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"What is this?!" Hanzo's expression changed drastically as he stared at the enormous creature before him.
The white serpent charging towards him had already grown larger than the salamander. And it had only been a short while.
The massive white serpent hissed and bit into the salamander, causing it to writhe in pain. Hanzo quickly formed hand seals.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Three water dragons surged from the poisonous waters and struck the white serpent, forcing its head back and making it release its grip. But in the next moment, the water dragons disappeared, leaving no trace of moisture behind.
Instead, the body of the white serpent grew even larger. It quickly coiled around the salamander, tightening its grip and nearly toppling the giant beast, almost throwing Hanzo off.
"What kind of monstrous creature is this?" Hanzo forced himself to stay calm, scanning the surroundings.
The level of the toxic water had dropped to the point where the ground was nearly visible. The surrounding rocks and soil had long since vanished. These were creations of chakra, and they shouldn't have disappeared so quickly.
The answer was clear.
"It absorbs chakra," Hanzo concluded as he watched the ever-expanding white serpent gradually engulf the entire salamander.
As the giant white serpent tightened its grip, compressing the space around Hanzo, he quickly made his move.
"Poof."
A puff of smoke appeared as the salamander vanished. If he allowed the white serpent to continue constricting, the salamander wouldn't have lasted.
With the salamander gone, the white serpent suddenly found more space to move, and in that brief moment, it lost control of its body, creating a small opening. Hanzo quickly leaped out, escaping to the outside.
He slammed his scythe into the serpent's head, but no blood flowed, and the serpent seemed unfazed by the attack. It opened its massive jaws, snapping at Hanzo.
At the last second, Hanzo swung with all his might, dodging the attack and landing on the serpent's head, quickly running down its body.
The white serpent tilted its head, unable to catch Hanzo in its jaws. Suddenly, its body began to emit a faint white glow.
Hanzo's pupils contracted. This wasn't good.
The white glow transformed into flames, and the white serpent became a fiery serpent, its entire body turning into flames.
Hanzo struggled, gradually dissolving into mist within the fire.
Water Clone Jutsu.
Hanzo's real body had disappeared.
The white serpent, unable to find its enemy, began to coil into itself, transforming into a blazing mountain of flames, which shrank rapidly over time until there was no trace of fire left, only a charred mark on the ground.
"Is that... Orochimaru-sama's power?" The Konoha ninjas watching from a distance felt a chill run down their spines, their respect for Orochimaru deepening.
Having such a powerful shinobi in Konoha made them feel a deep sense of pride.
"Orochimaru's power is incredible," Might Duy said in awe. It was the first time he had seen such a massive creature.
He wondered if he could kick it to death with one blow.
Watching the expressionless Orochimaru, Might Duy marveled again. Orochimaru's strength was beyond what he could match without opening the Eighth Gate. The ever-growing serpent seemed unstoppable.
"Did it work?" Orochimaru gazed at the spot where the flames had extinguished, the white serpent no longer in sight.
As for Hanzo's escape, Orochimaru had anticipated it.
That technique—Immortal Seal: Final! Infinite Serpent!—was developed based on the Immortal Seal.
Its primary function was to absorb chakra and grow in size. As long as there was chakra present around it, the white serpent's body could continue expanding indefinitely. Essentially, it was earth-elemental in nature, though it hadn't reached a certain hardness, allowing weapons to leave marks on its body.
However, the serpent could use chakra to heal itself, compensating for this flaw. The elemental transformation into fire was a secondary jutsu, converting the earth element into fire.
While Orochimaru had a hunch about the technique's power, seeing it in action for the first time left him with a sense of awe.
"The Infinite Serpent is indeed powerful, but it has too many limitations," Orochimaru mused.
This was his first time using it, and he had developed it while fighting during the war. It had only recently been completed.
However, despite its apparent strength, the Infinite Serpent had a critical weakness—chakra consumption.
If it weren't for the vast amount of water sprayed by Hanzo, containing a significant amount of chakra, the Infinite Serpent wouldn't have grown so quickly.
The Infinite Serpent's existence required a continuous chakra supply, and while its absorption rate exceeded its consumption, the balance was delicate.
In a normal environment, if the Infinite Serpent went more than a minute without absorbing chakra, its body would shrink.
Against a taijutsu specialist, the Infinite Serpent wouldn't be able to display the same power it had today. Additionally, the serpent's chakra absorption speed was limited, and its consumption would increase with its size.
In reality, it couldn't achieve true infinity.
But this was just the initial development. Orochimaru knew he could continue refining and improving it.
Perhaps, when the Infinite Serpent was fully perfected...
"Maybe I could reach the heights of the First Hokage."
But relying solely on his own development speed might not be enough.
What if he had Jin help him with the research?
A gentle smile spread across Orochimaru's face.
After all, as a student, Jin should assist his teacher. Surely, he wouldn't refuse.
Even if there was no official relationship, in reality, Jin had inherited many of Orochimaru's abilities.
As for the possibility of Jin refusing?
Orochimaru hadn't considered it.
"After all, Jin-kun, you still can't defeat me."
When Orochimaru returned to the camp, he received unexpected news.
"The Mist has joined the war?"
This made Orochimaru frown.
However, with the Mist, the Uchiha clan had put all their strength into that front. The Uchiha clan was not weak; they could hold off the Mist's advance.
But with battles on all fronts, the village's strength was dwindling. If the Cloud Village joined in as well, Konoha wouldn't have any forces left to spare.
Turning to the messenger, Orochimaru asked, "What does the old man say?"
Hiruzen had always hoped the Mist wouldn't join the Second War, as that would allow him to suppress the Uchiha clan's achievements.
But now, with no extra forces available, replacing the Uchiha wasn't an option.
"The Hokage says to be cautious of the Mist's assassins."
The Mist was known for its assassination tactics. They might send squads to assassinate the leaders of various battlefields, ensuring victory for the other villages. After all, the target of these villages had always been Konoha.
"Tell the old man that Iwagakure is likely planning to attack the Rock battlefield."
"Yes."
The ninja disappeared, leaving behind a puff of smoke.
Orochimaru's message was merely a notification.
The real focus would be on Jiraiya.
(End of Chapter)