Once the smoke had cleared, countless pits and ravines stretched across the entire battlefield.
In the middle of the cratered, ravaged ground, Shinji panted heavily. "I never imagined the Eight Branches Technique, which Itachi took down in a single move, would be this much trouble."
There was no doubt.
This was the battlefield where Shinji and Orochimaru had clashed.
After Shinji used a Black Rod to stop Orochimaru from performing Summoning Jutsu, Orochimaru had resolutely used the Eight Branches Technique, transforming into a giant white snake with eight heads.
At first, Shinji hadn't paid it much attention.
After all, in the original timeline, Orochimaru had been taken out in a single move by Itachi's Totsuka Blade as soon as he used this technique. He'd suffered a crushing defeat, so Shinji had never thought much of the Eight Branches Technique either.
But when Shinji actually faced the Eight-Headed Serpent, he realized it was far more troublesome than he'd expected.
In both size and strength, the Eight-Headed Serpent Orochimaru had created with Forbidden Jutsu was no weaker than a Tailed Beast. Worse still, it had an incredible regenerative ability. No matter how many heads Shinji cut off—or how many times he severed them—the serpent could restore them with ease.
Shinji had only just awakened the Rinnegan and wasn't yet proficient in using its various abilities—not proficient enough to handle a fierce battle of this caliber, at least. By the time the fight was over, he had used up more than half his Dojutsu.
Once he'd caught his breath, Shinji walked over to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru had already ended the Eight Branches Technique and returned to human form. Even the arm he'd torn off earlier had somehow recovered, a testament to his formidable regenerative ability.
Still, he looked utterly miserable. Shinji had pinned both