The massive purple serpent manifested once more. "Orochimaru, I told you—"
"I'll give you a thousand more people... Just be quiet, swallow , and get out of here!"
Looking at the swarm of insects closing in from all sides, Orochimaru felt a flicker of panic for the first ti.
Manda didn't waste ti arguing further; he snapped his jaws shut, swallowing Orochimaru whole. With a violent poof, they vanished in a cloud of white smoke—a Reverse Summoning.
The remaining snakes were instantly overwheld by the swarm, devoured until nothing remained but bone. The battle was over.
Supported by another elder, Naoto approached. The deathly pallor had faded from his face, and his vitality was slowly returning. He lowered his head in sha. "My Lord, I apologize. I—"
"There is no need for apologies," the insect clone said calmly. "To hold your ground against Orochimaru to this extent is already an impressive feat."
Shisui had never expected Naoto to defeat Orochimaru; such a thing was fundantally impossible.
True powerhouses were forged in the fires of a thousand battles. Even in terms of raw combat talent and tactical genius, Shisui knew he was far inferior to Orochimaru.
That was precisely why he chose to suppress him with overwhelming force and psychological pressure rather than engaging in a direct duel with his true body.
Although his physical constitution had undergone a tamorphosis—possessing strength, endurance, and speed that far surpassed the current pre-modification Orochimaru—a controller stays behind the scenes. Why risk the king when the pawns are winning?
He hadn't expected Orochimaru to play such a calculated ga of provocation, nor did he expect the Sannin to display his full strength just to force a confrontation.
But it made sense. Orochimaru had just led Konoha to victory; his fa was at its zenith, and his strength was at the peak of what his natural body could achieve.
In the entire ninja world, there were very few who could claim a definitive victory over him. Such power naturally breeds a certain level of arrogance.
"Should we station guards here? They say the exit point of a Reverse Summoning remains fixed," an elder asked.
"No need." The insect clone waved a hand, causing the swarm to disperse. He looked at the nearly recovered Naoto.
"However, from now on, you should keep one or two drops of the Condensed Dew within your body.
If you suffer such injuries again, you will be able to heal instantly rather than having your combat effectiveness crippled by toxins."
"Also, you must begin regular toxin exposure. Slowly build your body's resistance to all poisons."
Naoto lowered his head further, his voice firm. "Understood."
"What happened today is not to be spoken of. I have already used pheromones to ensure the villagers and other ninjas ignore this area. Restore the battlefield to its original state imdiately."
As for whether his existence would be leaked to the outside world, that depended entirely on when and how Orochimaru chose to speak.
"Yes, sir!"
With the orders given, the insect clone dissolved into a cloud of countless flying bugs, vanishing into the wind.
Deep within the true underground palace, Shisui Abura's main body opened his eyes. A crystal ball before him flickered with the final image of Orochimaru's retreat.
As the saying goes: Water that is too clear has no fish.
In the past, he had scrubbed the village too clean. The total absence of spies was actually a red flag that invited higher-level scrutiny. Orochimaru's arrival was the inevitable result of that perfection.
But...
He raised his hand, staring at his palm. Feeling the power that grew with every passing day, he realized he was finally approaching his ideal version of freedom.
Shisui's interpretation of freedom differed from most. Even in his previous life, he was a man who preferred solitude, a man who only wanted to do what he loved.
To others, he might have seed lonely, detached, or socially inept. But to him, true freedom was the luxury of solitude—not having to expend ntal energy on suspicion, intrigue, or the whims of others.
The silence, the lack of interference, and the absence of forced directives—that was the freedom he craved. The power to refuse anyone without hesitation. The power to say "no."
Had he stayed in Konoha, such a life would have been impossible.
First, his "cheat" required the consumption of high-quality life force and energy to accumulate its primal power. In Konoha, he would have had to move with extre stealth.
During the war, he could scavenge the dead, but what about peaceti? Where would the energy co from? Not to ntion his research into insects—experints that were essential to breaking his limits.
Konoha stood as a bastion of "justice." The mont he showed even a flicker of "unrighteous" thods, the village would have deed him an evil to be purged.
It wasn't that he couldn't play the ga. He had considered playing the role of the loyal Konoha shinobi, brainwashing himself with the "Will of Fire" to appease the leadership.
But that would have been exhausting. There is a vast difference between voluntary disguise and forced performance, and he was no actor.
Furthermore, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the "Professor." You don't hold the title of Hokage for decades by being naive.
No matter how clever Shisui was, would a few words really make the Hokage trust him blindly? Would a man like that ever truly believe Shisui was a tool he could fully control?
The leaders of the world are like the bosses of small companies in his past life—they possess a keen eye for character. Even if they can't see through you, they will choose to remain wary.
Even if his acting had been flawless, what then? As his strength climbed to its current height, he would have been swept up in the tides of power. If he didn't make a choice, others would make one for him.
Orochimaru would have guarded against him, Danzo would have plotted against him, and even Hiruzen would have watched him with suspicion.
In the eyes of the powerful, a man who is strong and walks alone is a dangerous variable. They see no weaknesses, no ties, and therefore, no way to control him.
Eventually, feeling the leash slip, they would have used every ans necessary to eliminate him.
His resistance would have sparked a cycle of suppression and pursuit until either he or the village bled out.
Or, perhaps, they would have tried to bribe him with status and power, attempting to bind him to their war machine and slowly corrode his will until he beca just another gear in the system.
So, since the departure was inevitable, it was better to leap off the board early. Better to leave the cage before the bars were reinforced.
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