Chapter 243 : Dragon Appears!

Observing Jiraiya's pitifully polite demeanor around Orochimaru, the corners of his mouth twitched, and black lines covered his head.

"Do I frequently run away?!"

Emmmmm...

"You are quite the clever little devil!"

In reality, Takeshi only sought an escape route when faced with dire circumstances. Under normal conditions, he was far from being a coward.

This time, Orochimaru and Takeshi had just acquired a new power—an unparalleled kaleidoscope. They were merely using C as a test subject; hence, retreating was out of the question.

However, it wasn't Orochimaru facing off against C this time but the mysterious "Uchiha Dragon"!

"Don't worry, the three of us joining forces this time, no matter how strong he is!"

Orochimaru snorted coldly, and a chilling aura erupted from his body. Tsunade and Jiraiya were also surprised to discover that Orochimaru's strength seemed to have inexplicably improved again, even surpassing that of a Jonin!

How could this be? Why did he suddenly become so much stronger?

But despite Orochimaru's newfound strength, Tsunade and Jiraiya were still concerned. Even with Orochimaru's quasi-kage-level strength, coupled with their two "salted fish" teammates, they couldn't possibly be a match for Cloud Ninja in front of them.

With the loss of the Summoning beast, Tsunade and Jiraiya couldn't even catch C's punch, rendering them mere burdens. How could the three of them have any chance of winning?

"That's right, Orochimaru, we'll fight him!"

Tsunade glared angrily at C. She stood as serious as a Valkyrie, the seal on her forehead untied, and her not insignificant chakra stirred, bringing her strength close to Jonin level.

Tsunade was actually daring to fight C for her life!

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow; if Tsunade didn't have 100% trust in him, then she must be a true warrior!

Or perhaps, a genuine fool.

"Orochimaru, you..."

On the other hand, Jiraiya seemed conflicted. Since Orochimaru could use a Summoning beast to whisk them away last time, he could likely do the same this time.

He asked Gamabunta; as long as Gamabunta contained him or used reverse channeling, he could indeed help them escape. However, they could only return to Myōboku Mountain.

Before C stood the murderer of Kagami Uchiha. Logically, they were unbeatable, but seeing Orochimaru's determined expression and Tsunade's heroic devotion, running away seemed impossible.

"Bring it on!"

"Superior—!"

Orochimaru didn't waste words. He grasped the Kusanagi sword with his right hand, and a crimson chakra arrogance surged from his body. Entering the ghost mode, he transformed into a shadow and lunged at C!

C raised an eyebrow. Orochimaru's lethal sword energy and stern aura actually posed a faint threat!

This kid possessed such strength? C furrowed his brow and quietly clenched his fists.

This guy must die, or there will be endless troubles!

"Ninjutsu, Hair Needle!"

Jiraiya also roared angrily and boldly charged at C. His large white hair enveloped him like a hedgehog with steel needles.

He didn't opt for Fire Release; even Fire Release combined with Gamabunta's Oil Release wouldn't be enough to handle C.

Jiraiya tightly held a kunai in both hands, a detonating talisman wrapped around its tail!

He was resorting to such a desperate fighting style!

"Eat my punch!"

Tsunade had hesitated to engage in close combat with C before, but now her forehead seal stretched, exuding an ominous charm, as a mysterious force propelled her fist towards C with the whistling of the wind.

"Haha, this is quite interesting!"

Observing the Sannin, who embraced death with a certain nonchalance, C suddenly felt an unusual ease.

He couldn't forget the last encounter with Orochimaru, narrowly escaping. Now, he found himself at the very location where he had been accumulating energy. At any sign of disturbance, he swiftly closed in using Lightning Release Chakra Mode, denying them any opportunity.

"You seek your own demise! Lightning Straight!"

C bellowed, his formidable figure crackling with lightning. Unprepared to retreat, this strike aimed to eliminate all three opponents.

C surged forward, the two forces rapidly closing in!

"It's a thrust—!"

Yet, in that critical moment, a brilliantly radiant purple thunderbolt descended from the heavens, an awe-inspiring celestial force, crashing between the two factions!

"Boom-!!"

Mimicking the power of deities, the purple lightning erupted into a terrifying plasma.

The intense brilliance momentarily robbed Tsunade and Jiraiya of all perception and reason.

The pulsating force sent them hurtling away like leaves in a tempest!

"Wow—!"

C, racing forward with determination, collided with the thunderbolt, caught off guard. Despite his incredibly robust body and knowledge of Lightning Release, he felt a numbing shock, his hair standing on end, and blue smoke rising!

This thunderbolt appeared impartial, even Orochimaru on the other side bore the brunt.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, his form seemed to waver momentarily, replaced by another figure, charred and propelled away.

"Cough cough... Damn it! How dare you conspire against me?!"

C had dedicated his life to mastering Lightning Release, frequently using thunder and lightning to fortify his body, achieving his current physical prowess.

It had been a long time since he suffered such embarrassment from electricity, suffering a substantial setback!

Who was the puppet master behind this?

Within the Lightning Release, there seemed to be a blend of a more potent and mysterious force. Otherwise, breaking through his defenses would have been an arduous task for a standard Lightning Release.

Could Tobirama be responsible for this? How did he move so swiftly?

But was there even a Lightning Release master of such caliber on that side?

C shook his head. The recent assault had the markings of a formidable adversary.

"Are you looking for me?"

Suddenly, a gruff and dispassionate voice descended from the heavens. As C raised his head, he beheld a figure in a mask and a black cloak descending slowly from the sky.

"You...you are!"

C stared in disbelief as the mysterious visitor gracefully touched down with a resounding "slap."

Tall and slender, the stranger wore a mask that concealed their face, with a hood covering their head, making it impossible to discern their true appearance.

The mask bore a smiling visage, the pale face adorned with an eerie and exaggerated smile. Dragon, narrow holes served as eyes, shaded by thick eye shadow.

"You, you are—"

C sensed no discernible aura from the enigmatic figure, yet the earlier display of skill made it clear that they were far from ordinary.

Gazing at the disconcerting mask and recalling the audacious descent from the sky, just as the words "Rock Ninja" were about to escape C's lips, he was silenced by the scarlet three-gou jade eyes that pierced through the mask. He choked on his words.

"You are, you are actually from the Uchiha! Tell me, who are you?"

C clenched his fists, locking eyes with the figure. Behind him, the remaining two Cloud Ninja had already fallen to the ground, and he couldn't help but roar.

"Well, I am indeed a ninja from the Uchiha clan, but I am just a ghost of the Uchiha, different from the one you killed," the visitor remarked casually.

"Well?"

Suppressing his killing intent, C's mind raced as he became increasingly unpredictable.

This individual knew about his killing of Kagami Uchiha and appeared to have been observing for some time. However, when Kagami Uchiha was killed, this person didn't intervene. Wasn't Kagami Uchiha considered the clan head of the Uchiha clan?

Furthermore, the lightning strike from earlier was undeniably real, and the person named Orochimaru seemed to have been directly hit, just like him. What kind of operation was this?

He might have survived, but Orochimaru was likely dead, and the other two youngsters might not have made it either. Yet, it was evident that the newcomer intended to halt C's actions.

So, what was the intention behind this?

Most importantly, the person's arrival and attack had been completely silent. Could there be others nearby?

"Ah, it hurts..."

"Are we still alive?"

In the distance, Jiraiya and Tsunade had distanced themselves under the influence of an unseen force. Slowly getting back on their feet, they observed from afar before deciding to withdraw.

"Who was that just now? We almost died!" Tsunade exclaimed, still shaken.

"Heh, it probably wasn't aimed at us, but in any case, let's make a discreet exit," Jiraiya suggested with a bitter smile, glancing at the charred Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Let's go."

Expressionless, Orochimaru carried them on his back.

"As expected, the Wood clone is quite handy!"

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