Genjutsu Resistance Is Just That Bad

"Actively harming a fellow villager is considered desertion."

The corner of Genkawa Uchiha's mouth lifted into a cold smile.

Perfect. He had been planning to properly test the jutsu he had mastered over the past two days.

Without a doubt, Orochimaru was an excellent opponent.

Because he was strong enough.

And while it had only been two days, Genkawa Uchiha had actually mastered quite a few jutsu during that time. He had basically learned all the ninjutsu available at home.

Although none of those jutsu could be considered particularly powerful, having someone as strong as Orochimaru serve as a sparring partner would give him plenty of combat experience.

Genkawa Uchiha made the first move. He brushed a hand across his ninja tool pouch, and two kunai appeared in his hand. The next moment, one of them flew toward Orochimaru.

Orochimaru remained utterly calm in the face of the probing attack. He merely tilted his head slightly, and the kunai grazed his ear before embedding itself in a tree trunk.

The next moment, Genkawa had already activated the Body Flicker Technique, moving like a gale without the slightest trace of motion.

His knee slammed toward Orochimaru's abdomen, only to strike an afterimage.

Orochimaru's voice came from behind him. "The Uchiha's Body Flicker Technique is indeed as crisp as rumored. Genkawa-kun, you've mastered it quite well."

Genkawa Uchiha spun and kicked. Orochimaru bent backward to evade, then flicked out three shuriken at the same time.

Genkawa Uchiha raised his arm to block. Amid the sharp clang of metal, he gripped a kunai between his fingers and stabbed straight for Orochimaru's throat.

"Fast reactions."

Orochimaru commented as he sidestepped. He was clearly still holding back against Genkawa Uchiha, and the kunai only sliced through his sleeve.

"But the power of a Sage Body shouldn't be used only like this."

As soon as he spoke, Orochimaru formed seals one-handedly, his fingers moving so fast they blurred into afterimages.

An Earth Style: Earth Wall suddenly rose beneath Genkawa Uchiha's feet, launching him into the air.

His reaction was equally swift, and he quickly formed hand seals.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!

Flames burst forth, a massive fireball over three meters wide hurtling straight toward Orochimaru.

But Orochimaru had already vanished from where he stood.

The instant Genkawa Uchiha landed, a whistling sound came from behind him. He rolled aside on the spot as a column of water slammed into the ground, grazing his back. Muddy water splashed onto the hem of his clothes, and amid a thunderous roar, the ground was blasted into a huge crater.

Sheets of water surged outward, flooding the entire Training Ground in the blink of an eye.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu?"

Genkawa Uchiha raised a brow.

"The Sannin truly live up to their reputation."

Orochimaru's voice came from all directions. "Your command of basic ninjutsu has also exceeded my expectations."

"Whether it's the Body Flicker Technique or the control of your Fire Style, both are perfectly timed."

Genkawa Uchiha suddenly formed hand seals.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

A violent gale swept up broken stones from the ground and surged toward the source of the voice.

Orochimaru's figure emerged amid the flying debris, his shuriken already closing in on Genkawa Uchiha's face.

He had appeared without a sound, as though his entire body had blended into the wind itself. It was truly astonishing.

Though surprised, Genkawa Uchiha did not panic. He quickly tilted his head aside, then threw a punch at Orochimaru's chest.

Orochimaru raised an arm to block. Their strength collided, sending fallen leaves swirling through the air.

"Genkawa-kun's strength is indeed formidable."

A strange smile curled across Orochimaru's lips as his tongue slid over them.

"But how much does Genkawa-kun know about the secrets of a Sage Body?"

"That has nothing to do with you."

Genkawa Uchiha's answer was sharp and direct. At the same time, he activated the Body Flicker Technique again and appeared behind Orochimaru.

He clenched his fist and swung.

The air howled, followed by a sharp crack, as if he had shattered the air itself.

Orochimaru's teasing expression abruptly changed. He spun around in an instant, crossing his arms before him.

The next moment—

Orochimaru felt as though he had been struck by a massive boulder. His body flew backward uncontrollably, and waves of stabbing pain shot through his forearms. They seemed to have fractured.

Genkawa Uchiha vanished again, using the Body Flicker Technique to chase after Orochimaru as he flew backward through the air.

He twisted his body and threw another punch!

Shock flashed across Orochimaru's face. His body suddenly went limp in midair, becoming boneless as he narrowly avoided the attack.

"Is that Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred?"

As he spoke, Orochimaru twisted himself around in midair and crossed paths with Genkawa Uchiha.

The moment he landed, he flung both arms. A series of crackles sounded, as if the bones inside had snapped.

But then Orochimaru grabbed his arms with both hands and pulled. His previously limp arms returned to normal.

All of this happened in an instant. Once he was done, Orochimaru pulled a scroll from behind his waist and pressed his palm against it.

White smoke spread, and a sword appeared in his hand.

It was a straight blade without a guard, its surface smooth as a mirror and its edge reflecting a cold gleam.

Orochimaru grinned. "I've already experienced your Body Flicker Technique, taijutsu, and ninjutsu. So, Genkawa-kun, would you like to experience my swordsmanship?"

Though he said that, he showed no courtesy at all and immediately rushed forward.

Genkawa Uchiha had just landed. He held a kunai in each hand and focused intently on Orochimaru charging toward him.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The blade flashed brilliantly, streaking toward him like strips of silk in a raging storm.

The kunai in Genkawa Uchiha's hands blocked several strikes before they split or shattered amid sharp metallic rings.

Clearly, the straight blade in Orochimaru's hand was no ordinary weapon. It might even have been a Kusanagi Sword.

The Kusanagi Sword was not the name of any particular blade. It was a general term for a category of weapons, and they came in many different forms.

As far as Genkawa Uchiha knew, Orochimaru in the original story had used no fewer than four Kusanagi Swords.

"Hah!"

Genkawa Uchiha tossed aside the broken kunai in his hands. He dodged repeatedly, each evasion occurring within a hair's breadth.

Without realizing it, he had activated his Sharingan. Three tomoe spun rapidly in his eyes.

Seeing this, Orochimaru's smile deepened. Yet his movements did not slow in the slightest. If anything, they became even fiercer.

It had to be said, the Sannin truly deserved their reputation. There were almost no weaknesses in any of their abilities.

Even though Genkawa Uchiha was full of confidence because of his cheat, he could still feel Orochimaru's strength as he faced him now.

It was not that he could not use stronger ninjutsu. At the very least, Genkawa Uchiha could now easily unleash powerful Fire Style techniques, such as Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation and Fire Style: Great Fire Destruction. Combined with his immense chakra, their effects would undoubtedly be astonishing.

But that would create far too much commotion.

That was what he thought, and Orochimaru undoubtedly felt the same way.

So from the beginning of their battle until now, they had only been competing in taijutsu and ordinary ninjutsu. At this point, they had merely added swordsmanship to the mix.

Under these circumstances, Genkawa Uchiha was undoubtedly at a disadvantage, but he had already formed a plan.

The next moment, Orochimaru thrust his sword straight forward.

Genkawa Uchiha paused in the middle of his attempt to evade and allowed the straight blade to pierce his right abdomen.

Orochimaru seemingly had not expected the strike to land. For a brief instant, surprise flashed across his face, slowing his reaction by a beat.

Genkawa Uchiha seized that instant. Both hands shot toward Orochimaru's wrist holding the sword.

Orochimaru was equally decisive and immediately abandoned the straight blade.

But Genkawa Uchiha had already anticipated that move.

The next moment, blood sprayed through the air!

A cold flash streaked past, and one of Orochimaru's arms was severed at the shoulder, flung high into the air.

The falling blood was Orochimaru's.

In that instant, Genkawa Uchiha had used the Body Flicker Technique to close in on Orochimaru. Even though Orochimaru had leaped back to retreat, the distance between them had not widened. Instead, it had narrowed further.

The hand Genkawa Uchiha had originally used to grab Orochimaru pulled out the sword directly, then swept it upward.

At the same time, he seemed to casually glance at Orochimaru, the Three-Tomoe in his eyes spinning rapidly.

Orochimaru was dazed for an instant before quickly coming to his senses.

But even with his extremely fast reaction, Genkawa Uchiha still managed to cut off one of his arms.

The two landed. Orochimaru quickly jumped backward several times to widen the distance, one hand covering the stump of his severed arm while his eyes remained fixed on Genkawa Uchiha.

Genkawa Uchiha, on the other hand, was grinning. He did not look at Orochimaru, instead carefully examining the straight blade in his hand.

"A fine sword. What a truly fine sword!"

The next moment, a layer of chakra covered the straight blade.

Clearly, this sword had been forged from chakra metal. Its hardness, flexibility, and chakra conductivity were all among the very best.

That was it.

This was the Kusanagi Sword Sasuke had used in the original story.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru's gaze remained fixed on Genkawa Uchiha's right abdomen.

The fabric there had been torn open when the straight blade entered and withdrew, exposing the skin beneath.

The wound that had originally been a gaping hole was already scabbing over, and faint steam rose from it. The injury was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"So this is a Sage Body. No wonder, no wonder Genkawa-kun was so fearless."

Orochimaru's face was pale, and sweat beaded on his forehead, but he still forced out a smile.

Yet no matter how one looked at it, that smile seemed somewhat strained.

Clearly, Genkawa Uchiha's move had caught him completely off guard. Having suffered such a major loss, this veteran powerhouse among the Sannin was naturally unwilling to accept it.

He had intended to probe Genkawa Uchiha, but now it seemed that the probing had not gone very well.

Genkawa Uchiha withdrew his gaze and looked at Orochimaru, his smile sincere.

"Lord Orochimaru, I like this sword very much."

Orochimaru licked his lips. "Since you like it, it's yours."

He had not changed bodies as he did in the original story, which gave Genkawa Uchiha an idea.

At this point in time, it seemed Orochimaru had not yet developed Living Corpse Reincarnation. He seemed to have only completed the body-softening modification.

"Thank you. As a gift in return, I suggest that Lord Orochimaru strengthen his training in genjutsu resistance, especially against Sharingan genjutsu. In that regard, Lord Orochimaru, your weakness is a bit too obvious."