Chapter 74: Orochimaru at His Peak

"Come then, Nagi-kun. Let me see what you're truly made of."

Orochimaru was so excited because, not long ago, he had received intelligence: Uchiha Nagi, who had been missing for over a year, had reappeared. Furthermore, he had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and had even fought Tsunade.

After the night of the clan massacre, Itachi had joined Akatsuki. What happened next was widely known: the greedy serpent had set his sights on the Mangekyo Sharingan, only to encounter Itachi, a master of genjutsu. Coupled with Orochimaru's soul being in a weakened state after a body transfer, he was instantly defeated.

However, that was merely Orochimaru being careless. As someone who had lived through two great wars, his combat experience was immense; he was certainly no stranger to genjutsu. On the contrary, he had witnessed a vast array of illusionary techniques.

To think that Orochimaru's mental resistance was low after a body transfer and that genjutsu was a guaranteed counter would be a fatal miscalculation.

So, this time, encountering Uchiha Nagi, he was determined to seize a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan for himself. This was the true reason for his excitement.

Whoosh~

A gentle breeze blew past, rustling a few leaves. Before the leaves even hit the ground, the two of them moved—

Orochimaru threw a kunai as a feint, his hands rapidly forming seals. "Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A single kunai instantly multiplied, filling the space with a dense, uncountable barrage, like a machine gun.

Uchiha Nagi murmured softly, "Third Form: Flowing Dance~"

This was a technique from Water Breathing, combining evasion and attack with footwork as fluid as flowing water.

Clang, clang, clang! The sound of Nagi deflecting and dodging kunai echoed across the clearing.

Honestly, Uchiha Nagi couldn't distinguish which were the physical kunai and which were formed by chakra nature transformation, but caution was paramount.

[Kishimoto probably didn't think this jutsu through. Why can chakra-transformed kunai kill, instead of dispersing into a puff of smoke on impact like shadow clones?]

This wide-range ninjutsu was merely an appetizer.

Orochimaru stuck out his long tongue, licking his face, and quickly dashed towards Uchiha Nagi. At the same time, one hand shot out, unleashing his signature ninjutsu that required no hand seals.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands—!"

A multitude of snake heads rapidly shot out from Orochimaru's sleeves. Being hit by these would be disastrous, as these snakes didn't just coil and bind enemies; their heads would also bite, and who knew which of them were venomous.

Uchiha Nagi had no desire to be bitten by a venomous snake, let alone so many of them.

Hoo~ He took a deep breath. "Water Breathing, Second Form: Water Wheel!"

The Second Form: Water Wheel, true to its name, was a sword technique resembling a water wheel, used to cut down enemies in a wide area while also forming a protective circle around oneself.

After one rotation, all of Orochimaru's Hidden Shadow Snake Hands were severed.

Orochimaru chuckled. "Quite the impressive swordsmanship. It reminds me of Hanzo; his blade work was as strong as yours."

However, wielding a kunai in close combat against a master swordsman was undoubtedly a very dangerous proposition.

"Flame Breathing, Third Form: Blazing Universe!"

The Third Form was a downward slash delivered at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. The strike was accompanied by arcing flames, capable of scorching the enemy with its sword qi even if the blade itself didn't connect.

Before the words were even finished, Nagi's blade struck Orochimaru. Orochimaru, still holding his kunai, wore an expression of disbelief. He couldn't believe he'd been hit, because he was certain he had just dodged the blade.

Just as a flicker of triumph touched Uchiha Nagi's lips, that signature husky, magnetic voice sounded again from behind him.

"Hidden Shadow Many Snake Hands~!"

Uchiha Nagi's pupils constricted violently. This venomous snake, when did he sneak behind me? The one I've been watching with my Sharingan all along was just an Earth Clone?

The Orochimaru that Uchiha Nagi had struck with Flame Breathing's Third Form slowly dissolved into a pile of mud.

"Hoo~ Sixth Form: Twisting Whirlpool!"

By forcefully twisting the upper and lower body, a powerful vortex of slashes was unleashed. This technique was most effective in water, where the generated whirlpool became a series of sharp water blades, shredding everything in the vicinity.

The Many Snake Hands that Orochimaru had unleashed in his sneak attack from behind were all minced by this watery vortex sword technique. The ground was littered with the remains of snake corpses.

It was only polite to return the favor. Uchiha Nagi activated his Mangekyo, aiming a Mangekyo genjutsu straight at Orochimaru's serpentine eyes. To his surprise, Orochimaru was currently fighting with his eyes closed.

That's right, I almost forgot. Snakes in nature are nearsighted; they hunt primarily by sensing pheromones with their tongues and using infrared senses. Orochimaru, who has studied snakes so thoroughly, would surely have equipped himself with several of a snake's sensory organs.

This was also why Kabuto, later on, could fight the Uchiha brothers with his eyes closed without being at a disadvantage. Snakes were never animals that relied on their eyes for hunting.

[Truly one of the veteran Sannin.]

Uchiha Nagi lamented. Itachi defeating Orochimaru in a single blow was really pure luck. As for the second time, Orochimaru had failed to take over Sasuke's body and was hiding within him, his power diminished to who knows what fraction; his defeat then was hardly surprising.

But now, he was facing Orochimaru in his prime physical condition. Orochimaru knew his own weaknesses better than anyone, so he had simply abandoned using his eyes in combat, instantly compensating for his vulnerability to genjutsu.

Orochimaru, having drawn his Kusanagi Sword at some unknown point, was now clashing blades with Uchiha Nagi.

Clang, clang, clang—!

Metal shrieked against metal, sparks flying.

Something Orochimaru had never shown in the original story: his swordsmanship. He was actually a master swordsman as well. No wonder he had acquired the incredibly durable Kusanagi Sword.

Against Nagi's Breathing Styles, Orochimaru didn't fall behind in the slightest. Although he wasn't a pure swordsman, when combined with his ninjutsu, even Uchiha Nagi could be caught off guard if he wasn't careful. After a few sword exchanges, Orochimaru's other hand would unleash his signature, seal-less snake hand techniques, making him incredibly difficult to defend against.

"Nagi-kun, you truly delight me. Unlike Itachi, and even more unlike other Uchiha, your swordsmanship already has faint echoes of the White Fang of Konoha."

Orochimaru said excitedly, "No, give you a few more years, and you might not only catch up to him but even surpass him. However, for now, you are still far from it."

"Is that so? I don't quite think so." Uchiha Nagi gave a mysterious smile. Fighting a swordsman at close range was inherently dangerous. And recently, he had gained new insight into Thunder Breathing.

Hoo~

The air he exhaled carried faint sparks of lightning.

"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—Sixteen Fold!"

In an instant, to Orochimaru's senses, Uchiha Nagi transformed into sixteen figures. Orochimaru considered himself a master swordsman, yet he had no confidence he could block all sixteen strikes.

Clang! Clang! Clang!!!

Metal shrieked, sparks flew. Orochimaru blocked thirteen slashes but failed to stop the final three. They struck his heart, his neck, and his eyes, respectively.

Three vital spots, each pierced by a blade—