Disclaimer:
Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto.
I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 204: Naruto vs Orochimaru Part 3
"Orochimaru, do something about these pests!" Manda complained while it was getting overwhelmed by the toads.
"Summon more of my clansmen," it demanded.
"Tsk… as if it were that easy," Orochimaru muttered under his breath.
It wasn't as though the thought hadn't crossed his mind, but summoning Manda had already consumed a significant portion of his chakra reserves. Summoning additional powerful creatures would drain him too much, forcing him to retreat from the battle.
'Wait… there's something else I can summon,' the Sannin thought.
"Keep them occupied for a few seconds!" Orochimaru commanded before leaping down from the snake's head.
The Toad Clan had surrounded Manda and continued their relentless assault.
"Argh! Get off me, you damn toads!" the Snake Lord roared, whipping its tail violently in an attempt to fend them off.
As soon as Orochimaru's feet touched the ground, he sprang into action. He had no time to waste if he wanted this to work.
The Sannin moved to a good distance away from the battle and was about to unfurl a large scroll when he was abruptly reminded of something critical amid the chaos. He had failed to keep track of the boy's position.
Naruto appeared behind him and delivered a powerful kick to his side.
"You brat!" Orochimaru snarled, tumbling before quickly recovering. He turned to face Naruto, his expression murderous. "You think you can fight me up close? I'll kill you first!"
Orochimaru opened his mouth, and the Kusanagi sword slithered out, extending at an incredible speed toward Naruto.
"Second Step… Rippling Stream."
Naruto unsheathed his sword and executed a precise circular motion that deflected Orochimaru's attack, sending it veering off course.
"If you want a sword fight… I'll humor you. But I'm not much of a swordsman," Naruto admitted.
He had practiced the style left behind by his mother, combining it with what little knowledge he retained from his previous life, but he still considered himself far from a skilled sword cultivator.
The sword manual from the Uzumaki clan was separated into six steps and they weren't too difficult to master, once he had some proper time to spare. Combining them with wind chakra, as Azuma had taught him, had also been surprisingly easy.
The only difficult part was to also imbue Sword Chi on every attack. This required a level of mastery and understanding of the Sword Dao that he struggled with since this had never been something he had put any focus on, during his previous life.
Naruto infused his blade with wind chakra and adopted the Uzumaki sword-style stance.
"Step Three… Rolling Waves."
A swift horizontal slash sent a blade of wind hurtling toward Orochimaru.
The two stood several yards apart, but Naruto's attack tore through everything in its path, covering a large area and cutting everything that it came across.
Sensing the danger, Orochimaru didn't attempt to block or deflect it. Instead, he ducked to the ground, losing some hair as the wind blade sliced just above him.
Naruto seized the opportunity to close the gap between them, continuing his assault.
"Step Four… Raging Torrent." A flurry of strikes targeted Orochimaru's vital areas.
The Sannin struggled to block the onslaught, even with the aid of the Sharingan.
Each of Naruto's movements was lightning-fast and aimed with extreme precision.
"Urgh!" Orochimaru groaned as cold steel bit into his leg. "Damn you!"
He clashed his legendary blade against Naruto's Crimson Dragon.
While Naruto's sword was one of the finest Konoha had to offer, it paled in comparison to the Kusanagi, a unique legendary sword that many spent their lifetimes trying to find. With this, the outcome was inevitable.
With a loud crack, Naruto's blade was severed in two, forcing him to retreat before Orochimaru could counterattack.
Orochimaru grunted as he pulled the broken steel shard from his leg. The wound began to heal almost instantly.
It wasn't the physical injury that stung him...it was his pride. He had been bested in their exchange, prevailing only because of his superior weapon.
Naruto glanced at his broken sword with a deep frown. "I won't be able to afford a better sword than this one…"He wasn't exactly swimming in money. And even if he was, swords better than this one would be very hard to find.
'I never intended to become a serious sword cultivator,' he mused to himself as consolation. 'The Dao of the Sword is just a side path… but I still enjoy practicing it.'
His gaze shifted to Orochimaru's sword. It didn't appear particularly remarkable, but the ease with which it had shattered his blade, and the fact that it was wielded by a Sannin, spoke volumes about its quality.
'Maybe I should take that one from him. It'd be fair since he broke mine,' Naruto reasoned. He was not one to let a treasure go away if he had the chance to take it.
He glanced briefly at the toads, who were still battling the giant snake. Manda's chakra was flickering, a clear sign that its summon was nearing its end.
Orochimar however, showed no signs of summoning reinforcements. Instead, he seemed preoccupied with a scroll.
As Naruto contemplated his next move, a sudden surge of chakra erupted from the lake. "What is that?"
A torrent of water shot skyward, forming massive waves that spread in all directions.
Something colossal emerged from the lake. Its form was difficult to discern at first, but it almost resembled…
"A tortoise? Wait… this chakra feels like…"
Naruto couldn't see chakra flow as Hinata could, but he could sense it.
This creature's energy was different. There was no flow to it. But instead, it was a pure mass of chakra.
Only one type of entity in this world behaved in such a manner.
Naruto's eyes widened, his voice filled with excitement. "I've found another one!."
A.N: - Remember to comment, vote, and/or leave a review if you have the time. Those things help me a lot and I would really appreciate it.
You can Support me on P@treon if you like and get 20 advanced chapters.
-patreon.com/Kriogenix