Orochimaru and Yuhi Mitsune worked together seamlessly, combining Wind Release techniques to disperse the poison mist that had obscured their vision. They quickly caught up with their respective targets, pressing the attack.
The state of the Sunagakure shinobi was dismal. After killing Konoha's intelligence squad, they hadn't stopped to rest and had been fleeing ever since. Their chakra and stamina were severely depleted, leaving them unable to fight at full strength. Against Orochimaru and the others, they were completely outmatched and suppressed.
Three of Sunagakure's injured ninja had already been dealt with—decapitated and undeniably dead.
Yuhi Mitsune locked her gaze on one of Sunagakure's elite chūnin, her hands forming a rapid sequence of seals. A surge of potent mental energy overwhelmed the target, rendering him momentarily dazed and incapable of thought or action. When the shinobi regained his senses, he found himself bound tightly by massive tree roots.
By the time he realized what had happened, Mitsune was nowhere in sight. Before he could even attempt to escape, Mitsune emerged silently from the dense foliage.
A cold sensation swept over his neck—then nothing. Yuhi Mitsune had slit his throat with a shuriken, leaving the elite chūnin lifeless.
"The Yuhi clan's core techniques are truly remarkable," Jiraiya remarked internally as he observed Mitsune's genjutsu. Techniques of this caliber were difficult to counter, except for members of the Uchiha clan. Without the Uchiha, the Yuhi clan would undoubtedly be Konoha's strongest in genjutsu.
After dispatching the elite chūnin, Mitsune joined forces with the remaining three members of the ANBU unit. Together, they swiftly eliminated the rest of the Sunagakure shinobi. This group, which had ambushed Konoha's intelligence team, had likely already lost its best fighters in the initial clash, leaving only weaker ones behind.
"Ah, the blood of a jōnin—still has a distinct flavor," Orochimaru murmured.
Orochimaru's battle with Fujita had reached its climax. Moments earlier, he had used a shuriken to slash a wound across Fujita's neck. As the blood dripped, Orochimaru extended his tongue and tasted it with a twisted smile.
"You wretched brat," Fujita spat, clutching the wound on his neck. His face was grim as he glared at Orochimaru, who stood atop a massive black snake.
Orochimaru had summoned a giant serpent—over five meters long—but it wasn't Manda. Orochimaru's current strength wasn't enough to form a contract with Manda.
Watching his comrades fall one by one, Fujita's heart sank. He knew that survival was no longer an option.
After finishing her previous opponent, Yuhi Mitsune led the ANBU squad to encircle Fujita.
"Leave him to Orochimaru," Jiraiya instructed, stopping Mitsune and the others. "He can handle it alone."
"Understood, Captain." Mitsune and her team spread out, blocking all possible escape routes while keeping a watchful eye on the battle between Orochimaru and Fujita.
Fujita was no puppet master. In Sunagakure, only the major clans could train in puppet techniques due to their high cost, leaving ordinary shinobi without access to them.
Orochimaru commanded the massive black snake to attack, and Fujita dodged with all his speed. Despite the snake's enormous size, it was incredibly fast, crashing through trees and quickly closing the distance. Its tail swept toward Fujita with destructive force.
Boom!
A thunderous crash echoed as the snake's tail smashed through trees and boulders, narrowly missing Fujita, who barely evaded the strike.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Countless venomous snakes shot out from Orochimaru's sleeves, lunging at Fujita.
"Wind Release: Dance of the Raging Wind!" Fujita formed seals and unleashed a gale of sharp wind blades, slicing through the brightly colored snakes. Severed snake bodies rained to the ground, covering the area with their carcasses.
But Orochimaru relentlessly summoned more snakes, unleashing wave after wave. While these snakes weren't particularly strong, their numbers were overwhelming.
The battlefield soon became littered with snake corpses, their toxic blood pooling on the ground.
"Such insolence! How dare you treat us snakes this way!" Orochimaru's summoned serpent roared in fury. Its massive body smashed through trees and rocks in a frenzy, attacking Fujita with increasing intensity.
The once-dense forest was soon reduced to a barren wasteland, littered with snake remains and drenched in their blood.
"Become nourishment!" Orochimaru declared, leaping from his summoned serpent. He rapidly formed hand seals, slamming his hands to the ground.
A summoning array spread across the blood-soaked battlefield, activating Orochimaru's technique.
At his command, the blood and severed snake parts surged upward, converging into a wave that engulfed Fujita.
Trapped by the surrounding blood and flesh, Fujita found himself with no space to escape. Desperately, he unleashed Wind Release techniques, but the viscous blood was impervious to his attacks.
The wave of blood and serpentine remains enveloped him entirely.
"Aaagh!" Fujita's agonized screams echoed through the forest, chilling everyone who heard them.
The snake heads formed from blood and flesh surged toward him, biting and tearing him apart.
"This technique… It's similar to the Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes, though clearly a weaker version," Jiraiya observed. He had suspected Orochimaru's earlier tactics were meant to prepare for this jutsu. It was undoubtedly something Orochimaru had learned during his time training in Ryūchi Cave.
The screams soon ceased, leaving only silence.
When the blood finally dispersed, Fujita's skeletal remains lay exposed—a gruesome display devoid of any flesh.
Orochimaru retrieved a sealing scroll and meticulously collected the blood and remains of the snakes, storing them away.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
Read more than +100 chapters and support me on Patreon
Patreon(.)com/Jixo