After Natsuro reached the ground, the battle between the Three Legendary Sannin officially began.
Natsuro watched the intense clash between the Sannin. Even after only a few exchanges, Orochimaru, fighting against two opponents, hadn't fallen behind.
And Naruto? Even with the power of the Nine-Tails, he still posed little threat to Orochimaru, especially since Orochimaru was backed up by Kabuto and Guren.
Naruto was now locked in a one-on-one fight with Guren on the ground.
The primary issue, however, lay with Tsunade. From Natsuro's perspective, Tsunade's combat was… almost unbearable to watch.
If it weren't for her monstrous strength making her too dangerous to ignore, Natsuro doubted if Tsunade could even reach Kage level anymore.
Now he was certain: Tsunade really had let herself go over these past twenty years.
Natsuro couldn't be sure about her ninjutsu skills, but he was certain Tsunade hadn't fought in a long time.
While her battlefield instincts were impressive, time had dulled her abilities. Her combat awareness had regressed from a Kage level and might barely even reach an elite Jonin's level…
Of course, as long as her fundamental skills remained, this decline could be quickly reversed through training.
But right now, Tsunade clearly didn't have the time to reclaim her lost combat instincts in an instant!
What about Jiraiya? He wasn't without issues either. His main problem was being too versatile in combat at this level and even in slightly higher-level battles.
Killing Jiraiya would be difficult since he always had ways to counter attacks.
However, if Jiraiya wanted to quickly take down an opponent, that would be even harder. Apart from Sage Mode, he didn't have any technique that could decisively end a fight.
Jiraiya was the type to know a bit of everything but master none of it. He had spent years on the Rasengan, yet he never expanded upon it like the Fourth Hokage, who died before fully developing it. Even with time, Jiraiya never took it further...
His Sage Mode training was also incomplete, having been outpaced by both the Fourth Hokage and Naruto...
All these factors combined, leading this two-on-one battle against Orochimaru into a stale fight. Even though Orochimaru had Kabuto's help, they were wasting a prime opportunity.
Natsuro now understood why Orochimaru was so bold. He knew Jiraiya and Tsunade well and feared nothing besides Tsunade's monstrous strength.
Perhaps the only thing Orochimaru didn't anticipate was Natsuro's strength. Fortunately, Orochimaru's exploits in the Hidden Sound Village hadn't yet reached here, or else...
Natsuro wasn't idle either. He took out two military ration pills, threw them into his mouth, and bit his finger.
In the next moment, a large amount of chakra began to gather in Natsuro's right hand. Quickly, that sharp, piercing sound echoed again, much to Natsuro's slight annoyance.
Such a massive chakra buildup couldn't be concealed easily.
If it were a normal sound, Natsuro could have dispersed it using wind, but now he was using the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, so he had no spare chakra to block the sound.
The shrill noise instantly caught the attention of the Sannin in battle, and they all glanced at Natsuro.
They watched as the chakra in Natsuro's hand took form, spinning and faintly resembling a rotating shuriken!
"That's…"
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. Being the most familiar with the Rasengan, he quickly recognized the essence of the Rasenshuriken.
He couldn't believe Natsuro had managed to integrate the wind chakra nature into the Rasengan. The Rasengan alone was already an A-rank jutsu, challenging to learn.
Further merging it with the wind chakra nature was even harder, likely approaching S-rank difficulty, and this wasn't merely learning it, it was developing it! And that made it far more difficult!
Jiraiya knew his limits. He could learn pre-existing techniques, but creating them? No way; it would take too long and might never succeed.
Tsunade and Gamabunta were only in awe of the jutsu's power. Though its true strength hadn't been revealed yet, its form alone hinted at immense strength.
Naruto, locked in his battle with Guren, stared in amazement, feeling that this jutsu was far superior to Pervy Sage's Rasengan. He resolved to learn it from Natsuro someday!
Orochimaru, hearing the sound, narrowed his eyes, instinctively sensing the jutsu's danger.
Manda, the giant serpent, saw the Rasenshuriken, his eye twitching. Spotting Natsuro, Manda felt a strange familiarity, but the sense of crisis was too strong for such thoughts.
Manda cursed, "Damn it, Orochimaru! You never mentioned dealing with someone like this!"
"Calm down, Manda. I'll double the blood offerings later, and besides, this attack still needs to hit its target to be effective," Orochimaru said coolly. With his arms intact, he wasn't intimidated by Manda.
Orochimaru understood why Natsuro hadn't used this jutsu earlier, it consumed too much chakra and was hard to hit with…
Seeing Jiraiya and Tsunade stepping up their attacks, Natsuro must think their teamwork would create an opportunity for him to strike. Ridiculous.
The moment Natsuro's Rasenshuriken fully formed, Jiraiya and Tsunade intensified their attacks.
Their intent was clear, it was to give Natsuro the chance to land his attack.
Jiraiya threw a kunai upward, which Orochimaru tried to intercept but was stopped by the combined efforts of Tsunade and Jiraiya.
In the next moment, Natsuro appeared in mid-air, wielding the terrifyingly powerful chakra in his wind-style Rasenshuriken!
"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"
Natsuro looked at Orochimaru, hesitating not at all, and hurled the Rasenshuriken while shouting, "Stand back!"
Jiraiya and Tsunade, who were attempting to restrain Orochimaru, quickly retreated upon hearing Natsuro's command.
Orochimaru sneered. Was he worried about hitting Jiraiya and Tsunade?
Typical of Konoha ninja, they're so soft-hearted and naïve. Even with their help, Orochimaru could dodge. Now that they'd backed off, how could this jutsu hit him?
Orochimaru admitted the jutsu seemed powerful, but if it couldn't connect, its strength was meaningless!
"Manda!" Orochimaru called out.
But he didn't need to. Manda already knew what to do, it was time to escape!
Manda felt relief, thinking he could avoid the terrifying jutsu.
However, as Natsuro floated in the air, he smirked, as his other hand finished weaving seals for another jutsu.
The single-hand seal technique Natsuro had learned from Bai finally had a purpose.
In the next instant, Natsuro placed his hand on the air.
"Summoning Jutsu!!"
Today, he intended to use Orochimaru's Manda against him, summoning it right back!
In a flash, Manda felt an unbreakable summoning pull him back. It was a superior contract level, impossible to resist.
Even Manda preferred returning, anything was better than the risk here! Escaping this jutsu was no guarantee there wouldn't be more.
So, Manda half-willingly, half-forcedly accepted the summoning.
Instantly, Manda vanished, leaving Orochimaru and Kabuto exposed in mid-air.
Orochimaru was stunned, especially upon seeing Manda reappear beside Natsuro. Even with his scientifically-minded brain, he was momentarily stumped.
What on earth… was going on?
With Manda's abrupt disappearance and a split-second of confusion, Orochimaru lost his chance to dodge. As the Rasenshuriken filled his vision, it slammed into him.
"Ahh!!"
The moment it touched him, Orochimaru let out a pained scream, which quickly vanished in the jutsu's fierce roar.
The Rasenshuriken unleashed its full power, forming a massive storm of light that engulfed Orochimaru entirely.
"Kabuto!" Kabuto shouted, but he, too, was swallowed by the expanding light.
Jiraiya and Tsunade watched the giant sphere of light in the sky, filled with countless needle-like chakra threads.
They didn't have time to process how Natsuro managed to summon Manda away.
They were only wondering: could this finally be the end of Orochimaru?
Even Naruto sensed the opportunity at this moment. Stretching out his hand, he quickly gathered chakra into a spinning sphere, but his Rasengan was imcomplete as he hadn't yet mastered at the third stage.
With the help of the Nine-Tails' chakra, Naruto's Rasengan gradually stabilized and held its power!
Just like Naruto's "Armor of Wind," which he couldn't normally use, the Nine-Tails' power allowed him to execute it effortlessly, as if…
The Nine-Tails' power could even help him "cheat" with his jutsu!
Guren sensed the danger too, hastily summoning her red, transparent crystal as a defense.
However, Naruto's figure closed in before the crystal could fully form, and he struck right at the crystal.
"Rasengan!"
The crystal shattered instantly, offering no resistance, and the remaining force of the Rasengan hit Guren directly.
"Ugh!" Guren had no chance to resist, the impact sent her flying backward in pain.
Naruto, breathing heavily, felt the Nine-Tails' chakra finally dissipate. His sharp teeth returned to normal, and his eyes turned back to their bright blue.
Just then, there was another tremor on the ground as Manda fell from the sky and crashed onto the earth, and Natsuro landed on top of Manda's head.
Natsuro looked at the still-active Rasenshuriken, feeling a sense of anticipation. He had poured all the raw chakra he could muster into this Rasenshuriken. Though it still wasn't much, he could feel its power had increased.
This was the strongest technique he could currently use. The question was… could it kill Orochimaru?
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Currently on Chapter 215 - A Strange Orochimaru!?
2 more chapters coming out today!!