"Orochimaru, the second round begins now!" Sasuke declared.
Before Sasuke finished speaking, he vanished like a ghost, disappearing in an instant.
Seeing this, Orochimaru immediately became vigilant, fearing that Sasuke might seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack.
At that moment, Orochimaru suddenly sensed a powerful presence approaching from behind. Startled, he quickly turned around, but it was too late. Sasuke appeared behind him like lightning, his right fist clenched, and struck with a force so powerful that it felt like a mountain crushing an egg. The ground shattered beneath Sasuke's fist.
However, when Orochimaru's body hit the ground, it turned into a pile of mud—it was a Substitution Jutsu. Orochimaru had anticipated Sasuke's attack and used the jutsu just in time to avoid the fatal blow.
"Tsk, it's really Orochimaru—he has so many ways to save his life!" Sasuke muttered, feeling a bit regretful. He had hoped his punch would land, but Orochimaru had easily dodged it.
"Cough... cough cough..." Orochimaru's voice came from a large tree in the distance. He looked a little disheveled, with fear etched on his face. If he hadn't foreseen Sasuke's sneak attack and reacted in time, he would likely have been a corpse at that moment. What was surprising was that Sasuke seemed to possess Tsunade's monstrous strength.
"Sasuke, this kid... Did he receive training from Tsunade? He even learned her monstrous strength! No wonder he no longer needs my guidance," Orochimaru thought, surprised.
Unfortunately for Orochimaru, he guessed wrong. He never expected that someone could master such powerful techniques by understanding their principles alone.
"Sasuke, even if Tsunade has trained you, it will be difficult for her to help you succeed in your quest for revenge. What's more, I know important information about the organization that Uchiha Itachi belongs to. Don't you want to hear it?" Orochimaru taunted.
"Orochimaru, you mean the Akatsuki organization that Uchiha Itachi joined? Sorry, I have no interest in their information. So, you'd better focus on fighting me!" Sasuke retorted.
After saying this, Sasuke immediately performed a jutsu without hand seals: "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
Chakra rapidly gathered in Sasuke's body, compressed into the shape of a fire dragon, and then shot out. Several blazing fire dragons rushed straight towards Orochimaru, attempting to engulf him.
Orochimaru transformed into a snake-like phantom, swiftly weaving through the trees. Sasuke's Dragon Flame Jutsu followed closely but only hit the air. As the flames gradually weakened, Sasuke stopped releasing the jutsu.
Seeing this, Orochimaru secretly rejoiced, thinking Sasuke's chakra was nearly depleted. Believing it was the perfect time to strike, he increased his speed and rushed toward Sasuke in a serpentine motion, quickly forming hand seals: "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Suddenly, more and even denser snakes than before erupted from Orochimaru's wide sleeves! Seeing this, the corners of Sasuke's mouth slightly curved upwards, revealing a subtle smile.
"Finally, I've been waiting for this!" Orochimaru thought to himself, realizing something was amiss.
At that moment, Sasuke stretched out his hands and released a powerful surge of electricity around him: "Chidori Nagashi!"
A burst of crackling sounds filled the air as countless fine electric currents spread out like a tide around Sasuke. Orochimaru's Hidden Shadow Snake Hands were instantly charred by the electricity, turning into a pile of roasted snake meat. Orochimaru himself was hit by the current, paralyzed all over, and fell uncontrollably from mid-air.
Seeing this, Sasuke swiftly drew his Kusanagi sword, grasped its hilt, and stabbed Orochimaru with lightning speed.
Orochimaru's eyes filled with fear and despair!
With a loud squelch, the sword pierced Orochimaru's body...
However, Sasuke frowned slightly. He thought to himself, *Did Orochimaru really die so easily?* Sasuke didn't believe it and shouted loudly, "Hey, Orochimaru, stop pretending to be dead! I know very well that you won't die so easily!"
Sure enough, just as Sasuke finished speaking, Orochimaru's seemingly lifeless body began to stir. Slowly, the lips of Orochimaru's corpse opened wide, and a strange, new Orochimaru crawled out.
This new Orochimaru was covered in sticky liquid, his appearance utterly disgusting. This technique was Orochimaru's unique Body Shedding Jutsu. It allowed him to use his outer body as a substitute and transfer his main body through the mouth without requiring hand seals. It was one of the most perfect substitution techniques, capable of avoiding even powerful jutsu like Amaterasu. However, other than Orochimaru, anyone else attempting this jutsu would need to expend an enormous amount of chakra.
As Orochimaru emerged, Sasuke taunted him, "Didn't you notice the bad breath you're emitting?"
Faced with such a tricky question from Sasuke, Orochimaru was speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond. After all, who would care about such details in a critical situation?
After a moment of silence, Orochimaru sighed helplessly and said, "Sasuke, you always bring me unexpected surprises! But I don't have time to play with you anymore."
With that, Orochimaru bit his finger without hesitation and smeared his blood on the ground. Accompanied by a low incantation, he called out, "Summoning Jutsu!"
In an instant, a huge cloud of smoke erupted, covering the sky and the sun. When the smoke dissipated, a massive snake with a purple glow appeared before Sasuke, with Orochimaru standing firmly on its head.
"Hey, Orochimaru, you summon me for something so trivial? Damn it, if you irritate me, I'll swallow you whole!" Manda, the enormous snake, snarled arrogantly.
Faced with Manda's angry rebuke, Orochimaru behaved with extreme respect. He humbly replied, "Please don't say that, Lord Manda. When this is over, I will definitely give you a generous reward."
However, Manda seemed unimpressed. It continued to shout arrogantly, "Hmph, Orochimaru, remember to prepare a hundred fresh sacrifices for me afterward. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless with you!"
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