The fractured moonlight painted the clearing in shades of silver and deep shadow along with the gaping maw of a dark cave seemed to swallow the faint light, promising hidden depths and an unknown chill revealing a figure whose chakra sent a chill deeper than the forest night into Kiba's bones.
Kiba's gaze was fixed on the figure standing in a pool of pale moonlight. Long, ink-black hair cascaded down his back, framing a face of unnatural paleness, sharp and almost unnaturally smooth.
The attire was a distinctive light blue short kimono over matching undergarments, cinched with a wide sash and a slender purple cord. As the figure tilted his head, golden eyes with thin, vertical slits glinted in the dim light.
A sudden, sharp jolt of recognition slammed into Kiba. 'That hair… that paleness… those eyes… it's him! It's...
OROCHIMARU!!'
He quickly pushed himself up from the ground, his body aching but his mind now sharp with the senses of responsibility. Akamaru, sensing Kiba's shift, moved to stand beside him, a low growl rumbling in his chest.
"Orochimaru!" Kiba's voice was clear, laced with a mix of shock and fierce challenge. "What are you doing here? And how are you out of Konoha's watch?"
Orochimaru's lips stretched into a wide, unsettling smile, his tongue flicking out briefly. His golden eyes, sharp and intense, were fixed on Kiba. "Indeed, Kiba-kun. It has been quite some time." His voice was smooth as silk, yet carried an undercurrent of something cold and knowing.
Kiba ignored the greeting, his questions tumbling out. "Did you do something to the shinobi guarding your hideout outside the village? Is that how you got free?" He took a step forward, his hand still on his kunai. "Are you behind this chaos? The controlled shinobi attacking each other?"
Orochimaru didn't answer immediately. His smile remained, but his golden eyes subtly shifted, not focusing on Kiba anymore. His gaze moved past Kiba, settling on something in the deeper shadows.
Kiba frowned, following Orochimaru's line of sight. He saw nothing at first, just the dark, uneven ground and the thick treeline. But Orochimaru's gaze was held, fixed on one specific spot. Kiba squinted, peering into the gloom.
Then, he realized. Orochimaru wasn't looking at the trees. He was looking at the cave.
A faint, almost imperceptible scratching sound echoed from deep within the cave's entrance, like claws dragging lightly on stone. It was barely audible, but in the stillness of the night, it made the hairs on Kiba's neck stand on end.
Orochimaru's smile now fainted, a look of strange anticipation now in his eyes, still fixed on the cave. He remained silent, letting the sound, and the growing tension, speak for itself.
Kiba noticed Orochimaru's unwavering focus on the cave. 'He's not even looking at me. He's staring at that cave… What's in there?
And why is he waiting?' Kiba's suspicion flared. 'Is he trying to distract me?'
"Why aren't you answering me, Orochimaru?" Kiba demanded, his voice sharper now, fueled by the unsettling realization. He glanced quickly at the "DO NOT ENTER" line painted across the cave's opening, then back at the Sannin's unnervingly calm face. "What are you truly doing here, near a forbidden cave, when our village is in chaos?"
Orochimaru turned his gaze back to Kiba, a thin, knowing smile returning to his lips. "Isn't it fascinating, Kiba-kun? The timing of our meeting. On this very night, the village falls into disarray, shinobi turn on each other, and all of a sudden, everything changes."
He paused, his eyes flicking towards the distant glow of Konoha's lights, now muted and disturbed by the sounds of conflict. "Peace one moment, then chaos the next, as if out of nowhere. Don't you find it… unnatural?"
Kiba's jaw tightened. "What are you talking about?! What's unnatural about it?! Are you saying someone planned this?" His voice held a challenging edge, but also a flicker of curiosity despite himself. The subtle sounds of distant fighting reached their ears, a reminder of the urgent situation.
Orochimaru chuckled, a low, dry sound. "Indeed. Things rarely happen 'out of nowhere,' Kiba-kun. Especially events of this scale. The world is changing, Kiba-kun. And some powers want to make that change happen quickly… in a messy way."
He gestured vaguely between Kiba and the cave, his eyes briefly touching the yellow "DO NOT ENTER" line. "And when the world changes, it requires… witnesses. Or perhaps… participants."
Kiba glared, taking another step towards Orochimaru. "I don't have time for riddles, Orochimaru! Naruto and Sasuke are fighting that Rinnegan user. Our comrades are in trouble. I need to go help them!" Akamaru whined, nudging Kiba's leg, as if urging him to leave this strange, tense meeting.
"Patience, Kiba-kun," Orochimaru said, his voice calm, yet it carried a strange weight that made Kiba hesitate. His gaze subtly drifted back to the cave entrance. "Helping them directly might be noble, but perhaps there's a greater way to be a hero tonight. A way to truly save the village from destruction… and perhaps even the entire ninja world from further harm."
He paused, letting his words hang in the cool night air. "You simply need to stay here for a while. I will explain everything."
Orochimaru's words hit Kiba with unexpected force. 'Save the village? The entire ninja world? A hero?' His mind flashed to the fighting at the A-Un Gate, the desperation in the controlled shinobi's eyes. He wanted to help, to be effective. Orochimaru's words were poison, Kiba knew that, but they played on his deepest desires.
'If I stay, if he truly explains, could I find a way to stop this whole thing? Could I really be the one to save everyone, become honored for it?'
Akamaru let out a sharp bark, then nudged Kiba's hand with his snout, as if trying to break him free from Orochimaru's spell.
But Kiba, caught between his duty to his friends and the seductive promise of a larger, more impactful role, hesitated, his eyes fixed on Orochimaru, who was now watching the cave with renewed focus.
Suddenly, Akamaru's low growl exploded into a huge, furious bark that ripped through the quiet night. He spun around instantly, his white fur bristling, body tensed.
Kiba gasped, startled, and whipped his head around. His eyes widened. Standing just behind him, silently, was a dark figure. It was thin and cloaked, almost like a scarecrow, with sharp, rigid limbs and what looked like a wooden face. Its eyes glowed faintly in the dim moonlight.
The figure held its arms out, long, thin blades extending from its forearms, ready to strike.
"Akamaru, watch out!" Kiba yelled, grabbing his kunai as the figure lunged.
The dark, wooden attacker moved with shocking speed, its blades slicing through the air towards Kiba. Akamaru, with a roar, charged forward, intercepting the first strike with his shoulder, knocking the puppet off balance. Kiba rolled back, narrowly avoiding a sweeping blade that whistled past his face.
'What is this thing?' Kiba thought, scrambling to his feet. He saw its movements were jerky, unnatural, yet precise. It wasn't a living shinobi. 'A puppet!'
As Kiba and Akamaru faced the puppet, a blur of movement caught Kiba's eye. Orochimaru, who had been watching the cave, had suddenly moved. His own form blurred as he faced a new figure, who was not clearly visible. There was a quick flash of steel and a sharp clang of metal hitting metal as Orochimaru engaged him. Orochimaru chuckled, a low, pleased sound.
"This is becoming far more interesting than simply waiting," Orochimaru murmured, his voice carrying clearly over the sounds of Kiba's battle. He engaged the new figure with fluid, movements.
Kiba had no time to spare a second glance. The puppet was relentless. It spun, its arms extending further, trying to trap Akamaru.
"Fang Over Fang!" Kiba shouted, and he and Akamaru launched into their spinning attack, a whirlwind of claws and teeth. The puppet shrieked, a high-pitched, grinding sound of wood on wood, as their attack hit it. Pieces of its wooden cloak splintered off, but it remained standing, its limbs still ready.
As they circled, Kiba saw a flicker of movement behind the puppet. A familiar human shadow. 'No way! It couldn't be…' Then, as the puppet moved, Kiba got a clearer look at the one controlling it. A shock ran through him, colder than the night air.
It was Kankuro. The shinobi from the Sand Village, the master of puppets.
He stood there, strings of chakra flowing from his fingers to the dark, wooden puppet, his face strangely blank. "Kankuro! What are you doing?" Kiba yelled, dodging a swift thrust from the puppet. "Stop! This isn't right! Orochimaru is an ally! He's not our enemy!"
Kankuro didn't react. His eyes remained empty, his body stiff, only his fingers twitching to control the puppet. The dark figure pressed its attack, moving with renewed force towards Kiba and Akamaru.
"He won't listen to you, Kiba-kun," Orochimaru's voice cut through the chaos, calm even as he moved swiftly, facing Kankuro directly. There were quick, sharp sounds of steel hitting steel as Orochimaru engaged Kankuro's own movements.
"He is under someone else's influence. His will is not his own." Kiba felt a chill. "Someone else? Who is it? Who's controlling him?" He gritted his teeth, anger mixing with frustration. 'This isn't Kankuro! He's being used!'
"Akamaru, Tsuga!" Kiba commanded. Akamaru barked fiercely, gathering chakra, and then spun into a powerful drill, charging directly at the puppet. The attack hit the puppet head-on. There was a loud cracking sound, and the puppet finally buckled. Its limbs twisted violently, and it fell to the ground in a heap of splintered wood and broken parts, completely defeated.
Kiba quickly moved towards the downed puppet, his eyes scanning for Kankuro. He saw Kankuro still standing near Orochimaru, frozen, chakra strings still attached to the broken puppet, his blank eyes staring into space.
Suddenly, from Orochimaru's outstretched hand, a pale green snake shot out like an arrow. It moved with incredible speed, gliding across the ground, directly towards Kankuro. Before Kiba could even shout a warning, the snake lunged. It bit Kankuro swiftly and precisely on the side of his neck.
Kiba's eyes went wide. "Orochimaru! What are you doing?! Don't kill him!" he shouted, taking a step towards Kankuro.
Kiba reached Orochimaru in a flash, grabbing his collar. "What was that for?! Are you trying to kill him? What are your intentions?!" His voice was tight with anger and confusion.
Orochimaru didn't flinch. He looked calmly at Kiba, then back at Kankuro, who was now swaying, his eyes fluttering before he slumped to the ground, unconscious. "Poison, Kiba-kun. A mild one. Just enough to stop the outside influence. He won't die, merely sleep."
Orochimaru's hand moved, a quick gesture to dismiss the snake that had bitten Kankuro.
Kiba stared down at Kankuro, then back at Orochimaru. "Poison? Why? And what do you mean, 'outside influence'?" He was still holding Orochimaru's collar, but his grip loosened slightly as he tried to process this.
"Because he was a puppet, Kiba-kun," Orochimaru replied, his voice still unnervingly calm. "Not just the one you fought, but Kankuro himself. Someone else was pulling his strings." His gaze flickered towards the cave, and a subtle frown touched his lips.
As they stood there, Kiba questioning and Orochimaru calmly explaining, a soft, scraping sound came from the ground. Kiba turned his head slightly, trying to listen. Then, he looked down at Kankuro again.
'Wait… Kankuro was just here…' Kiba blinked, his eyes darting around. Kankuro was gone. The spot where he'd fallen was empty.
"Kankuro!" Kiba yelled, spinning around, frantically searching the shadows of the forest.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. He looked around too, then his gaze snapped to Kiba. "And where is your dog, Kiba-kun?" he asked, his voice low and sharp. Kiba froze. Akamaru, He hadn't noticed. "Akamaru!" Kiba screamed, his voice filled with worry and fear. He started to shout his companion's name louder, calling into the trees.
Suddenly, Orochimaru's hand shot out, clamping firmly over Kiba's mouth. Kiba struggled, but Orochimaru's grip was surprisingly strong. "Silence, you fool!!"
Orochimaru said, his golden eyes blazing with annoyance. "Do you wish to alert whoever is in there?" He nodded subtly towards the cave. "If they know we are here, they might not emerge, or worse, they might try to escape. We need them to come out naturally."
Orochimaru slowly removed his hand from Kiba's mouth,"Now, understand this, Kiba-kun. The one controlling Kankuro is still out there. And whatever is inside that cave is about to make its appearance." He paused, his gaze drifting towards the dark opening, then back to Kiba.
"When it comes out, then, and only then, will we know if it brings 'good news' for us… or 'bad news'." He let his words hang in the air, allowing Kiba to feel the full weight of the unknown. "Making noise will only make our task harder."
Kiba rubbed his jaw, his confusion warring with his anger. "But… Kankuro was already here. So, we already have an idea if it's 'good news' or 'bad news', right?" He looked at Orochimaru, remembering their earlier conversation. "I thought the appearance of someone or something from the cave would tell us. And since we know Kankuro that he is an ally... leave about being controlled, so isn't it a 'good news'?" Kiba paused for a moment and said,"Is there… more to this than just him?"
Orochimaru's expression hardened slightly. "Much more, Kiba-kun. Kankuro was merely a pawn, controlled to cause chaos. But what is inside that cave… that is the true reason I've been waiting here." He closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating. His chakra senses spread out, probing the forest and the cave's depths.
Then, Orochimaru's eyes snapped open. He looked up. "He's here!"
Kiba looked up too, following Orochimaru's gaze. Kankuro was indeed in the air, falling rapidly towards Orochimaru from above. He held a kunai, its blade glinting wickedly in the moonlight, aimed right at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's body changing into a coil of white snakes that slithered quickly to another part of the clearing. Kankuro landed where Orochimaru had just been, kicking up dust.
Hearing the soft thud of Kankuro's landing, Kiba spun around. Kankuro was now right behind him, his eyes still blank, fixed on Kiba.
"Kankuro! It's me, Kiba!" Kiba said, trying to sound friendly, his hand raised calmly. "What happened to you? Why are you doing this?"
Kankuro didn't respond. His face remained empty, no hint of recognition in his eyes. He slowly raised his arms, already in a position to attack him.
Orochimaru, now standing a few feet away, watched the scene with a mix of annoyance and growing concern. 'This foolish Kiba… he'll get himself killed, along with his useless dog. But I cannot let him die. He is my only witness here.'
Orochimaru's gaze flickered to the cave. The scratching sounds had intensified, now joined by a low, rhythmic thumping, it sounded like something was summoned.
Kankuro lunged, not with a puppet, but with his own body. He moved with a speed and grace Kiba rarely saw from him, far beyond his normal taijutsu. Kiba managed to block the first punch, but Kankuro's movements were fluid, precise, and powerful.
Kiba was on the defensive immediately, barely dodging a flurry of rapid strikes. He was already tired from his earlier fight, and Kankuro, now moving with such unnatural skill, was gaining the upper hand quickly. Kiba grunted as a fist grazed his ribs.
Suddenly, a small, dark object sailed through the air past Kiba, aimed at Kankuro. It was a kunai, and taped to it was a small paper tag – a paper bomb. Kankuro, sensing the danger, dodged swiftly to the side, his movements almost too fast to follow.
The kunai missed him, flying instead towards the cave. It hit the "DO NOT ENTER ZONE" line with a loud crack, burying itself into the rock.
"Crap!" Orochimaru cried out, his voice laced with mock surprise, though his eyes widened slightly. "This was not supposed to got there!"
BOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the clearing. The dark night sky suddenly lit up with a blinding orange glow, reflecting off the forest. Rocks shattered, raining down around them, and a thick cloud of dust and smoke burst from the cave entrance, filling the air with the smell of burnt earth.
The force of the blast sent a powerful shockwave across the clearing, making Kiba stumble.
Then, through the settling dust, a deep, resonant voice boomed from the now-opened cave. It was calm, yet filled with a chilling power.
"Looks like you couldn't bear it, Orochimaru. You've been near this place for quite two weeks now, and finally your patience broke. Decided to blow the whole cave yourself? Heh, such an impatient person you are..."
---
QUIZ QUESTION:
What unexpected event directly caused the cave to open, revealing the mysterious voice within?
A) Orochimaru directly blew it open.
B) Orochimaru accidentally threw a kunai with a paper bomb that hit the cave entrance.
C) Kankuro's puppet attacked the cave directly.
D) Orochimaru used a summoning jutsu on the cave.
Please share your answers in the comments down below!
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hey everyone! Thanks for diving into Chapter 40 with me! Wow, what an intense ride, right? We literally exploded into the action with Kiba and the ever-cryptic Orochimaru. 💥
Kiba finding Orochimaru at a forbidden cave is already a huge deal, but then things really went wild with the sudden appearance of that bizarre wooden puppet! And who expected it to be controlled by Kankuro?! Seeing a familiar face like that, especially one being manipulated, really ups the stakes and makes you wonder just who is behind all this chaos affecting Konoha.
It's not just random; there's a powerful force pulling the strings, and Orochimaru definitely seems to know more than he's letting on. And talk about an explosive ending – who knew Orochimaru's thrown kunai would literally blow the roof off the mystery cave?! 😅
This chapter really sets the stage for some massive revelations, and the voice from the cave… gives you chills, doesn't it?
And now, for a little peek into what's next! That voice from the cave isn't just a voice; it belongs to a figure shrouded in mystery and immense power, with an eye that promises deep secrets and a dangerous past. As the dust settles, a new character emerges, and their conversation with Orochimaru will expose devastating truths about the Uchiha clan, about long-lost faces, and about a pain that could reshape the very timeline.
Get ready, because the revelations are far from over, and this new arrival's presence is about to turn everything Kiba thought he knew upside down!
A quick note from me! Hey everyone, I'm really sorry, but updates might be a little scarce for the upcoming week. I'm actually heading out on a trip and won't have my phone with me, so I won't be able to write or post chapters. 🏕️ I'll be back as soon as I can, and I appreciate your patience and understanding so much!