Ninjutsu: Myriad Serpent Formation!
Hissssss!
Countless venomous snakes of every color and size hissed as they surged from Orochimaru's mouth, forming a terrifying, writhing sea of serpents.
The snakes tangled together, scales scraping as their tongues flicked in and out. Like a surging tide, they rushed toward Team 7.
"Good grief!!"
Naruto's scalp nearly exploded at the sight. Goosebumps covered his body as his fear of snakes kicked in instantly.
Sasuke had gone pale, too, his stomach churning.
Karin was so frightened that she squeezed her eyes shut and curled into a ball.
"Hmph!"
Faced with the suffocating attack of the serpent sea, Yo had to admit that every hair on his body stood on end. He was terrified of snakes.
"Go to hell!"
Yo formed hand signs quickly, his chest swelling as he faced the overwhelming mass of snakes. "Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
He poured out chakra, unleashing the strongest Majestic Destroyer Flame he could manage.
BOOM!!!!
Flames, red as blood and almost white-hot, surged forward like a collapsing mountain, their heat capable of incinerating everything.
The flames spread so widely that they nearly engulfed the entire serpent sea.
Hissssss!!!
The piercing sounds of burning snakes and their agonized cries crackled without pause, like firecrackers going off.
The air filled with a strong stench of burning flesh and scorched protein.
The seemingly endless serpent sea melted away like snow under the blazing sun, turning to char before crumbling into ash.
"S-so amazing!"
Karin stared at the scene, her eyes filled with shock and admiration.
A few breaths later.
The flames died down. The ground was scorched black, wisps of smoke rising from it. Not a single snake remained.
"Phew..."
Yo exhaled.
A Fire Style technique on this scale consumed an astonishing amount of chakra.
But he still had plenty left.
"A Fire Style technique on this scale..." A cold voice came from above and ahead of them.
Everyone looked up.
Orochimaru was standing on a thick branch of a tree, though no one knew when he had gotten there. Looking down at Yo, he sneered:
"Kid, how long do you think you can keep this up while wasting so much chakra?"
Whoosh!
Without warning, Yo vanished from where he stood.
"Hm?"
Orochimaru's pupils contracted.
At almost the same instant,
Yo appeared out of thin air behind Orochimaru, his voice ringing out:
"Orochimaru, I'd like to have a little heart-to-heart with you!"
"When did—?"
Alarm bells rang in Orochimaru's mind. His extensive combat experience made him instinctively turn to dodge.
But... he was too late!
Yo's right hand was already raised. The piercing shriek of Chidori erupted from his palm once more.
Without the slightest hesitation,
Yo drove his arm, wreathed in dazzling blue lightning, straight through Orochimaru's back.
Squish!
The muffled sound of a blade piercing flesh and bone rang out clearly.
The lightning-wreathed hand emerged through Orochimaru's abdomen, blood dripping down Yo's arm.
Orochimaru froze. In disbelief, he looked down at the hand that had pierced his stomach.
Then he slowly turned his head toward Uchiha Yo, who was right beside him.
For the first time, astonishment and confusion appeared in Orochimaru's eyes.
"Y-you... what... kind of jutsu... is this?"
"Flying Thunder God? No... how could you have learned Flying Thunder God?"
Yo kept his arm thrust through Orochimaru and leaned close to his ear, smiling as he said two words:
"Take a guess."
The next moment, the lightning in Yo's palm surged once more.
The violent Lightning Release chakra ravaged Orochimaru's body.
ZZZAAAP!!!
Blue arcs raced along Orochimaru's blood vessels, meridians, and bones, spreading instantly to every corner of his body!
"Gaaahhh!!!"
Orochimaru let out a hoarse, agonized scream that barely sounded human. His body convulsed and spasmed violently.
His skin turned black and charred before their eyes. His hair crumbled into ash, and his clothes burned away.
In the blink of an eye,
Orochimaru had once again become a charred human figure, still smoking and frozen in a pose of agony.
Yo shook his arm, flinging the completely charred corpse to the ground.
The body hit the ground with a crack and broke into several pieces.
"I-is it... over?" Naruto stared at the charred remains, his voice dry.
"Is he... dead?"
Sasuke's Sharingan stayed fixed on the corpse, searching for even the faintest trace of chakra.
Karin nervously lifted her head and watched, too.
Yo returned to stand in front of the three of them and glanced at the charred remains on the ground.
"Not yet!"
"What? He's still alive?"
Naruto nearly jumped. "He's turned to charcoal!"
Sasuke was just as shaken. "Is this guy... a cat demon reincarnated? Does he have nine lives?!"
As if to prove Yo's words, a small hole suddenly appeared in the charred corpse.
A pale, slick hand reached out from inside.
Next came an arm, a shoulder, a head, a chest...
Orochimaru crawled out of the corpse once more.
Slime still clung to his body, but his skin was completely unharmed. Even his clothes had somehow returned to normal.
Orochimaru Style: Substitution Technique!
Orochimaru stood upright, his golden, slit-pupiled eyes fixed on Yo as the corners of his mouth curled into a strange smile.
Though he was smiling, his eyes were as cold as ancient ice, filled with undisguised killing intent and humiliation.
"Heh... kid..."
Orochimaru's voice was as hoarse as ever, but now it held a hint of menace.
"You certainly... gave me quite a surprise! But..."
His voice suddenly turned sharp.
"This ends here!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, Orochimaru's head darted forward.
His mouth opened to an inhuman, terrifying degree, far beyond what any person could manage.
Whoosh!
A long, cold blade gleaming with metallic light shot out of his gaping mouth.
It was the Kusanagi Sword!
The Kusanagi Sword extended without end, moving at incredible speed as it thrust straight toward Yo.
The attack came without warning. It was Orochimaru's signature move:
Mouth Sword!
"Boring!"
The instant the tip of the Kusanagi Sword was about to touch Yo's skin, he vanished into thin air once more.
Orochimaru's pupils contracted! That same instantaneous movement without warning—could it really be Flying Thunder God?
Yo appeared behind Orochimaru, almost pressed against his spine.
He spread his fingers and gently placed his palm against the center of Orochimaru's back.
There were no hand signs, not even any obvious hint of chakra building up.
"Wood Release: Insertion Technique."
Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!!!
Orochimaru's body suddenly went rigid. His eyes bulged, and his mouth fell open as he made a hoarse, choking sound.
Countless sharp wooden spikes burst from his chest, abdomen, limbs, neck, and every other part of his body.
In the blink of an eye!
Orochimaru had been skewered from every direction, transformed into a pitiful human pincushion.
Blood poured along the wooden spikes, covering him from head to toe.
Orochimaru remained standing. His face showed no pain, only shock and disbelief.
"W-Wood Release?!"
Orochimaru's voice was hoarse, but filled with a frenzied desire to understand. "How... how can you... use Wood Release?!"
The shock in Orochimaru's heart was far greater than the Third Hokage's!
He was the one who understood best just how difficult and absurd this was.
As a top researcher,
Orochimaru had poured countless years of effort into studying Hashirama's cells, sacrificing countless test subjects in the process.
He had tried tirelessly to recreate the power of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, but had only ever managed to produce extremely unstable, defective results.
This Uchiha kid had Yin Release chakra flowing through his body, yet he had awakened Wood Release?
This completely overturned Orochimaru's understanding of Kekkei Genkai, chakra, and even the science of life!
"This is ridiculous... How could an Uchiha..."
Yo looked at Orochimaru, a smile appearing on his face.
"Orochimaru, the shinobi world is vast. There are plenty of things we don't understand. Don't you agree?"
Orochimaru tugged at the corner of his mouth, split by a wooden spike. Blood welled up, but he actually... began to laugh.
His smile was twisted, yet filled with the fervor of someone discovering a new continent.
"Heh... hahahaha... yes... you're right... I was... blind to the world beyond my well..."
"But... I'm even more curious now... Why you?"
"How could an Uchiha... awaken... Wood Release?"
Before you continue