Swish!
Orochimaru, transformed into the Yamata no Orochi, slithered toward Uchiha Fugaku. His colossal body carved a massive trench into the ground, resembling the dried bed of a once-mighty river.
"What a monstrous aura..."
A solemn expression crossed Fugaku's face as the oppressive presence of the eight-headed serpent bore down on him, like a mountain of flesh in relentless motion.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The eight serpent heads lunged simultaneously, their combined impact threatening to flatten everything in their path.
Bang, bang, bang!
The ground trembled violently under their assault. The impact cratered the earth, turning it into a small, dried-up lakebed, but Fugaku's figure was nowhere to be seen.
Buzz!
In a flash, Fugaku emerged from a spatial distortion above the Yamata no Orochi, his Mangekyō Sharingan glowing with focused intensity. His fist swung downward, compressing the air into a white tiger that roared toward Orochimaru's massive form.
Peng!
Before the attack could land, the Yamata no Orochi's eight tails whipped forward in unison, smashing into the airborne tiger. The immense force dispersed the attack, and the tiger vanished into the ether.
The Yamata no Orochi stood firm, its overwhelming strength evident. As one of Orochimaru's most powerful techniques, the Yamata no Jutsu granted him immense durability and the ability to rival a tailed beast.
"So this is the Yamata no Orochi..."
Fugaku muttered as he landed on the ground, the recoil from the clash sending him back several meters. Even with the seventh gate of the Eight Gates Formation open, he couldn't gain the upper hand.
He clenched his fists. He understood the truth—the Eight Gates multiplied one's combat abilities and speed exponentially, but the results depended heavily on one's base physical strength. Compared to someone like Might Guy, who had trained his body to its peak, Fugaku's physique still had room to grow.
"If this were Might Guy in his prime, even Orochimaru's Yamata no Orochi wouldn't stand a chance."
His thoughts sharpened. There was only one path left.
"The Eighth Gate: Gate of Death, Open!"
Blood began to evaporate from Fugaku's body, and blood-red steam enveloped him. His hair and eyebrows turned crimson, and veins bulged across his face and body as unimaginable pain wracked him.
The Gate of Death exacted a terrible toll. His muscles and tendons tore, and hairline fractures appeared in his bones. His life force burned rapidly, each second pushing him closer to death.
"Evening Elephant!"
Enduring the agony, Fugaku unleashed a relentless barrage of punches. The compressed air formed visible air cannons that roared forward like unstoppable projectiles, targeting the Yamata no Orochi.
Swish, swish, swish!
The air cannons struck the massive serpent, each impact tearing chunks of flesh from its enormous body. The once-mighty Yamata no Orochi couldn't withstand the onslaught.
Boom, boom, boom!
The serpent's body began to disintegrate, each explosion scattering blood and flesh across the battlefield. In moments, the Yamata no Orochi was reduced to a lake of fragmented meat and blood.
Thud.
Uchiha Fugaku's body collapsed to the ground, riddled with hideous cracks. His vitality was completely drained, and his body showed the toll of opening the Death Gate. In normal circumstances, death would have been inevitable—even a medical prodigy like Tsunade would have found it impossible to save him.
But this was no ordinary situation.
Swoosh.
The surreal world created by Fugaku's real illusion began to repair his body. His wounds closed at an unnatural speed, his broken bones realigned, and even his tattered clothing was restored. Within moments, he stood once more, as though his body had rewound time itself.
"I wonder if it's over..."
Fugaku's eyes scanned the battlefield, his gaze fixed on the lake of flesh and blood left behind by the Yamata no Orochi. Orochimaru's resilience was legendary, and Fugaku wasn't ready to assume his victory.
Suddenly, the silence was broken.
Puff!
A piece of the scattered flesh twitched, then split open. From within, pale hands emerged, followed by a head, torso, and legs.
Orochimaru appeared again, completely unharmed.
"You opened the Gate of Death and survived..."
Orochimaru's breathing was labored, his golden snake-like eyes wide with disbelief. His voice carried both exhaustion and fear.
"Compared to me, you're the real monster."
For Orochimaru, the Yamata no Orochi was one of his ultimate techniques, but even that hadn't been enough to defeat the wandering ninja before him. What truly shook him, however, was Fugaku's ability to survive the use of the Death Gate.
Many considered Orochimaru a monster for his experiments and his ability to cheat death, but in his eyes, Fugaku's sheer defiance of the natural order made him the true aberration.
"I don't care to be called a monster by someone like you," Fugaku replied, his voice sharp and cold.
Blood-red steam enveloped him again as he reopened the Eighth Gate: Gate of Death without hesitation.
Orochimaru's face paled. The sight sent a shiver down his spine.
"White Phosphorus Serpent!"
Realizing the dire situation, Orochimaru activated another forbidden technique. His body expanded again, this time transforming into a massive white serpent covered in countless writhing scales, each one a smaller white snake.
Boom, boom, boom!
The two titans clashed once more, their destructive battle reducing the terrain to rubble. High ground turned into a flattened wasteland, and the air was filled with deafening explosions.
Over the course of half an hour, Fugaku destroyed Orochimaru's massive form multiple times. But each time, Orochimaru regenerated, his mastery of forbidden techniques allowing him to defy death.
Even when Fugaku unleashed his most powerful fire-style ninjutsu, he lacked the unrelenting flames of Amaterasu to reduce Orochimaru to ashes. As long as even a fragment of Orochimaru remained, he would continue to return.
Once more, Orochimaru's giant snake form was obliterated, and once more, his intact body emerged from the remains.
Suddenly, an unexpected phenomenon occurred.
Click, click, click.
The sound of shattering glass echoed across the battlefield. Both Fugaku and Orochimaru looked up, confusion etched on their faces.
From their perspective, cracks appeared in the fabric of the world, spreading rapidly like a broken mirror.
The illusionary space was collapsing.
(End of Chapter)
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