"Crack, crack, crack..."
Under Shinsuke Uchiha's shocked gaze, cracks appeared in the crimson barrier created by the Uchiha Flame Formation. They spread from the spot where the serpent's tail had struck, and the entire barrier shattered piece by piece.
Fugaku hurriedly retreated, while Yamata no Orochi, freed from the barrier's restraint, roared at the sky. Its howls sent waves of sound rippling through the air, the vibrations almost tangible.
The remaining Uchiha elites all felt their hearts skip a beat. For a moment, they could hardly bring themselves to fight back.
They looked up. Yamata no Orochi stretched its heads toward the sky, taking up nearly half of their field of vision.
"How can we possibly defeat a monster like that?"
Just as they asked themselves that question, the giant beast before them vanished with a bang.
As the smoke cleared, a pale-faced man stood amid the rubble. He looked somewhat weak, and his imposing presence had faded, but no one dared underestimate him now.
The Konoha Military Police Force had always known the Sannin were powerful, but they had never truly grasped just how powerful.
Now they understood: a single Sannin could take on the entire Uchiha Clan by himself.
A family of dōjutsu users with a thousand years of history had proved so helpless before individual strength.
The Uchiha elites were torn, unable to say whether they felt humiliated or fired up.
Unlike the Uchiha, whose emotions were in turmoil, Orochimaru had little to reflect on. Most of what had happened was within his expectations, and little about the battle had surprised him.
He leaped lightly over to Fugaku, an intrigued smile on his face.
"Clan Head Fugaku, your barrier formation has solid defensive power. Why did you take it down halfway through?"
Fugaku shook his head. "I only learned the Uchiha Flame Formation recently, and I'm still unfamiliar with some parts. I made a mistake controlling my Chakra."
Unlike other Uchiha, after the Night of the Nine-Tails, Fugaku had begun studying ways to restrict a Tailed Beast's movements inside the village, given his position as captain of the Police Force.
Barrier Ninjutsu was the solution he had found. After all, if a battle that intense broke out in the village, even if they ultimately dealt with the Tailed Beast, all that would be left was a wasteland.
Hearing their clan head say this, the Uchiha nearby felt a little less dejected.
"The Uchiha Flame Formation. A decent barrier technique."
Orochimaru was a master of all ninjutsu. Barrier Ninjutsu was a variation of Fūinjutsu, and he had studied it as well.
The village's standard barrier technique was the Four Violet Flames Formation. It took four jonin working together to activate, and its defenses were strong enough to restrain a Kage Level opponent, but it was inadequate against a Tailed Beast.
The Uchiha Flame Formation Fugaku had used was somewhat different.
Orochimaru had a keen eye. At a glance, he could tell it was a secret technique developed specifically for the Uchiha Clan. Compared with the Four Violet Flames Formation, it was limited by bloodline, but it was indeed more effective.
And the external fusion of two Chakra natures was quite interesting, too.
Orochimaru glanced at Fugaku and smiled. "If you don't mind, Clan Head Fugaku, why not let me study it?"
"Well..." Fugaku looked troubled.
The Uchiha Flame Formation was, after all, a secret technique of the clan. How could they let an outsider learn it so easily, even if that outsider was Orochimaru, who had just demonstrated his power?
"I won't take advantage of the Uchiha for nothing. This barrier technique is good, but its flaws are obvious..."
Orochimaru got straight to the point. "Using a barrier maintained by a single person to restrain a Tailed Beast—if someone can do that, they'd be better off fighting the Tailed Beast directly."
Fugaku fell silent. In truth, he had anticipated as much. Even if he could successfully use the Uchiha Flame Formation, his Chakra reserves wouldn't let him hold out long under Yamata no Orochi's repeated attacks.
"For me, improving the barrier technique and turning it into a formation that can be used by multiple people, like the Four Violet Flames Formation, wouldn't be difficult."
Orochimaru wore a confident smile.
At that, Fugaku had no more reservations. "Then I'll leave it to you, Lord Orochimaru."
"We can discuss it later."
Orochimaru smiled and turned his attention to the group before him.
While he and Fugaku had been talking, the Konoha Military Police Force had gathered again. Compared with ten minutes earlier, however, their expressions and bearing were completely different.
They looked like a flock of defeated chickens, and many of them were injured.
Orochimaru gave them a "kind" smile. "Arrange yourselves in order, and I'll treat your injuries."
"Treat us?"
The Police Force members exchanged glances. Having the person who had just beaten them up treat them sounded downright bizarre.
But they soon realized that if they didn't get treated by Orochimaru, they would have to go to Konoha Hospital together.
The thought of nearly every member of the Uchiha Police Force being injured, then having to endure the villagers' curious, astonished stares on the way to the hospital, made them feel deeply uncomfortable.
That discomfort was far worse than the strangeness they had just felt.
The Uchiha elites knew the battle couldn't stay secret for long. News that Orochimaru had taken on the entire Uchiha Clan alone was simply too big.
But hearing about something and witnessing it firsthand were two different things.
The Uchiha had the Sharingan. They saw more than ordinary people and could better sense the difference.
Their good mood depended on everyone else seeing less.
Seeing the Konoha Military Police Force move hesitantly and slowly, Fugaku gave a direct order. "Immediately form up by squad. Those with serious injuries, move to the front..."
The Police Force began to move, and a commotion rippled through the crowd. At the same time, Orochimaru made twelve Shadow Clones and took three sets of medical equipment from a scroll.
The Uchiha elites noticed and their expressions grew gloomier still.
Their first thought wasn't that Orochimaru had planned the beating they'd just taken in advance. It was that he still had enough strength to make Shadow Clones.
Just how much had he held back during the Tailed Beast Exercise?
Soon, the injured were arranged in three lines. The Uchiha at the front was helped onto a hospital bed and began receiving treatment from Orochimaru.
Seeing Orochimaru treat their injuries while one of his Shadow Clones kept taking notes in a notebook, Shinsuke Uchiha couldn't help asking,
"Lord Orochimaru, what are you doing? This doesn't look like ordinary treatment."
With so many Uchiha watching him, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and asked in return, "Are you a medical ninja?"
"No, but other medical ninjas don't do this..."
Shinsuke Uchiha opened his mouth, unable to find the right words to describe it, but his meaning was clear enough.
I've never eaten pork, but I've seen pigs run. This clearly isn't an ordinary pig.
"Other medical ninjas? A bunch of incompetents."
Orochimaru gave a disdainful snort. "I'm collecting physical data so I can provide more precise and appropriate treatment in the future."
It was a somewhat flimsy excuse, but it suited the Uchiha's sensibilities perfectly, as well as the image Orochimaru had just established.
After all, it made sense that a ninja this powerful would treat people differently from ordinary medical ninjas.
"Is that really necessary?" Shinsuke Uchiha remained skeptical.
"Of course."
A strange smile appeared on Orochimaru's face.
"Did you think there'd only be one Tailed Beast Exercise?"
"You've got plenty more days of getting injured ahead of you."
I only found out today that once your follow count exceeds a hundred, it stops showing. I'm both happy and annoyed.
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