Chapter 104: Return to Tanzaku Street

A strange scene unfolded.

The flames on the barrier seemed to be pulled by some force, merging into Pakura's fireball.

Suddenly, the fireball swelled dozens of times, floating in the sky like a dazzling sun.

At that moment, Pakura's years of training finally bore fruit.

"Remarkable, to be able to absorb the barrier's flames and merge them with Scorch Release. In this barrier, she's practically invincible," Orochimaru remarked, gazing at the giant fireball in awe.

At the same time, his cautious gaze shifted toward Aizen.

Aizen ignored Orochimaru and continued to watch the fight between the two.

Rasa knew this move was extraordinary, so he decided to strike first.

He condensed all of his gold sand into a drill shape, launching a rapid barrage of stabs at Pakura.

Unfortunately, after absorbing the barrier's flames, Pakura's Scorch Release had become far more powerful. She casually threw out a fireball.

The moment the fireball collided with the gold sand drill, the latter melted into liquid gold.

The fireball continued its trajectory, hurtling toward Rasa.

Using his sand transportation technique, Rasa narrowly dodged the fireball. But inside this enclosed barrier, without his gold sand for protection, he was already on the brink of defeat.

Just as Pakura was about to hurl the massive fireball from above, Aizen suddenly appeared behind Rasa, stabbing him through the chest.

"Ugh!" Rasa spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes widening in disbelief as he stared at his chest.

"Lord Aizen, what are you doing?" Pakura retracted her Scorch Release, landing on the ground and looking at Aizen in confusion.

"Rasa's body is still useful. If you dropped your Scorch Release, he'd be burnt to ashes. But don't worry, I didn't hit any vital organs—just severely injured him. You can still have him for yourself."

Aizen casually pulled out his sword, kicking Rasa's body away and flicking off the blood.

At the same time, with a twisted sense of humor, he dispelled the barrier.

Rasa, severely wounded, stumbled away in a desperate attempt to escape, looking like a lamb to the slaughter.

This scene was eerily similar to Danzo's futile struggle before his death in the original story.

Aizen had a habit when it came to killing: he left no loose ends.

The moment his sword pierced Rasa's chest, Rasa was already dead—not just physically, but spiritually.

Once he died, his soul would dissipate too.

Even the Reanimation Jutsu wouldn't be able to bring him back.

"Thank you, Lord Aizen." Seeing Rasa's pitiful retreat, Pakura understood the situation. She performed a hand sign, creating dozens of shadow clones to pursue him.

Each shadow clone wielded kunai or shuriken, determined to repay Rasa for what she had suffered in the Land of Water.

Soon, Pakura's clones had surrounded Rasa.

Amid his desperate and angry roars, Rasa was pierced by countless kunai and shuriken, turning him into a pincushion.

Watching the now-dead Rasa, Orochimaru flashed a sinister smile and said to Aizen, "Aizen-kun, you really have a dark sense of humor. But since when did you take an interest in corpses?"

"I'm not interested in corpses. It's just that your old partner has an interest in ninja bodies with kekkei genkai. I'll trade his body for something later. If you want his skin, you'd better hurry and take it without damaging it," Aizen replied indifferently.

"Ah, Sasori," Orochimaru realized. He then signaled to Kabuto with a glance, and Kabuto quickly walked over to Rasa's body. In terms of preserving human skin, no one was more skilled than him.

Before long, both Pakura and Kabuto returned, each holding a scroll.

Pakura's scroll contained Rasa's body, while Kabuto's held Rasa's skin.

"Well then, Aizen-kun, this is where we part ways.

There's still half a month until the Chunin Exams. What's your next move? If you want to come to Konoha to watch me kill the Third Hokage, I can arrange that.

Of course, if that's the case, you and Pakura might have to pretend to be the Kazekage's guards," Orochimaru offered as he accepted the scroll from Kabuto.

"No need. We'll talk after you've killed the old man. I have my own plans. But before that, you'd better prepare what I need. Otherwise, when the Konoha Crush Plan is over, I can't guarantee Sasuke will safely end up in your hands."

With that, Aizen and Pakura disappeared from the valley.

"That bastard. Once I obtain Sasuke's body, you're next," Orochimaru muttered darkly after Aizen left, his smile fading. He then turned to Kabuto, "Have you extracted Rasa's tissue?"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto nodded.

He knew this was Orochimaru preparing for the future use of the Reanimation Jutsu.

Of course, neither he nor Orochimaru could have anticipated that, soon after, Orochimaru's hands would be sealed by the Third Hokage, preventing him from ever using the Reanimation Jutsu again.

Elsewhere, Aizen and Pakura had already left the borders of the Land of Fire and arrived in Tanzaku Street.

Aizen wasn't here for any particular reason, aside from the battle with Rasa.

Out of habit, he had released his Observation Haki and entered Sage Mode.

This had become second nature over the years, especially with a schemer like Orochimaru nearby. Constant vigilance was necessary.

Over his years in the Akatsuki, Aizen had developed his own fighting style.

Observation Haki sharpened his senses, allowing him to predict and evade danger, ignoring barriers and techniques like Zetsu's insect jutsu that masked presence. It let him perceive the aura of all nearby living beings.

While Sage Mode wasn't as precise as Observation Haki, as Aizen's abilities improved, its range of perception grew vast.

In terms of detection radius, it even surpassed Observation Haki.

Not long ago, in the distant Tanzaku Street, far from where Rasa fell, Aizen had sensed Tsunade's chakra.

That's why they came here.

"Lord Aizen, didn't you say we were going to Konoha?" Pakura asked in confusion.

Having just completed her revenge, Pakura felt lost, her heart empty.

If she had any desire left, it was to stay by Aizen's side.

She had grown used to this life.

"It's nothing. There's still plenty of time before the Chunin Exams. I just wanted to buy some gifts for Chika," Aizen casually made up an excuse. Of course, he couldn't tell her he was here to see Tsunade.