Son Goku, Why Waste Words on Him?

As a Jinchuriki capable of controlling a Tailed Beast, although Rōshi had not yet reached the point of complete mutual understanding and deep communication with it, he was gradually moving in that direction.

Not long ago, he had helped Rōshi cultivate the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai. Yes, Rōshi's Lava Release had been acquired through training rather than being innate.

With a single opening of his mouth, Rōshi spat one Lava Release fireball after another at Orochimaru. Naturally, these posed no threat to Orochimaru, who quickly closed in.

Their fists collided. Orochimaru was confident in his overwhelming strength and loved this kind of head-on clash, while Rōshi, with the Jinchuriki as his backing, naturally refused to show weakness.

Bang...

An explosive crack erupted as their fists met. Orochimaru's punch looked fierce, but he had not used much strength. He intended to test Rōshi's power first.

Thus, he absorbed most of the kinetic energy. Rōshi's magma fist did not disappoint him either; its scorching heat was instantly absorbed completely.

"Just as expected of a humanoid volcano! The perfect training partner!"

When Rōshi saw the searing heat on his fist vanish in an instant, his expression changed in surprise. This man is rather strange!

With that thought, heat rose from his fist once more, and magma covered his entire body. It was Rōshi's Lava Release Chakra Mode. If Akainu had seen this sight, he might have mistaken him for one of his own.

"Hound of Hell... No, Lava Release: Scorching Stream Rock Technique."

Rōshi spat out several fireballs at once, each several times larger in range than before and seemingly much more powerful.

In battles at this level, unless one's techniques had been honed to perfection, a close encounter came down to seeing who could take more punishment.

As it happened, taking hits was what Orochimaru did best. He was not afraid of opponents meeting him head-on; what he feared was opponents kiting him. Naturally, Orochimaru would not compete with him in ninjutsu.

With a Sonido, Orochimaru instantly appeared before Rōshi and threw a punch straight at his face.

The sudden appearance caught Rōshi completely off guard. Before he could react, he took the heavy punch squarely in the face.

The next moment, Rōshi flew away like a cannonball with a series of bangs, smashing down the trees in his path. He did not stop until he had flown forty or fifty meters.

"Rōshi, this guy isn't simple. That move just now seemed like Teleportation. Even I couldn't sense it. We might end up dying here today."

Seeing Orochimaru's attack power, Rōshi was the first to become unsettled. After so many years, he had finally encountered a decent Jinchuriki. He could not let him die like this.

"Is that all the Four-Tails Jinchuriki can do? If this is all you've got, then you've truly disappointed me."

Orochimaru slowly walked toward Rōshi. The sound of his feet crushing pebbles along the way entered Rōshi's ears like the call of the Grim Reaper.

Rubbing his cheek, Rōshi spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with several teeth. The Chakra Mode around his body dimmed somewhat, and his gaze grew grave.

"Help me with everything you've got!"

After saying this to the Four-Tails, another layer of Tailed Beast Cloak covered Rōshi's body. In an instant, a powerful Chakra fluctuation spread around him, and a tail extended from his waist.

"Heh heh, looks like you're really prepared to risk your life..."

Before Orochimaru could finish speaking, Rōshi vanished from the spot. In Orochimaru's vision, Rōshi was charging at him with a speed too fast for ordinary eyes to catch.

Even Orochimaru, with his astounding strength, had to admit that over short distances, Rōshi's movement speed was no slower than his Sonido.

"Lava Release: Flower Fruit Mountain."

It was another magma attack, but this time Orochimaru did not dodge. He charged forward directly.

To him, the boiling magma was not merely harmless—it was a supplement he craved.

The two grappled once more. Whether magma fists or magma balls, all were firmly suppressed by Orochimaru.

After their fists met, Orochimaru's two hands seized Rōshi's arms tightly. Wherever his hands touched, the magma on Rōshi's body instantly went out.

Not only that, the Lava Release Chakra Mode on Rōshi's body was being rapidly absorbed. Orochimaru was treating him like a battery.

Before Rōshi could show his shock, Orochimaru's voice sounded beside his ear:

"You think you're the only one who can spit?"

As he spoke, Orochimaru extended a tongue two or three times longer than an ordinary person's. The next moment, a dark red sphere of energy condensed before its tip.

"H-How is that possible?!"

Under Rōshi's incredulous gaze, the dark red sphere shot toward his face.

No matter who it was, taking such an attack at close range would mean death or severe injury.

This was a beam attack Orochimaru had developed based on the properties of energy, somewhat similar to a Cero from Bleach.

The difference was that a Cero gathered Reishi energy, while his move compressed and condensed the energy within his body. It also formed faster than a Cero.

The two merely differed in how they gathered energy; its attack power was not the least bit inferior to a Cero. It was essentially the same medicine in a different bottle, so he had no intention of giving the technique a new name. It was still called Cero.

The violent, scorching energy attack instantly swallowed Rōshi. He did not possess Orochimaru's ability to absorb energy; even if he survived, he would lose a layer of skin.

Orochimaru could already picture Rōshi's charred body. So Jinchuriki were nothing special after all!

But before he could smile, a massive shadow emerged from the smoke and dust. The next moment, an unexpected attack sent Orochimaru flying.

"This body feels better after all. I should've done this from the start."

As the smoke cleared, the true form of a gigantic beast forty or fifty meters long appeared. It had red fur and four tails behind it—the Four-Tails in its Complete Tailed Beast Transformation.

"This is also the first time I've encountered a ninja with such bizarre abilities. Not only are magma attacks ineffective against him, but his techniques are nothing like those of ordinary ninjas."

It had to be said that although Rōshi had not reached the level of a Perfect Jinchuriki, he could still remain conscious in his Complete Tailed Beast Transformation.

"No matter how strong he is, I refuse to believe he can clash head-on with me. A human is still a human."

It was perfectly normal for the Four-Tails to think this way. It had never heard of anyone in the Ninja World who could confront a Tailed Beast alone. As for Kumogakure's Third Raikage, he was an exception in the Ninja World!

"Give me control of the body later. Otherwise, I can't guarantee I can defeat him without using my full strength."

Hearing this, Rōshi relaxed his mind. In the distance, Orochimaru got back to his feet. There was only a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth; otherwise, he looked completely unharmed.

"Kid, you're dead!"

"Son Goku, why waste words on him!"

Facing such a massive opponent for the first time, Orochimaru was somewhat excited. This was the perfect chance to explore the limits of this Uzumaki Body.

The battle just now had been completely one-sided, and he had not enjoyed himself at all. Now that the Four-Tails had undergone a Complete Tailed Beast Transformation, its strength and attack power would certainly be even greater.

With that thought, Orochimaru stepped forward without showing the slightest weakness.