GSiN: Ch. 206

"Huh? Is it an earthquake?"

The constantly shaking ground made it hard for Kirin to keep her balance. She hurried over to lean against a nearby pillar, and still had the presence of mind to reach out a hand toward Ryouma.

"Don't worry, we get earthquakes here all the time. The buildings are designed with shock-absorbing features."

Ryouma, of course, knew this was no earthquake. The chakra that had suddenly erupted from the innermost ring of the venue was, to his senses, as conspicuous as a glowing light bulb.

He raised a hand toward Kirin, signaling that she didn't need to worry about him, as the vision of the Rikugan was fully unleashed. Sure enough, in the deepest area of the exhibition hall, he saw Orochimaru, now wrapped in continuously splitting and proliferating white flesh. And for someone to force Orochimaru into using the Eight Branches Technique, Ryouma's gaze shifted to his opponent.

White outer garments, a long mohawk of black hair tied in a long ponytail style reaching his lower-back, and strange black markings on his body whose meaning was hard to decipher.

How on earth did Orochimaru manage to drag this world-class boss out at this point in time?

Within the extreme long-range vision of the Rikugan, the chakra-driven white flesh grew wildly. In just a few breaths, it had already expanded into a serpent as large as a tailed beast. With such a colossal creature appearing inside the building, the first to suffer was the glass dome of the exhibition hall, which had been built largely to show off. With a loud crash, several massive panes of glass were smashed apart, and countless sharp shards rained down like hail, splattering dense white points across the ground.

The two gigantic stone pillars supporting the hall did not escape either. A casual collision from the serpent left them swaying precariously. Cracks spread rapidly across them like a grotesque spiderweb. With a boom, the pillars collapsed, kicking up clouds of dust that filled the air.

"A monster's here! Run!"

"There's a monster!"

Faced with the terrifying appearance of the serpent, and with the surrounding hall indeed left in ruins by its rampage, the fleeing crowd quite naturally took the giant serpent as an enemy. Fear spread through the crowd. People panicked, all rushing toward the exits farthest from the serpent. In the chaos, they shoved and trampled one another. Cries, screams, and curses filled the air.

"Where's security? Where did the ninjas in charge of security go?"

"Damn it, we paid to get in here!"

Someone roared angrily in the crowd, but their voice was quickly swallowed by the surrounding din. As mentioned before, Takumi Village was not actually a normal ninja village. Because war had never reached this place, its security system had long been outsourced to the various powers that controlled the place. The consequence of this arrangement was that once an enemy beyond their ability appeared, those so-called guard ninjas would, without exception, choose to prioritize escorting their own employers to safety.

As for everyone else, they couldn't care less, let alone harbor any thoughts of sacrificing themselves to protect Takumi Village. After all, the ones paying their wages were their own employers, not the village itself. There was no reason to risk their lives fighting a giant serpent that clearly wasn't someone to mess with. At a moment when life and death hung in the balance, the delicate display racks set up near the entrance for visitors toppled like fragile building blocks, shoved aside mercilessly by the panicked crowd.

Previously priceless exhibits scattered across the floor, ignored by all.

Listening to the cries of alarm from the people rushing out, even Kirin now realized that this was no ordinary quake that would just shake a bit and end.

"Let's go take shelter too."

The girl's trembling voice reached his ears. Ryouma moved aside the hand that was clutching the hem of his clothes.

"There's something I need to take care of. You can leave this place on your own, right?"

The girl's eyes widened. "Y-You... you're not planning to face that giant serpent by yourself, are you? That's far too dangerous!"

Kirin had heard her father say that Ryouma was an incredibly powerful ninja, but no matter how strong he was, he was still human. How could a human possibly defeat a monster like that?

"Uh... actually..."

Ryouma thought about it, then gave up on telling Kirin that the enemy wasn't really the serpent, and that the serpent itself was the very Orochimaru she had mentioned earlier. But his hesitant manner only seemed to make Kirin misunderstand even more.

He must be scared too... Thinking this to herself, the girl pressed her lips tightly together and, in the end, made a decision that went against her father's warnings.

"If you really intend to stop that giant serpent, then please take me with you."

"No."

Ryouma, of course, refused outright. If the opponent were truly just Orochimaru, that would be one thing, but an enemy on Jigen's level was not someone he could casually crush.

"Please listen to me first!"

Kirin's chest heaved violently. Overwhelmed by nervousness, her voice rose unconsciously, almost turning into a shout.

"I don't know whether you've heard the legend of the Totsuka Sword, but to put it simply, that sword is with me right now. It's a formless Kusanagi Sword. Once it pierces a target, it can seal them away. So... please take me with you. I can definitely help!"

"The Totsuka Sword?"

That was beyond Ryouma's expectations. Come to think of it, the reason Orochimaru had acted so strangely toward this girl that day, was it because he already knew about this? But none of that mattered right now. What mattered was that Orochimaru seemed to be reaching his limit.

He looked up at the enormous cube that had suddenly appeared in the sky. The fact that Jigen had been forced to bring out something like this showed that Orochimaru really did have quite a few trump cards.

"All right, Kirin. We'll talk about the Totsuka Sword another time."

As he spoke, Ryouma lightly patted the girl on the shoulder, leaving behind a Flying Thunder God mark. Immediately afterward, a red chakra flared up like flames, cloaking her body.

"This chakra cloak will protect you. In a moment, run as far as you can. I'll do my best to draw the battlefield eastward, toward the sea."

With that, he gave Kirin no chance to respond. His figure vanished in an instant.

At the same time, the steel beams of the dome finally gave way under the strain, twisting and deforming as they let out an ear-splitting creak. Then, massive chunks of the ceiling collapsed, crashing into the fleeing crowd and drawing out wave after wave of screams. No one could have imagined that in less than a few short minutes, this magnificent exhibition hall would fall from an architectural marvel into a field of ruins, nothing but rubble and cries of despair everywhere.

---

Under the most straightforward yet utterly inescapable physical pressure of the giant cube, Orochimaru could clearly feel every bone of the serpent wailing in agony. The spines of the four serpent heads on the left had completely snapped, while the fangs of two heads on the right had even pierced back through their own upper jaws.

"You really can't let your guard down for even a moment..."

From the central serpent head came his weakened voice. His shattered vocal cords made every word seem mixed with bloody froth.

"By the way, I've made such a huge commotion already. Ryouma, if you don't hurry and get here, I really will have to switch sides."

"If you did that, then I'd really have a headache."

Space rippled slightly. Using the Flying Thunder God mark on Orochimaru's body, Ryouma arrived at the center of the battlefield in a single instant. He stood firmly atop the serpent's body, which had already been crushed and twisted out of shape, raising his head to look at the cube. Across the cube's surface, layers of embedded red square patterns pulsed rhythmically, flickering on and off like breathing lights.

"This thing looks pretty nice."

He pondered silently. The way Jigen used this object's free fall to launch attacks, his Flying Thunder God Technique should be able to do the same.

With that thought, he raised his hand without hesitation and pressed it against Daihakoten's cold surface, leaving behind his own mark.

At the same time, the Flying Thunder God Technique activated instantly. Space warped violently, and the massive cube vanished from its original location in the blink of an eye, transferred straight into the territory of the Land of Whirlpools.

Sure enough, when fighting a boss, you really have to pick an Ōtsutsuki. Before the battle even started, a piece of loot had already dropped.

The corners of Ryouma's lips lifted slightly. Free loot really was one of the easiest ways for humans to feel happiness.

Beneath his feet, sensing that the irresistible pressure above his head had disappeared, Orochimaru let out a long sigh of relief.

If Ryouma hadn't arrived, he would have had no choice but to escape using Reverse Summoning. Though, considering the enemy's absurd speed, whether he could even complete the hand seals in time was another matter entirely.

"Hmm? It's gone?"

Jigen slowly descended from midair to the ground. His gaze quickly locked onto the white-haired youth standing atop the serpent. With a mind far more agile than Kaguya's, he immediately figured out what had happened.

"So that's the Flying Thunder God Technique. White hair... I didn't expect you to be in this village as well, Aotsuki Ryouma."

To him, or rather, Isshiki, the people of the shinobi world were undoubtedly inferior, lowly lifeforms not worth his attention. But there were occasional exceptions. For example, Tobirama, Minato, and the man standing before him now.

The reason was obvious: the space-time ability known as the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Even among the Ōtsutsuki clan, who possessed countless techniques, this space-time ninjutsu ranked among the higher-tier abilities. At this point, only two choices lay before him.

Fight, or don't.

Thoughts flashed through his mind. His plan to recruit Orochimaru for his own use had been in motion for quite some time now. This meeting at Takumi Village was no coincidence. It was an opportunity he had deliberately engineered. The only thing he hadn't anticipated was the appearance of Ryouma.

According to intelligence, he should have been staying in Konoha recently. His sudden appearance here was most likely another application of the Flying Thunder God Technique.

With such a troublesome jutsu involved, now that Ryouma was on guard, there might not be another chance to strike next time. But to be honest, even if they really did fight, Jigen wasn't confident that, without activating the second-stage Kāma, he could stop Ryouma if the latter focused entirely on escaping with Flying Thunder God.

While Jigen weighed the consequences of making a move, Ryouma, on the other hand, had far fewer doubts.

Though he hadn't fully developed yet, he wasn't afraid of Jigen in the slightest. Even if he pushed the opponent into a frenzy and forced out the second-stage true form, he could instantly activate Super Saiyan Mode and trade blows head-on. After the fight, he could even return to the village, find Ruri, and recover to full condition.

In short, the advantage was his.

Once the thought crossed his mind, he turned his head toward Orochimaru, who looked rather disheveled not far away, and asked, "How's your condition?"

"Cough, cough... Don't worry. I'm not dead yet."

Ryouma's expression grew serious. He nodded slightly and instructed him, "Good. Then later, run as far away as you can on your own. This enemy is very strong. Even I'll have to go all out to deal with him. When that happens, it'll be hard for me to look out for you."

Hearing this, Orochimaru's pupils shrank abruptly.

Though he had never personally witnessed Ryouma fighting at full strength, the memory of that battle long ago in the Land of Grass, when the Iwa war fortress was flattened and transformed into a vast lake, still filled him with lingering dread.

For an enemy that could make Ryouma admit he would need to go all out... just how terrifyingly strong must that opponent be?

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately responded, "That's great. Then I'll leave this to you and withdraw first."

After rapidly delivering those farewell words, the massive serpent convulsed and transformed into countless small white snakes that scattered and fled. In just a few seconds, they vanished without a trace. The support beneath Ryouma's feet suddenly disappeared. He lightly bent his knees to absorb the impact and landed steadily on the ground.

Once he had stabilized himself, he couldn't help but curl his lips. He was now seriously beginning to suspect that even if he hadn't come to Takumi Village yesterday, Orochimaru might have been able to escape on his own from Jigen in his Kāma Stage One state.

On his shoulder, Shukaku, who rarely spoke in front of outsiders, also became uncharacteristically serious.

"Were you telling the truth just now? Is that human really that strong?"

Unlike Orochimaru, it knew Ryouma's strength better than anyone. It had been his companion for nearly seven years.

"Yeah. Very strong. I don't know much about him either. If you want to know more, I'll explain after the battle. For now, stay sharp. Don't let your guard down."

"Understood!"

With its two increasingly plump, thick claws forming seals with surprising agility, Shukaku began gathering chakra at full power. At the same time, it discreetly released its Shadow Seal Manipulation Jutsu. On the ground, unnoticed by anyone, an invisible Flying Thunder God mark crept ominously toward Jigen's position.

After sweeping his gaze once over Orochimaru, who had dispersed into fleeing white snakes, Jigen did not spare him another look. His expression turned cold as he shifted his attention back to Ryouma.

"Have you finally finished discussing things? Are you certain you want to be my enemy?"

Ryouma chuckled softly and replied calmly, "You're surprisingly polite. That said, your target has already run off. Aren't you in a hurry to chase him?"

As he spoke, he raised an eyebrow at Jigen.

In response to Ryouma's question, Jigen let out a cold laugh and said, "Even if he escapes, where could he possibly go? On the contrary, you didn't use Flying Thunder God to take him away."

"Of course I have my own plans. If I really sent Orochimaru away, why would you stick around?"

Ryouma spoke frankly, making no attempt to hide his intentions.

"Using a companion as bait? That really is the way of a shinobi."

"The feeling's mutual."

With those words, the pre-battle exchange of trash talk came to an end. It wasn't that Ryouma and Jigen had run out of things to say. It was that both sides had already used the conversation to set up their opening moves.

Jigen could no longer restrain himself and struck first. A cold gleam flashed in his eyes as he swung both arms violently.

In the very next instant, within a ten-meter radius around Ryouma, many black spikes materialized out of thin air without any warning.