In less than fifteen minutes, Gojo Yoru and Uzumaki Kushina arrived at the abandoned training ground.
Seeing the Chakra Blade on Gojo Yoru's back, Orochimaru asked with mild surprise, "You're skilled with a sword as well?"
"No. I use a sword because it lets me bring out that technique's greatest power," Gojo Yoru said, shaking his head.
"Oh? It seems you've developed other techniques besides the Rasengan. Then let me see what you've got." Orochimaru admired Gojo Yoru even more. With talent for ninjutsu like this, he was simply the ideal candidate to inherit his legacy.
Gojo Yoru gestured for Uzumaki Kushina to watch from a distance, then asked Orochimaru, "Teacher Orochimaru, are we just going to fight like this?"
"I had planned to play a little game with you, but it seems unnecessary now." Orochimaru beckoned to Gojo Yoru. "Use every method you have. Attack with the intention of killing me."
"Then I won't hold back."
Gojo Yoru grinned and rapidly formed hand seals, creating two Phantom Clones.
Then, both his real body and the Phantom Clones drew the Chakra Blades from their backs and charged at Orochimaru.
Seeing this, Orochimaru's gaze turned slightly puzzled.
If he had not seen wrong, the seals Gojo Yoru had formed just now seemed to be for the most basic Clone Technique.
Why had he created two insubstantial Phantom Clones to attack him?
Was it to confuse him? But his real body was so obvious!
Orochimaru did not believe this ninjutsu prodigy would make such a low-level move, so he became very interested in Gojo Yoru's next attack.
Gojo Yoru and the two Phantom Clones assumed the formation for Dance of the Crescent Moon.
The Phantom Clones and the real body coordinated from the left, above, and right, attacking Orochimaru's vital points, while Gojo Yoru's "real body" leaped into the air.
Having never seen the Phantom Body Flicker Technique, Orochimaru became even more confused.
Instinctively, he drew a kunai from his Ninja Tools pouch and threw it at Gojo Yoru's real body in midair.
Unable to move in the air, Gojo Yoru could only choose to knock the kunai away with his blade, as far as Orochimaru was concerned.
Yet in the next instant, Orochimaru's pupils contracted.
Gojo Yoru in the air did not swing his blade to deflect the kunai. Instead, he allowed it to strike his body.
But there was no spray of blood.
The kunai... passed through Gojo Yoru's body.
Wasn't he the real body?
Before he could dwell on his confusion, the Gojo Yorus on both sides came at him with their blades. Orochimaru formed a seal with one hand, gathering a vortex of wind in his palm that transformed into two invisible Wind Blades, which he hurled at the two Gojo Yorus.
The result... they still passed right through them!
This time, shock finally appeared on Orochimaru's face.
As he watched Gojo Yoru descend from above with a blade raised to slash down, Orochimaru formed another one-handed seal with his other hand.
Squelch—
A flash of steel split Orochimaru's body in two.
Yet no blood sprayed from Orochimaru's body either. Instead, it turned into two puddles of mud and fell to the ground.
Earth Style: Earth Replacement!
"Unbelievable. How did you do that?"
Orochimaru emerged from the ground some distance away, his eyes fixed on Gojo Yoru with utter disbelief.
He had not shown such an expression even when he saw Gojo Yoru practicing the Rasengan.
Because Gojo Yoru's technique had shattered the Ninja World's understanding.
As one of the Ninja World's most widespread Three Body Techniques, Phantom Clones had no substance and dispersed upon contact. This was common knowledge in the Ninja World.
But now, Gojo Yoru had broken that rule.
Even more unbelievably, when Orochimaru had used the Sensing Technique just now, he had been unable to sense any Chakra from any of the three Gojo Yorus.
Yes, it was not that he could not sense the real body. He could not sense any Chakra at all.
It was as if the three Gojo Yorus were merely illusions, not even Phantom Clones.
After all, Phantom Clones were formed from Chakra, and the Chakra within them could be detected by the Sensing Technique.
But Gojo Yoru's Phantom Clones had none.
Without question, this was an extension of the Clone Technique unique to Gojo Yoru.
Just as the Second Hokage had developed the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
"This is the Phantom Body Flicker Technique I developed. I didn't disappoint you, Teacher Orochimaru, did I?" Gojo Yoru said with a smug smile.
"Truly remarkable. If an enemy had not gathered intelligence on you beforehand, they would likely be killed in a single strike." Orochimaru gave him extremely high praise.
"Then I'm coming again, Teacher Orochimaru."
Gojo Yoru and the two Phantom Clones charged at Orochimaru once more.
"Then I'll get a little more serious too."
Gojo Yoru's Phantom Body Flicker Technique had successfully stirred a trace of fighting spirit in Orochimaru.
To understand the principles behind this technique, Orochimaru decided to experience it again at close range.
So he formed seals with both hands and created two Shadow Clones. Then, together with his real body, he drew kunai and rushed toward Gojo Yoru and his Phantom Clones.
Like everyone else, Orochimaru's real body instinctively chose the Gojo Yoru who had just spoken as his opponent.
But when the kunai collided with the Chakra Blade, it passed right through it.
Already expecting this, Orochimaru was not surprised this time. Instead, he heightened his guard.
After passing through Gojo Yoru's body, he immediately turned and used his kunai to block Gojo Yoru's sweeping attack from the side.
This time, sparks flew, indicating that Gojo Yoru had turned from intangible to solid.
Seizing the chance, Orochimaru raised his other hand, and a long snake shot from his sleeve to bite Gojo Yoru.
Yet it passed through his body.
"Phantom Body Flicker Technique... what an incredible Body Flicker Technique," Orochimaru murmured. Even as he watched the other two Shadow Clones, he remained wary of the Gojo Yoru before him.
Over the next several exchanges, every attack from Orochimaru and his Shadow Clones passed through Gojo Yoru's body.
If Orochimaru's Shadow Clones had not been just as powerful, they might have been blown apart by Gojo Yoru, who suddenly shifted from intangible to solid, just as Uzumaki Kushina's Shadow Clones had been.
After only a few exchanges, Orochimaru had figured out Gojo Yoru's Phantom Body Flicker Technique.
Gojo Yoru's real body was on the field all along. He merely used a silent, ghostlike Body Flicker Technique to instantly switch places with the two special Phantom Clones, creating the effect of shifting from intangible to solid and from solid to intangible.
Moreover, the Chakra in Gojo Yoru's real body was not constantly concealed.
When Orochimaru secretly used the Sensing Technique, he could sometimes still sense the Chakra of Gojo Yoru's real body.
He was using some method to conceal the real body's Chakra. The Phantom Clones likely worked on the same principle.
Then, under certain circumstances, such as when attacking, that hidden state would disappear.
A Secret Technique, or a Kekkei Genkai?
Orochimaru could not help but speculate inwardly.
After figuring out the Phantom Body Flicker Technique's principles, Orochimaru stopped engaging Gojo Yoru in close combat.
Working in perfect coordination with his Shadow Clones, Orochimaru lured Gojo Yoru and his Phantom Clones into standing in a line before suddenly casting a large-scale ninjutsu without a shred of sporting spirit.
Earth Release: Earth Flow River!
The ground turned to mud, binding Gojo Yoru while surging upward into a massive wave that roared toward him.
With the rising mud blocking his view, Orochimaru did not see the flicker of hesitation in Gojo Yoru's eyes.
After weighing his options, Gojo Yoru ultimately chose to abandon that thought. His real body easily broke free from the mud's restraints, then pushed off with his toes as though stepping on solid ground and leaped into the air.
Holding his blade in one hand, he condensed a blue sphere of energy in his other palm and descended toward Orochimaru's real body.
As he fell, the energy sphere in Gojo Yoru's hand gradually changed from bluish-white to orange-red.
Fire Style: Rasengan!
Gojo Yoru called out the name of this Rasengan.
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