"It's useless, you don't need to try,"
"This Birdcage is made with the sharpest and most robust threads I have, capable of cutting through the hardest metal in the world."
Controlling the enormous Birdcage in front of him, Yu watched as it rapidly contracted and closed in. Orochimaru, struggling inside like a trapped beast, elicited a cold and mocking smile from Yu's lips, "Trapped in there, you're like a caged bird, slowly awaiting the arrival of death!"
Indeed, although Birdcage was incredibly strong and sharp enough to cut through any flesh or object within, the gaps between the threads were sufficient to allow small objects to escape, such as the two little demons, Haku and Kimimaro, on the nearby ground.
Unfortunately, the massive white snake Orochimaru summoned with the Eight Branches Jutsu now in front of him had become the easiest target for Birdcage to envelop and harvest.
"Just like a Birdcage... what on earth is this thing?!"
Seeing this extremely shocking scene, Haku and Kimimaro, who had quickly escaped through the gaps, stared with widened eyes at the enormous Birdcage that covered the entire frozen forest overhead, rendering them speechless.
"Damn it... you think you can trap me with something like this?!"
Hearing Yu's cold and mocking words in front of him, Orochimaru, trapped within the shrinking Birdcage, continued to control the Eight Branches serpent to thrash wildly, but he couldn't break free from this incredibly sturdy cage. Instead, his massive body was continuously cut.
"No... I didn't intend to trap you..."
The frozen ground of the forest beneath the feet was continually being cut by the gigantic Birdcage. Watching the Eight Branches serpent, which had almost no room left to struggle, Yu revealed a cruel Devil-like smile at the corner of his mouth. With a gentle pull of the blue Chakra Threads in his hands, he said, "I intended to kill you..."
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method!!"
Michael, manipulated by Yu behind him, instantly stepped forward, activating the Magnet Release Chakra within him. He released all the black and highly poisonous Iron Sand in one breath, infiltrating the massive Birdcage before them like a looming dark cloud.
"Iron Sand?!"
"This guy... could it be?!"
The colossal Eight Branches serpent was almost immobile within the Birdcage. At this moment, witnessing Yu manipulating Michael to release the Iron Sand, a sense of ominous foreboding surged within Orochimaru's heart.
"Boom!"
Ignoring Orochimaru's increasingly frantic expression, countless black and highly poisonous Iron Sand, manipulated by Michael, fiercely collided within the Birdcage, increasing the magnetic force. The repulsive force of the magnetic field wildly spread in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, numerous cone-shaped Iron Sand continuously exploded within the shrinking Birdcage. They irregularly extended, resembling a massive black thornbush blooming inside the Birdcage, piercing the body of the Eight Branches serpent into a sieve in an instant!
"Hiss roar!"
The massive body was pierced by countless poisonous Iron Sand. Attempts to struggle and resist were futile as the surrounding Birdcage continuously cut and constricted. The sixteen cold and cruel snake pupils of the Eight Branches serpent finally clouded over with a layer of deathly gray.
"It's over."
Focusing his gaze on the Eight Branches serpent in front, struggling in its dying moments and powerless to resist, Yu lightly moved his fingers. The freezing power erupted from Toshogun beneath his feet on the icy ground, and he pressed both hands forcefully onto the surface.
"Ice prison!!"
Suddenly, dozens of enormous and colossal ice pillars condensed in the air, under Toshogun's control, fiercely colliding and converging towards the center.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Finally, in the moment when Birdcage completely closed, shattering the Eight Branches serpent into pieces, Toshogun's full-force freezing power instantly turned everything before him into a despair-inducing white ice field.
"Ah... Finally done."
With the dust settled and observing the silence of the white ice field, Yu finally heaved a long sigh after realizing that Observation Haki could no longer detect any signs of life within it.
However, even though the Eight Branches serpent before him was completely killed and Orochimaru seemed to have lost any signs of life. Yet, Orochimaru was known for his myriad life-preserving techniques, making it difficult for Yu to be certain if he had truly killed him.
"Yu-sama... Is this also the power of a ninja?"
Watching Yu descend from the sky, Haku stammered out the question in his mind, a sentiment shared by Kimimaro.
"Well, how should I put it..."
"It's not like every ninja can possess such formidable power."
After retracting all four Devil Puppets into the alternate space of the Kairoseki Door Fruit, Yu felt the bewildered gazes of Haku and Kimimaro beside him. He scratched his head in a somewhat helpless manner. It seemed like there would be an opportunity to explain the ninja hierarchy to them in detail later.
"Let's leave the explanations for later. For now, let's get out of here."
After saying this, Yu took the two of them away from the forest. The exaggerated commotion had already attracted the attention of many nearby ninjas and ordinary residents.
Later on, this frozen forest, untouched for two weeks, and the massive ice field that appeared out of nowhere became a symbol of divinity for the local indigenous people, who would often worship it.
...
"If during this period, he have already developed the Curse Seal...
That guy should be able to regenerate in other places..."
On the way back, Yu reminisced about the recent battle with Orochimaru. Even though he had blasted his body into fragments, considering Orochimaru's various regenerative techniques displayed in the anime, Yu couldn't shake the feeling that Orochimaru wouldn't be easily taken down.
"Hey, young man..."
"Do you know the meaning of existence?"
On the way back, sensing Haku and Kimimaro looking at him with admiration and reverence, Yu raised the corner of his mouth and spoke to Kimimaro.
'The meaning of existence?'
Upon hearing this, Kimimaro withdrew his gaze and shook his head somewhat confused.
Seeing Kimimaro's expression, Yu shook his head inwardly. In this chaotic ninja world, there were questions everywhere. Talented youngsters like Kimimaro often felt lost about the meaning of their existence. That's why, in the anime, Orochimaru was able to easily manipulate him with his deceptive talk no jutsu.
"Every person born into this world undoubtedly has their own unique meaning of existence."
"You don't have to insist on finding a reason. You can live for yourself, for the people who matter to you."
As they walked, Yu continued to explain to Kimimaro, using his own talk no jutsu.
"Living for oneself... living for the people who matter..."
Kimimaro muttered somewhat bewilderedly. He glanced at Haku beside him, observing the happy smile on Haku's face. Gradually, Kimimaro's ice-green eyes emitted a determined hue.
'It seems I have a promising future in the talk no jutsu...'
Seeing that Kimimaro seemed to have found an answer, the curve of Yu's smile widened, "Kimimaro, if you ever feel lonely, come walk with us. Become our comrade."
"Yeah, just like family..." Haku added with a smile.
'Comrades? Family?'
Kimimaro silently repeated these two unfamiliar terms in his heart. He looked up at Yu's expectant expression and Haku's kind smile, then nodded firmly, "Yes!"
"That's great! We have another comrade!"
Upon seeing Kimimaro nod in agreement, Haku immediately cheered and jumped with joy.
Watching the two kids' happy expressions, Yu couldn't help but chuckle. It felt good to be able to change the tragic fate of these two children who were originally destined for an early demise in the storyline.
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