Clone Battle
"This amount of Chakra... interesting!" Facing the raging wind blades, Orochimaru remained unfazed, calmly forming hand Hand Seals.
"Summoning Technique: Rashomon!"
With a thunderous roar, a gate to the underworld, tens of meters high, rose slowly from the ground, standing majestically among the giant trees, firmly blocking the swarm of wind blades!
The massive swarm of wind blades appeared insignificant compared to the colossal Ghost Gate. Endless wind blades crashed into the Ghost Gate, mercilessly leaving deep, crisscrossing trenches tens of meters deep! The Rashomon was riddled with holes by the interwoven wind blades, its thickness rapidly diminishing at a visible rate. However, at the same time, the wind blades were also weakening at the same speed, until only a thin layer remained of the Ghost Gate, but ultimately, they still couldn't penetrate Rashomon!
Orochimaru sneered as he leaped onto Rashomon. His hands moved with lightning speed, forming Hand Seals like cat's cradle, drawing out a massive amount of Chakra and transforming it into an endless stream of venomous snakes, which he then spat out from his mouth! A million venomous snakes converged into a terrifying swarm, flowing like a river down Rashomon to the ground, their mouths extending long, sharp blades that hissed as they lunged at Sakura and her companions!
Sasuke's pupils shrank slightly, he was shocked, but he still calmly formed the seal - Wei-Wu-Si-Chen-Zi-Chou-Yin!
Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!
A raging Great Fireball, transformed into a lifelike dragon, its body undulating as it collided violently with the endless stream of snakes! However, how could a swarm of flesh and blood snakes withstand a pure fire dragon? In the raging flames, countless white snakes struggled and turned to ashes. The venomous snake army charged relentlessly towards the fire dragon, futilely exhausting its heat with their lives, only to be devoured by the dragon! Finally, the fire dragon roared, turning the swarm of Orochimaru to dust, and charged towards Rashomon standing atop the gate!
Boom! After being struck by two powerful Ninjutsu, Rashomon finally succumbed to its strain and was blasted to pieces by the fire dragon. Amidst its mournful cries, it turned into dust that blanketed the ground and scattered into the air, spreading throughout the forest and forming a thick curtain that blocked out the sun.
"Did it hit...?" Sasuke asked, frowning. The thick dust made it impossible for even his Sharingan to see through it.
"Don't be careless, he's Orochimaru, not someone you can defeat with just one or two A-rank Ninjutsu— "
Before Sakura could finish speaking, Orochimaru suddenly appeared behind her in Body Flicker Technique and swung his sword down!
Poof! The incredibly sharp Kusanagi Sword was blocked by a pale blue water shield that appeared out of nowhere. Orochimaru's fierce attack didn't even manage to create a ripple in the water shield!
Orochimaru's surprised gaze collided with the girl's icy stare as she turned back. Their snake-like, pale yellow vertical pupils met each other's indifferent, emerald eyes, and their killing intent intertwined and clashed in that instant—the former vast, sinister, and terrifying, the latter pure and chillingly cold! Then, the two completed the next Ninjutsu at the same speed!
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!" "Water Release: Water Python Strangulation!"
As Orochimaru sneered, the Kusanagi Sword transformed into a giant gray python, while beneath the girl's delicate, frosty face, the Water Shield transformed into a shimmering blue Aoda. The two intertwined into a tangled web of blue and gray, locked in a frenzied struggle! However, the strength of a water snake formed from Ultra-Pure Water was far beyond that of any form created from ordinary Chakra.
"Hey!" The girl gritted her teeth and roared. The Aoda suddenly exerted its strength, shredding the gray python into mincemeat, and reverted to the trembling Kusanagi Sword! Then, the water snake pressed its advantage and suddenly coiled around Orochimaru's arm!
Sensing the water snake's tenacity, Orochimaru changed slightly. The instant the Aoda severed his arm, he made his hands as soft and slippery as a snake, freeing himself from the Water Python Strangulation. He leaped backward into the air, dodging Sasuke and Naruto who came to his aid, and quickly Hand Seals!
Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!
A massive amount of Chakra transformed into a roaring fire dragon, which was spat out from Orochimaru's mouth. The raging flames emitted a dazzling light, illuminating the dark forest. The boundless heat wave, even from a distance of tens of meters, still scorched the grass on the ground, turning it yellow and withering!
Although Orochimaru didn't know why Sakura's Water Release was so powerful, his rich combat experience allowed him to quickly devise a countermeasure—since she was Water Release ninja, he would test her with Fire Style! Orochimaru waved his hand sharply, and a fire dragon, under his control, roared towards Sakura and the other two!
Damn it, I don't remember Orochimaru being able to use Fire Style! Fine, I was too naive to expect Orochimaru, a Ninjutsu expert, to not know Fire Style! Sakura bit her lip and, without thinking, unleashed her Ninjutsu.
"Ice Release: Ice-Sealing Demonic Seal!"
Under Sakura's clumsy manipulation Ice Release Chakra condensed in the air into a crystalline ice wall, radiating a bone-chilling cold.
This is Ninjutsu she learned from Yuki Haku in the Land of Waves. Ice Release has stronger resistance to elemental Ninjutsu, making it very suitable for ninjas like Sakura who have high Chakra control but limited chakra reserves, thus compensating for the weakness of her Ninjutsu system being countered by Fire Style. However, since Sakura was also just starting out with Ice Release Ninjutsu Nature Transformation, she experienced firsthand the difficulty of learning Ninjutsu like an ordinary person, and it took her half a month to master this move.
At this moment, Sakura, still somewhat inexperienced in controlling the ice, formed a thick ice wall that surrounded her and the other two in a semi-circle, blocking Orochimaru's Ninjutsu! The fire dragon collided head-on with the ice wall. Faced with the chilling cold of the Ice Release Ninjutsu, even the blazing flames could not penetrate the thick ice wall. The raging fire dragon, having exhausted its firepower, only managed to melt a thin layer of the ice wall's surface!
Whew! Sakura secretly breathed a sigh of relief, stopped supplying Chakra to the ice wall, and ended the Ninjutsu.
"Ice Release? Heh heh..." Orochimaru looked at the girl below with great interest. She was clearly an ordinary ninja from an ordinary ninja family, yet she possessed Kekkei Genkai! Moreover, it was probably not Kekkei Genkai inherited from her lineage, but Kekkei Genkai she had developed herself...
"If Sasuke weren't already here... you might have been a decent prey! What a pity!" Orochimaru smiled, his voice hoarse. "We've already wasted too much time. Even those useless fools... they've probably realized what's happening by now!"
"Too bad, I'm about to take care of you all!"
"Damn it, what nonsense are you spouting!" Naruto shouted defiantly, unleashing the Multi Shadow Clone once again, his massive Chakra instantly creating clones that filled the empty space!
However, this time the Shadow Clone tactic did not work.
"Get down!"
Sensing an unusual Chakra fluctuation behind her, Sakura didn't have time to think and instantly accelerated to Naruto's side, knocking Naruto to the ground!
At the same time, a long sword slashed across the heads of the three people, and Orochimaru spat out a sword that was over a hundred meters long, wiping out all of Naruto's hundreds of Shadow Clones in one go! Although he couldn't do it as cleanly and efficiently as Sakura's Water Blade Technique, with his unfathomable Chakra and Ninjutsu skills, Orochimaru could still instantly eliminate a group of units!
Water Release: Super Water Gun Technique!
The white waterline was faster, longer, sharper, and more powerful than a sword... Sakura responded to Orochimaru's attack with her Ninjutsu!
As the water swept across, Orochimaru's upright body split into two smooth segments that slid down, turning into soft mud and merging into the earth.
"Did you use the Substitution Technique to switch positions between your real body and the Earth Clone the instant the attack was completed?" the girl asked softly.
So, where is the real body?
In a split second, sensing the movement beneath her feet, Sakura instinctively leaped up. But what jumped up at the same time was a giant python as thick as a water bucket, its jaws clamped around the girl's delicate ankle!
However, the giant python's simple mind couldn't understand why its sharp teeth couldn't bite its food! The next moment, the girl bent down to dodge Orochimaru's attack, and the wind-style Chakra gathered at her fingertips transformed her slender fingers into an unparalleled weapon, severing the python's head and turning its bewilderment into an eternal question!
Snake blood gushed out, spraying onto Sakura. She didn't raise her water shield to block the blood; she had no time to concern herself with such trivial matters.
Blood stained half her body, the dark crimson making her bare skin appear even more translucent, shimmering faintly in the moonlight, creating a unique beauty. Naruto and Sasuke still locked onto the remaining giant snakes, the girl's emerald eyes locked onto Orochimaru not far away. She flung off the snake's head, her feet treading on transparent water, her dark red and white figure hurtling towards Orochimaru at high speed!
She moved at high speed to Orochimaru's side and unleashed a fierce punch towards Orochimaru abdomen! With the enhancement of her Nintaijutsu and the protection of her Ultra-Pure Water, the girl was confident enough to challenge the Sannin in a Taijutsu! However, a slippery sensation came from the point of contact, and Orochimaru's abdomen, as if boneless, twisted at an unimaginable angle, dodging the girl's fist!
This guy is neither human nor snake!
The girl's face paled slightly, but her attacks continued unabated. Several punches were deflected by the slippery, unidentified liquid, causing little damage to Orochimaru! However, this was not a futile attack. Sakura finally discerned the pattern in Orochimaru's bizarre Taijutsu and, using the Ultra-Pure Water, locked his movements. Finally, she delivered a vicious elbow strike, her elbow slamming into Orochimaru's head!
Dirt flew everywhere, a head shattered, and Orochimaru's body turned into dirt with that powerful elbow strike!
This is... Earth Clone!
The girl, feeling tricked, looked up coldly, and Orochimaru's figure was emerging from the tree.
The girl's cold, emerald eyes met Orochimaru's crazed, vertical yellow pupils once again.
"Hehehe--!" Orochimaru burst into maniacal laughter!
The next moment, the icy water blade pierced through the gap in space, severing Orochimaru's body along with his maniacal laughter.
Another clone!
Where is the real body...?
The girl's delicate face, her indifferent gaze slowly swept across the air and the ground, the murderous intent in her eyes seemed capable of freezing into frost!