This was the first time the Ten-headed Serpent had spoken to Obito and the others.
Upon seeing the two challengers still daring to face it, the serpent no longer saw them as mere prey that could be swallowed at will but as actual enemies that needed to be dealt with.
However, its words were met with no response.
While Asuma and Obito were surprised that the giant snake could suddenly speak, they had no time to dwell on it.
Each of them had already attached their secret technique shuriken to the hilt of their swords and, as usual, infused their swords with chakra to power the shuriken's rotation.
Yet, they soon realised that the secret shuriken technique seemed to be a bottomless pit—no matter how much chakra they infused, even three or four times more than they would for a regular shuriken technique, they still couldn't activate it.
Exchanging a glance, both of them quickly understood that after this move, they would likely end up like Ebisu, completely drained of all their chakra…
But at this critical moment, there was no other option. They both shouted in unison and began pouring all their chakra into their blades.
If that's the case, they would decide the battle with this move!
Soon, the shuriken on both swords began to spin at high speed, emitting a blinding red light.
At this point, the giant serpent, still waiting for a response, realised that the battle hadn't officially started, and yet they were charging up a big move without any consideration for ninja ethics.
Angered at being ignored and subconsciously wary of the technique they were about to unleash, the serpent made a swift decision—it opened its massive mouth to bite at them!
Buzz!
At the same time, Asuma's sword burst into a dazzling flame…
Only for the fire to quickly turn purple, becoming a raging purple blaze!
In a flash of inspiration, Asuma tightly gripped his sword and, with all his strength, swung it upward from the ground!
"Shuriken Secret Technique—Eight Sake Cups!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
With Asuma's swing, columns of searing purple fire erupted continuously from the ground, rapidly advancing in a straight line towards the oncoming serpent.
The serpent, which had been charging at them, was momentarily struck with fear as the sight of the purple flames triggered painful memories from before. It immediately halted its advance, trying to avoid the approaching fire pillars.
However, just as it tried to weave its way out of the fire's path, the purple flames suddenly split off and blocked its escape route!
The fire pillars then extended further, completely cutting off any path of retreat for the serpent!
A total of eight purple fire pillars encircled the giant snake like a cage, rotating rapidly, leaving it no chance to escape.
Thud.
Asuma, whose battle armour had now been deactivated, collapsed to one knee, using his sword for support to avoid falling.
"As expected, sensei is too biased. You've stolen the spotlight again, Obito."
With an exasperated look, Asuma glanced at Obito, "Don't mess this up like you usually do, kid."
"Leave it to me," Obito replied, unusually serious.
By now, his sword had finished gathering chakra, absorbing even more than Asuma's previous technique.
The shuriken on the hilt was spinning rapidly, emitting a continuous buzzing sound!
Then, Obito raised his right hand, holding his sword horizontally in front of him. His left hand, in a palm shape, slowly slid along the blade, from hilt to tip…
As his hand moved, a deep red, intense flame began to climb up the entire length of the blade.
It was clear that Obito's and Asuma's techniques were complementary.
Without Asuma's move to restrain the enemy, Obito wouldn't have had the chance to unleash his slow-charging technique.
And now was the perfect time to strike!
"Shuriken Secret Technique…"
Obito shouted, charging towards the still-trapped giant serpent, and leapt into the air with his sword blazing in fiery red flames.
In the serpent's terrified eyes, Obito gathered all his strength and slashed downwards!
"—Orochi Slayer!!"
Boom!
In the next instant, a violent crimson flame shot up into the sky from the forest!
The serpent's massive form was immediately engulfed in a scene resembling a hellish inferno of crimson flames!
All that remained of the serpent's presence was its ongoing, agonised screams...
...
After a brief yet seemingly endless wait, the terrifying flames finally began to subside.
Thanks to the serpent's earlier struggle, a firebreak had been unintentionally created around them, preventing the blaze from spreading further.
Exhausted, Obito and Asuma leaned on each other as they approached the scorched area where the giant serpent's charred body lay. Only then did they finally breathe a sigh of relief, collapsing back-to-back on the ground.
It was indeed over this time…
Though they had defeated the giant serpent, they didn't feel any real sense of victory.
If not for the equipment given to them by Natsuhiko-sensei, especially the secret shuriken techniques that had appeared at the last moment, they would have been devoured by the serpent from the start.
Both of them, having grown slightly smug over their recent progress, finally realised after this battle that they still had a long way to go…
And that, perhaps, was why Natsuhiko had watched from the sidelines without stepping in directly.
"My apologies, Natsuhiko-kun. At the last moment, I cancelled the summoning technique, leaving behind only a shed snake skin," Orochimaru said apologetically. "If I had let that thing truly die here, I wouldn't be able to explain it to Ryūchi Cave."
"Consider that shed skin my apology gift to you and Asuma. I'm sorry for dragging you into this just to test my disciples."
Orochimaru slightly bowed.
Natsuhiko quickly waved it off, "Orochimaru-sama, you flatter me. I should be the one thanking you for creating such a great combat opportunity for them."
Hearing this, Orochimaru recalled the last moment of the battle and couldn't help but smile with interest.
"The Eight Sake Cups and the Orochi Slayer…"
"It seems you, too, are well-versed in the legend of the Yamata-no-Orochi. We should exchange thoughts on it sometime."
Natsuhiko's mouth twitched slightly at this.
How could he have forgotten? Orochimaru himself was essentially the embodiment of Yamata-no-Orochi.
Fortunately, he hadn't developed the Eight-Forked Serpent Technique yet, so he likely didn't feel offended.
Orochimaru then asked with curiosity,
"One more thing… Asuma and Obito's final techniques, while impressive, didn't seem to be as powerful as they appeared. Why is that?"
Natsuhiko shrugged, "Special effects. I added special effects."
It was the classic case of "when power isn't enough, add special effects!"
Orochimaru's expression froze momentarily; then he smiled bitterly,
"I suppose I still don't fully understand you youngsters."
"Not at all, Orochimaru-sama, you're still very young," Natsuhiko replied, while thinking to himself:
"And you're only going to get younger in the future…"
With his curiosity satisfied, Orochimaru said,
"Since the matter's resolved, I should take my leave."
"The flames must've attracted the attention of the Anbu, but I'll take care of them. No need for you to worry, Natsuhiko-kun."
Natsuhiko nodded in understanding.
Orochimaru turned to leave, but after a few steps, he seemed to remember something and looked back with a smile.
"Natsuhiko-kun, when you have time, feel free to visit my lab. I have some questions about sealing techniques I'd love to discuss with you."
It seemed that after watching the battle, Orochimaru had developed new thoughts about Natsuhiko.
If it was Natsuhiko, perhaps he could offer a unique breakthrough in Orochimaru's study of Sage techniques...
Orochimaru mused to himself.
Natsuhiko, for his part, readily agreed, thinking to himself that with all the projects he was juggling, maybe he could outsource some of the less important ones to Orochimaru…
Both of them, each planning to exploit the other, parted ways after setting up their next meeting…
(End of Chapter)
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