Chapter 43: Uchiha Itachi VS Orochimaru

Shuriken whizzed through the air with precision, as Uchiha Itachi swiftly blinded the giant snakes summoned by Orochimaru. Despite their eyes being destroyed, the snakes continued their relentless pursuit of Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki.

Snakes rely on their tongues to sense their prey.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Facing the massive open jaws of the attacking snake, Itachi quickly formed hand seals, releasing a large fireball from his mouth that struck the snake directly in its mouth.

Boom!

The Great Fireball Jutsu exploded inside the snake's mouth, incinerating its entire head. Meanwhile, Kisame swung his Executioner's Blade, slicing open the head of the other snake with a deep, bloody gash.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Seeing his snakes defeated, Orochimaru summoned three more, each one even larger than the previous ones.

Itachi's eyes narrowed, and the newly summoned snakes froze in place.

Genjutsu!

Orochimaru grinned, summoning two more snakes to break the Genjutsu on the three immobilized ones. He was determined not to let Itachi get close to him.

Noticing Orochimaru's change in tactics to a more defensive strategy, Itachi frowned slightly.

"Water Style: Waterfall Basin Jutsu!"

Kisame spat out a massive water stream, creating a path through Orochimaru's summoned snake army. Itachi followed up with another Genjutsu, immobilizing five snakes in their tracks.

Itachi and Kisame charged towards Orochimaru at full speed. Orochimaru, remembering Shishou's advice, summoned a giant snake as his mount, quickly putting distance between himself and Itachi.

Suddenly, both Orochimaru and the snake he was riding froze, completely immobilized.

"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!"

It was the same advanced Genjutsu that Itachi had used to defeat Orochimaru before. Recognizing the technique, Orochimaru saw Itachi's figure emerging from behind him.

When...

Orochimaru turned his head with difficulty to see Itachi, realizing that the Itachi beside Kisame was merely a shadow clone, which disappeared with a puff.

It was a shadow clone?

With a swift motion, Itachi decapitated Orochimaru with a kunai. Kisame, meanwhile, efficiently dispatched the five immobilized snakes.

The Executioner's Blade was perfectly suited for dealing with such large creatures.

"Is he dead?" Kisame asked, looking at the fallen Orochimaru.

Itachi shook his head.

"He's not that easy to kill."

As if on cue, the decapitated Orochimaru turned into a pile of dark flesh, while the real Orochimaru reappeared some distance away.

Defeating Itachi might be difficult, but killing Orochimaru was equally challenging.

On the mountaintop, Shishou watched the first round of the battle unfold, impressed by Itachi's combat intelligence.

"Truly deserving of his reputation," Shishou thought. Orochimaru's defensive tactics might seem simple to him, but they were formidable for others. Yet, Itachi had countered them with a single shadow clone.

For Itachi, with his limited chakra, the shadow clone technique was highly inefficient. But he had used it to its fullest potential, showcasing his tactical brilliance.

One word: Genius.

Even Shishou, with his enhanced vision, hadn't noticed when Orochimaru had slipped away. Shishou continued to observe the battle with keen interest.

At the foot of the mountain, Orochimaru smirked at Itachi in the distance. Despite losing several snakes, he wasn't concerned. Itachi's chakra was significantly depleted, giving Orochimaru confidence in Shishou's kite-fighting strategy.

"Perhaps I can truly defeat Uchiha Itachi now!"

Orochimaru licked his lips excitedly.

"Summoning Jutsu: Manda!"

Boom!

The colossal form of Manda, covered in purple markings, appeared, startling Kisame and the others.

The previously summoned snakes were already massive, but Manda dwarfed them, nearly the size of a Tailed Beast.

In its presence, ordinary people felt like ants.

"This is the power of the legendary Sannin," Kisame and Yugao thought, deeply impressed.

"Orochimaru, you dare summon me. Have you prepared my tribute?" Manda demanded arrogantly, not even acknowledging Orochimaru.

"Of course, three hundred sacrifices are ready," Orochimaru replied smoothly. "His Sharingan Genjutsu is powerful. Close your eyes in close combat. I'll stay inside you to break the illusions."

With that, Orochimaru entered Manda's mouth.

"Sharingan, huh," Manda scoffed, covering its eyes with a translucent membrane.

Manda's massive body surged forward with incredible speed, attacking Itachi and Kisame. They barely dodged as Manda's strike obliterated the ground they had just stood on.

One blow had killed a massive snake.

Realizing Manda's size, speed, and constant vigilance against his Genjutsu, Itachi knew conventional techniques wouldn't work.

His Sharingan spun rapidly, bleeding.

"Mangekyo Sharingan: Amaterasu!"

Black flames engulfed Manda, causing it to writhe in agony before falling still.

"Phew!" Kisame exhaled, relieved. With Amaterasu, Manda was undoubtedly dead. The black flames that consumed everything they touched were inextinguishable.

But then, Manda suddenly burst from the ground, jaws wide open, aiming for Itachi and Kisame.

Shed Skin!

Itachi quickly deduced, seeing the charred remains.

As Manda's jaws closed in, a translucent red skeleton formed around Itachi and Kisame, blocking the attack.

"Susanoo!"