Makima had ripped the information from Karin with a brutality that left the cave reeking of blood and fear. The redhead, broken, was now just a whimpering heap, unable to resist.
Satisfied, Makima returned to the inn where she had left Samui, still unconscious, her body marked by battle. She scribbled a note on a crumpled piece of paper: "Get back to Kumogakure as soon as you wake up. Move your ass." She slipped it into the blonde's pocket and left without a backward glance.
Her next target was clear: Orochimaru. Karin had spat out the location of one of his closest secondary hideouts, and Makima wasn't going to waste time.
She tore through the forests of the Land of Fire at an inhuman speed, her red hair whipped by the wind, her golden eyes burning with restrained rage. Her connection to the underworld was weakening, her demons were becoming uncontrollable, and her healing abilities were null. That bastard Orochimaru will give me his jutsu, even if I have to rip his tongue out to get it, she thought, her steps crushing mud and dead leaves.
Arriving at the hideout—a ruin camouflaged under thorns and seals—Makima didn't bother looking for a discreet entrance. She stretched out a hand, and a telekinetic wave pulverized the stone door in an explosion of rubble.
BOOM!
The dust settled, revealing a dark tunnel lit by flickering torches. She advanced, her heels clicking, until she reached a room cluttered with vials, scrolls, and alchemical junk. In the center, Orochimaru, rolling up a scroll, looked up.
His expression shifted from amusement to an ugly grimace, his lips stretching into an unhealthy smirk.
"Kid, this time, you're not getting away," he hissed, licking his lips with an overly long tongue. "You've got guts coming here alone."
Makima snickered, her eyes narrowing. "Get away? It's you who'll be crawling, snake." He reeks of arrogance. I'll break him, she thought, her smile as sharp as a blade.
Orochimaru struck first, his hands forming seals at blinding speed. "Kuchiyose: Sanda!" A colossal serpent burst from the ground, its gaping maw aiming to swallow Makima. Its strength comparable to Manda.
She dodged with a lightning-fast leap and stretched out a hand. A telekinetic wave struck Manda, crushing its scales in a deafening sound. The serpent roared, but Orochimaru was already elsewhere, his body gliding like a shadow.
"Fūton: Blade Storm!" Sharp gusts sliced through the air, tearing chunks of stone around Makima.
She dove under the blades, her supernatural reflexes keeping her intact. "You're fast, bastard," she growled, charging into close combat.
Her fist slammed into Orochimaru, but he contorted, avoiding the blow with serpentine agility. He spat a jet of venom, "Doku Kiri!" A toxic mist enveloped Makima.
She growled, her eyes burning through the smoke, and launched a new telekinetic wave, dispersing the poison. "You think that'll stop me?" she spat, leaping to slam her heel down on him.
Orochimaru parried with a kunai, but the force of the blow sent him reeling, his feet sliding on the ground. He chuckled, his yellow eyes gleaming. "You're strong, but not enough for me, kukuku." He formed a seal, and "Doton: Mud Wall" surged up, a viscous barrier blocking Makima.
She pulverized it with a telekinetic strike, but Orochimaru used the opportunity to summon "Suiton: Water Dragon." A roaring water serpent charged at her, its liquid fangs aiming to crush her.
Makima dodged, rolling on the ground, but a sharp splash cut her arm, drawing a trickle of blood. She growled, her eyes blazing. He's annoying, she so wanted to gut him but held back.
She charged again, her fists flying in a flurry of blows. One struck Orochimaru's jaw with a CRACK! resonating as he flew across the room, crashing into a shelf of vials that exploded into shards of glass and foul liquid.
But Orochimaru got up, his skin splitting like a molt. He spat out a new body, intact, his old shell falling like an empty husk. "You're fun," he hissed, drawing the Kusanagi Sword from his throat with a disgusting GLURP!
He charged, the blade slicing the air with deadly precision. Makima parried with a telekinetic shield, but the sword cut halfway through the energy, slicing her shoulder. Blood spurted, and she growled, countering with a knee to Orochimaru's gut.
He coughed but countered with "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Three clones emerged, each wielding a Kusanagi. They encircled her, their blades dancing in deadly arcs.
Makima dodged the first, blocked the second with a telekinetic wall, but the third sliced her flank, tearing out a chunk of flesh. She screamed, her blood soaking the ground, but her smile didn't waver. "You're just a fucking coward," she spat, pulverizing the clones with a massive wave that cracked the room's walls.
Orochimaru, still agile, summoned "Mandara no Jin." Thousands of serpents burst from his mouth, a writhing carpet aiming to engulf her.
Makima jumped, her feet crushing the reptiles in viscous SQUELCH!
and launched a telekinetic burst that dispersed the swarm. But Orochimaru was behind her, his Kusanagi aiming for her heart.
She pivoted, grabbing the blade with bare hands. The metal bit into her palm, blood flowing in streams, but she held firm, twisting the sword until it broke. "You're finished," she growled, punching his chest with a blow that fractured his ribs.
Orochimaru spat out another body, his laughter echoing. "You can't kill me, kid!"