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"What a handy ability!"
Blocking Toshiro's attack with his sword, Orochimaru used the force of impact to create distance between them. As he pulled back, the massive snake that Toshiro had struck earlier surged forward again, launching itself at him.
This time, instead of attacking head-on, the snake coiled its entire body, maneuvering in a wide arc around Toshiro's flank. Its belly scales shifted quickly, wrapping him in a constricting wall of muscle and forming a towering mass of flesh around him. Slowly, the coils tightened, aiming to crush Toshiro in the same way it had overwhelmed so many other opponents.
However, this level of attack was hardly a challenge for Toshiro.
As he channeled more chakra, the long chakra sword in his hand extended well beyond its original two meters.
Swish, swish, swish!
A series of blue chakra flashes cut through the air, and the massive snake that had been tightening around him suddenly froze. Moments later, its entire body convulsed, and streams of blood spurted from the cleanly cut sections.
"What a nuisance!"
Seeing the torrent of blood rushing toward him, Toshiro, now put on the defensive by Orochimaru's moves, didn't waste time. He activated his own version of Hyuuga clan's Rotation jutsu—to shield himself from the bloody onslaught.
Orochimaru, observing from a distance, showed no regret over the demise of his summoned serpent. Instead, a sly smile crept across his face, signaling that his prey had fallen right into his trap.
"Boom!"
At his signal, the serpent's scales began to shift. The originally palm-sized, yellow-brown scales vanished, exposing a dense layer of explosive tags beneath.
Rumble!
A massive orange-red explosion erupted, filling the air with thick, dark smoke.
This tactic was a favorite of Orochimaru's. He often began with an initial assault by his summoned serpent, followed by his own moves to divert his opponent's attention, and finally unleashed the exploding tags as a surprise maneuver, leading into the explosive finale.
Ordinary ninjas would be defeated within just three moves of this sequence. For stronger opponents, Orochimaru would summon additional serpents to unleash a relentless fourth wave. If even that proved insufficient, he would then manipulate the giant snake to encircle the opponent, detonating pre-placed explosive tags to obliterate them completely.
This well-coordinated chain of attacks was designed to catch even powerful, kage-level opponents off guard, with potentially fatal consequences if they slipped up even once.
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"What was that sound?"
A squad of Iwa Shinobi, dressed in their standard khaki and red combat gear, was patrolling the border when the group's leader paused, listening intently.
"I thought I heard a massive detonation, like multiple explosive tags going off."
But the sound had faded as quickly as it had come, leaving only the eerie whistling of wind weaving through the hills.
Turning to his team with some hesitation, he asked, "Did anyone else hear that?"
"Captain Kasshoku, we didn't notice anything!"
The Iwa Shinobi following behind exchanged puzzled glances before shaking their heads in unison.
"Did I imagine it?" Captain Kasshoku muttered, frowning. Having just returned from intense battles with the Cloud village, he was still on edge, unaccustomed to the quiet of a routine border patrol. He listened intently for a few moments longer but heard nothing out of the ordinary.
"Captain! Look over there!"
One of the younger Shinobi pointed toward the horizon, prompting Kasshoku to shift his gaze. Following the outstretched finger, he noticed something unusual in the distance.
"That's black smoke from the large-scale detonation of exploding tags. Gungi, go back and report this immediately, and have the outpost send reinforcements. The rest of you, come with me to investigate!"
Kasshoku instructed his subordinate who had noticed the disturbance to relay the news, then proceeded with the remaining team toward the source of the blast.
Rumble!
A deafening explosion echoed as the massive serpent, several meters thick, was obliterated by a barrage of explosions.
"is he dead?"
The summoned snake's remains flew hundreds of meters, scattering flesh and blood across the area, transforming it into a gruesome scene.
Even the figure of Toshiro was nowhere to be seen, as if he had vanished in the recent explosion.
"Did you escape underground? Or was it some other technique I don't know about?"
Orochimaru's golden, snake-like eyes narrowed as he raised his sword defensively across his chest, scanning for any sign of Toshiro. He suspected Toshiro had taken some injuries and was hiding below ground but doubted it would be enough to secure an easy victory.
Clang!
As expected, just as he positioned his sword defensively, Orochimaru's heightened snake senses detected a heat signature swiftly closing in from behind.
"Impressive sensing skills, senpai—you managed to pinpoint my approach!"
Toshiro's attack had been deflected, but instead of frustration, he looked on with curiosity, intrigued by Orochimaru's uncanny ability to sense an opponent's presence.
With years of training in sage mode, he could evade detection by ordinary sensing methods.
"I'm also quite intrigued by how you managed to escape, as well as this unusual concealment technique—I'd like to understand it more clearly!"
Blocking Toshiro's forceful strike, Orochimaru felt both surprised at his opponent's tactics and maintained his own steady offense.
With a swift cross, the Kusanagi sword in Orochimaru's hand extended unexpectedly, aiming at Toshiro's heart from an unanticipated angle.
"Is this the old man Sarutobi's strategy? You certainly live up to being a disciple of the Third Hokage!'"
"They say 'a longer reach gives greater strength,' and against this incredibly long, razor-sharp sword, Toshiro closed in directly beside Orochimaru.
In his hand, the chakra blade transformed into a short sword, barely a foot long, darting swiftly as he wielded it.
Yikes!
A flash of cyan light flickered as the close range made it challenging for even Orochimaru's flexible body to dodge effectively. Leaning back until his head nearly touched the ground, he narrowly avoided the sudden extension of 'Frost Sky' in Toshiro's hand. Though he evaded the attack, his earthy yellow robe still suffered a long slash across the chest.
Just as Toshiro prepared to press his advantage, Orochimaru's unexpected counterattack struck from an impossible angle.
'What a snake-like flexibilty!'
With his body arched backward, head nearly touching the ground, Orochimaru continued to contort, twisting to bring his head up between his legs. He opened his mouth, releasing a large snake with a scarlet, extended tongue.
Toshiro had no desire to make contact with this tongue—not only did it carry a surprising speed and force, but the slick, unknown fluid coating it made him keep his distance.
"You're a grown man, attacking people with your tongue at every turn—what are you trying to do?"
Leaping back to put distance between himself and Orochimaru, Toshiro raised his sword in midair to deflect the edge of the Kusanagi. Then he exhaled, launching a blazing fireball toward Orochimaru's extended tongue and his body.
This guy wasn't just attacking with his tongue—he was making it follow him. Toshiro had had enough of this perversion and sent a fireball to see if Orochimaru's tongue was as invulnerable as it seemed.
However, a simple fireball couldn't reach Orochimaru. Just before it closed in, the ground beneath Orochimaru rippled like water, swallowing him completely.
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