Chapter 92: Jiraiya Appears

Opening the Fourth Gate of the Eight Gates, Lee gained immense power for a brief period. Moving at high speed, he delivered a powerful kick that sent Kimimaro flying over a hundred meters away.

Kimimaro's bone armor at his chest was shattered, and he coughed up blood in mid-air.

The young shinobi were all experienced enough to know this wouldn't be enough to finish Kimimaro off.

Karin quickly followed up with a Heaven's Clay Bomb.

As Kimimaro struggled to stand, he was covered in clay, weighing him down and slowing his movements.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Technique."

Sasuke immediately followed up with a Fire Style jutsu. These two jutsu were designed to be used together; the high heat combined with the clay would burn the enemy into sludge.

Kimimaro twisted his body, trying to break free from the clay's grip, but soon realized he couldn't move his right arm's chakra flow properly.

Neji's Gentle Fist hadn't been entirely ineffective; he had temporarily blocked the chakra flow in Kimimaro's right arm, preventing him from gathering more strength.

Kimimaro's techniques weren't purely ninjutsu but a combination of ninjutsu and taijutsu. The destruction he caused relied heavily on chakra. His body's regeneration, bone manipulation, speed, and power all required chakra. With his chakra flow disrupted, his movements slowed down.

This left him vulnerable to the combined Fire and Earth Style attack from Sasuke and Karin.

However, in the next moment, a more terrifying aura erupted from Kimimaro.

From afar, Neji saw this and shouted, "Stay back! Get away from him!" He didn't have time to explain, but the warning from his Byakugan was enough for everyone to understand. They immediately scattered.

The fire and clay were dispersed by a violent surge of power.

Kimimaro emerged once more, though this time his body had transformed into a more monstrous form.

His body had taken on a beast-like appearance, with a long tail growing from his back.

Sasuke recognized this power and had a strange expression on his face. This was a power he was very familiar with—it was the Cursed Seal.

Orochimaru likely intended for Sasuke to witness the power of Kimimaro's Cursed Seal firsthand.

Sasuke had to admit, the power was impressive. Now that Kimimaro was in this state, even with both teams working together, they were barely a match for him.

But Sasuke felt no envy. In fact, he even looked down on this transformation, especially the beast-like appearance.

His disdain came from what Aoba had told him about the Cursed Seal.

"This is a degraded form of Sage Mode. Orochimaru lacks the aptitude for true Sage Mode, so he developed a weaker version. It will enhance your strength to some extent, but not enough to defeat Itachi Uchiha.

The most important thing to note is that this power likely has a hidden agenda from Orochimaru. It's unclear whether this power belongs to you or him."

In the original storyline, Sasuke eventually defected from Konoha for many reasons.

One of the main reasons was his slow rate of improvement. Back in the Academy, he hadn't considered leaving at all; he was the top student, surrounded by weaklings, and never felt inadequate.

The mission in the Land of Waves was the first time he began questioning his strength. Zabuza's power made him reevaluate his abilities.

But when their team eventually defeated Zabuza, that doubt waned.

Then, the Chunin Exams happened, pushing him to the limit. Orochimaru had thoroughly crushed him.

After learning Chidori, he regained his confidence, only to face Gaara. During the chase with Shukaku, he witnessed Gaara's monstrous power.

And then came the tipping point: Naruto ultimately defeated Shukaku, the "dead last" he had never respected.

Later, Naruto learned the Summoning Jutsu and the Rasengan, surpassing Sasuke in sheer power.

All these events led to Sasuke's defection.

But in this lifetime, Aoba had anticipated Orochimaru's actions. He had already shown Sasuke the complete form of Sage Mode.

Seeing a more powerful, side-effect-free version of Sage Mode had shown Sasuke what true strength looked like.

While Kimimaro's Cursed Seal form was powerful, Sasuke had seen better and wasn't impressed.

But regardless of his feelings, Kimimaro's strength was undeniable.

Even with six people working together, they could only barely keep up with him.

Unknown to them, Kimimaro was in even more of a rush than they were. He could feel his body starting to weaken.

Orochimaru's order was to ensure no one interfered with his battle against the Hokage. Kimimaro was willing to give his life to fulfill this mission.

But he hadn't expected Konoha's Genin to be this strong. Shortly after the battle began, he was forced to rely on the Cursed Seal, further straining his body. He didn't have much time left.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru remained focused solely on his battle with Hiruzen Sarutobi, ignoring the fighting outside.

Despite his former teacher's age and waning strength, Orochimaru stayed vigilant. Hiruzen was once regarded as a top-tier ninja, the "Ninja God," and the "Professor of Ninjutsu."

Orochimaru had summoned the First and Second Hokage with the Edo Tensei, teaming up with them to overwhelm Hiruzen.

Hiruzen showed his Hokage-level strength by summoning the Monkey King Enma to help balance the numbers, turning a three-on-one into a two-on-three battle.

Hiruzen displayed excellent tactical skill, countering Orochimaru's deadly moves and even temporarily reducing the First and Second Hokage to fragments.

But unfortunately, the undead nature of Edo Tensei meant these revived ninjas were truly immortal and couldn't be killed by conventional means.

Hiruzen realized this. As the Hokage, he knew all about Edo Tensei and its weaknesses.

However, if he were to use that move...

...

Meanwhile, Konoha's outer defenses were facing a crisis.

A massive summoned snake had broken through Konoha's barrier and walls, rampaging into the village.

Ibiki Morino and Genma Shiranui led teams to confront the enemy, but under the combined assault of the giant snake and numerous Sand shinobi, holding the line was becoming increasingly difficult.

Here, the gap between ordinary Jonin and top-tier ninja was evident. Against a massive summoned creature, without high-level techniques or an equally powerful summoning creature, an ordinary ninja could barely manage.

Fortunately, at that moment, a giant toad appeared in the sky, descending from above.

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Currently on Chapter 132 - Meeting With Itachi Continued, An Unexpected Gain