A New Way of Ninja, (Naruto)

18: Final Decisions

Sasuke could not comprehend that Orochimaru was actually afraid of this woman, given how he considered her bearing and style to indicate that she had absolutely no ninja training.

But he didn't think of the fact that Orochimaru knew that she'd removed a Tailed Beast and a curse mark already. Her threat to remove his dark jutsu might not have sounded like something to just discard.

And since Orochimaru had no idea how she did it, he did not know if just her touching him would do it.

"You're bluffing," he said aloud. "Surely it takes too much time and effort to do that for you to do it now, in the heat of battle."

"It would take hardly any time at all," Shine said. Her eyes gleamed with fury. "And as I saw you were about to do the insidious act of trying to curse my own student. I'm already tempted to pry your jaw open and cut your fangs out myself. But if that's not enough incentive for you, you coward, I do have backup."

Momo was making other things while she was watching Shine.

Kankuro was next to her, ready to use his puppets.

Even so, none of them could have taken Orochimaru himself, not alone.

But with Shine backing them up, and Shoto no longer incapacitated...well...that was more of a threat.

Shoto didn't even know if Shine would be able to do as she said as easily as she made it sound, but her voice sounded so sure, he would have run for it if she'd talked to him that way.

Dabi knew that tone and knew that Shine would certainly hurt anyone who tried to attack her right now. He knew that she was stronger than she let on, and he had a feeling that Orochimaru had met enough people with power to know when someone meant what they said.

It was amazing how small he suddenly looked, though he was towering over her head and had an army of snakes.

Kabuto couldn't fathom why his master was hesitating...or he could, but thought he'd still think of something.

But Shine was not about to let her words' impact die down by deliberating too long.

She suddenly flashed her sword so brightly it nearly blinded everyone.

Orochimaru lurched away from it so fast his neck retracted.

"Get out of here," Shine said, in a low voice that was deadly. "Now."

Orochimaru, the terror of the Land of Fire...actually appeared to be afraid of her. Or he was afraid of her weapon, which naturally was something odious to him.

Pulling back, he glanced at Kabuto.

Gaara suddenly threw Kabuto toward him and knocked him over.

"Go while you still can," Gaara said, in also a pretty threatening voice.

Kabuto scrambled up, and he and Orochimaru both looked at Sasuke.

Sasuke was still frozen in place.

They glanced at each other, and then they vanished into smoke and were replaced with pieces of log.

"They're running," Temari said. "Or they're dodging."

But after a moment of being on high alert, it didn't seem they were hiding and attacking again.

Shine let out a long sigh.

Shoto expected that she would start lecturing him right away, but she didn't.

"Touya?" Shine asked. "What's wrong?"

"One of the d--- snakes bit me," Dabi said.

"Did you see which one it was?" Temari said at once. They had venomous snakes in the desert also.