Chapter 203

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Naturally, it was far too late for his tongue to sink back into the ground.

Toshiro, leaping into the air, caught sight of the scene below. Without bothering to examine the tongue, he lifted his right foot high mid-descent. "Heavenly foot of pain!"

With a powerful kick, he struck the earth, creating a crater over ten meters wide, causing the nearby ground to tremble and rise.

Toshiro's hands remained steady as he extended his chakra-infused longsword and drove it down into the ground beneath him.

"Too predictable, Senpai!"

Pierced by Toshiro's chakra blade, Orochimaru's body was partly revealed, emerging from the massive crater created by Shilang's strange force. Ignoring the wound on his chest, Orochimaru opened his mouth wider than humanly possible, far beyond the reach of an ordinary jaw.

"Gott~"

As his mouth stretched wide, a pale arm emerged from within, and a newly regenerated, slimy Orochimaru appeared before Toshiro.

This was the snake skin substitution technique.

Swish!

But before the newly reborn Orochimaru could even take a breath, a flash of icy sword light slashed toward him.

"Enough!"

Watching as Orochimaru split in two yet again, Toshiro shook his head.

"A clone... Don't try such petty tricks in front of me!"

As Toshiro finished speaking, the divided Orochimaru dissipated, replaced by two clumps of mud—revealing the illusion of the corpse for what it was.

"Tsk! If your sensei saw this scene, he'd probably be heartbroken!"

Shifting his gaze from the clumps of dirt, Toshiro looked over at a clearing twenty meters away.

As he focused, a serpentine figure began to slither slowly through the soil of the clearing.

The figure's upper body retained a human shape, but the lower half had transformed entirely into a snake tail over three meters long.

"You have fallen too low, Orochimaru..!" came the aged voice of Sarutobi Hiruzen beside Toshiro in form.

Narrowing his eyes, Orochimaru seemed to briefly recall memories from his youth but quickly brushed them aside.

"One day, I'll return to Konoha and let that senile old man witness the heights I've reached!"

"I only hope you won't stand in my way when that day comes!"

As Orochimaru recalled how the Third Hokage had chosen to pass on the title to Minato, he struggled to contain his emotions.

For years, he had been sensei's favored pupil—why had he suddenly been cast aside?

"It doesn't matter," Toshiro thought, "it would be fitting if Orochimaru ended up killing the Third Hokage himself."

In Toshiro's view, it made little difference whether the Third Hokage survived or not. In fact, having Orochimaru—the favored disciple—deliver the final blow might be the most fitting end for them both.

"I just wonder if you will truly be able to go through with it when the time comes."

Though unlikely, who could ever predict what someone like Orochimaru might ultimately decide?

"Stop talking about these trivial matters. Are you still unwilling to show me the Mangekyo Sharingan?"

Orochimaru licked his lips as his eyes focused on the three tomoes in Toshiro's gaze; this encounter wasn't about that alone.

"There's no need."

At this time, Orochimaru was still at the peak of his life. His soul had not yet undergone immortal reincarnation, nor was it tainted.

In terms of ninjutsu, physical prowess, and genjutsu, he was at his strongest.

Yet Toshiro handled him with relative ease, showing no need to activate the Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Ah, so I'm truly being looked down on!"

Seeing Toshiro's expression, Orochimaru could only accept it—this is the way of ninjas; the other's strength gave him the right to speak so boldly.

But Orochimaru wasn't finished yet.

"Ninjutsu: Ten Thousand Snakes!"

As he opened his mouth, an endless swarm of poisonous snakes poured out, layer upon layer, forming a dense, writhing mass.

Though Orochimaru's attack was revolting, even Toshiro had to admit these venomous snakes were a genuine threat, as one bite could spell trouble.

"It's not that simple!"

The Ten Thousand Snakes Formation had more to it than just a horde of serpents.

Hiss!

With a sharp hiss, the venomous snakes opened their mouths—not to release poison, but to reveal kusanagi swords, more lethal than venom.

"Hmm..."

"Something feels off!"

"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

Toshiro, forming seals with one hand, unleashed a sea of fire from his mouth, intending to incinerate the snakes with a single move. But... he had underestimated the challenge.

Amidst the flames, the swarm of intertwined snakes formed a wall, the outer snakes withstanding the searing, orange-red heat, while those in the inner circle took the chance to stretch their Kusanagi swords toward Toshiro.

"Looks like I underestimated you, Senpai!"

In the end, Orochimaru was an old-school, Kage-level powerhouse—he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

Without breaking the flow of chakra to his mouth, Toshiro channeled even more chakra into his right hand. As the chakra intensified, the energy sword in his hand rapidly expanded.

In a mere instant, a chakra blade, twenty meters long and nearly a meter wide, took form in his grasp.

With a sweeping motion of his arm, he deflected incoming strikes, knocking away or diverting each one that came his way.

It seemed that Orochimaru's assault was effectively thwarted.

"Heh! That's impressive!"

A snake's mouth stretched wide as more venomous snakes crawled out, yet Orochimaru managed to speak in his unique way.

As Orochimaru voiced his praise, a single long serpent, distinct from the other venomous snakes, didn't charge forward to be consumed by the sea of flames erupting from Toshiro's mouth.

Instead, it dove headfirst into the ground, slipping underground without using any chakra, relying solely on its innate ability to burrow.

"This ninjutsu is truly a nuisance!"

Toshiro extinguished the flames, reducing the last snake to charred remains. He looked over at Orochimaru in the distance and sighed. "I wonder how Toshiro will handle the next move!"

Orochimaru stood upright, his expression calm, showing no frustration that Toshiro had neutralized his attack. It seemed he wasn't even concerned that Toshiro had yet to activate his Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Summoning: Snake Binding mouth!"

A long, dark serpent suddenly emerged beside Toshiro, its mouth opening to the fullest as black runes appeared on the ground around him.

"Heh! This is a jutsu I prepared just for you, Toshiro—escaping won't be so easy!"

"I didn't expect you to have such an effective trap, Senpai."

Lowering his gaze, Toshiro examined his surroundings. He was encased within fleshy pink walls, caught in a long tunnel-like passage.

It was clear that this was a summoning jutsu, similar to the one Jiraiya used to trap Kisame and Itachi.

"This jutsu has ensnared many opponents. Let's see if it can hold Toshiro this time!"

Observing Toshiro's composed strength, a flicker of uncertainty crossed Orochimaru's gaze. He wondered if this ninjutsu, a combination of summoning and sealing, could truly restrain his opponent.

Against ordinary foes, this jutsu would easily immobilize them, giving Orochimaru ample time to wear them down. But Toshiro was no ordinary enemy; aside from his Mangekyo Sharingan, the chakra blade in his hand posed a considerable threat.

Still, Orochimaru had not come unprepared.

"What's this?"

Confident in the power of his chakra sword, Toshiro was about to cut through the fleshy walls of the passage when black markings began to spread along the walls.

Like living things, the markings slithered toward Toshiro.

"Paralysis fuinjutsu?"

As the black curse marks covered his body, Toshiro attempted to move but found himself completely immobilized.

"I didn't expect a trick like this from you, Orochimaru-senpai—truly unexpected!"

"I've put a lot of thought into capturing you," Orochimaru replied, smirking. "And believe me, there's more to surprise you."

Standing over ten meters away, Orochimaru didn't lower his guard, even as his immobilization technique seemed effective. He continued forming hand seals to strengthen the jutsu's hold.

At the same time, a faint, sweet fragrance began to fill the enclosed space.

"Poison?"

As soon as Toshiro detected the scent, he quickly held his breath.

Unlike the mild herbal poisons of Amika, Orochimaru's toxins were potent. With just a small inhalation, he already felt a wave of dizziness.

Fortunately, Toshiro's current physical condition was strong; with a quick shake of his head, he cleared the dizziness. An ordinary ninja would likely have fallen unconscious from even a slight whiff of this toxin.

"This neurotoxin was specially prepared, and yet you resisted it. Your physique truly is remarkable!"

The poison, crafted as a potent neurotoxin, had surprisingly minimal effect—a testament to Toshiro's physical resilience and conditioning.

Orochimaru's immobilization technique required intense focus. To sustain the jutsu, he couldn't release the hand seal. Otherwise, he would have already closed in on Toshiro to examine his body up close, intrigued by its impressive resistance to his toxins.

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