The Curse of Prophecy: Speed of Despair

Chapter 6: The Flash of Hatred

The lab reeked of chemicals and decay, the shattered remains of Orochimaru's failed experiments crunching underfoot. Glass shards glistened like jagged stars against the lighting, reflecting the manic grin on Naruto's face.

"1 vs. 3, 1 vs. 1, it all ends the same way. I win."

Kabuto adjusted his glasses, his usual smirk faltering just a little. Kimimaro remained silent, his piercing gaze locked onto Naruto. Orochimaru, however, chuckled.

"How confident," the Sannin mused, his golden eyes gleaming. "Let's see if you can back up those words."

Naruto tilted his head, crimson lightning crackling around him. "Oh, snake man, I don't back up. I run circles around people like you."

Kimimaro moved first. A flicker of motion, then bone spikes erupted from his arms, slashing through the air where Naruto had been a fraction of a second ago. But Naruto was already behind him.

"Whoa, whoa! Personal space, buddy!" Naruto taunted, flicking Kimimaro's ear before phasing through him like a ghost.

Kimimaro spun, his instincts razor-sharp, but Naruto was already gone, now standing by Orochimaru, drumming his fingers on the Sannin's shoulder like an impatient customer.

"You feel that, Orochi? That's your chances of winning slipping away."

Orochimaru hissed and lashed out with his snake-like tongue, aiming to ensnare Naruto. But the boy vibrated, passing through the slimy appendage like mist.

Kabuto, ever the opportunist, threw a chakra scalpel slash at Naruto's side.

The blade connected, except it didn't. Kabuto's strike phased harmlessly through Naruto's body, like swiping at a shadow.

"Oh, my bad," Naruto mocked, staring at Kabuto. "You actually thought that would hit me?"

Before Kabuto could react, Naruto snapped his fingers, a thunderous shockwave blasted the medic-nin backward, sending him skidding across the glass-covered floor.

"Ow," Kabuto muttered, pushing himself up. "That actually stung."

"Yeah, and that was me going easy," Naruto grinned. "Want me to go full hater mode?"

Kimimaro, unfazed, extended his spinal cord like a whip, the bone segment lashing toward Naruto at blinding speeds.

Instead of dodging, Naruto ran straight at it, then through it. The attack phased harmlessly through his torso before he reappeared beside Kimimaro, whispering:

"Nice bones. You must drink a lot of milk?"

A blur of yellow lightning and suddenly Naruto was behind Kimimaro, delivering a heel kick to the back of his head.

Kimimaro staggered but didn't fall, twisting his body unnaturally to counter with a bone blade.

But Naruto wasn't there anymore.

Instead, he was crouched on the ceiling, casually lounging upside-down.

"You know, for someone with a walking skeleton problem, you sure are stiff."

Kimimaro lunged again, but Naruto simply vibrated at the right frequency, letting Kimimaro's bone blade pass through his head harmlessly.

"Try again," Naruto said in a singsong voice, before casually flicking Kimimaro on the forehead.

The impact sent Kimimaro flying back into a wall, cracking the stone upon impact.

---

Orochimaru sighed, clearly annoyed. "You're fast, I'll give you that. But let's see how you handle this..."

With a sickening squelch, a massive white snake erupted from his mouth, launching itself at Naruto.

Naruto simply stood still, watching the monstrous snake surge toward him with its fangs bared, then, at the last second, he vibrated through the ground, phasing completely out of reach.

Orochimaru's snake bit into nothing.

Then, from the opposite side of the room, Naruto reappeared, smirking. "Gonna be honest, Orochi, I've seen faster snakes in a pet store."

Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed. His hands moved in a blur, hidden snake hands technique. Dozens of venomous serpents shot out, their fangs dripping with poison.

Naruto simply vibrated, letting the snakes phase through him.

"Man, you really don't get it, do you?" Naruto yawned. "You can't hit what you can't touch."

With that, he vanished again, and suddenly Orochimaru was sent flying across the lab, crashing into one of his broken experiment tubes.

Glass and liquid splattered everywhere as Orochimaru groaned, but Naruto was already in his face, crouching beside him.

"You still awake, big guy?" Naruto asked, grinning. "I need you conscious for the rest of your L."

Orochimaru lunged with a kunai, only to find Naruto had already moved behind him before the attack even started.

"Too slow," Naruto whispered in his ear.

Then, with a snap of his fingers, a crimson lightning bolt struck Orochimaru, sending him convulsing into the wreckage.

Kabuto, seeing the state of his master and Kimimaro, gritted his teeth. He began weaving signs.

"Let's see how fast you are when you can't move."

He slammed his hands to the ground, using a Chakra Scalpel-enhanced paralysis jutsu.

A wave of chakra pulsed outward. If Naruto was caught in it, his nervous system would be disrupted, rendering his movements useless.

For a moment, it seemed like Naruto had been hit.

But then...

Kabuto blinked, Naruto was right in front of him.

"Nice try," Naruto whispered.

Then he simply flicked Kabuto's forehead.

The medic exploded backward, smashing through another glass tank.

---

Naruto stood over his fallen opponents. Orochimaru groaned, his limbs twitching from the aftereffects of the lightning. Kimimaro struggled to stand, but his vision swam. Kabuto was dazed, buried under broken glass.

Naruto dusted off his shoulders.

"Told you," he said smugly. "One versus three, one versus one, it all ends the same way."

Then he crouched down, looking at Orochimaru with a grin that was all hatred and amusement.

"Don't worry, snake man," he whispered, voice dripping with malice. "This ain't the last time we'll meet. You're gonna learn what it means to be on my bad side."

With a final CRACK of lightning, Naruto vanished.

And Orochimaru, for the first time in years, felt something truly rare.

Fear.