digging, huh? Are you trying to die?"

"What do you mean by that?"

Jiraiya's eyes lit up, sensing something important—only to suddenly realize something was wrong.

"Wait… are you crazy?!"

"Just because you don't dare summon him doesn't mean I won't."

Before Jiraiya could react, Orochimaru had already finished weaving his hand seals.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

With a burst of smoke, the colossal form of Manda the snake king erupted into view.

"Damn it…"

Jiraiya's face immediately twisted. Orochimaru really didn't care about collateral damage!

"You two again?!"

Manda's eyes narrowed the moment he saw Jiraiya. Unpleasant memories surged to the surface.

The last time Orochimaru summoned him to fight Jiraiya, he'd been stabbed who knows how many times—and used as a living shield by both of them!

He hadn't forgotten.

"You've got some nerve summoning me again, Orochimaru!"

"I'll make it up to you with an appropriate sacrifice," Orochimaru said, slightly embarrassed. "Just help me deal with the current problem first."

At the same time, Jiraiya bit his thumb and quickly summoned his own ally—Gamabunta.

He didn't want to use a summoning inside a town, but he had no other choice against Orochimaru.

"What's going on, Jiraiya…"

As the smoke cleared, the massive toad appeared, pipe in mouth—only to instantly spot Manda and Orochimaru.

"Huh? These guys again?"

Toads and snakes never got along—and the feeling was mutual.

"You damn toad?! Hmph! Orochimaru, I'll deal with you later. But first—let me kill this ugly frog!"

"You wish!"

Gamabunta didn't need to wait for Jiraiya's command. With a single leap, he drew his enormous blade and swung down at Manda's head with a thundering slash.

The giant snake Manda swiftly dodged Gamabunta's blade and seized the opening to coil around him, fangs bared, ready to sink into the massive toad.

The two beasts clashed ferociously, sending clouds of dust into the sky as buildings all around them crumbled in the chaos.

"You really have no fear, do you, Jiraiya?"

While the summons battled with earth-shaking might, Orochimaru stood calmly atop Manda's head, speaking with an almost amused tone.

"One of these days, you're going to get yourself killed for poking around in the wrong secrets."

"Hmph, no matter what it takes, I'll find the truth!"

This time, Jiraiya wasn't baiting him—he was serious. Between Orochimaru and his two mysterious disciples, his concern about the Akatsuki was only growing.

Especially now that he knew there were two Uchiha in the organization wielding Mangekyō Sharingan—both responsible for countless killings. Everything pointed back to Konoha.

"If you're so desperate to die, allow me to oblige."

Orochimaru licked his lips, already thinking through his next move.

"And don't waste your time looking. The Akatsuki's members are scattered all over. We barely interact outside of missions."

He hoped Jiraiya would shift his focus away from him and onto the Akatsuki instead. He wasn't planning to say too much, though—he didn't want trouble with the organization either. But he certainly wouldn't pass up the chance to spite Danzō.

"Still, none of us are weaklings. Especially our leader… the one who defeated both Hanzo the Salamander and Shimura Danzō."

"What? Shimura Danzō and Hanzo?!"

Jiraiya's eyes widened in disbelief. Orochimaru nodded.

"That's right. You've heard about the Root division being utterly destroyed, haven't you?"

"I've heard rumors..."

"Hanzo and Danzō teamed up to destroy a mysterious group… but in the end, Root was wiped out, and Hanzo hasn't dared leave the Hidden Rain Village since."

Orochimaru's voice dropped, raspy and quiet, as he licked his lips.

He knew some of what happened—he'd been close to Danzō while waiting to be named Hokage. Though things hadn't gone as he planned.

He'd only pieced it together later, after joining the Akatsuki and spending time in the Hidden Rain.

Not that he cared whether his theory was right. So long as it got Jiraiya off his back and irritated Danzō, it was good enough.

"Danzō… and Hanzo…"

Jiraiya's thoughts were spiraling when suddenly, Orochimaru struck.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Dozens of serpents burst from his sleeves like a tide, surging toward Jiraiya!

"Coward!"

Jiraiya snapped out of it just in time, leaping back and forming seals.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!"

A torrent of fire surged forth, incinerating the swarm of snakes in seconds. But now, Orochimaru's figure had vanished behind the wall of flame—only his voice remained.

"Fine. Go throw your life away if you want. I'm done playing with you. Don't worry… I'll be watching when you die."

"Damn it, don't you run!"

Jiraiya shouted in frustration, but Orochimaru's voice was fading.

"You might want to check on that kid… he's fighting the Fourth Raikage, you know."

"Gen…"

Jiraiya froze at the name. Flames still roared around him, but he could only sigh deeply.

"Damn bastard…"

On the battlefield, seeing Orochimaru flee, Manda cursed loudly before canceling the summoning and vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"Tch. Damn snake. One of these days, I'll turn you into a wallet."

Gamabunta muttered a curse of his own before turning to Jiraiya.

"Well, I'll take my leave then."

"Yeah."

Jiraiya nodded. Now that Orochimaru was gone, the fight was over. It was time to see what was happening on the other front.

Leaping into the air, he sped toward the other battlefield.

Still, he was confused—why was Gen fighting the Fourth Raikage?

Tsunade likely wouldn't step in, but where was Kakashi?

"Whatever. That kid's probably no worse than Minato. If Minato could handle the Raikage, then Gen should be fine too."

Despite his words, Jiraiya subconsciously picked up the pace.

But when he arrived, his eyes went wide, and a single terrifying thought struck him.

"Crap… he's not dead, is he?"

And Jiraiya wasn't the only one thinking that—Kakashi, too, froze. Even Tsunade's mind was overwhelmed with memories overlapping the scene in front of her.

"…That technique."

Tsunade stared in disbelief. She had clearly seen Gen take a direct hit—then vanish instantly, only to reappear behind the Raikage a moment later.

"Flying Thunder God Technique…"

She whispered, and on the battlefield, the Fourth Raikage's eyes bulged.

Gen's voice came from behind him—and in that instant, he felt the crushing weight of mortal danger.

"Flying Thunder God…?"

The Raikage wasn't slow—he immediately remembered.

Years ago, he and Killer Bee had fought a man with golden hair, and despite fighting together, they couldn't touch him.

"This brat… he knows that jutsu?!"

His mind raced as he desperately tried to twist his body, avoiding vital areas. He flared his chakra in an explosive burst.

There was no time to dodge—his only option was to defend. And now he understood why Gen hadn't used the technique earlier.

"He was waiting for this moment!"

But it was too late.

Kitagawa Gen's short sword—White Fang—crackled with Purple Lightning as it pierced forward.

He didn't know any "Hell Stab" techniques, but this one relied on overwhelming speed and explosive power.

In many ways, it resembled Chidori, but Gen fused the blade with his unique chakra and struck with surgical precision.

"Don't worry… I'm not stupid. Sometimes it's better to get the pain over with."

Buzz—!

The short blade drove deep into the Raikage's back. Purple Lightning surged violently, tearing through the blue lightning armor that coated the Raikage.

That armor tried to resist, but having been hastily formed, it couldn't withstand Gen's ferocious attack. It was torn apart in an instant.

But just as the blade struck, it shifted slightly—as if Gen adjusted to the Raikage's twisting movement—missing the vital organs and instead slicing clean through his left arm.

Blood sprayed as the Fourth Raikage crashed heavily to the ground.