Fighting Spirit!

The raging torrents of water not only ravaged Rashomon, but also devastated the surrounding picturesque scenery.

Sakura Haruno's gaze swept over them, and her brows furrowed slightly.

She then raised her head and gave Orochimaru a mocking smile.

"You should have said that back in the Land of Rice Fields," Sakura said coldly. "I'm no longer the weak Genin who couldn't fight you during the Chunin Ninja Exams!"

The sea breeze whistled through the air.

The May wind, though cool, already carried a hint of heat.

At the seaside, the heat and the damp coolness of the water vapor mingled together, creating a contradictory feeling of both cold and hot when it blew over.

Just like the girl in front of Orochimaru, whose eyes held a mixture of icy killing intent and burning fighting spirit.

Sakura Haruno was staring intently at Orochimaru, a hint of excitement in her eyes!

Orochimaru was the only Kage Level ninja she had ever faced who stood before her a second time.

When she first fought Orochimaru, she was a novice ninja with little strength and was completely defeated by Orochimaru; however, time has passed and she has grown much stronger.

The defeats of the past should be washed away...

This time, she wanted to try and redeem herself!

Orochimaru chuckled softly, his smile brimming with the composure of a veteran "Kage" level ninja.

"You're very confident! However, I'm not like that trash Deidara; your techniques can't kill me instantly. Besides, I'm not a ninja like Sasori who can be countered by you... You'd better watch out!"

As he spoke, he stuck out his long tongue and licked his bright red lower lip all over.

Orochimaru's body... is still using that woman's body from before!

The way this movement is performed gives off a somewhat androgynous feel.

So, is Orochimaru now him or her?

Sakura turned her head slightly away, feeling a little awkward looking at him—or her—the way he looked. Then she suddenly realized that the person who had been standing behind Orochimaru had disappeared while she was fighting Orochimaru.

"That young man who can turn into water..." Sakura Haruno glanced around a few times, making sure he was no longer there, then turned back to look at Orochimaru warily, and asked, "Where did he go?"

"Suigetsu's movements? Heh heh, of course he's going to seize the Kubikiribōchō," Orochimaru replied leisurely, not in a hurry to launch an attack, "While you don't have the energy to intercept him!"

His name was Suigetsu.

A slight sneer crossed the girl's mind, but she let out a mocking laugh and offered no comment on his actions.

"It seems Yuki Haku is here too," Orochimaru, seeing through Sakura's expression. There must be someone guarding the Kubikiribōchō, which is why she wasn't worried about Zabuza's grave. "Suigetsu is a master; are you really that confident Yuki Haku can fight him?"

Sakura Haruno's expression remained unmoved.

Suigetsu's Hydrification Technique is likely countered by Ice Release. Moreover, Haku is not weak at all; she can basically also use the Ice Release techniques that Sakura Haruno knows. Even without considering the counter effect of Ice Release, she is not afraid of that silver-haired youth at all!

"Ice Release, huh...?"

After a moment's thought, Orochimaru immediately realized what Sakura Haruno relied on.

"It seems Ice Release isn't just about making people look good," he said, gazing at Sakura's delicate and pretty face, thinking about her meteoric rise in strength over the past two years, "It seems there are other amazing aspects to it too!"

He habitually flashed that enthusiastic smile, as if he had seen something amusing.

"Interesting... I'm becoming more and more interested in the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai!"

The young girl frowned slightly and involuntarily took a step back, as if she had seen something repulsive.

"First the Sharingan, then Ice Release... Your extraordinary possessiveness towards Kekkei Genkai is truly disgusting!" Her pupils suddenly turned cold as she spoke with utter loathing.

"Hehehe..." Orochimaru suddenly burst into maniacal laughter!

"There's no one else here, so I understand! You and I are actually the same kind of people, aren't we?" He stared intently at Sakura and said slowly, "We are both fellow travelers on the path of exploring the truth!"

Sakura Haruno remained silent.

She stared intently at Orochimaru for a while, then instead of refuting his words, she asked him a question.

"What does this have to do with your pursuit of Kekkei Genkai?"

"Pursuing the truth of all things in the world requires time and power! That's why I developed the Reincarnation Technique, so that I could have unlimited time and enough power to learn all Ninjutsu and pursue my ideal!"

Orochimaru's voice had a captivating huskiness, and his words seemed to possess an inherent allure. This wasn't Genjutsu, but rather his innate personal charisma.

This person has so many die-hard followers; it can't be explained simply by brainwashing...

So Sakura Haruno didn't interrupt him, but listened quietly as he continued.

"Now that you possess Kekkei Genkai, you should know how much it enhances a ninja!" Orochimaru sneered. "Even the most talented ninjas among commoners are nothing special in the eyes of someone with Kekkei Genkai! Just like you..."

"Boring," Sakura Haruno said expressionlessly. "Whether I have Kekkei Genkai or not, I'll eventually reach the pinnacle of ninja power. The power of Ice Release is just icing on the cake! Kekkei Genkai are nothing to be proud of!"

"That's because all you possess is Ice Release... If you had the Sharingan or the First's Wood Release, you wouldn't be like this!" Orochimaru chuckled, his sarcasm overflowing. "Besides, you've been secretly researching Kekkei Genkai limits, haven't you?"

"Tell me, among the human experiments you conducted in the Land of Snow, were there any experiments aimed at obtaining the power of the Sharingan?"

Sakura Haruno's expression suddenly changed. Her trip to the Land of Snow was discreet enough; how could Orochimaru have discovered it!

"What?"

She snorted coldly, her eyes sharp as knives, sweeping fiercely towards Orochimaru!

"Hahaha! Don't be so quick to deny it!" Orochimaru laughed loudly. "Are you satisfied with the data I left you? Don't tell me you haven't started human experiments yet! Don't tell me you're not tempted by Sasuke's power!"

Sakura Haruno gasped. The feeling of having her secret exposed by the enemy was absolutely terrible!

What's worse, her situation was actually influenced by Orochimaru!

The girl's face instantly turned as cold as if frost had formed on it.

She completely lost interest in continuing the conversation with Orochimaru, and a surge of anger welled up inside her.

His ten fingers moved rapidly, Chakra surged forth instantly!

Ice Release: Frost Ice Burial!

A chilling aura, like mist and smoke, spread instantly; at the foot of the Gates of Hell, where the water dragon had wreaked havoc, a large amount of water still remained, which suddenly froze into ice, and sharp ice shards suddenly burst forth, shooting towards Orochimaru on the gate!

"So you're going to start a fight over a mere disagreement?" Orochimaru's expression remained calm as he casually spoke.

With a few leaps, he nimbly dodged the onslaught of icicles and landed on the summit of Ghost Gate.

Whoosh--!

Then, the girl's figure flashed instantly, appearing abruptly behind Orochimaru using the high-speed teleportation of Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!

Orochimaru's calm and composed expression finally changed.

What a fast Body Flicker Technique! In that instant, he thought of Jiraiya's apprentice!

Sakura's movements didn't pause at all. The moment she appeared, she punched Orochimaru in the back of the head. The wind from her punch was howling, and it was her most commonly used Nintaijutsu: Star Cannon Fist!

Before the fist even arrived, Orochimaru felt a gust of wind at the back of his head, the force overwhelming him. In his haste, he didn't even have time to use Ninjutsu. He only noticed Sakura Haruno's appearance out of the corner of his eye. Just as he gathered his Chakra, he was struck head-on by that lightning-fast punch!

Bang! A punch imbued with unparalleled Monstrous Strength slammed head-on into Orochimaru's cheek!

This punch would have killed anyone else horribly; but when the fist struck Orochimaru's pale cheek, Sakura Haruno's expression shifted slightly.

"Soft Body Modification?" The girl raised an eyebrow.

Her knuckles struck some kind of slippery, extremely tough flesh, like hitting a piece of rotten leather; half of her force seemed to have missed its mark and instead dissipated into the air!

The other half of the power did land, but Orochimaru's body was extremely flexible. Sakura's hand felt like it had hit a piece of extremely soft and tough rubber, stretching Orochimaru's body to twice its original length before sending him flying!

"Secret Technique: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Orochimaru sent flying backward through the air, but his hands suddenly transformed into several thick, long pythons, which shot out with a whoosh and hurtled towards Sakura Haruno, who was standing on the ice.

The latter neither dodged nor evaded, but continued to form hand Hand Seals, instantly conjuring an ice mirror behind Orochimaru.

She then Body Flicker Technique past again; the same move, the same punch, and even the same spot!

Second punch, Star Cannon Hammer!

Bang! Orochimaru's facial bones cracked with a crisp sound.

Then, the final punch!

Boom! No matter how high the damage tolerance of the Soft Body Modification was, it couldn't withstand the continuous and ferocious attacks. Orochimaru's neck bone broke, his head was completely tilted to one side, and his body crashed into the sea like a softball being sent flying!

Glug glug.

Several white bubbles rose to the surface of the sea, and a lifeless body slowly emerged from the water.

It was a woman's corpse...

The damp white fabric of the kimono accentuated the wearer's exquisite figure; her chest remained flat, and her purple eyeshadow and crimson lips still retained their former vibrancy. To the uninformed would likely lament the tragic passing of this young woman.

Pity.

She is Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru-Style Substitution Technique." Sakura Haruno said calmly as she watched Orochimaru emerge unharmed from the corpse, just as she expected.

This troublesome Ninjutsu almost completely blocked her attack power.

Without specific Orochimaru Secret Technique, it seems like you'd have to wear him down to exhaustion to defeat him!

"Are you angry because you're embarrassed, Sakura Haruno?" Orochimaru stood on the water's surface, a faint smile playing on his lips.

It sounded like mockery, yet also like pity.

He looked up at Sakura Haruno with his head held high, but his gaze seemed to be looking down at her.

"Aren't you afraid to admit the truth, Sakura Haruno!"

Sakura fell from the ice mirror in mid-air and stood on the water's surface.

A gentle ripple rose beneath my feet, spreading out in concentric circles across the calm water.

(Second update delivered, guaranteed 1/3! Two more updates tonight!)

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(So happy, it's a masterpiece!! I'll write an extra chapter to celebrate!)