The Power of the Bloodthirsty Bead

The power of the Bloodthirsty Bead

Watching Shunren engulfed by the sea of snakes, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly and muttered to himself, "Did I go too far? I can't afford to ruin my future body..."

Orochimaru Hand Seals, preparing to retreat from the sea of snakes.

However, at that moment, a scarlet light suddenly appeared in the pitch-black sea of snakes.

"Huh?! This is..."

A scarlet bead hovering in front of Shunren released an eerie scarlet glow, forming a barrier around it.

"Hiss hiss hiss~" All the black snakes that came into contact with the scarlet serpent melted instantly, as if the snow had been hit by a raging fire. All their life force was drained away, leaving them as shriveled shells that eventually turned to ashes.

Bloodthirsty Bead!

Shunren's breathing became slightly rapid. Being illuminated by the crimson light of the Bloodthirsty Bead at close range, he felt his blood and qi surging throughout his body, as if they were about to burst out of his body.

Faced with such a menacing and malevolent creature, Shunren would not use the Bloodthirsty Bead unless absolutely necessary.

But now, facing Orochimaru with overwhelming power, he has no choice but to resort to any extreme measures!

Shunren felt a foul stench suddenly fill his surroundings. Looking around, all he could see was darkness. The sea of snakes was now numbering in the tens of thousands!

Countless black snakes rushed forward, crashing into the scarlet barrier. Although Shunren was temporarily safe inside, he was surrounded by terrifying snake shadows and sharp blades, and the stench emanating from them was almost nauseating.

However, the Bloodthirsty Bead was, after all, the supreme evil artifact of the demonic path. Under the attack of countless ferocious serpent blades, it showed no signs of fragility or wavering. The scarlet barrier appeared thin, but it stood firm as a mountain.

After a while, the ashes and sludge formed from the black snake's corpse outside the barrier grew higher and higher!

"A ninja tool that can so readily plunder life force—it's truly wonderful!" Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with intense interest as he looked at the Bloodthirsty Bead hovering before Shunren. "With such a treasure, your strength should have grown to a much greater extent. What a waste!"

Two giant snakes flew out from Orochimaru's sleeve, transforming into a cannonball that slammed into Shunren's scarlet barrier!

With a "thud," the ferocious giant snake exploded upon contact, its flesh and blood completely absorbed by the crimson liquid, leaving only a bare, white skeleton. At the same time, the once-solid crimson barrier of the Shunren began to ripple, clearly having been significantly impacted.

"Is that so? Then let's try this!" Despite his failed attack, Orochimaru showed no disappointment; instead, his excitement intensified.

Seeing Orochimaru Hand Seals again, Shunren knew he couldn't let the opponent continue attacking at will, so without saying a word, he thrust the Sode no Shirayuki into his palm.

"Negative fifty degrees."

The earth froze! Centered on himself, the dense sea of snakes around him was instantly frozen into frost, and at the same time, the earth experienced a violent Frost Quake.

Even someone of Orochimaru's stature was unsteady on his feet, and he had to stop Hand Seals. "It can actually cause Chakra fluctuation?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Orochimaru's feet were frozen by frost. However, he did not react at all, ignoring the gradual invasion of the frost. His body lengthened and he pounced towards Shunren.

"Crack~" Due to the side effects of the forced instantaneous thawing, Shunren's skin cracked. This was also a side effect of Sode no Shirayuki. However, facing Orochimaru was attacking in such a bizarre way, he couldn't care less about that.

Orochimaru's movement trajectory is not only rapid but also quite unpredictable; it is very difficult for someone without Dōjutsu ability to see through it.

Sharingan

Locked on! Shunren unleashed a lightning-fast sword strike using the White Fang Style of swordsmanship, a flash of snow-white light.

Orochimaru's figure froze abruptly. A cut the size of a fingernail appeared on his side. To be able to dodge to this extent at such close range was enough to demonstrate his agility.

However, Orochimaru underestimated Sode no Shirayuki's power. The extreme cold air penetrated through the wound and quickly spread throughout Orochimaru's body, freezing all his vital organs.

"Just one strike, such wonderful power..." Although his entire body hair and even his breath turned to frost, Orochimaru's smile remained unchanged. Then, before his entire body was frozen by the frost, his mouth opened strangely at a 120-degree angle, revealing a completely unharmed version of himself.

Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique! Shunren's expression changed slightly. He was about to raise his sword to strike when Orochimaru's shed skin transformed into dozens of white snakes that coiled around Shunren's Sode no Shirayuki and right hand, baring their venomous fangs to bite. However, they were immediately frozen by the cold air.

However, Orochimaru's purpose was a feint, and he quickly circled around to Shunren's left.

Shunren gestured with his left hand, activating the Bloodthirsty Bead to meet the attack.

Orochimaru chuckled, "I'm a little interested in your ninja tools. Let me see them?"

Having said that, Orochimaru reached for the Bloodthirsty Bead with his bare right hand!

Shunren's expression was icy as he poured a great deal of energy into the Bloodthirsty Bead, which instantly turned a deep crimson red.

Orochimaru's response was to unleash mysterious Chakra flames between the five fingers of his right hand, with his thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger corresponding to the incantations for metal, wood, water, fire, and earth respectively. "Five Elements Seal!"

Orochimaru's five fingers gripped the Bloodthirsty Bead directly, but the life-stealing crimson seemed to have no effect on it!

Shunren was immediately taken aback. Although the destructive power of the Bloodthirsty Bead was not as great as that of the Zangetsu and the White Sode no Shirayuki Bead, its ability to devour life was extremely strange. Even he himself dared not touch it with his bare hands, for fear that the blood and qi in his body would be drawn in and cause him to suffer a backlash. But he never expected that Orochimaru would dare to catch it with his bare hands.

However, compared to Shunren's shock, Orochimaru was also quite shaken. As one of the legendary Konoha Sannin, renowned throughout the Shinobi World, his personal strength alone could completely overshadow the power of Konoha. Neither the Third Konoha High Command Danzo could easily order him to act. He himself was an arrogant and disdainful figure.

Originally, he only wanted to test the junior's abilities, but he unknowingly used forbidden techniques several times in a row. Moreover, the blood-red bead was also strange and fierce. Orochimaru's rash contact with it greatly agitated his blood and qi.

The five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, and earth) flickered on the Bloodthirsty Bead, but were then erased by the eerie scarlet color.

The powerful sealing incantation, however, could not be inscribed onto the bead for the time being.

At this moment, Orochimaru couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "What kind of ninja tool is this? My Five Elements Seal can't suppress it?"