Chapter 21: The Fated Battle

... Kabuto Yakushi had become increasingly busy lately, rarely seen. This time, he had managed to break away from his duties to accompany Orochimaru. Orochimaru, clad in a white lab coat, was engrossed in the study of a certain "red power," his expression intense with concentration. Kabuto, also in a fresh white coat, assisted Orochimaru.

"Hmm, it's about ready. Go bring Might Guy here," Orochimaru said, lifting his gaze from the crimson liquid before him.

Kabuto hurried off to fetch Might Guy. After days without sight, Might Guy had recovered from his charred appearance and looked normal once again. More than that, his skin now shimmered faintly with a golden hue. Though he still wore his signature green jumpsuit, he carried an air of resilience and steel that surpassed his former self.

"Orochimaru!" Might Guy growled through clenched teeth. The sight of Orochimaru brought back the haunting memory of Konoha's destruction—a scene that pained him deeply. He longed to kill Orochimaru. Yet he remembered the surviving captives from Konoha, and hesitation held him back. For the remaining villagers, only the powerful shinobi could hope to secure a better future.

Orochimaru paid no heed to Might Guy's human emotions. Once someone is bound by the ties of sentiment, their actions become tentative, no matter how strong they are—they become weak. Orochimaru never allowed himself to be weak.

Kabuto led Might Guy before Orochimaru. Orochimaru licked his lips with his tongue, his gaze upon Might Guy brimming with excitement. He took up a magnifying glass and scrutinized Might Guy closely.

Previously, he had developed a golden body serum, modeled after Kimimaro's bones, designed to strengthen ordinary human bones. Yet nothing in the world is perfect—while the serum fortified the skeleton, it adversely affected the surrounding muscles. Over time, the muscles lost vitality, turning into keratinized matter. Externally, the body would scab, chunks of flesh falling away to expose bone, ending in death.

Might Guy had taken this serum, and for an extended period, the trend was evident. As the golden hue of his skin grew more pronounced, his muscles would become entirely keratinized, and the shedding would begin.

Orochimaru would not let that happen.

"Strip and lie on the bed," Orochimaru commanded, barely able to contain his anticipation.

"You!" Might Guy snarled, rage burning in his eyes. Though he was known for his straightforward, simple-minded optimism—often the source of much comedic mishap—since the destruction of his village, smiles had rarely graced his face. How long had it been since he spoke of "youth" and "passion"? Those words seemed to belong to a distant past, so far back that he could no longer recall.

Even someone as irrepressibly optimistic as Might Guy had grown solemn after the fall of his village.

"Hmm?" Orochimaru paused, his pale gold slit pupils fixed on Might Guy's fury. He emitted no killing intent, yet the cold gaze alone made Might Guy tense, as if bearing a crushing weight.

Unable to resist, Might Guy gritted out, "Sooner or later... I'll kill you!" As he spoke, he peeled off his green jumpsuit, revealing a muscular physique, and lay on the bed, eyes shut, resigned to whatever would come.

"Heh..." Orochimaru ignored Might Guy's words, a smirk curling his lips as he leaned in with his magnifying glass.

Kabuto stood nearby, checking the experimental data, beginning to understand the nature of this "red power." It was a force Orochimaru had brought back from the Valley of Hell—a power that bestowed immortality.

"Lord Orochimaru intends for Might Guy to possess enhanced golden bones, and then the immortality of the red power, combining the two, and finally open the Eight Gates," Kabuto thought. He did not know how powerful Might Guy could be with the Eight Gates unleashed, but for Orochimaru to mention it several times, it was surely formidable.

Yet, as he glanced at the absorbed Orochimaru, Kabuto wondered about the battle raging outside. If his information was correct, it was Deidara and Sasori of the Akatsuki. Was it wise to leave them unchecked? Those two, if enraged, might not kill them, but could raze the Sound Village to the ground.

"Come help," Orochimaru's voice suddenly called. Kabuto answered, abandoning his thoughts, and resumed assisting.

...

Outside the Sound Village, battle raged. Sand clouds billowed, explosions echoed, and through the haze, numerous puppets clashed.

The Sound Village had entered lockdown.

"Such power is beyond us!"

"Where are Lord Orochimaru and Lord Kabuto?!"

"Find them quickly!"

...

At this moment, with their pillars Orochimaru and Kabuto missing, the Sound ninjas could only retreat within their village.

On a tall tree outside the village, Jiraiya and Tsunade stood at opposite ends, gazing toward the heart of the battle.

Jiraiya said, "That One-Tail kid and Lady Chiyo are no match for them."

Tsunade nodded. "Gaara's sand techniques are countered by clay bombs, and Lady Chiyo's puppet arts are inferior to Sasori's."

Jiraiya added, "Besides, Lady Chiyo seems to have no intention of harming Sasori."

The battle was not evenly matched; it was a one-sided struggle. Gaara could not stand against Deidara, barely able to defend himself. Lady Chiyo's puppets were repeatedly felled by Sasori's, and at this rate, defeat was inevitable.

"What is Orochimaru planning?" Jiraiya mused, thinking of that cold, sinister man. Why hadn't he acted yet? He had once considered himself Orochimaru's closest friend, but now realized how mistaken he'd been.

Tsunade remained silent. She, too, was unsure of Orochimaru's intentions. The tacit understanding among the Legendary Sannin had vanished with their diverging ambitions years ago.

In the battle, Deidara kept Gaara pinned down, growing bored.

Deidara called out, "Hey, stop resisting! Just kill yourself already. I need to go kill Orochimaru... hm!"

Standing atop a white bird, Deidara looked down upon Gaara, who struggled below. Gaara's sand shield, now mixed with bombs, had become the deadliest weapon against him.

Deidara turned toward Sasori, who had removed his red cloud cloak and was fighting Lady Chiyo bare-chested. Lady Chiyo was clearly outmatched.

Deidara suggested, "Sasori, let's see who finishes first... hm!"

Turning back to the battered Gaara, he said, "With the One-Tail right here, let's reclaim it while we're at it... hm!"

Without waiting for Sasori's reply, Deidara unleashed the ninjutsu "C3 No. 18." This technique, infused with Deidara's refined chakra, formed a puppet shape, and as it descended from the sky, the puppet enlarged, its explosion powerful enough to obliterate a village.

Gaara, battered and desperate, looked up at the descending puppet. Gritting his teeth, he raised both hands skyward, causing a massive shield of sand to rise and block "C3 No. 18."

Boom!

Sand blasted everywhere. Though Gaara stopped most of the attack, he was still severely injured and hurled aside.

Meanwhile, Sasori seemed to accept Deidara's challenge, unleashing "Red Secret Technique: Hundred Puppet Performance." Instantly, hundreds of puppets clad in red robes appeared in the air, joining the fray.

Lady Chiyo countered with "White Secret Technique: Ten Puppets of Kinzoku," but after clashing, she was no match and was knocked away.

Deidara, riding his white bird, smirked as the mouth on his palm spat out clay bombs, preparing for a final strike to kill Gaara.

Sasori, too, was readying "Scroll: Erosion Flow," poised for his final move to end Lady Chiyo's life.