A Dangerous Mission! Journey to the Land Of Silence - 8

A massive snake slithered into the grand room, capturing everyone's attention. All eyes were drawn to the astonishing sight. Satoru noticed Gekko's shocked expression and turned to see what had caused it.

To his surprise, he saw the large snake and something was moving inside the snake, making its way toward its mouth. And then, a figure emerged from within the serpent's jaws.

It was none other than Orochimaru, a familiar silhouette that Satoru instantly recognized.

As his piercing gaze met the eyes of his opponents, Orochimaru's voice echoed through the air, dripping with a sinister allure.

"My, my, it seems we have quite the audience today."

Gekko's mind raced as he recognized the figure before him. Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin, is a name that resonated throughout the ninja world after the Second Shinobi War. Gekko couldn't believe that he had crossed paths with such a formidable opponent.

"Damn, I never expected Orochimaru to show up," Gekko thought, his heart pounding in his chest.

As Gekko assessed the situation, he realized that these Genin must have had a skilled Chunin or Jonin leading them. The revelation that Orochimaru could be their sensei caught Gekko off guard. It was unexpected, even for someone as cunning as him.

However, a sense of relief washed over him as the pieces started to fall into place.

Reports had been reaching Gekko from his Kakushinsha members for the last few days, detailing the mysterious disappearances in the Land of Silence. At first, he had dismissed them as insignificant. But as the days went by and the trend continued, his suspicions grew.

Now, seeing Orochimaru standing before him, he had found his answers.

Orochimaru swiftly unleashed his hidden snake hand jutsu, sending snakes lunging toward Gekko. Gekko managed to dodge the attack, evading the assault.

"Haha, it seems you're slower than I anticipated. Perhaps the reputation of the three legendary Sannin is exaggerated," Gekko proclaimed, a hint of confidence in his voice.

Orochimaru, however, had a different plan in mind. With a sly smile, he revealed his true intentions. The snakes abruptly changed direction, swiftly redirecting their course toward Satoru. Before Satoru could react, the snakes sank their fangs into his leg, causing a sharp pain to surge through his body.

But something unexpected happened. As the pain coursed through him, a strange sensation washed over Satoru, replacing the initial discomfort. It was as if the pain itself brought him a sense of relief and tranquility. At that moment, the haze in his thinking dissipated, and a newfound calmness enveloped him. It was as if he had been liberated from invisible chains that had bound him.

The Genjutsu that Gekko had cast upon Satoru was finally broken, and he could feel the weight of its influence lifting from his mind.

"It's been a while, Satoru. I see you've been busy," Orochimaru said with a sly grin, causing a shiver to run down Satoru's spine.

Gekko's frustration boiled within him as his efforts to manipulate this brat had been in vain. Determined to make Orochimaru pay for his interference, he issued a command to his Kakushinsha comrades.

"Attack him!" he ordered, his voice laced with anger and desperation.

The members of Kakushinsha donned in their black coats, lunged forward, ready to engage in the unfolding battle.

"Wind Release: Dust Cloud Technique!" Asura commanded, his voice resonating with determination.

A gust of wind surged forth, carrying a cloud of fine dust that swiftly enveloped the area. The particles danced in the air, creating a hazy screen that obscured the vision of their adversaries.

Satoru knew what was coming next; he tried to escape, but the rate of diffusion of the dust cloud in the air was much faster than he could outrun. Moreover, being trapped in a closed room, dodging the technique seemed impossible. However, his hopes dwindled as he realized the cruel reality—he was trapped within the confines of a closed room, rendering any chance of evading the technique utterly futile. The swirling particles filled the air at an alarming speed, closing off every possible path to safety.

He had seen this technique used by Asuma before in the anime, where the user would diffuse dust/gunpowder in the area surrounding their enemy and then use fire release techniques to ignite the area and engulf the enemy in flames. It was a highly effective area-of-effect (AOE) technique.

Since Satoru couldn't dodge it, he braced himself for the impact.

However, Orochimaru had different plans.

'Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram.'

"Wait---" Satoru screamed. He immediately recognized the hand signs and knew exactly which jutsu Orochimaru was about to unleash.

Without hesitation, he abandoned his defensive stance and leaped towards Orochimaru, who stood just a few meters away.

"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning"

….

"Summoning Justu"

The two sounds reverberated through the room; moments later, a large explosion erupted.

KABOOM! KABOOM!

------------------------

Satoru found himself standing several feet above the ground, surrounded by the hard, scale-covered surface. The smoke began to dissipate, revealing the awe-inspiring sight before him—a colossal snake with fierce eyes and a menacing demeanor known as Manda.

Manda let out a low hiss, its forked tongue flickering as it scrutinized Orochimaru. "You continue to rely on me, Orochimaru. Do not forget the terms of our agreement."

Orochimaru reassured Manda, his voice filled with a mix of confidence and calculation. "Fear not, Manda-sama. If you aid me now, I promise to provide you with a feast of human sacrifices as agreed."

Orochimaru glanced at the scattered corpses of Kakushinsha members and the civilians in the surrounding area. He knew he could easily fulfill Manda's insatiable appetite. This destruction was like a buffet laid out for him.

Satoru, his voice trembling with worry, interrupted Orochimaru's thoughts.

"What have you done? Anko and Bob were still inside!"

His concern for his teammates was evident in his high-pitched tone.

Orochimaru simply ignored Satoru's words, brushing them aside. This dismissal only served to agitate Satoru further.

Manda, towering over the castle and potentially even taller, had been summoned from within the confines of the room. Its arrival alone had already decimated a significant portion of the castle, leaving destruction in its wake.

Despite the devastating impact of the summoning jutsu that claimed the lives of numerous Kakushinsha members and innocent civilians, a small group of Kakushisha survivors managed to regroup and prepare for a counterattack.

Among them, Satoru recognized two familiar figures. One resembled Asuma, possibly his brother, Asura, and standing beside him was a little girl from their team, Anko. Satoru felt a mix of relief and concern at their presence.

As he surveyed the remaining Kakushinsha members, Satoru began counting them one by one. "One... two... four... seven... eleven... fifteen... twenty. Damn it, there are still twenty of them."

However, Gekko was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Bob.

------------------------

A few minutes earlier,

As a part of the castle collapsed, burying several Kakushinsha members, some managed to evade the collapse. Asura helped Bob and Anko dodge the rubble, while Gekko relied on his strength and instincts to avoid danger.

"Shit," Gekko cursed his fate. His plan had been going so well until these guys showed up.

"I need to retrieve that 'thing' quickly," he murmured. There was something Gekko held even more precious than his own life, and he couldn't allow the enemy to get their hands on it. This 'thing' was the key to pursuing his ambitions.

"I need to go to my room," Gekko declared hastily. Time was working against him. He could figure out how to defeat this Sannin on the way, but retrieving the 'thing' was his top priority.

"Gekko-sama, please don't go back into the castle. It's at risk of collapsing. The structure has become very brittle," Asura expressed his concern for Gekko's safety.

He continued, "If you must go, at least let me accompany you."

Gekko gave his order, "NO!!!"

"You are the most proficient shinobi among the Kakushinsha. We need you to take down this terrorist who disrupted our peaceful land."

Although he disagreed with Asura's advice of going with him, Gekko did agree that he should not be going alone. He had already encountered enough surprises in one day and didn't want to face any more unexpected events. Therefore, he decided to take a Kakushinsha member with him, just in case, to buy him some time if things went wrong- A sacrificial lamb.

"You, come with me," he pointed towards a kid named Bob.