CHAPTER 138 - 138: OROCHIMARU’S DOUBTS

Boom... boom...

Loud, heavy blasts echoed in the skies over Flame Valley. Shockwaves of energy exploded one after another.

Uchiha Madara swung his zanpakuto down at Ginkaku. The slash cut through the cliff like a knife through butter, splitting the whole wall in two.

"Move, get out of the way!"

"Damn it, there's no time to run!"

"Help! Somebody help!"

The Arrancars and ninjas who didn't escape in time got caught up in the chaos, falling off the cliff one after another into the deep valley below.

"Madara, control your strength!" Senju Hashirama shouted when he saw what was happening.

"Worry about yourself, Hashirama," Uchiha Madara shot him a glance before turning his attention back to the unscathed Ginkaku standing across from him.

Truthfully, Madara did want to hold back, but that was only possible when he completely overpowered his opponent. The enemy in front of him was clearly no pushover. It would take real effort to win this fight.

And in a battle like that, trying to go easy just wasn't realistic.

Sure enough—

Right after he finished speaking, a loud *boom* rang out.

Senju Hashirama, who had just called out a warning, was now halfway buried in the ground. He shook his head and slowly stood up. "Oof... that's rough. I didn't know girls could punch that hard."

*Whoosh!*

Pakura didn't say a word. She charged at him again.

Hashirama's face turned serious, and he formed hand signs. "Wood Style: Rank Wall Technique!"

*Bang!*

A giant shield with a demon-faced design, tens of meters tall, appeared out of nowhere in front of Hashirama.

*Boom!*

A deafening sound followed.

Pakura's punch smashed a massive dent into the surface of the shield, with cracks spreading out like a spider web.

"Hmph, that's one powerful hit," Uchiha Madara watched everything unfold with interest. A smile crept onto his face. "Kid, you're strong too?"

Hashirama's Rank Wall Technique—back in the day, not even a full-powered slash from Madara's Armored Susano'o could break it.

And now a small girl like Pakura had nearly destroyed it with one punch.

Scary.

These Arrancars created by Aizen were seriously terrifying.

But Madara wasn't upset. If anything, he was excited. It had been a long time since he'd met someone strong enough to make him fight seriously.

"Pakura is stronger than me," Ginkaku said, pointing at the number marked on his left shoulder. "I'm number six. She's number four."

"Oh? That's kind of disappointing," Madara said, gripping his sword with a grin on his face.

"Well, I think you should be glad," Ginkaku said calmly as he drew his Zanpakuto from his waist. "Facing someone as weak as me might be the only reason you'll survive today."

*Whoosh!*

He suddenly flashed forward, appearing right above Madara's head. His blade came crashing down from above.

*BOOM!*

The whole place shook. The earth trembled as the cliffside shattered like tofu, clouds of dust shooting up into the air.

"These Arrancars really are monsters," said Hyuga Hiashi from a hundred meters away, his face serious. He took a sharp breath. "Makes you wonder how strong Aizen really is."

"I doubt it's something we could even understand," said Uchiha Fugaku, who had activated his Susano'o. He swung his sword, cutting down an Arrancar, then looked up into the sky.

"You're worried about Itachi?" Hiashi followed his gaze, spotting the young figure fighting Danzo in midair.

"No. He's grown now." Fugaku looked away and shook his head slightly.

He still didn't know why Itachi had followed Aizen and turned against the ninja world. He had been furious at first, feeling like the Uchiha clan had been shamed. But now, looking at the determination in Itachi's eyes, something inside him shifted.

His son had found his own beliefs and chosen his own path.

*Boom!*

As the two spoke, a loud crash suddenly came from the side.

Hiashi and Fugaku looked up. From the cloud of dust, a tattered Ginkaku was sent flying backward, slamming hard into the ground.

*Whoosh, whoosh!*

Two more figures followed close behind—Yakushi Kabuto in a red cloak, and Tsunade in a sleeveless battle outfit.

"Hahaha!" Ginkaku got up from the ground, bruised and beaten, but grinning like a madman. "Not bad, you two! You actually managed to mess me up this bad. You should be proud!"

"Thanks for the compliment," Kabuto said with a light chuckle, adjusting his glasses. "But as one of the Espada, you're a bit less impressive than I thought..."

Before he could finish, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and he dodged quickly to the right.

Slash.

A flash of a blade skimmed past him, swinging forward. With a splatter, the slash hit Kinkaku straight on, cutting from his left chest down to his stomach, leaving a deep wound that exposed bone. Blood sprayed out.

Thud.

Kinkaku's eyes went wide as he fell to his knees.

At that moment, everyone finally turned to look at the attacker behind Yakushi Kabuto.

He was wearing a dark brown kimono and holding a Zanpakutō. His face was covered by a pale bone mask, shaped like a demon.

"Orochimaru?" Tsunade recognized him right away just from his figure.

"Long time no see, Tsunade." Orochimaru reached up and wiped his hand across his face. The mask vanished instantly.

"Looks like both Orochimaru-sama and Danzo-sama have finished hollowfication," Kabuto said with a satisfied smile. "Congrats to both of you."

"It's thanks to you, Kabuto," Orochimaru looked at him with a strange expression. "If it weren't for that strike you landed on me filled with enough spiritual energy, I probably wouldn't have gone through hollowfication so smoothly."

"Oh? So that slash just now was your way of returning the favor?"

"No, I was just curious. With spiritual pressure on par with the Espada, did you really betray Aizen?"

Silence.

The battlefield in the distance was still full of explosions, but this part suddenly turned dead quiet. Orochimaru's words had drawn everyone's eyes to Kabuto.

Sunlight poured down, but Kabuto's face was hidden in the shadow of his hood. A faint smirk played at the corner of his lips. "Your sense for things has really improved, Orochimaru-sama."