Today was the second day of the three-day survival test, but Orochimaru and the others were still squatting and barely moving.
"Something is not right. It feels too calm," Orochimaru said, stopping his chakra practice and standing up from a boulder. He looked at his team members and spoke up.
Hyuga Kazuki stopped practising his Gentle Fist Technique, Falcon sheathed his sword, and Nightingale jumped down from the tree.
With Orochimaru's continuous reconnaissance and observation through the army of snakes, combined with his strategy of staying on the sidelines and passively preparing for battle, everyone seemed to have nothing to do, so they tried to keep busy.
It should be reasonable that the forest is vast, and everyone here is at least a Chunin-level ninja, and the instructor prohibits them from engaging in lethal combat. Therefore, the teams whose scrolls were stolen should be constantly roaming around the forest, attacking weaker teams, or forming alliances and acting together. However, it's strange that everything seems so quiet and peaceful now.
"Since last night, I haven't sensed any signs of large-scale chakra fluctuations or battles," Orochimaru said thoughtfully, gazing into the distance.
Snakes are very sensitive creatures, and while they may not be able to pinpoint the exact location of others, they can always detect traces of Chunin-level battles.
"I smell a conspiracy," Orochimaru finally spoke up after contemplating for a while.
"Captain, has something changed?" Hyuga Kazuki asked.
"It's hard to say. But it doesn't matter, let's take the initiative and attack," Orochimaru declared. He had been waiting here for a while, confident in his own strength and hoping that the scroll would come to them. But if something has indeed changed, then Orochimaru will take matters into his own hands.
Meanwhile, in a nearby bush, four other teams were lying low.
"Captain, the situation seems different. I feel like there are fewer people around," said one of the ninjas.
"We encountered a few teams from a distance before, and we tried to fight them, but couldn't determine the winner. But now, it's completely silent in the forest."
"What should we do? Are we panicking?" the team members became restless.
"No need to panic! We are fully prepared this time, and we've followed the instructor's advice to hide well. We'll definitely get our hands on the scroll this time!" The captain, with his robust physique and clothes, exuded confidence and strength.
"Captain, I think something is wrong!" one of the team members suddenly exclaimed, "Damn it! My raven just got taken out."
"What? Are there enemies nearby?" The surrounding team members were on edge.
"We have to go out. The enemy will find us eventually. Without our summoning beasts' detection, we're at a disadvantage. We should take the initiative to attack and fight head-on!" The captain, named Tiger, had a strong body and a clear mind. He knew that silently losing their summoning beast meant the opponent's detection methods were superior. They couldn't afford to stay hidden. They had to take the risk and fight back with their strength.
"If things go south, retreat to the trap we set up."
"Ninjutsu: Swamp of Lotus Formation!"
Orochimaru had already sensed the position of this group of people, but it seemed like the other party was well-prepared and stronger than the inexperienced team he encountered earlier.
In that case, it's time to attack.
Countless pitch-black snakes rushed toward them like a wave of death. Each snake's pupils glowed with scarlet light, their mouths hissed, and their sharp fangs gleamed menacingly. The attack was vast and terrifying, and anyone without determination would be overwhelmed with despair.
"Oops! We're surrounded! It's a black snake!" As soon as one of the team members revealed themselves, they were met with an intense attack, making their scalps tingle with fear, and they hurriedly responded.
"Use fire-style jutsu and prepare to escape!" the captain shouted, and there seemed to be white chakra flowing on his feet.
"Boom!"
The ground collapsed into a big pit, and the snakes around them were blown away. The other ninjas quickly formed hand seals.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bomb!"
"Fire Style: Burning Ash!"
Several fire-style jutsu were used, and the surrounding area was suddenly filled with flames. Trees caught fire, and thick smoke rose, possibly visible from afar.
"Our position is exposed! Fight back quickly, or we'll become targets!" the captain roared, somewhat regretting using fire-style jutsu. But Orochimaru's ninjutsu was too oppressive, and they had to act hastily.
Orochimaru's snakes were burned to the point of crackling, with many of them turning into charcoal. The snakes created by Orochimaru's ninjutsu were made of chakra, just like Wood Style's wooden trees.
"Gentle Fist : Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms"
A swift white figure suddenly appeared in the billowing smoke, attacking a ninja who was still in a daze with lightning-fast speed. It was Hyuga Kazuki who made the move.
The thick black smoke couldn't conceal Orochimaru's mental power, and Kazuki's Byakugan could accurately locate the opponent within that distance.
"What a crafty guy, you're going down!" The captain, Tiger, roared, with a circle of chakra swirling on his huge fist as he charged at Kazuki at a rapid pace.
"Not so fast!"
Hyuga Kazuki felt a gust of wind blowing toward his face and quickly used his strongest defence.
"Boom!"
Chakra radiated with light, and the two of them were pushed back simultaneously.
"Such incredible power!" Hyuga Kazuki was amazed, but after completing the task, he immediately retreated back into the smoke.
"The opponent's defence is really strong!" The captain looked grim because the team member hit by Hyuga Kazuki was knocked out and wouldn't be able to fight for a long time.
"Wind Style : Air Blade Whirlwind!"
"Earth Style: Earth Spear!"
Nightingale and Falcon also engaged in combat with the other two team members, and the four of them battled for a while.
"Captain Tiger, we need backup!" The two ninjas were caught off guard, and the captain, code-named Tiger, rushed over like a heavy tank.
"Your opponent is me."
A kunai suddenly shot towards his face, and just as Tiger was about to block it, Orochimaru quickly formed hand seals.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Shu—!" The kunai suddenly multiplied into a barrage that shrouded Tiger.
"Damn!"
Tiger was forced to halt, but he did something that surprised Orochimaru.
"Ninja Art : Apex Body Technique"
Tiger took a deep breath, as if he had grown slightly bigger, and his face turned flushed. In Orochimaru's perception, the chakra in his body suddenly became highly condensed, and a white chakra brilliance appeared on his body.
"Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-"
More than a dozen kunai hit him at the same time, and Tiger protected his vital points with both hands. The kunai merely pierced the skin slightly before bouncing off harmlessly, turning into smoke as they fell to the ground.
"This is... Strong Fist? Apex Body Technique? Using chakra to toughen the body? Strong Defence?"
Orochimaru was taken aback. Although Tiger's taijutsu technique seemed a bit crude, the direction of his abilities intrigued Orochimaru. He quickly activated his Sharingan's copying ability and recorded the technique's movements.
Blocking Orochimaru's kunai, Tiger roared, "Wave Fist!"
The breath he had held in just now was quickly exhaled, forming a white column of air. Simultaneously, the power inside him exploded, and he charged at Orochimaru like a cannonball.
Orochimaru attempted a mental attack on Tiger, but to his surprise, while there was some impact, Tiger was only momentarily dazed, and his forward momentum remained unchanged.
"This is quite interesting. This must be the effect of Apex Body Technique. It can actually improve mental resistance!" Orochimaru's scarlet snake pupils shone with excitement.
Most of the taijutsu in the Hidden Leaf Village is based on the same concept: faster-faster, stronger-stronger.
For instance, the Eight Inner Gates Technique. In its early stages, there are techniques like Konoha's Leaf Whirlwind and Front Lotus. At the Sixth Gate, it's all about pure power, like generating high-temperature flames by rapidly swinging the arms. At the Seventh Gate, it's about even faster arm movements generating shockwaves. It continues like this until the Eighth Gate, where one can even step on the air, kicking out air columns with tremendous force. Finally, with the Eighth Inner Gate opened, kicking out generates huge kinetic energy and friction in the air, forming a terrifying flame shockwave that can overpower even an opponent at the level of Sixth Path in a short time.
However, when it comes to true martial arts, Hyuga's Gentle Fist or Hyuga Hinata's Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists are the strongest.
There's no massive chakra, no need to summon a thousand-handed Buddha, and no need to burn life. It's as simple as a single palm strike that triggers an Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms attack with thousands of strikes. Attack and defence are combined, powerful, and versatile.
Maybe it's not as overwhelming as the Eighth Gate, but it embodies true martial arts. It doesn't blindly pursue attack power. Instead, it pursues the concept of "Dao." Its best successor is Otsutsuki Hamura.
If Otsutsuki Hamura fought against the Eighth Gate user, Hamura might initially be at a disadvantage, but in the end, he could outlast the opponent without sustaining damage.
Although Tiger's Taijutsu doesn't seem too powerful, it is worth Orochimaru's attention and learning because it embodies using strength to achieve effects beyond pure destructive power.
When power reaches its peak, it's all about the moves. Before reaching the level of the Six Paths, whoever has more chakra will be stronger. However, at the level of the Six Paths, the focus is on the moves.
The moves are unique and effective, which is why Orochimaru is interested in Tiger's Taijutsu.
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