The Hidden Mist Blacksmith, forging the glory of the Ninja Sword Style!

But soon, the cat-earer realized that he had been overthinking things.

He was a vicious criminal who had wiped out his own ninja clan.

Do I need a reason to take action?

No reason is needed at all.

I'm a madman myself.

Whatever you do is acceptable, right?

With this in mind, the cat-like creature, the bamboo-trap, did not hesitate.

"keel!"

With a dull thud, the bamboo cat leaped out of the hot spring.

In an instant, they were in front of Orochimaru.

He raised the dragon bone in his hand high and slashed it down at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru's pupils shrank.

"what?"

I had barely stepped in and hadn't even finished speaking when the other party attacked me?

Orochimaru was taken aback by the actions of the bamboo-cutter cat.

Orochimaru believed that regardless of whether someone was a friend or foe, they should at least exchange a few words first.

Is this a customary "rule of conduct" in the ninja world?

However, the bamboo-tendering cat doesn't play by the rules.

"Snake Hand!"

A snake appeared and coiled around Orochimaru's arm, like an arm guard.

The dragon bone of the bamboo-cutting cat fell.

Orochimaru's snake monster let out a cry, but did not die. Instead, it climbed up the dragon bone and bit at the Taketori cat's arm.

"Pfft!"

Just as the snake was about to bite the cat, the snake was about to bite the cat.

A white bone pierced through the arm of the bamboo cat.

In one stroke, the snake was pierced through.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Is this the power of your Zanpakuto?"

"No, that's not right. This should be the bloodline limit of your Kaguya clan's Corpse Bone Pulse."

"I've heard that it's been a long time since anyone has awakened this bloodline limit."

"So this is how you killed so many members of the Bamboo Cutter Clan?"

"Where is your Zanpakuto?"

The dragon bone's appearance made Orochimaru doubt that it was a Zanpakuto.

The unremarkable slashes didn't strike Orochimaru as anything special.

"So, that guess was true?"

"Was the extermination of the Kaguya clan carried out by Kirigakure?"

"The dragon bone thing is just a smokescreen."

"The Taketori Neko didn't even bring his Zanpakuto?"

Orochimaru couldn't help but speculate like that.

The first strike from the dragon bone felt completely unremarkable to Orochimaru.

Kiriichimonji, the Blue Rose Sword, the Water Dragon Possession, and more.

However, the second attack from the bamboo cat then landed.

This time, Orochimaru used the same method to defend himself.

But the results were completely different.

"Crack!"

A tremendous force descended.

Not only Orochimaru's snake, but it was also cut in two.

Along with it, there were also the bones in Orochimaru's arm.

Orochimaru's expression changed.

"This power is incredible!"

Orochimaru retreated repeatedly.

However, close combat is what the Taketori Neko excels at. Since they've already gotten close, how could the Taketori Neko possibly give Orochimaru a chance to create distance? As Orochimaru retreats, the Taketori Neko chases.

After a series of attacks, Orochimaru was immediately covered in wounds.

At this moment, Orochimaru finally understood.

What the cat in the bamboo shooter's hand was Ryukotsu, the very same Zanpakuto.

"Intermittent bursts of power."

"The power is completely doubled."

"I can't stop this power."

"Stronger than all the taijutsu ninjas in Konoha."

"Unless it's Might Guy who has opened the Eight Gates."

"And we still need to open up to six doors, no, even six doors might not be enough."

Orochimaru's expression turned extremely serious.

With Orochimaru's judgment, he naturally wouldn't make a wrong judgment.

However, this does not mean that the Taketori Neko is actually stronger than Might Guy in his sixth gate form in terms of physical combat.

The Taketori cat is skilled in hand-to-hand combat.

However, relying on the dragon bone, the power of chopping with the dragon bone is extremely outstanding.

That's what Orochimaru was comparing.

In other aspects of physical combat, the Taketori cat is relatively weaker.

However, in terms of overall strength, the Taketori Neko also possesses the Shikotsumyaku bloodline limit.

It is extremely strong in both defense and offense.

Orochimaru, unable to summon Manda and with many of his Orochimaru-style ninjutsu yet undeveloped, suffered a significant loss of strength and was somewhat countered by Taketori Neko.

"Latent Shadow Snake Hands!"

Several large snakes appeared on Orochimaru's arm.

Some are responsible for defense.

Some were responsible for the attack.

However, when faced with these giant snakes, the katori cat grinned.

"Break it for me!"

The knife fell.

Under immense force, all of these large snakes were instantly severed in two.

However, this also bought Orochimaru some time.

"The Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"

More venomous snakes than ever before emerged from Orochimaru's mouth.

There were countless of them, densely packed, numbering in the thousands or tens of thousands at a glance. They all swarmed towards the bamboo-cutter cat, like a surging tide, threatening to drown it.

This time, the bamboo-cutting cat was held back.

There are too many venomous snakes.

"Corpse Bone Vein, Iron Hedgehog!"

Numerous white bones emerged from the body of the bamboo cat.

It's not long, but there are many of them.

Like bamboo shoots, they firmly protect the body of the bamboo-cutter cat, like a set of protective armor.

The venomous snakes lunged, but found no way to bite.

The methods they used this time were somewhat similar.

In addition to his normal abilities, he also used mental pollution attacks. People with trypophobia would probably find it unbearable to face either Orochimaru or the Kaguya Neko.

"Tankori Neko, I'm not here to be your enemy. Can we talk?"

The cat that cuts through bamboo leaves did not answer.

Orochimaru took a deep breath.

"If you are truly a rogue ninja from Kirigakure, Konoha can offer you a place to stay."

"If you weren't a rogue ninja from Kirigakure, carrying such a heavy burden of guilt, are you sure Kirigakure will clear your name in the future?"

"Even the Third Mizukage has disappeared. If you weren't a rogue ninja from Kirigakure, how many people in Kirigakure would remember your true identity?"

"Have you ever thought about it?"

"In the end, people should think about themselves."