162 Rebellious Snake, Fierce Battle 

Unlike the original timeline, where the Third Hokage stepped down after the Third Great Ninja War, things had changed.

In the original history, Namikaze Minato, a war hero with countless military achievements, took over as Hokage.

The reasons behind Hiruzen's abdication were complex, but the most crucial factor was his appeasement policy during the war.

Despite leading Konoha to victory, he lacked aggression—choosing diplomacy over demanding reparations.

This decision angered the more militant factions within the village, ultimately forcing him to step down.

Minato, having built an exceptional reputation, was the natural successor.

But in this world, things were different.

The presence of Hanyu Simu changed everything.

Since the war began, Konoha's battles had been overwhelmingly destructive to its enemies, thanks to Simu's terrifying power.

The village itself remained virtually unscathed, but his dominance led to suspicion from the Daimyō's palace.

Internally, Konoha's concerns about Sarutobi Hiruzen now revolved around his political standing with the Daimyō rather than his war policies.

Meanwhile, Minato—who was once meant to become Hokage—had been completely overshadowed by Simu.

Though Minato's achievements were impressive, they paled in comparison.

So if Hiruzen stepped down now, the biggest beneficiary would undoubtedly be—

It had to be Hanyu Simu, known as the Golden Flash, Konoha's Twin Star.

Facing Orochimaru's probing words, Simu simply scratched his head.

"I don't know anything."

"I don't understand all these plots and schemes."

He opened his palm, revealing the golden Ama no Murakumo sword.

Orochimaru's narrowed eyes gleamed with danger.

"Boy, do you really think you have me cornered?"

Raising both hands, he summoned two massive pythons that lunged at Simu.

But with a simple step back and a casual swing, Simu effortlessly sliced through both snakes.

"Is that all a legendary Sannin can do?" 

Orochimaru hissed, his tongue flicking like a serpent's.

"Hiss… Disrespecting your elders often leads to a miserable end."

His gaze locked onto Simu's body, filled with obsession and greed.

If he could experiment on this body…

Orochimaru's eyes burned with hunger.

Years ago, he had already noticed Simu's unique fighting style.

His desire to uncover the secrets within Simu's body had only grown stronger.

If not for Simu's rapid growth in strength, Orochimaru would have already made his move.

Regardless of Simu being Jiraiya's disciple, he had long been one of Orochimaru's most coveted test subjects.

A cold smile crept onto Orochimaru's face as he licked his lips.

Without hesitation—

He attacked.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

A single shuriken was thrown first—then, in an instant, hundreds more followed, multiplying through Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Like a torrential downpour, the storm of shuriken rained down on Simu.

As an A-rank jutsu created by Sarutobi Hiruzen, it was only natural that his disciple had mastered it.

Yet, faced with this overwhelming attack, Simu remained unshaken.

A layer of blue, steel-like dragon scales emerged across his body, glistening under the light.

At the same time, his form expanded, rising like a towering mountain—until he stood at a terrifying seven meters tall.

The countless shuriken struck his body, but all they did was create bursts of sparks.

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with excitement.

"What a powerful and fascinating body... I must dissect it properly."

To him, Simu's body was far more valuable than even the Uchiha clan's Sharingan!

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

"Wind Style: Wind Gust!"

Fiery flames erupted from Orochimaru's mouth, roaring forward like a living beast.

Then, with a powerful gust of wind, the flames expanded violently, turning into a raging inferno that engulfed the surrounding trees.

When it came to ninjutsu research, especially Forbidden Techniques, Orochimaru's expertise was on par with his teacher—Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Professor of Ninjutsu.

By combining Wind Release with Fire Release, he had greatly amplified the fire's destructive power, sending it surging toward Simu like an unstoppable wave.

"As expected of a Sannin… quite the spectacle." Simu remarked, watching the incoming flames.

This battle reminded him of his squad assessment after graduation—except back then, his opponent was Jiraiya. Now, it was Orochimaru.

Without hesitation, he pulled out a scroll, infused it with chakra, and unsealed its contents—Hasshaku 

Unlike standard weapons forged by Konoha's craftsmen, this was a true beast's weapon—one wielded by Kaido himself.

As the flames raged around him, Simu felt his imitation value of Kaido rising rapidly.

While in the Land of Rain, Simu had fought against Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Amegakure all at once.

That intense battle had caused his Kaido imitation value to jump significantly, now reaching a staggering 59%.

As a reward for surpassing 50% imitation, he had received the mace "Hasshaku"—a weapon far superior to Konoha's most advanced ninja tools in both material and destructive power.

Gripping the massive weapon, Simu swung it with immense force, sending a devastating wave of Armament Haki forward.

Like a blade slicing through water, the haki split the sea of flames in half, extinguishing it instantly.

Orochimaru's eyelids twitched.

He had expected his attack to fail, but the ease with which Simu countered it still caught him off guard.

Just as Simu was about to go on the offensive, a dozen white snakes suddenly slithered out from the ground.

Orochimaru didn't expect the snakes to pierce Simu's defenses and inject venom—in fact, he doubted they could even break through his armor-like body.

Konoha's intelligence had already confirmed that Simu was immune to venom, having demonstrated it multiple times before.

That's why these white snakes weren't meant to inject poison.

Instead, they were covered in countless explosive tags.

The moment they emerged from the ground, they detonated.

A series of violent explosions tore through the earth, sending flames and debris flying in all directions.

But before the smoke could settle, Simu's dragon claws ripped through the haze as he stepped out unscathed—his massive frame barely dirtied by dust and ash.

An attack of this level was nowhere near enough to harm him.

Still, Orochimaru wasn't discouraged.

Without hesitation, his neck suddenly extended, launching his serpent-like head toward Simu.

Seeing this, Simu's expression twisted in undisguised disgust.

Boom!

With a swift swing of his mace, the weapon's razor-sharp iron fangs tore straight through Orochimaru's skull, crushing it instantly.

Simu remained calm.

He knew better.

If Orochimaru could be killed that easily, he wouldn't be called Orochimaru.

Sure enough, his head exploded like jelly, yet that nasty, sticky sensation still lingered in the air.

Orochimaru's severed head regenerated instantly, thick bodily fluid dripping from his pale skin.

"Hiss..."

The purple eye shadow around his eyes made him look even more eerie.

His mouth stretched open at an inhuman angle, and from within, ten long swords slowly emerged, gleaming ominously.

At the same time, the ground beneath Simu's feet had turned into a writhing sea of snakes.

Tens of thousands of white serpents coiled around his legs, slithering up his torso and neck, constricting like a living death trap.

It was as if he had sunk into an ocean of vipers.

"An illusion?"

Simu scoffed.

Dark red lightning crackled in his eyes.

In an instant, a terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from him.

The countless snakes constricting his body vanished, disintegrating under the sheer force of his will.

The massive sea of serpents collapsed beneath his feet as if struck by divine judgment.

Orochimaru's pupils shrank in shock.

He hadn't expected Simu to shatter his illusion so effortlessly.

Simu steadied himself, his gaze locking onto the long sword in Orochimaru's mouth.

For the first time in this battle—he felt a real sense of danger.

This sword was most likely the legendary Kusanagi Sword.

However, the ninja world had many variations of Kusanagi, each with different abilities—razor-sharp edges, extreme elongation, or even powerful sealing techniques.

As one of the Three Sannin, Orochimaru was well aware of Simu's known abilities.

For instance, he had witnessed the elemental powers Simu displayed on the battlefield.

If that was the case, then Orochimaru must know that ordinary physical attacks wouldn't work against him…

Which meant—this sword wasn't ordinary.

Instead of blocking it head-on, Simu turned into a golden flash, circling behind Orochimaru in an instant.

With a powerful swing, his mace, Hasshaku, came crashing down.

For a brief moment, disappointment flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.

Then, his body was ripped apart under the force of the iron club.

But before Simu could even lower his weapon, a sea of snakes slithered in the distance—

And from within them, Orochimaru emerged once more, completely unharmed.

Simu narrowed his eyes.

"What a troublesome ability."

Orochimaru couldn't help but admire Simu's overwhelming strength.

If he could obtain this body—and combine it with his own Living corpse reincarnation...

Hmm…

Simu noticed the greed flickering in Orochimaru's eyes.

Without hesitation, he swung his mace with immense force.

A thick column of Armament Haki erupted, blasting toward the sea of snakes.

"Mighty Kingdom!"

The devastating Haki surged forward, annihilating everything in its path—

Rocks, trees, and countless white snakes were instantly obliterated.

The impact shook the battlefield, sending dust billowing into the sky.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Simu split open—

A massive purple snake lunged out, its fangs bared, ready to strike.

And it even complained while attacking.

"Orochimaru, you actually called me to deal with this brat? You better pay me extra!"

Orochimaru's lips curled into a sinister grin.

"Two thousand sacrifices."

Manda licked the corner of his mouth, satisfied.

"Deal!"

His massive jaws snapped shut, trying to eat Simu whole.

But Simu thrust his hands forward, forcing Manda's jaws apart.

With a powerful kick off the air, he shot into the sky like a rocket.

His body suddenly expanded, muscles stretching and twisting.

Under Orochimaru's hungry gaze, Simu transformed—

A colossal dragon, hundreds of meters long, coiling in the sky!

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TO BE CONTINUED

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