Within One Year
Within a year
"Bang!"
The Five Elements Seal technique collapsed, releasing a massive amount of Chakra that blasted the two of them back.
"Uchiha Shunren, you've passed the test... no... I should say you've even exceeded my expectations!" Orochimaru rarely gave Shunren such high praise.
Shunren remained expressionless, holding a sword in one hand and manipulating the Bloodthirsty Bead in the other. His breathing was slightly rapid; his Chakra was nearing its limit after so many battles. However, Orochimaru had used several forbidden techniques in succession, yet showed no signs of fatigue, indicating a significant difference in Chakra between the two.
He glanced at the three towering, massive Rashomon. Although he possessed the power to break down the gates, the idea that he would have the strength to do so after fighting Orochimaru was clearly unrealistic.
Shunren had already prepared for the worst: to use Yin Release to forcibly project Doraemon's "Anywhere Door," which allows for long-distance space jumps. However, the "value" of this gadget was extremely high. While Yin Release could indeed create anything tangible, there's no such thing as a free lunch; you have to pay the same "value" to gain something. With Shunren's current Chakra and control over Yin Release, he clearly couldn't project the Anywhere Door, even a cheap imitation. The cost of space jumps was still considerable.
Optimistically speaking, the success rate of Shunren's projection of the Anywhere Door is less than 50%, and it is only a highly unstable semi-finished product.
"Really? That doesn't look like despair. You seem to have some interesting trump card up your sleeve?" Orochimaru stared intently at Shunren, then feigned surprise after a moment. He then glanced at his own withered, bloodless, lifeless right arm and smiled sinisterly, "Heh! I was careless; I actually lost an arm..."
"Pfft~" With his left hand, Orochimaru pulled out a Kunai and without hesitation cut off his right hand.
Fighting Kage Level powerhouse and even taking away one of his arms seems like an astonishing feat. However, Shunren knew that all of this was because Orochimaru was being reckless, actually trying to catch the Bloodthirsty Bead with his bare hands. Even an ordinary person could see at a glance how dangerous that Bloodthirsty Bead, radiating an eerie scarlet light, was. Furthermore, based on Shunren's understanding of Orochimaru, let alone losing an arm, even if his head were cut off, he wouldn't die. In fact, even if his entire body were completely destroyed, with countless Cursed Seal planted, each embodying Orochimaru's will, this guy was practically an immortal, extreme existence!
That's why Shunren was so wary of Orochimaru; he truly lived up to his name, being as troublesome as a venomous snake.
After a moment of silence, Shunren asked, "How long until the next Living Corpse Reincarnation?"
Orochimaru's eyes flickered slightly, then a meaningful smile appeared on his lips as he said, "One year."
"Is that so? In other words, as long as I gain power surpassing yours within this year, you will back down?" Shunren said calmly.
"Tsk tsk~ Knowing I'd set my sights on your body, your first thought wasn't how to hide, quite the audacity!" Orochimaru couldn't help but praise again, but his face quickly transformed into a bright, almost sinister smile. "Surpass me? Within a year... While you may be a genius, you're also quite arrogant, heh!"
"Then consider it my arrogance." Shunren made no response to the other party's mockery and contempt.
Orochimaru licked his lips, revealing two sharp fangs. "Want to gain power? Want me to lend you a hand?"
"Cursed Seal? It's nothing but a inferior imitation of Senjutsu; I don't need that kind of thing."
Upon hearing this, Orochimaru's face showed a hint of doubt. He pondered for a moment and said, "From what I just saw, you seem to know me more than just a little bit."
"Alright,
"The battle is over, and the conversation should end too." Shunren refused further conversation with Orochimaru, saying calmly, "That eyesore of a door should probably be put away by now, shouldn't it?" "If you can't stand it, why not Teuchi it?" Orochimaru said, but still formed a hand seal and dispelled the Summoning Technique of the Triple Rashomon. Then, he couldn't help but shake his head and say, "In Konoha, there are too many troublesome busybodies."
Shunren's eyes flickered. In his Mind's Eye, he had already faintly sensed several powerful Chakra approaching from afar.
Although this place is located on the edge of Konoha, it is still within Konoha's sphere of influence. It would be strange if his battle with Orochimaru, which was so intense, did not attract attention.
Especially those three enormous doors were truly an eyesore, and Shunren's "negative fifty degrees" Frost Quake effect was also deliberately designed to create a commotion and attract Konoha's attention. Orochimaru wasn't unaware of this, but in his view, he should end the battle before attracting outsiders' attention. However, Shunren's fighting strength far exceeded Orochimaru's expectations; if he didn't go all out, he wouldn't be a brat who could be easily dealt with.
The Konoha High Command tacitly approved of Orochimaru's actions, but they absolutely forbade him to cause any major disturbances. After all, they couldn't be too blatant in front of the Uchiha Clan.
Even as he left, Shunren held the Sode no Shirayuki in his hand and wielded the Bloodthirsty Bead in his palm, never lowering his guard in the slightest.
"Very good, that's it. Stay on high alert, stay focused, and don't let your guard down for a moment..." Orochimaru simply observed him quietly from the side, without resorting to any more sneak attacks or ambushes, until the latter completely disappeared from his sight.
Orochimaru frowned slightly, clenched his fist, and muttered to himself, "So... this body has already started to reject it? Heh! But it's alright, I've found a vessel more suitable than ever before. A year from now? Uchiha Shunren, I'll be waiting..."