Chapter 72

When he heard that the battle was over, Zen was initially stunned, then quickly grew excited.

"It's finished? Haha, tell me, which team won?"

"Orochimaru's team," Hyuga Ryuichi replied, still observing the scene ahead with a solemn expression.

"Really?" Zen's eyes lit up, completely ignoring the serious tone in Ryuichi's voice. "This Orochimaru is something else. He even defeated Uchiha Dan? But I bet it was a close call, right? Their chakra must be nearly depleted by now. This is the perfect time to swoop in and take their scroll! Let's go, Shingo, Ryuichi."

"Don't bother, Zen," Ryuichi said, his voice firm and serious.

Zen paused, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Ryuichi continued, his face grave. "Their battle wasn't even close. It was a complete and utter one-sided slaughter, just like their earlier fights. Uchiha Dan's team didn't stand a chance they didn't even manage to fight back."

He let that sink in for a moment before adding, "And as for their chakra, there's no sign of exhaustion. They look as fresh as ever."

"What?" Inuzuka Zen couldn't believe his ears. "Not even a chance to fight back? But Uchiha Dan is a prodigy! How is that possible?"

Zen knew Dan personally. They had trained together, and he had witnessed the boy's talents firsthand. During the team competition earlier, Dan's squad had crushed their opponents without much effort. When two powerful teams clashed, Zen had expected sparks to fly, with one side barely managing to scrape out a victory. The idea that Dan's team had been completely overpowered didn't make any sense to him.

Buzz!

At that moment, a large insect flew back from the jungle, landing obediently on the outstretched finger of Shingo Aburame, who wore dark sunglasses. After a brief moment, Shingo nodded decisively.

"They're too strong for us," Shingo stated plainly. "We don't stand a chance. It's best if we retreat."

Zen looked between his two teammates, their serious expressions telling him all he needed to know. He trusted their judgment after all, they were a tracking team. While Zen's Inuzuka clan dog was the best at tracking scents, it was Ryuichi's Byakugan and Shingo's insects that could sense the true strength of their targets. Still, Zen's curiosity wasn't satisfied.

"What? We've come this far; can't we just go and take a quick look from a distance?" Zen asked, still hesitant to completely give up on their mission.

Shingo thought it over, then calmly replied, "We can observe from a distance. But we shouldn't engage them. If we don't get too close, we should be fine."

"I agree," Ryuichi added. "They've likely already gathered their scrolls. We'll be safe if we keep our distance."

Zen, feeling relieved that he wouldn't be missing out entirely, grinned and said, "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

With that, the trio nodded to each other and silently headed toward the scene of the battle…

---

Meanwhile, Dan lay on the ground, clutching his chest in pain and confusion. He couldn't wrap his mind around what had just happened. He had seen Orochimaru's movements clearly, yet his body hadn't been able to react fast enough to avoid the attacks. And some of the techniques Orochimaru used Dan couldn't even comprehend them with his Sharingan. How was that possible?

Orochimaru stood over him, his expression calm but cold. "Even though you possess the Sharingan, having only one tomoe makes you far too weak. Forget it let's go."

With that, Orochimaru motioned for Tsunade and Jiraiya to follow him, ignoring Dan, who remained on the ground in pain and disbelief.

The battle had been swift and simple. Orochimaru had relied on his superior speed, using basic ninjutsu that didn't require hand seals to confuse and overwhelm him.

In the original series, Granny Chiyo had advised that to defeat the Sharingan, one must either avoid fighting head-on or neutralize its power somehow. But Orochimaru, even without such advice, had many ways to handle the Uchiha's famed dojutsu.

There were various techniques to counter the Sharingan: - Blinding the opponent's sight: Using a technique like the Hidden Mist Jutsu could obscure the battlefield, rendering the Sharingan's sight advantage useless.

- Absolute speed: Techniques like the Flying Thunder God, the Eight Gates, or the Raikage's Lightning Armor moved so fast that even the Sharingan couldn't keep up.

- Tailed Beast chakra: The erratic and immense chakra of a Tailed Beast couldn't be predicted by the Sharingan.

Orochimaru didn't need these methods, though. Instead, he had used a simpler tactic: overwhelming speed. He had moved so fast that Dan's eyes could see his attacks, but his body couldn't keep up.

Using basic techniques like the Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, Orochimaru had easily disoriented and defeated him, making the battle a breeze.

Truthfully, Orochimaru didn't even need to go to such lengths. If he had wanted to, he could've simply activated his Sharingan. With his three-tomoe Sharingan pitted against Dan's single tomoe, he could have won just by locking eyes with the boy. But Orochimaru preferred to keep his Sharingan a secret for now, not revealing it unless absolutely necessary.

As Orochimaru picked up the scrolls, Tsunade smiled and asked, "Well, the primary objective is complete. Should we head straight to the central tower now?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "No need to rush. I have something a bit more… something interesting in mind."

"Interesting? Like what?" Jiraiya asked, intrigued.

Orochimaru shared his plan, and as he explained it, Jiraiya's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, I like this plan! Haha, this is going to be fun!"

"What about you, Tsunade?" Orochimaru asked.

Tsunade smiled sweetly. "You're my boyfriend, aren't you? Of course, I'll go along with it."

Hearing the word "boyfriend," Jiraiya, who had been excited just moments earlier, suddenly looked like he'd been forced to swallow something bitter. But Orochimaru, showing no reaction to the term, simply continued on.

"Alright, then let's get started," Orochimaru said. He pulled out a kunai, slicing his thumb open and smearing the blood across his hand before forming a series of hand seals.

"Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram! Summoning Jutsu!"

With a loud bang, a huge cloud of white smoke filled the clearing. As the smoke began to clear, the massive form of the giant python from earlier reappeared in front of them.

The plan was now in motion.