891Chapter 24
Sasuke sat in silence, his back pressed against the rough bark of an ancient oak, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon where the last battle loomed. The air was thick with the scent of scorched earth and the distant cries of wounded soldiers, remnants of the relentless advance Konoha had waged upon Oto. The sheer might of the Leaf had crushed Orochimaru's forces like an unyielding tide, leaving little doubt as to who held the upper hand in this war.
His fingers traced absentmindedly over the hilt of his Kiba blades, the weight of steel grounding him in the present. He had always known Konoha was powerful, but witnessing its war machine in action was an entirely different matter. Every engagement had been swift and decisive. Where Orochimaru's forces relied on cunning traps, desperate ambushes, and twisted experiments, Konoha responded with overwhelming force, coordination, and unshakable will.
For years, he had believed that leaving Konoha was the only path to vengeance. That his home was weak, that its methods were ineffective, that staying would have only dulled his blade. And yet, here he was, standing in the wake of Konoha's sheer dominance. The Leaf had all but steamrolled through the defences of Sound, carving a path straight to Orochimaru's final stronghold. The Sannin, for all his arrogance, was now backed into a corner like a rat facing the inevitable boot of its predator.
A bitter smirk tugged at Sasuke's lips. He had once thought Orochimaru was the key to his revenge, that the power offered by the Snake Sannin would be the only way to kill Itachi. But as he watched the Leaf systematically dismantle everything Orochimaru had built, the cracks in that belief widened.
Had his thirst for vengeance blinded him to reason? Had he truly believed that a man like Orochimaru—who treated his followers as mere vessels, tools to be discarded—would be the one to help him achieve his goal?
It was an uncomfortable truth to admit, even to himself. His pride railed against it, but his rational mind could no longer ignore the reality before him. Konoha, the very place he had spurned, had shown that its strength was undeniable. He had turned his back on the village that had the power to protect him, to nurture him, to train him into the warrior he wished to become, all because he had convinced himself that suffering alone would make him stronger.
His fingers clenched into a fist. His pride wouldn't let him completely concede that he had been wrong, not yet. He was still Sasuke Uchiha, and the fires of vengeance still burned within him, but he could no longer ignore the glaring truth.
Orochimaru had never been the answer.
The thought was unsettling. If not Orochimaru, then what? Konoha had the power, but did he still have the will to embrace it? Could he accept that the very village he once scorned had been the right choice all along?
His thoughts were interrupted as a rustling in the underbrush signalled an approaching figure. He didn't need to turn to know who it was.
"You're brooding again, Duck-Ass," Tayuya's familiar, abrasive voice rang out as she dropped onto the ground beside him, stretching her legs out with a tired groan. "Not that I blame you. Big battle, existential crisis, all that crap. I'd be surprised if you weren't questioning your life choices."
Sasuke exhaled sharply through his nose, neither confirming nor denying her words. Instead, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Do you regret leaving Orochimaru?"
Tayuya snorted. "You're kidding, right? I'd rather eat my own flute than go back to that psycho. Only regret I have is that it took me so long to ditch his ass…that and getting whole goddamn forest dropped on my ass"
He nodded slowly, as if processing something. "You never thought he was your only option?"
Tayuya gave him a sidelong look, her brown eyes narrowing. "Option? Duck-Ass I never had ANY option before I joined you, tree huggers. He bought me like a commodity and thrown me to multiple labs and other shits before he deemed that I was more worthy as ninja then a lab rat. So yeah, trust me that when you have option between Orochimaru and plunging a kunai in your eye, kunai is ALWAYS better choice."
Sasuke remained silent, staring at the dirt beneath his feet. He hated admitting weakness, hated acknowledging when he had made a mistake. But maybe, just maybe, he was ready to stop running from the truth.
"Konoha's power is real," he finally said, his voice quiet but firm. "I thought I had to abandon it to grow strong enough to face my brother. But… it was never about strength alone, was it?"
Tayuya shrugged. "Strength is only part of the equation, Duck-Ass. The rest is having people who've got your back." She tapped his shoulder with the back of her hand. Then she cringed hard. "Ewwww I just sounded like Shithead!" She gagged.
Sasuke didn't respond immediately. Instead, he let her words settle as he looked toward the battlefield where Orochimaru waited. The final confrontation was near, and for the first time in years, he wasn't entirely sure what he would do once it was over.
But one thing was certain—he would not make the same mistake twice.
Anko and Might Guy stood at the edge of a towering cliff, overlooking Orochimaru's final stronghold—a rocky coastal fortress carved into the northern edge of the Land of Rice. The crashing waves of the sea pounded against the jagged rocks below, while a network of caves and tunnels snaked through the cliffside, a perfect lair for a snake.
"This setup screams Orochimaru," Anko muttered, arms crossed. "It's got everything he loves—hidden tunnels, natural defences, a high vantage point, and more than enough places to hide his twisted experiments. This is his favourite kind of trap."
Might Guy, arms folded across his chest, gave a booming laugh. "Ha! No matter how many traps he sets, the power of youth will overcome all obstacles!" His face grew more serious, though, as he studied the stronghold. "But this battle will be nasty. We've pushed him into a corner, and that's when a cornered enemy is most dangerous."
Anko nodded. "Yeah, he won't go down quietly. He never does." She turned her gaze to Guy. "Shame Kakashi's missing out on this one."
Guy sighed, shaking his head. "Indeed. He was designated to remain behind and defend Konoha in case of trouble. He'd never admit it, but I know he'd love to be here, right in the thick of things."
Anko smirked. "His loss."
The conversation shifted as they observed their forces below, making final preparations. "Our brats have come a long way," Anko mused. "Shikamaru's tactical mind is sharper than ever, and Fu? She's a monster in battle."
Guy nodded, smiling. "Indeed. Shikamaru has stepped into the role of a true strategist, and Fu's energy is infectious. Their growth has been inspiring."
Anko exhaled, steeling herself for the fight ahead. "Let's hope they're ready for what's coming."
Might Guy clenched his fists, his eyes burning with determination. "They are. We all are." He flashed her a dazzling smile. "How about you Anko?"
The snake mistress eyed the spandex-wearing Jonin contemplating how much she would like to share with him. They weren't as close as with Kurenai but he was one of the few that never held any grudge towards her over her former mentor.
"To be honest I feel like crap, my cursed mark is screaming and I would love to get it over with because proximity of Orochimaru makes me want to retch." She said bluntly. " Thou I do hope I can plunge my kunai right in his skull and burn the remains but I do manage my expectations.
Gai sweat dropped.
"Ok at the least you are being honest with your feelings" He said slowly.
"Yet we all know that with that cured hicky of his he can one shot me, Princess and Tay-chan so as much as I detest it we should be separate or even better to not go anywhere close to him at all." She added with a huff.
"Worry not we will make sure that Orochimaru will not have even a second to spend on either of you!" Gay pumped his chest! " I will finally show him true will of fire! Even his cold, dark heart will be moved!"
Anko gave him the look of absolute disbelief.
"Yeah when that happens I will eat my shoe."
"I will hold you up to that promise!"
Shikaku Nara stood before the assembled Konoha forces, his hands resting behind his back. The dim morning light cast long shadows over the battlefield, painting the moment in a quiet solemnity. He sighed, rubbing the back of his head before speaking.
"I'm not one for speeches," he began, his voice calm but firm. "Never have been, never will be. But I won't waste words when there's something that needs to be said."
His sharp gaze swept across the gathered shinobi. "Each of you has shown unwavering bravery. You have fought with honour, not just for Konoha, but for those who came before us—the comrades who gave their lives in this war, and the ones who fell when Oto and Suna invaded our home. The Third Hokage stood against Orochimaru and paid the price, but his sacrifice wasn't in vain. Today, we honour him, and all who came before us."
A hush settled over the crowd. Shikamaru lowered his head, remembering his father's quiet words about the Third Hokage's wisdom. Fu clenched her fists, determination burning in her eyes. Tayuya crossed her arms tightly, scowling at the ground, trying to mask the conflict in her expression. Sasuke exhaled through his nose, his expression unreadable, but his fingers curled slightly as if grasping for something intangible.
"This battle will be the hardest we've faced yet," Shikaku continued. "We've backed Orochimaru into a corner, and that makes him more dangerous than ever. Exercise caution. Do not throw your lives away needlessly. We win by outthinking the enemy, not by reckless bravado."
Might Guy's usual enthusiasm was subdued, his expression serious. "The flames of youth will carry us through, but wisdom must guide our fire," he murmured to himself. Anko exhaled sharply, gripping her kunai tighter.
Shikaku took a deep breath. "Stay sharp, watch each other's backs, and remember—we fight for the future of Konoha. Let's finish this."
A chorus of voices echoed in agreement, and with that, the final march on Orochimaru's fortress began.
Few hours later Shikaku Nara stood at the command centre, surrounded by his top strategists. Closing his eyes briefly, he pressed his fingers together in the familiar gesture of the Yamanaka communication technique. Across the battlefield, a synchronized pulse of chakra connected him to every field captain and squad leader.
"We strike from both land and sea," his voice rang through their minds. "Tayuya's intelligence confirms that the nearby islands are connected to the mainland stronghold by a network of underwater tunnels. This gives us an opening to pressure Orochimaru from two fronts."
Might Guy, his expression unusually grim, nodded in response. "Understood. will approach by sea. We'll infiltrate through the tunnels and hit them where they least expect it." Team 10 and Sasuke along with other nin were behind him, all with determined expression.
Anko smirked, cracking her knuckles. "That leaves me with Shikamaru, Minty, and Tay-chan to spearhead the land assault. We'll push through the main defences and carve a path straight to Orochimaru." She liked her lips, previous anxiousness replayed with determination.
Shikaku's gaze hardened. "This will be the hardest battle we've fought yet. We strike efficiently, minimize casualties, and do not get reckless. Orochimaru will have traps. Expect the worst."
Sasuke tightened his grip on his sword. He had long anticipated this moment—the chance to finally fix his foolish mistake on attempting to join the snake…Tayuya crossed her arms, her mind racing through all the horrors she knew awaited them in those tunnels. Rock Lee…was just full of youth right now!
Shikaku exhaled. "Move out."
With that, the forces of Konoha surged toward the final battlefield.
With Team Gai
The sea waters churned violently as Konoha's forces cut through the waves, swiftly toward the rocky coastline of Orochimaru's fortress. The moment they neared the shore, a surge of enemy shinobi emerged from the cliffs—masked Oto-nin and rogue mercenaries, their hands flashing through seals before hurling waves of water and lightning -based jutsu down upon the advancing Konoha-nin
The ocean erupted as towering waves surged forward, threatening to swallow Konoha's forces. Sasuke's Sharingan spun as he read every movement in the enemy's formations. With a burst of chakra, he leaped forward, his Chidori crackling as he sliced through a tidal surge of water, dispersing it before it could crash into their ranks.
Might Guy roared as he launched himself forward, deflecting a high-pressure water blast with a rapid spin before driving his fist into the nearest enemy's gut. The Oto-nin's body folded in half as he was launched into the cliffs.
Rock Lee mirrored his sensei's movements, dodging spiralling jets of water with astonishing speed. With a forceful kick, he sent an enemy shinobi hurtling into the ocean, where they struggled against the raging currents.
Neji's Byakugan identified enemy ambushers hidden beneath the water's surface. "They're using the currents to strike from below! Be ready!"
Tenten took a high vantage point, summoning an arsenal of bladed weapons that she hurled with deadly precision. Explosive kunai detonated along the cliffs, forcing enemy shinobi out of hiding.
The battle raged, but despite the initial resistance, Konoha's forces carved through the enemy's ranks. As the last masked shinobi fell, Guy frowned. "That was… too easy." His fists clenched, unease settling in his gut. "Stay alert. This is only the beginning!"
No sooner he said this he ducked from the Oto nin emerging from the ground as he was about to pierce his with katana…
"Wait that is not a katana…"Gai frowned as he eyed the Oto nin. The blade seemed to grow out of his ghastly pale arm " Is that a bone?!"
Oto-nin lunged at him with inhumane cry followed by chorus more as dozens emerged from the ground signalling the second phase of costal battle
The wind howled as Anko led her forces through the jagged, uneven terrain that surrounded Orochimaru's stronghold. The ground beneath them was treacherous—sharp rocks jutted out at odd angles, and unstable footholds made even the most agile ninja tread with caution. The scent of damp stone and earth filled the air, mingling with the distant stench of decay that marked Orochimaru's territory.
"Keep your eyes open," Anko muttered, her golden eyes scanning the cliffs above. "This terrain is perfect for an ambush."
They moved in a tight formation, with Shikamaru and Fu at the centre, while Tayuya, handpicked Jonin and Chunin, and a squad of ANBU flanked the outer perimeter. Every step forward felt heavier, the weight of unseen danger pressing down on them.
Then it happened.
A whistling sound cut through the air. Anko barely had time to react before a barrage of kunai and explosive tags rained down from the cliffs. "SCATTER!" she barked.
The squad broke apart just as the ground where they had been standing erupted in a fireball. Shikamaru rolled to the side, landing in a crouch as smoke and debris clouded his vision. "We're surrounded."
From the shadows of the cliffs and craggy formations, Orochimaru's hidden forces struck. Dozens of Oto-nin and rogue shinobi sprang from their concealed positions, launching an assault from all angles. Some dropped from the cliffs above, others burst forth from makeshift tunnels hidden beneath the ground.
Tayuya grinned, cracking her knuckles. "Finally, some action." She brought her fingers to her flute, and a chilling melody filled the battlefield. Scream of ones caught in her Genjutsu filled the area but where cut short abruptly as soon as other Konoha nin reached them.
Fu wasted no time. The moment an enemy shinobi lunged at her, she vanished in a blur of speed. Reappearing behind him, her water blade flashed in the dim light before she drove it into his back. With a swift kick, she sent his lifeless body tumbling down the rocky slope.
"SHADOW POSSESSION JUTSU!"
Shikamaru's shadow darted across the uneven terrain, capturing multiple enemies at once. "You're not going anywhere," he muttered, forcing their bodies to turn on each other. The sound of blades piercing flesh echoed as one enemy drove his kunai into his own ally's throat, the rest unable to resist Shikamaru's grip.
Anko moved like a serpent through the battlefield. One moment, she was flipping over an enemy's sword strike; the next, she was sinking her fangs into another opponent's shoulder. Poison coursed through his veins in an instant, rendering him helpless before she slashed his throat with a kunai.
A sudden tremor beneath their feet sent a ripple of unease through the squad. The earth cracked open, and a monstrous figure erupted from below—an eight-foot-tall brute with grotesque mutations, a result of Orochimaru's twisted experiments.
"Well, that's disgusting," Fu muttered, preparing to strike.
The creature roared and lunged. Before it could reach her, Tayuya's music, locking it in place. With a smirk, she played a new melody, sending waves of genjutsu into its mind. The beast twitched, its movements becoming sluggish.
"Now, someone put this thing down!" she snapped.
Anko was already ahead of her. She flashed through hand seals at blinding speed. "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Serpents burst from her sleeves, sinking their fangs deep into the beast's flesh. The creature let out a strangled cry as the venom took hold, its body convulsing violently before it collapsed in a heap.
More enemies surged toward them, undeterred by their fallen comrades. But Konoha's forces had the momentum now.
Shikamaru twisted his fingers, extending his shadow toward another cluster of enemies. "Fu-chan, push them back."
With a feral grin, she did just that. The girl charged forward, her biju chakra sprung to live! The Oto-nin scrambled backward, trying to retreat, but it was too late. The girl swung her fists, sending enemies flying like ragdolls against the jagged cliffs. She flipped over an enemy, slicing his hamstrings before driving her blade into his neck in one seamless motion. Another shinobi charged her from behind, but she sidestepped at the last second, twisting his arm and breaking it before sending him crashing into the dirt. Fu darted across the battlefield, her agility making her nearly untouchable.
The last remnants of the ambush force started to falter. Some attempted to flee, realizing they had underestimated Konoha's forces.
"Not happening," Anko growled. "You started this fight—now you get to finish it."
She weaved through hand signs, her eyes gleaming with malicious delight. "Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
A roaring jet of flame burst from her mouth, engulfing the fleeing shinobi. Their screams were short-lived as the fire consumed them, leaving behind nothing but scorched remnants.
The battlefield finally fell silent, the only sound being the heavy breathing of the victorious Konoha squad. Shikamaru wiped sweat from his brow. "That was a pain in the ass."
Fu sheathed her blade, glancing at Anko. "We keep moving?"
Anko nodded. "No stopping now. That was just the welcome party. The real fight is ahead."
They pressed forward, their path toward Orochimaru's stronghold now clearer—but the danger far from over.
The battlefield at the shoreline had become a warzone of blood and chaos. Konoha's forces fought tooth and nail, pushing forward against an unrelenting wave of Orochimaru's new soldiers. Unlike the ambushers before, these were not just ordinary shinobi—these warriors fought with sharpened bones sprouting from their bodies, their movements eerily precise and unnatural.
Rock Lee ducked under a swipe of a jagged bone blade that sliced through the air inches from his face. His opponent—a pale-skinned Oto-nin with sunken eyes—twisted unnaturally, growing new bone protrusions from his wrists before lunging again. Lee leaped backward, narrowly avoiding a lethal stab.
"Shikotsumyaku…" Lee breathed heavily, his eyes narrowing. "I recognize this ability."
Might Guy shattered an opponent's ribs with a single punch, his fists moving like a blur. "Lee! What do you mean?"
Lee clenched his fists. "I fought one like this before! Kimimaro! He used this same technique!"
Neji, already engaging two bone-clad enemies, flicked his gaze toward Lee for a split second. "Kimimaro was Orochimaru's most powerful warrior… if there are more like him, this could be worse than we expected."
Another enemy lunged, forming a long, jagged spear of bone from his forearm. Tenten countered by throwing a barrage of explosive kunai, but the enemy twisted unnaturally, deflecting the blasts with his hardened skeletal armour.
"They're regenerating their bones mid-battle!" Tenten exclaimed, landing in a defensive stance. "This is ridiculous!"
A Konoha Chunin screamed as a bone spike impaled him from behind. More and more of the twisted warriors emerged from the battlefield, their grotesque skeletal weapons cutting down shinobi with merciless precision. The ground was painted red, the clash of metal against bone ringing through the air like the grim song of death.
Might Guy's brow furrowed. He could feel the tide shifting, and for the first time in this battle, an unease settled in his gut.
"This isn't just an ordinary fight," he muttered. "They're not fighting like normal shinobi… they're killing machines."
He leaped forward, intercepting a particularly large warrior who had just bisected a Konoha soldier. The monstrous shinobi spun, sprouting spiked ribs outward like a macabre porcupine. Guy, undeterred, twisted mid-air and delivered a thunderous kick to the warrior's skull, shattering it in an instant.
Lee, inspired by his sensei's unwavering resolve, activated the first gate. His speed doubled as he weaved between enemies, landing precise, crushing blows to their joints before they could regenerate. "We can still win! Their movements are fast, but predictable!"
Neji, observing the battlefield with his Byakugan, shouted over the chaos. "Their weak points are where the bones regenerate. Strike there before they harden!"
Tenten took his advice to heart, summoning a massive warhammer from her scroll. She swung it downward with brutal force, smashing an enemy's ribcage before he could fully reform. The warrior's body crumpled, unable to recover from the sheer force.
Sasuke now turned into literal blur of fire, lightning and gore as his kiba blades danced across the battlefield. His sharingan blazing as he decapitated yet another weird nin before him he started to notice certain pattern. Stopping for a moment he grabbed one severed head and removed the face mask. Then he did it to another and another….
They all had the same faces!
"Shit…"Sasuke cursed. While he only ever heard rumours of it, while Orochimaru was still on Konoha's side he worked hard on resurrecting certain long dead clans via…cloning.
It seems that he managed to achieve partial success, partial in a way those clones where a grotesque abominations rather than proper looking people. Their featured uneven and twisted with minds barely intact to do something more than kill.
As the battle raged on, Konoha's forces adapted, but the cost had already been high. Bodies littered the battlefield, and the scent of blood mixed with the salt of the ocean.
Guy's fists clenched, his muscles tensing. "This was too costly. We weren't prepared for this level of resistance."
Lee, still breathing hard, wiped blood from his brow. "If Orochimaru had warriors like Kimimaro left… we might be walking into something even worse."
The eerie silence that followed the last enemy's fall only deepened Guy's unease. This battle had been far bloodier than it should have been.
"Stay alert," he ordered. "We move forward, but we move cautiously. This isn't over yet."
And with that, they pressed on, leaving the ruined battlefield behind, stepping closer to the heart of Orochimaru's domain.
The air grew thick with the scent of damp stone and decay as Anko's squad pushed deeper into the tunnels. The already tight, winding caverns now felt suffocating, their uneven walls closing in around them. Every breath echoed, bouncing off the jagged rock formations like the whisper of ghosts.
"Fucking hell," Tayuya muttered, stepping over a corpse. The blood pooling beneath her boots was still warm. "He actually cloned that bone fucker."
Shikamaru, pressing forward with narrowed eyes, scanned the darkness. "It makes sense. Orochimaru experimented with Kimimaro's DNA before. If he perfected it…"
A sudden shriek cut through the air as one of their Chunin scouts was yanked into the darkness. The sickening crunch of bones being broken followed, and then—silence.
"Shit! Stay together!" Anko ordered, drawing a kunai.
The shadows shifted. Then they came.
White-skinned figures with hollow eyes lunged from the darkness, their jagged bone protrusions glistening with fresh blood. They moved with inhuman speed, some crawling along the cave walls like twisted arachnids, their skeletal weapons extending with sickening cracks and snaps.
Fu, rather than recoiling, let out a delighted laugh. "Oh hell yes! This is awesome!"
Shikamaru shot her a bewildered look as she launched herself into the fray, slashing with gleeful enthusiasm. She twisted mid-air, dodging a spear of bone before driving her tanto into an enemy's throat. "Creepy-ass horror caves and abominations? Best mission ever!"
Anko groaned, stabbing a bone-clad shinobi through the chest. "Fu, I swear, your enthusiasm for this is disturbing."
"I know, right?" Fu grinned as she kicked an opponent's face into the cavern wall. "Best day ever!"
Tayuya, meanwhile, fought with sheer fury, cursing Orochimaru between every strike. "Fuckin' snake bastard and his corpse-obsessed bullshit!" She drove a kunai into an enemy's spine, twisting it for good measure.
The cave battle was a relentless, nightmarish struggle. The Oto-nin swarmed from unseen crevices, attacking in perfect sync. Anko slashed an enemy's throat only to be met with two more lunging at her from behind. She barely twisted in time, her kunai parrying a jagged bone blade aimed at her spine. She retaliated by sinking her fangs into the attacker's wrist, her venom quickly paralyzing him before she crushed his windpipe with a brutal elbow strike.
Shikamaru, forced into melee combat, used his wits to manoeuvre his shadow to entrap enemies even in the tight space. "Tayuya! Left!" he shouted, dragging two enemies together just as she finished forming hand seals.
"Demonic Flute: Phantom Sound Chains!"
A terrible melody echoed through the caves, causing the captured enemies to shriek as hallucinations overwhelmed them. One clawed at his face, trying to remove imaginary creatures burrowing into his skin. Another convulsed violently before Tayuya ended his misery with a swift slice across the throat.
Fu, meanwhile, was moving like a whirlwind of destruction. She ducked under a bone spear, grabbing the attacker's arm and flipping him over onto a stalagmite, impaling him with his own weapon. Blood splattered across her face, and she only grinned wider. "This just keeps getting better!"
Anko dodged an incoming clawed strike, whipping around with a flurry of kunai. "For the record, Fu, I'm seriously reconsidering our friendship right now."
A deafening screech filled the cavern as another of the clones erupted from the shadows, its entire body seemingly made of hardened bone plating. It ploughed through three Konoha shinobi like a juggernaut, impaling one through the stomach and swiping the other into the rock wall so hard his skull caved in.
Shikamaru clenched his jaw. "Damn it! That thing's like a walking fortress!"
Tayuya wiped blood from her mouth, her eyes narrowing. "Then we break the fuckin' fortress."
Anko spun a kunai in her hand, nodding. "We take it down together. Don't let up!"
The squad launched into action. Shikamaru trapped its feet with his shadow, keeping it from dodging. Tayuya sent a Genjutsu-fuelled shockwave into its mind, making it hesitate. Fu vaulted off the walls, using her speed to land a series of precise strikes at the creature's joints, forcing it to stagger.
Anko finished it.
"Fire Style: Twin Serpent Inferno!"
A stream of white-hot flames erupted from her hands, consuming the creature in a swirling inferno. It shrieked, its plated armour cracking as the fire melted through its defences. It took a final, struggling step forward before collapsing into a smouldering heap of charred bone.
Silence settled for just a moment. The squad stood amidst the corpses, their breath heavy, the air thick with the iron tang of blood and burned flesh.
Shikamaru wiped his brow, glancing at Fu, who was still grinning like a maniac. "I swear, you might actually be crazier than Tayuya."
Tayuya glared at him. "The fuck you mean I am crazy?!"
Anko surveyed the carnage, her expression unreadable. "We keep moving. If Orochimaru perfected this cloning technique, we're in more trouble than we thought."
The squad pressed forward, stepping over bodies as they ventured deeper into the abyss. The horror wasn't over.
Far beneath the raging battle, Orochimaru sat motionless in his dimly lit throne room. The cavernous space trembled now and then, faint tremors from the conflict above causing dust to trickle from the ceiling. A single torch flickered beside him, casting long, jagged shadows against the stone walls.
Kabuto entered without urgency, adjusting his glasses as he knelt before his master. "Everything of value has been transported. All research, specimens, and essential materials have been moved to the designated locations." He pushed his glasses up with a faint smirk. "As for everything else… it is being destroyed as we speak."
Orochimaru let out a slow, amused chuckle, his golden eyes half-lidded with serpentine calm. "How poetic. All the remains of my former kingdom, crumbling into nothing." He rested his chin on the back of his hand, his fingers tapping idly against his pale skin. "And Konoha is dancing right into the ashes."
Another tremor shook the chamber, but the Sannin did not react. Instead, he turned his gaze to Kabuto, a hint of mirth in his tone. "How long do you estimate before they breach the final layer?"
Kabuto's smile was cold. "At their current pace, an hour at most. Perhaps less if they push aggressively."
Orochimaru exhaled through his nose in amusement. "Then let them come. I would so hate to leave without giving them a proper farewell."
He closed his eyes, savouring the moment. The chaos above, the destruction of his old experiments, the inevitability of what was to come—it was all part of a grand design. His design.
Orochimaru's grin widened as he turned his gaze to Kabuto, the flickering torchlight casting eerie shadows across his face. "Kabuto," he said, his voice smooth and deliberate, "before we make our departure, there is one more task I require of you."
Kabuto inclined his head slightly. "Of course, Lord Orochimaru. What would you have me do?"
Orochimaru's eyes glimmered with cruel amusement. "Anko and Tayuya… Both have long outlived their usefulness. They are stains upon my legacy, failures that have no place in the new order I am creating. Dispose of them."
Kabuto pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his smirk widening. "Consider it done."
The Sannin let out a contented sigh, his fingers drumming idly on the armrest of his throne. "And as for myself… Konoha has been most generous, haven't they? They've done all the hard work of bringing Sasuke right to me." His smile stretched, sharp and hungry. "It would be rude of me not to extend a proper welcome."
"And when they arrive…" He grinned, revealing sharp, gleaming teeth. "I will give them something to remember."
A/N
I know I know I said the next chapter would be the finale but I guess the battles become too enjoyable to write so I will cut it right before the grand climax!
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