As soon as they clashed, no one could stop the Three Summoned Great Snakes from pursuing Inuzuka Yoru and the others!
But there was no helping it. Their opponent was Orochimaru. If things went badly, they could all be eliminated!
Orochimaru lashed out with a whip kick, sending Jiogan flying. Jiogan staggered back several steps. "Brat, you dare get distracted while fighting me? That'll get you killed!" Orochimaru said.
Jiogan understood. If they did not put on a performance that satisfied Orochimaru, they could forget about getting away!
He immediately formed hand seals and used Water Release: Water Needle Technique. Several Water Needles condensed at once and shot toward Orochimaru with sharp whistles. Orochimaru drew a Kunai, dodging and blocking at the same time. "Not bad Ninjutsu. Very practical, and its power is decent enough," Orochimaru commented as he felt the strength of the Water Needle Technique.
"However, since you used Ninjutsu first, I won't hold back!" Orochimaru said.
He immediately used Shadow Snake Hand!
It wrapped around the nearby Might Duy and hurled him aside, smashing him through a large tree and kicking up a cloud of dust!
But Might Duy was thick-skinned and tough. He was unharmed and quickly retreated to Jiogan's side.
"Brother Duy, don't use the Eight Inner Gates yet. The consumption is too great, and it'll affect the next round. I'll spar with Lord Orochimaru first. Watch for an opening!" Jiogan hurriedly stopped Might Duy when he saw him preparing to use the Eight Inner Gates Technique again!
At that moment, Orochimaru's Shadow Snake Hand struck again. Jiogan immediately used Water Wall to block it, then unleashed Water Release: Water Gun, firing six deep-blue Water Balls in succession! They attacked Orochimaru from different angles, sealing off his retreat!
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow at the sight. "He can fire six Water Guns in a row? This brat's Water Release Ninjutsu is quite good!"
He then used Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall! Earthen walls rose from all four directions, blocking every Water Gun!
Bang! Bang! Bang! The Water Guns slammed into the earthen walls, quickly shattering them and sending mud flying everywhere. But that was all! Orochimaru, standing behind the walls, was completely unscathed!
"Not bad power. You've exceeded my expectations!" Orochimaru commented again.
But he immediately counterattacked, using Wind Release: Gale Palm!
A violent gust swept toward Jiogan and Might Duy! Jiogan stepped in front and used Water Release: Water Wall again. The airflow generated by Gale Palm struck the water wall and was blocked!
Jiogan seized the opportunity to unleash a full-power Water Release: Water Wave! A massive torrent surged toward Orochimaru! Orochimaru was clearly startled by the Water Wave's enormous range. He dodged and retreated repeatedly before finally landing atop a large tree.
"You can actually use a Water Wave on this scale! Even I can't do that! What a pleasant surprise!" Two names surfaced in Orochimaru's mind: Tobirama Senju and his own teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Konoha probably had only those two who could unleash a Water Release: Water Wave of such magnitude!
Jiogan had not expected Water Wave to cause Orochimaru much trouble. The reason he had used such a large-scale Water Release: Water Wave was to create a battlefield that favored him, allowing him to employ a wider range of tactics!
"Brat, after using so much Water Release Ninjutsu in a row, your Chakra must be nearly depleted, right?" Orochimaru said.
"Thanks to you, I still have plenty of Chakra left!" Jiogan replied. He was not lying; the Chakra in his Dantian had barely decreased.
"Heh, you sure can talk big, brat! Let's see what other tricks you have!" Orochimaru sneered, clearly not believing Jiogan.
"Brother Duy, work with me. I need to use Water Palm Prison Technique. It'll be hard for me to catch Lord Orochimaru on my own!" Jiogan said.
"Got it!" Might Duy immediately created a clone and charged Orochimaru, engaging him in close combat again!
Orochimaru immediately used Shadow Snake Hand! Might Duy had suffered from that move before, so he swiftly dodged it several times. Jiogan took the chance to use Water Needle Technique to cover Might Duy while also casting Water Release: Water Palm Prison Technique!
Several Water Palms emerged from the puddles left behind by the earlier Water Wave and reached for Orochimaru, forcing him to move toward Might Duy to evade them!
This move again? Summoning Technique is a good way to break this Water Palm, but that would be bullying them too much! Orochimaru thought.
Might Duy and Orochimaru fought at close range while Jiogan occasionally launched Water Needle Technique and Water Gun from afar to support him. For a time, Orochimaru appeared somewhat pressured, though he was quite impressed by their one-near, one-far coordination.
But Jiogan and Might Duy did not know that while Water Wave had ravaged the terrain earlier, Orochimaru had already used Shadow Clone Technique. His real body had circled around behind Jiogan!
"Shadow Snake Hand!" Orochimaru's real body bound Jiogan at close range.
The snake body tightened, pulling Jiogan to his side. "Little one, you've lost!" Orochimaru stuck out his tongue in his signature manner. Capturing Jiogan meant the battle was over.
The Shadow Clone fighting Might Duy vanished with a bang. Might Duy turned around and gave Orochimaru and Jiogan a meaningful look.
Jiogan struggled desperately, but the snake body wound tighter and tighter around him. Orochimaru did not notice Might Duy's expression in the distance.
"Stop struggling, brat. The more you struggle, the tighter Shadow Snake Hand wraps around you!" With that, the snake body drew Jiogan closer.
Suddenly, Shadow Snake Hand loosened, and Jiogan's body transformed into water. Orochimaru froze for a moment, then immediately realized he had been tricked. The water transformed into a giant palm that closed around him!
At such close range, even someone as strong as Orochimaru only had time to use Substitution Technique!
The Water Palm clenched Orochimaru tightly in its grasp, turning into a prison. With a bang, Orochimaru became a wooden log, while his real body had vanished without a trace!
"Worthy of Lord Orochimaru! One of the future Sannin! Even at such close range, he could react quickly enough to use Substitution Technique!" Jiogan praised. After all, he had successfully used this move to ambush his own teacher, Kurama Heiji, who was also an Elite Jonin!
He immediately used Qi Sensing Technique and detected Orochimaru's position. "Brother Duy, be careful! He's in the tree thirty meters to your left!"
Might Duy instantly retreated in the opposite direction, opening up the distance.
Hearing Jiogan's words, Orochimaru, who had not yet recovered from nearly being tricked, was startled again. "What? This kid is a Sensor Ninja too?!"
Orochimaru emerged from the tree, his face dark and looking as though he wanted to devour Jiogan!
Seeing Orochimaru's expression, Jiogan immediately recalled how he had threatened Suigetsu into treating Tsunade. He could not help swallowing. He had already used every method he had, while Orochimaru, who possessed five Chakra natures, had only revealed the tip of the iceberg of his strength.
Might Duy hurried to Jiogan's side, ready to open the fourth gate at any moment!
But the scene of Orochimaru flying into a rage and brutally beating them never came. After a moment of silence, Orochimaru said, "Brat, you're very good. I'm very interested in you! We'll stop here today! We'll meet again!"
After saying that, he revealed his signature sinister smile, merged into the tree, and vanished!
Listening to Orochimaru's final words and seeing that sinister smile, Jiogan felt utterly terrible. His face turned pale. It seemed he had truly angered Orochimaru.
With Orochimaru's eyes on him, Jiogan could practically see himself tied up in a laboratory and subjected to experiments!
"Jiogan, are you okay?!" Might Duy asked worriedly.
Jiogan came back to his senses, took a deep breath, and said, "I'm fine. I just used up a bit too much!"
If soldiers came, he would block them; if water came, he would dam it with earth. His current strength was indeed far inferior to Orochimaru's, but he still had plenty of time to grow. By the time Orochimaru went down the wrong path, his strength might not be any worse than Orochimaru's!
Thinking that, Jiogan's complexion improved considerably.
He used Qi Sensing Technique to confirm that Orochimaru had left, then hurriedly called Might Duy over and headed toward Kurama Feiyun and the others!
Before you continue