Perfect Sage Mode!

The opening match presented by the two Sunagakure ninja was unexpectedly effective.

The barrage of Iron Sand and puppets pushed the atmosphere of the arena to a minor climax.

How could the VIPs in the stands have ever seen such a spectacle?

They were all dumbfounded, gasping in succession, their gazes toward the ninja completely transformed.

"So... this is what a ninja battle is?"

"It's... it's incredible!"

"It's just like a myth or legend!"

High up in the Kage tower, the atmosphere was somewhat subtle.

The Third Kazekage's mouth curled wider beneath his conical hat, carrying a hint of undisguised pride.

He glanced at the other Kage, feeling a secret thrill in his heart.

In this round, their Sunagakure had certainly taken the lead!

He did not believe that the genin from other villages could surpass the combination of Sasori and Tessen when it came to creating visual effects.

After all, those so-called "big shots" were only looking for excitement and a good show!

"Hmph, nothing more than flashy, impractical tricks."

As expected, the Third Raikage's dark face grew even darker as he let out a heavy snort.

The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, rubbed his nose, his eyes flickering as he pondered something.

The Third Mizukage's expression was so gloomy it looked as if it could drip water.

Although the genin from their village were the elite of the elite, when it came to the scale of ninjutsu and visual impact, they were indeed a cut below those two kids from earlier.

Yet, these laymen in the audience were exactly the type to fall for that!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression also grew a bit more serious.

Those two brats from Sunagakure had certainly heated up the arena.

However, in the current situation, he could only hope that Orochimaru and the others would bring some real surprises.

Just as the Kage had anticipated, after the "breathtaking" duel of the first match, the atmosphere for the subsequent matches cooled down significantly.

First was Konoha's Hatake Sakumo, facing off against the last barely-qualified reserve member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure.

Both were masters of swordsmanship; the battle was fast and agile, filled with flashing blades and technical prowess.

But to the laymen in the audience, it was far less exciting than the sky full of Iron Sand and flying puppets.

"Hmm... it seems impressive?"

"It's fast, but... is that it?"

Following that, Inuzuka Ryo from the Inuzuka clan faced off against Nara Kashin from the Nara clan.

One walked a dog, the other played with shadows.

While it was novel, compared to the terrain-altering ninjutsu of the first match, the viewing experience was more than a grade lower.

"That dog is quite fierce."

"Shadows can grab people? That's interesting."

The murmurs in the audience were sparse and scattered, far from the fervor of the first match.

That was until two new names appeared on the big screen—

Konoha, Tsunade!

Versus!

Konoha, Uchiha Yo!

"Whoa!!"

"Senju versus Uchiha!"

"This is a fated duel!"

The audience instantly boiled over once again.

Many stretched their necks, anticipating a heaven-shaking battle.

However, the result left them somewhat disappointed.

The legendary granddaughter of the First Hokage, Princess Tsunade, had a fighting style that was outrageously simple and brutal.

The entire time, she just swung her fists and chased Uchiha Yo around, hammering him!

The Sharingan and Fire Style ninjutsu that the Uchiha clansman took such pride in seemed unable to play any earth-shattering role in the face of Tsunade's unreasonable Strength of a Hundred.

After a few moves, she sent him flying with a single punch, ending the battle cleanly and decisively.

"It's... already over?"

"The Uchiha's Sharingan doesn't seem as godlike as the legends say..."

"That Tsunade, she only knows how to smash people with her fists; she's way too violent."

Hearing the hushed whispers from the sidelines, Tsunade, despite having won the match, felt her pretty face flush with anger.

"Those bastards! They don't know a damn thing!"

Hearing the comments drifting from the spectator stands, Tsunade bared her teeth and cursed.

These guys didn't understand the first thing about the pinnacle of strength! Or what precise Chakra control really meant!

It was like playing the lute to a cow!

"Hahahaha! Tsunade, don't lower yourself to the level of those laymen!"

Jiraiya grinned widely, mocking Tsunade without a hint of restraint.

"Next up, just watch me and Orochimaru!"

With that, he tossed his white hair with a flourish and walked toward the center of the arena side-by-side with Orochimaru.

High atop the tower, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched his two disciples take the stage.

He took a deep breath, his heart filled with both anticipation and a trace of worry.

The other four Kage noticed Hiruzen Sarutobi's reaction and became interested, their gazes turning in unison toward Orochimaru and Jiraiya in the arena.

"Oh? Sarutobi's disciples, are they?"

Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki remarked with keen interest.

"Hmph, I hope they're worth watching."

The Third Raikage grunted in his deep, muffled voice.

The gong signaling the start of the match rang out suddenly!

The very moment the sound of the gong faded!

Orochimaru and Jiraiya performed the exact same actions almost simultaneously!

Biting their fingers and weaving hand signs at lightning speed!

"Summoning Jutsu!"

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Poof! Poof!

Two massive clouds of white smoke exploded in the center of the arena, surging toward the sky!

As the smoke cleared, two gargantuan beasts, their size enough to suffocate the onlookers, appeared before everyone!

One was a giant snake with a lithe frame, covered in purple scales, with a fierce and malevolent gaze—Manda!

The other was a toad holding a pipe, wearing a short jacket, and wielding a giant Wakizashi—Gamabunta!

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa—!!"

"This! What is this?!"

"Such... such huge Summoning creatures!"

The spectators in the stands went completely wild!

Never before had they seen such massive creatures!

The ferocious aura rushing toward them made many of them forget to even breathe!

Tsunade was also slightly stunned, feeling a bit surprised herself.

Powerful Summoning creatures weren't exactly easy to command...

She wasn't surprised that Orochimaru could summon a creature like this.

But that guy Jiraiya... since when could he summon such a powerful creature?

"This... this is..."

High atop the tower, the expressions of Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki and the Third Raikage changed in an instant!

They stared fixedly at Gamabunta and Manda in the arena, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

Such powerful and distinct snakes and toads...

They only appeared in those two legendary places!

Could it be... that these two brats from Konoha had already gained the recognition of those two holy lands?!

How could this be possible?!

"Damn you, Jiraiya!!"

"To summon me to a godforsaken place like this! Do you want to die?!"

Gamabunta puffed on his pipe, looking at the dense crowd of spectators and the Manda opposite him, and roared in irritation.

"Now, now, Boss Gamabunta, don't be angry! Just do me a small favor and buy me a little time, that's all!"

Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly, offering a sheepish smile.

"Hmph!"

Gamabunta let out a dissatisfied grunt, but still drew the short blade from his back.

"Manda, go play with him."

On the other side, Orochimaru glanced indifferently at Manda beside him and spoke.

"Hiss—! Don't order me around!"

A flash of annoyance crossed Manda's scarlet snake eyes, but he still hissed, twisted his massive body, and lunged toward Gamabunta!

"Well come!"

Seeing this, Gamabunta's fighting spirit soared; he drew the wakizashi at his waist and charged to meet him!

Boom!

The two behemoths instantly tangled together, creating a deafening roar!

Orochimaru watched this scene, a meaningful arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

There was only one reason why Manda would obey him so obediently.

That was, he had already, to a certain extent, mastered the senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave!

The core philosophy of the cultivation method from The Outcast basically followed the path of Taoist practice, pursuing the supreme realm of "unity between heaven and man."

After his constant verification and improvement, this cultivation method from another world was indeed of great help to the practice of Sage Mode.

However, it was not enough!

The natural energy of the Naruto world was far more violent and difficult to control than "Primordial Qi," especially after being inhaled into the body.

To perfectly control this power, other technical means were needed to achieve it...

The next moment!

Click, click, click—

Dense, blue-purple scales rapidly emerged from beneath Orochimaru's skin, covering half of his body in the blink of an eye!

On his forehead, a pair of formidable dragon horns slowly grew out!

A massive surge of Chakra energy, far exceeding what he had shown before and feeling almost tangible, erupted from his body and swept across the entire field!

Sage Mode!

This was the result he had finally achieved over the past year or so, by conducting in-depth research on the cells of the White Snake Sage and referencing the Twin Technique of Mount Myoboku!

By constantly interfering with his physical body using Chakra, causing it to continuously mutate and approach the cellular state of the White Snake Sage, he had finally developed a unique technique that allowed him to enter Sage Mode at will...