Another Fight with Orochimaru

"..." After the Issui Fire Style dissipated, Orochimaru's figure was revealed. He had been roasted by the Issui Fire Style and was cracking, gradually turning into a puddle of mud. So it was Earth Substitution...

"Earth Release - Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!!" Suddenly, a hand reached out from the ground beneath Issui's feet, grabbed his foot, and pulled him inside!

After successfully burying Issui into the ground, Orochimaru appeared in front of Issui's exposed head.

"What a worthy opponent. Stop pretending. This isn't your real body; it's probably a clone. Your real self must be throbbing by now..." Orochimaru said calmly.

"What? Not the real body? It's clearly..." Obito pointed at the Issui trapped in the ground. Orochimaru- senpai wasn't joking, was he? Everyone clearly saw that he had used Earth Release to Takuya. How could it not be the real body?

"Idiot?! He was just too fast, you couldn't see it clearly. The instant Orochimaru used Earth Release, Takuya created a Shadow Clone to absorb Earth Release attack, while his real body used Escape Technique to leave the scene..." Kakashi rolled his eyes at Obito. "You weren't even observing carefully, were you? You didn't even notice him using Shadow Clone! But Takuya's Hand Seals were incredibly fast; I didn't even see his hand Hand Seals before he executed the Shadow Clone Technique. Such fast Hand Seals..."

"Bang..."

Just as Orochimaru had predicted, the Issui buried underground suddenly turned into a wisp of white smoke and disappeared, leaving only a small pit.

"I'm here... Rat-Tiger-Dog-Ox-Rabbit-Tiger, Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!!!"

Suddenly, Issui's figure flashed behind Orochimaru, his hands quickly Hand Seals, and he opened his mouth to spit out numerous fireballs at Orochimaru's back, the trajectory of the attacks resembling the fruit of a balsam flower.

"Hmph, your speed is still too slow..." Orochimaru's figure flashed by, suddenly appearing behind Issui and extending his left hand to him.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!!!" Multiple ferocious snakes appeared from Orochimaru 'Orochimaru left sleeve, quickly emerging from it and lunging at Issui with their sharp fangs wide open...

"Bang..." The fierce snake coiled around Issui's body and began to bite at Issui figure, but Issui's body suddenly turned into a wisp of white smoke and disappeared. It was another Shadow Clone Technique.

"You underestimate me, Orochimaru. Let's give you something a little more excitement, you'll get excited... Water Release: Four-Direction Water Killing! Lightning Release: Thunder God Barrier! Combination Ninjutsu: Water and Lightning Prison Technique!!!"

Suddenly Issui appeared above Orochimaru's head, his fingers flying across the ground. Instantly, water jets formed from the ground around Orochimaru, and simultaneously, a purple Lightning Release barrier centered on Orochimaru, combined with Water Release, sealed off the space around Orochimaru. The Lightning Release not only activated the barrier but also imbued the water jets with lightning. Clearly, this was a combination Ninjutsu of Water Release and Lightning Release.

"Ah..."

Orochimaru, who was attacked by the water gun, suddenly screamed in pain...

"You're kidding, Orochimaru- senpai got attacked by him..." Obito's dark eyes were fixed on Orochimaru, who had been hit by the combined Ninjutsu, and he was shocked. No way, he's that weak...

"Hmph, it's not that simple..." Kakashi snorted. Although he hadn't known Orochimaru for long, he understood just how terrifying that person was...

"Ah..."

Orochimaru, who was screaming in pain, suddenly stopped screaming and turned into a muddy mess on the ground— Earth Substitution!

"Puff..."

Suddenly, the ground beneath Issui's feet cracked open, and Orochimaru emerged from within!

"Many Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!!"

Orochimaru spewed out a multitude of snakes from his mouth, sending Issui flying into the air. He then swiftly summoned two more giant snakes to attack Issui, who was still airborne...

"Pfft..." This was also Clone Technique. After being blasted into the air, Issui's body vanished in white smoke... "How disgusting..." Rin felt nauseous and terrified looking at Orochimaru. After all, anyone would be scared seeing such a scene—spitting out a large number of snakes from his mouth! Too disgusting, too terrifying! Minato-sensei was much better...

"Earth Release -- Swamp of the Underworld!!!"

The moment Issui was knocked away, he was already out of Orochimaru's attack range. He used a clone to take the damage in his place, while his real self launched an attack on Orochimaru when he was already exhausted!

Before Orochimaru could even leave the ground, he was plunged into the muddy swamp that had turned into a pool of water.

"Hai-Xu-You-Shen-Wei, Summoning Technique!!" Orochimaru quickly bit his index finger, pressed it against the clod of earth beside him that hadn't yet turned into mud, and a huge plume of white smoke enveloped the entire area.

"Hiss..."

After the white smoke dissipated, a giant python appeared beneath Orochimaru, shielding him from Issui of Ninjutsu. Although Orochimaru was unharmed, the Orochi he had summoned was already stuck in the mud and unable to move.

"Not bad, you actually managed to fight me to a standstill. Your reaction speed, Hand Seals speed, Ninjutsu, and tactical analysis are all very impressive. It's rare to encounter such an outstanding young person as you..." Orochimaru said with a hint of praise. This world is one where the strong are respected. If you are strong, I will take you seriously and respect you; otherwise, I will despise and humiliate you...

"Haha, you flatter me, you're very impressive too..." Issui also praised him. Orochimaru's current strength is not much worse than his future strength; his body is at its peak, only his experience is not as profound as it will be later...

"Come on, show me your full strength! It's been a long time since I've met someone as talented as you. I won't stop until we have a proper fight..." Orochimaru said excitedly, his body trembling slightly.

"Kusanagi Sword!!!" Orochimaru stretched his neck, and a katana slowly emerged from his mouth...

"That sword... Orochimaru- senpai actually took out that sword..." Minato exclaimed in surprise. Normally, Orochimaru- senpai rarely used his prized Kusanagi Sword in combat, which meant he fully acknowledged Takuya's strength and believed Takuya had reached a level of power equal to his own...

"Sieve..."

Orochimaru suddenly increased his speed, rushing towards Issui, his right hand holding his sword, and stabbed fiercely into Issui's body...

"Ice Creation — the Ice Crystal Shield!!!"

Orochimaru's speed was too fast for Issui to dodge. Issui had no choice but to condense a large amount of ice-attribute Chakra into a massive crystalline ice shield in his hand. With his increased strength and deeper understanding of the Heavenly Kekkei Genkai, Issui could now use a portion of the Kekkei Genkai's power without activating his Eye of Heaven. Although the power was not as great as when the Eye of Heaven was activated, the ability to use these Secret Technique without activating the Kekkei Genkai further demonstrated that Issui's control over the Kekkei Genkai power had reached a level of complete mastery. Most importantly, Issui could not expose his Eye of Heaven; if a space-time distortion occurred, he would be unable to return to the past.

"Clang..."

The Kusanagi Sword made a crisp sound upon contact with Issui's ice shield. Orochimaru's Kusanagi Sword didn't pierce Issui's ice armor shield immediately, indicating that the ice armor shield was quite sturdy...

"Ice Release?!?" Obito exclaimed in surprise. Although he wasn't familiar with Ice Release, he knew from his clan's records that only the Kirigakure Ninjutsu Yuki Clan Ice Release could use it. How could he know Ice Release? Was he a spy sent by Kirigakure?

"Hmm, even more mysterious now, you, Takuya..." Minato said softly, never expecting to see a ninja who wasn't Yuki use Ice Release Ninjutsu. It was truly unbelievable.

"Heh, your ice cube is pretty good. It actually withstood the sharpness of my Kusanagi. I'm getting more and more excited. But next time, things won't be so..."

Orochimaru coldly withdrew his Kusanagi Sword, then swiftly thrust it again at the Issui of ice-armored shields.

"Clang... Click... Click..."

After the Kusanagi Sword clashed with the ice shield once more, the ice shield developed dense cracks and finally shattered. The broken ice fragments scattered across the ground, reflecting the sunlight and displaying a magnificent hue...

"Puff..."

The moment the Kusanagi Sword pierced through the ice shield, it suddenly stabbed into Issui's body, instantly piercing through him.

"Puff..."

The moment the Kusanagi Sword pierced through Issui's body, his body suddenly turned into two shattered wooden stakes— Substitution Technique!

"Ice Creation, Ice —the Ice Windmill!!!"

Issui flashed into the sky, standing suspended in mid-air, his feet resting on icy plates formed from the moisture in the air. His hands were clasped together, and his figure emanated more and more frost, bringing a refreshing coolness to everyone who should have been in the sweltering summer heat...

As the frost intensified, a sudden downpour of ice-based windmills began, creating a breathtakingly beautiful visual spectacle...

"So beautiful..." Lin said enviously. Takuya's battle was simply like art, without any of the bloodshed of other ninjas. He was like a perfect prince, creating a fairy tale for his princess. The Ice Windmill Rain, what a fantastical dream! Was it real?

"Hmph, I think he's just showing off..." Obito said jealously. Rin was actually attracted to him again. Really, he didn't know what was so good about him...

"It's not just playing around... Haven't you noticed something's off? The more beautiful something is, the more dangerous it is..." Kakashi felt the icy aura surrounding him and shivered slightly. This icy aura contained powerful energy and killing intent. If one hadn't frequently fought powerful enemies and understood a certain level of killing intent, they certainly wouldn't have been able to detect this kind of killing intent. This was no joke. Simple killing intent is exposed, but hidden, special killing intent is far more dangerous than ordinary killing intent. Beneath this perfect and beautiful shadow lies immense killing intent. Could he possibly escape from such killing intent?