Weakness!

"Ninja Art: Ten Thousand Snake Net!" After speaking, Orochimaru formed hand seals and pressed a hand to the ground. One bluish-gray venomous snake after another shot out from his sleeves!

There were so many that they formed a dense mass. Even with Yei's keen Byakugan perception, he could not tell exactly how many there were. Like a tide, they surged toward Yei, baring their grim fangs as they lunged to kill!

Looking at the mass of venomous snakes, Yei's gaze narrowed slightly. He pushed off the ground and shot forward, moving so fast that a wild gale swept up behind him.

With a bang, the air exploded. Yei's body rose into the air, his senses locked onto Orochimaru as his hands rapidly formed seals. He shouted, "Wind Release: Phoenix Sickle Technique!"

Yei swung his right leg, Chakra bursting from the acupoints in his leg and forming razor-sharp wind blades. They sliced through the air, cutting all the venomous snakes ahead of him in half. Blood and severed remains rained across the ground!

And the wind blades did not lose any momentum, continuing straight toward Orochimaru!

This was Hado #12: Wind Scythe!!

"Wind Release? Along with the Lightning Release, Earth Release, and Fire Release from before, you've already used four different Chakra attributes... There must be some kind of secret hidden within you!!" Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with even greater excitement as he watched the incoming wind blades.

With this Wind Release, Yei had already used four different Chakra attributes during his fight with him.

Moreover, many of them were ninja techniques he had never seen before!

One had to know that Chakra attributes could be considered a kind of talent. The attributes one possessed were determined from birth!

Trying to develop and train oneself into gaining an entirely new Chakra attribute was practically impossible!

Unless one encountered some extraordinary opportunity—such as obtaining Six Paths Power, the All Creation Reincarnation Eye, Tailed Beast Chakra, or transplanting First Hokage Cells—there was a chance to make up for one's innate deficiencies!

But such conditions were things one could only hope to encounter by chance...

In this world, the five Chakra attributes existed in relationships of mutual restraint.

In other words, having more Chakra attributes also gave one an enormous advantage in battle!

One could specifically use ninja techniques that countered an enemy.

Orochimaru's teacher, the Third Hokage, possessed all five Chakra attributes and was a powerful ninja known as the Professor of Ninjutsu.

Aside from Kekkei Genkai and other unique ninja techniques, ordinary ninja would be countered by the Third Hokage's ninjutsu!

No matter what attribute of ninjutsu one used, he had a corresponding method to deal with and counter it!

As the Third Hokage's disciple, Orochimaru had fought him many times in the past, only to be easily crushed by the Third Hokage's effortlessly cast mixed five-element ninjutsu...

This was why Orochimaru had been so surprised after seeing Yei consecutively use four Chakra attributes!

After all, even his talent had been praised by the Third Hokage, yet he had only been born with three Chakra attributes...

How to give himself the same five Chakra attributes as the Third Hokage was also one of his research projects. He held an intense desire to surpass his own teacher!

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" Orochimaru licked his lips, formed hand seals, puffed out his chest, and exhaled a storm that collided with Yei's wind blades!

Boom!

The attacks collided. After a thunderous blast, wind pressure swept through the surrounding air and kicked up a violent cloud of dust!

Yei had not expected his attack to succeed. He pushed off the ground and charged out again, leaving faint arcs of electricity dancing where he had stood as his figure vanished!

Like a streak of blue lightning, he shot forward at extreme speed!

"Tch, he's actually this fast? Even my eyes can't keep up?" A cold gleam appeared in Orochimaru's eyes. His golden vertical pupils shifted from side to side as he tried to catch Yei's movements.

But Yei was too fast, so fast that even Orochimaru's eyes struggled to follow him!

He was not particularly skilled in sensory techniques. It was not as though he could not use them—he had dabbled in nearly every type of ninjutsu—but he was not especially proficient in sensing. He could only barely judge the strength and location of Chakra.

But perception of that level was still unable to capture Yei's movements at this moment!

However, Orochimaru had incomparably rich combat experience. Since neither his eyes nor his senses could lock onto Yei, he would use another method!

Sound!

Yei was moving extremely fast now, fast enough to rival the Fourth Raikage. But he had not surpassed the speed of sound, nor was he using the nearly silent space-time ninjutsu of the Fourth Hokage.

Yei's extreme speed could still be used to determine his approximate position through sound!

With a whoosh, Yei suddenly appeared behind Orochimaru. A kunai wrapped in a lightning blade slashed toward his neck, undisguised killing intent filling Yei's eyes!

"Behind me!" Hearing the fierce wind coming from behind him, Orochimaru abruptly turned around and raised the Kusanagi Blade in his hand. Just as Yei's kunai was about to cut into him, he barely managed to block it!

With a clang, Orochimaru was sent flying by the immense force carried by Yei's attack. He flipped backward to disperse the force and landed steadily on the ground.

Faced with Yei's renewed assault, Orochimaru did not choose to take it head-on this time. Instead, he used his unique body to evade. Although Yei's attacks still struck him, such minor injuries were insignificant to him!

Even if an arm was severed or his chest was pierced through, as long as he used his unique Substitution Jutsu and expended some Chakra, the injuries on his body would recover!

Of course, his Substitution Jutsu consumed a great deal of Chakra. If this continued, his Chakra would eventually run dry.

But Orochimaru was acting this way because he had discovered Yei's weakness...

That was Yei's Chakra reserves!

Orochimaru's vertical pupils stared intently at Yei, as if trying to see through him. He dodged another of Yei's attacks and leaped backward, speaking with a mocking tone. "This mode should consume a great deal of Chakra, shouldn't it? Attacking so intensely and rapidly must be for the sake of ending this quickly. How much longer can your Chakra last now, Yei-kun...?"

From his senses, although this special mode of Yei's, similar to the Raikage lineage's, was indeed powerful and made his speed an enormous headache, even when Orochimaru avoided as much as possible, he was still struck by Yei's attacks.

But the more powerful a technique was, the more Chakra it would certainly consume!

He knew Yei's situation. He knew that Yei had only recently become a Special Jonin and was not yet a Jonin.

Combined with his young age and the fact that his physical condition had not yet reached its peak, the amount of Chakra in his body certainly could not be great!

As long as he waited until Yei exhausted the Chakra in his body, Yei would lose all ability to resist!

That was why Orochimaru had not fought Yei head-on. Instead, he intended to stall for time!

Ninja were professionals who relied on tactics, strategy, and intelligence. One could not win simply by being powerful!

Unless there was an absolute, overwhelming gap in strength, among ninja of similar strength, the side that knew how to use tactics and strategy would absolutely have a greater chance of victory!

Orochimaru was a powerful ninja who had experienced two Shinobi World Wars and fought ninja of all different types. His judgment, experience, and intelligence analysis were all first-rate; even in the entire Shinobi World, he stood among the very best.

Naturally, he understood this point!

After noticing Yei's "weakness," Orochimaru naturally took the appropriate measure to deal with him—stall!