Chapter 237: Encounter with Orochimaru

Orochimaru was half way to Sasuke, when he suddenly froze, the next moment his pupils narrowed sharply - he raised his head and peered at one of the branches:

- Can you go down already?

Shikamaru met his opponent's amber eyes and grinned.

“Such a bloodthirsty brilliance ...” - after a little thought, he broke a twig and then threw it. Before she had time to reach the ground, the guy instantly appeared right in front of her and deftly caught. Orochimaru's pupils narrowed further.

“Flying Thunder God Technique! Shikamaru Nara..." The Sannin's gaze, like a snake, did not show unnecessary emotions, except for a dangerous brilliance. He quickly and consistently studied the enemy. He has had that opportunity in the past. In addition, he already knew a lot about Shikamaru. He managed to collect enough information, for example - about a genius who faced the entire Hyuga clan, and who emerged from this seemingly unequal battle, the winner. Of course, many questions remain unanswered. At one time, everything was hidden about Shikamaru, from the Hokage to even Danzō. Orochimaru only knew that this guy was as unexplored as possible. A thirteen-year-old boy who looks like an adult and is capable of a lot. Even if he didn't know about his abilities, he already assumed they were unusual. Not only because of his activities in the Hyuuga clan, but also his current position as a solo candidate in the exam, his height, physique and dangerous aura are many times superior to ordinary Jonin. Orochimaru didn't want to admit it, but his instincts told him that this man at thirteen could pose a threat even to him. Moreover, he did not even understand how he had come here so quickly, and even used the Flying Thunder God!

“I don’t know who you are, but you better not touch these two. I advise you to find another scroll, otherwise I will cripple you. Understand? Shikamaru immediately released an overwhelming aura, and the trees around him shattered into chips, the ground cracked under his feet, and the guy's hair flew up.

Orochimaru frowned even more, his opponent's strength shocking him. It was the first time he had seen someone with such strong chakra! He knew Shikamaru was strong for his age, but to that extent... His pressure and chakra were amazing.

"Damn it... Where did that brat crawl out from?" Orochimaru did not doubt his ability to resist the enemy. But, he wondered how he could miss such a rare specimen! However, now he was worried about something else. If the fight drags on, it may draw unwanted attention. He was the least afraid of revealing his identity, but the arrival of strong opponents like Hiruzen was definitely not part of his plans.

In turn, Shikamaru did not try to attack, he wanted to intimidate Orochimaru and show him his strength. Of course, he wasn't going to prematurely harm his plans. If all this happens now, it is not known where it will lead. On top of that, Orochimaru is certainly not cornered. The problem with the plot of Sound and Sand will also not enter the initial phase. If the Kazekage didn't die, it might create unnecessary problems. If Orochi catches on to the trick, his whole plan could be canceled and then it would be more difficult to get Minato's DNA. Unfortunately, even in this plan there were reservations. Sasuke will stay, Kimmimaru won't die, and neither will Hiruzen. If possible, Shikamaru had thought through the unexpected circumstances, which is why he intervened now. He certainly didn't want to give Sasuke away.

- Are you still here? I thought Hidden Grass trash was better at hiding in the bushes. With deep contempt and sheer arrogance, Shikamaru looked Orochimaru up and down.

"Looks like I'm going to have to break a couple of your bones after all."

Orochimaru snorted.

- What arrogance! - the former curiosity and praise, were replaced by discontent and disappointment. Orochimaru didn't think this genius would be so arrogant. Even if he had the urge to retreat earlier, he quickly changed his mind. Playing with such an arrogant boy was much easier than playing with cunning bastards.

Sharply throwing out a pair of kunai, Orochimaru bit his finger and drew blood over the mark on his left hand, at the same time folding several seals:

— Summons!

A huge snake appeared in a cloud of smoke, quickly towering over Shikamaru. Orochimaru stood high on his outstretched head and glared at his opponent with a cold expression. Arrogant fools pissed him off the most, especially when they had power from nowhere!

Sharply, the snake rushed forward, attacking the enemy. The guy didn't even budge, he just looked around and calmly turned to Sakura and Sasuke:

"Go away, find Naruto and continue the exam, I'll figure it out..." Before he could finish, the snake had already opened its mouth and tried to swallow him. But, Shikamaru only took a step forward, jumped up and delivered a clear blow to her upper jaw.

As soon as the blow hit the target, the Sannin's face changed dramatically - fear was reflected on it! He jumped out of the way, and at the same moment, a tremor ran through the entire skin of the snake, and then her eyes exploded, her brains scattered in a bloody fountain! All the bones cracked like a shell, and then the skin began to crack, bloody streaks began to appear throughout the creature, which then burst, splashing blood in all directions! With a single blow, Shikamaru killed the summon animal and abruptly moved towards Orochimaru.

"Crap! What kind of power is this…” The man grimaced and folded a series of seals right in the air, releasing a huge fireball from his mouth. Shikamaru immediately got into its radius, but only made one hand seal and exhaled a wave of wind. All the fire immediately fanned out, and then he covered Orochimaru. The serpent immediately stretched out its hand and with the help of long snakes left the trajectory of the attack. But, Shikamaru was right there and struck with his fist!

Orochimaru shuddered and put his hands out in front of him to protect his head. He was horrified by this terrible physical strength, but there was nothing left but to try to defend himself!

After a terrifying roar that blew several ancient trees to pieces, the Sannin flew two hundred meters before releasing a torrent of blood from his mouth and horrified to realize that his arms were broken in several places. Even if he protected himself with chakra, his ribs were also damaged, as were many organs. If not for the modified body and strong chakra, he could have simply died from a single physical attack. Shikamaru's one punch had left him in such a terrible state!

“Fucking… Damn, is this the old man’s new apprentice? Well, yours ... his power is many times greater than Tsunade ”- clenching his teeth to the point of pain, Orochimaru jumped up abruptly and jumped away, at the same moment Shikamaru appeared in the crater from his fall and struck with his foot. A terrible explosion broke through the ground and the stones scattered to the sides, destroying trees for tens of meters around. Huge earthen slabs scattered like feathers all over the place, leaving Orochimaru in unnatural fear. He knew that he had to run, otherwise this person, even without ninjutsu, would turn him into a dead mess. He wasn't even sure if he could fight if he used all his abilities.

Run, retreat is the only option!