Chapter 202: Severing of Bonds

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Two concentrated bolts of lightning chakra, so tangible they seemed real, clashed between Ye Zi's sword tip and Raikage's fingertips. The impact spread outward, scorching the trees and ground, leaving behind blackened scars that emitted thin wisps of smoke.

The immense force radiating from Raikage's fingertips reverberated. Using the roots that extended deep into the ground from his feet, combined with his own strength, Ye Zi barely managed to withstand Raikage's power head-on.

When the force had completely dissipated, two smoke bombs dropped from Ye Zi's sleeves, exploding with a loud bang as they hit the ground, releasing thick white smoke that quickly enveloped the area.

Raikage remained unfazed. Sensing the resistance at his fingertips loosen, he swung his arm horizontally through the white smoke. A flash of lightning split the smoke in two.

"Did they escape?"

The smoke parted, revealing that both Orochimaru and the masked figure had vanished.

"Wearing a mask... not bad at using Lightning Release. To think he could withstand my strength."

Raikage scanned the surroundings coldly. Since he wasn't a sensory ninja, he couldn't pinpoint the enemies' exact location. Once they had made up their minds to flee and vanished from sight, there was no way to find them again.

He glanced at the battlefield. Almost all the Konoha ninjas had been wiped out, so he didn't bother chasing Orochimaru. The main objective was still the invasion.

Once the last Konoha ninja had fallen, he gathered his subordinates and continued advancing forward.

Orochimaru's defensive line, aside from himself, was completely annihilated!

Having carried the injured Orochimaru away from that monster of a Raikage at the crucial moment, Ye Zi, relying on his sensory abilities, ensured there were no enemies nearby. Then, he dropped Orochimaru and turned to leave.

Swish!

Just as Ye Zi turned, Orochimaru, dragging his injured body, stood up. With his slightly less injured left hand, two yellow-patterned snakes shot out from his sleeve, coiling tightly around Ye Zi. The snakes, as thick as an arm, bound Ye Zi's arms and body, slowly constricting, leaving imprints on his black robe.

Orochimaru coldly eyed Ye Zi's outfit. His memory wasn't so poor—this person had recently infiltrated the Root division, attempting to take Shin Uchiha, a crucial experimental subject.

How did this person know about Shin's existence? Why did they save him?

As these two questions connected, Orochimaru could see a faintly familiar trace in this person but still had lingering doubts.

"The cells extracted from the severed arm delivered by the Iwa ninjas were indeed yours, yet your hands are intact." Orochimaru's raspy voice carried unresolved questions, perhaps directed at Ye Zi, or maybe at himself.

He wavered between certainty and uncertainty regarding the identity of the person before him. There were reasons to confirm it, yet there were also unresolved doubts.

"Orochimaru, you're weak."

Ye Zi's cold words fell, and the two patterned snakes constricting his body were struck by an electric current, instantly killed, and dropped to the ground at his feet.

The snakes were rendered useless. Orochimaru flicked his arm slightly, allowing the tails of the two dead snakes to slip from his sleeve and fall to the ground. His cold, emotionless snake-like eyes revealed a trace of slight surprise.

"I never thought there'd be a day when I'd be judged by you like this." Orochimaru's gaze fixed on Ye Zi's back, his expression complicated. Though he still didn't fully understand Ye Zi's current identity, after being saved at such a crucial moment, it no longer seemed necessary to verify it.

Ye Zi slowly turned around, looking at Orochimaru, his gaze hidden deep within his mask.

Orochimaru was covered in dirt, his right arm hanging limply at his side. His body was riddled with over a dozen small wounds, and his battle attire was torn in several places, leaving him looking rather battered.

He reached out his left hand, pressing it against his right shoulder, a sly, sinister smile appearing on his pale face as he rasped, "You've hidden yourself well, even deceiving the village's interrogation team. So, which village sent you as a spy?"

Many questions arose in Orochimaru's mind. When the Iwa ninjas reported Ye Zi's death and delivered the severed arm to Konoha, everyone believed Ye Zi was dead. But in reality, Ye Zi had survived. Instead of returning to the village, he had chosen to hide his identity, infiltrating Konoha to steal Shin Uchiha, a vital experimental subject, as well as forbidden scrolls. He had even killed the pursuer, Kato Dan. And… he had companions! Dressed in distinct attire, they were clearly part of an organization.

There was no need to overthink it. Orochimaru wasn't swayed by being saved. He quickly came to his own conclusion.

Connecting the dots from that day, everything had been a façade, carefully crafted under the guise of a spy. For some reason, as the last syllable left his mouth, Orochimaru felt a flash of anger.

Seeing Orochimaru jump to these completely fabricated conclusions, Ye Zi had no interest in explaining. From the moment he saved Orochimaru, he had considered his debt repaid.

When he first opened his eyes, cold rain had relentlessly assaulted his body. He had encountered Orochimaru and was forcibly brought back to Konoha. He had once resented Orochimaru's overwhelming strength and naively thought that he could have survived just fine without being taken back to the village. His reasoning was based on the meager amount of meat from a little yellow dog. But after understanding the world, though he had never said it, deep down, he was thankful that Orochimaru had brought him back to Konoha. Compared to the war-torn remnants of small countries, Konoha was a much safer place.

After spending over ten years with someone, learning their personality and their preferences, familiarity with their presence grew unconsciously, and bonds were left behind in that once desolate estate.

But… these bonds would become obstacles.

To understand the world, to surpass it… he had to move beyond Konoha.

Now that the plan to gather the Tailed Beasts had become the goal, in the end, Konoha would merely be one more enemy.

"Orochimaru, I'm grateful to you. Without you… perhaps I would have been consumed by the cold rain, carrying endless resentment and despair."

Ye Zi turned and walked away, his black robe fluttering in the wind.

"By saving you this time, we're even."

"You self-righteous fool."

Orochimaru let out a cold laugh. His snake-like eyes, though still cold, seemed slightly shadowed as he watched Ye Zi's departing figure. He said indifferently, "I don't know your current identity, but I can confirm you're an enemy, having stolen forbidden scrolls and killed Kato Dan. If you don't kill me now, you'll regret it."

Ye Zi suddenly stopped and, in the same indifferent tone, asked, "Do you want to die that badly?"

Orochimaru snorted coldly, replying, "No, I just wonder if you're not worried that I'll bring news of your survival back to the village."

"That might cause some trouble," Ye Zi turned his head slightly to glance at Orochimaru, "but it's not worth my concern."

Orochimaru let out a low, raspy laugh, his snake-like eyes gleaming coldly. "I won't let the village know you're alive, but… next time we meet, I'll kill you!"

"That's for the best."

A flicker of complex emotion crossed Ye Zi's eyes. After taking a few steps, his figure vanished from the spot.

Next time we meet… I won't hold back!

Orochimaru watched the now-empty clearing as the cold glint in his snake eyes slowly faded.

"Life… sometimes isn't so fragile after all."

At that moment, the figure that had just left seemed somewhat desolate and forlorn.

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Currently on Chapter 252 - Shokui's Desire and Ye Zi's Confidence