Reason

Orochimaru's regenerative capabilities rank among the very best in the ninja world.

Even if his entire skeleton were shattered, his internal organs turned to pulp, and his brain scrambled like tofu... as long as he was given three or four seconds, his body—modified and pre-injected through countless human experiments—would naturally repair itself.

If he encountered a powerful enemy and unleashed his full potential, the physical repair process could even be compressed to a single second.

However...

Lin Qing raised a finger and pointed it at Orochimaru.

"To blow you apart, I don't even need a second."

Endless terror swarmed around Orochimaru: "Don't—"

The voice came to an abrupt halt.

Because a thunderous roar rang out across the sky, one step ahead of his plea for mercy.

"Ora!"

Star Platinum grabbed Orochimaru by the neck with one hand, its right fist raised high.

With its strength and speed promoted to Level 3, it unleashed its full power.

"Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora!"

"Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora!"

"Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora!"

In less than half a second, Orochimaru's physical body completely collapsed. No, it wasn't just his body; Star Platinum's fists were wrapped in a wisp of wind and lightning, the very Ripple and natural energy transmitted from Lin Qing.

These two forces, following Star Platinum's fists, pierced through Orochimaru's skin and muscles, acting directly at the cellular level.

Orochimaru discovered with horror that his most prideful ability, cellular regeneration, was becoming...

Utterly chaotic!

Some cells were regenerating at super-speed by burning away his lifespan.

Some cells were dying instantly.

And others were mutating during regeneration, becoming cells capable of infinite proliferation.

If Orochimaru understood modern medicine, he would know that this stuff is called cancer cells.

Even if Lin Qing didn't kill him today, with the medical capabilities of the Naruto World, curing cancer was nearly impossible. Orochimaru already had one foot in the grave, and the other foot would only step into the coffin after he had suffered the torment of the disease.

But that day would never come.

Lin Qing would personally bestow death upon Orochimaru.

According to Orochimaru's own life theory: "Rather than suffering, it is better for me to bestow death upon them," he should even thank Lin Qing.

In his despair, Orochimaru looked up at Tagorihime.

"You dare!"

Tagorihime roared, the corners of her mouth splitting back to her ears, her originally beautiful and moving face taking on the features of a venomous snake.

Her body became long and narrow, coiling in the firmament, holding an orb in her mouth. If not for the lack of "feet" beneath her, she would truly look like a real dragon.

Tagorihime hung high in the sky; if she were to dive down, she wouldn't be able to save Orochimaru in time, and close-quarters combat was not her specialty.

What she excelled at most was genjutsu.

"Sage Art: Heart-Illusion Snake Shadow!"

Massive amounts of sage chakra, amplified by the Green Dragon-Snake Orb, were unleashed with nearly zero delay. Phantoms of green snakes ignored distance and defenses, burrowing into the eyes of everyone present.

Star Platinum's fist swung at empty air.

Orochimaru had vanished.

Vanishing along with him were the village, Jiraiya, and Sasuke.

Lin Qing stood in the middle of a magnificent palace.

He had forgotten many things, his consciousness hazy and dim, as if he were in a dream.

He only felt an incomparable hunger.

If only there were something to eat.

As soon as this thought surfaced, Lin Qing saw countless delicacies appear within the opulent palace.

Lin Qing walked over, about to reach out his hand.

Watching this scene from the sky, Tagorihime curled her lips into a smile.

Tagorihime's Sage Art genjutsu was extremely bizarre. Its power lay in its ability to confuse the target's cognition; in modern psychological terms, it weakened the superego and ego while amplifying the id.

Once the "id" accepted the temptation of the illusion, it would violate the "rules," leaving both soul and body at the mercy of Tagorihime, to be swallowed up like a delicious matcha cupcake.

"Eat, eat!"

But just as Lin Qing's hand was about to touch the food, it stopped.

"This is not what I want," Lin Qing said.

Tagorihime's smile froze on her face, but she immediately unleashed her power, causing the dining table to vanish.

A throne appeared behind Lin Qing, and hundreds of subjects materialized before him, kneeling in submission and shouting, "Long live the King!"

Lin Qing watched them quietly:

"This is not what I want, either."

Tagorihime's lips twitched, her fangs grinding together with a creaking sound. The illusion shifted again, revealing three naked beauties who walked over, hooked their arms around Lin Qing's, and pressed their full, rounded breasts against him.

Tagorihime swallowed hard, staring at Lin Qing nervously, terrified of hearing the same answer again.

But... it didn't come.

"Ha—men, you are all the same!"

She waited for Lin Qing to make a move.

Yet, Lin Qing merely looked at the three women and let out a helpless sigh.

Lin Qing raised his head, his gaze piercing through the phantasm and landing squarely on the invisible, hidden Tagorihime, saying softly:

"Is your aesthetic... really only at this level?"

"Wh-what?"

"And, this is still not what I want."

Lin Qing extended his hand, and Hermit Purple pierced through layers of illusions, tightly binding Tagorihime as she floated in the air.

Thunder cracked, and the power of the Ripple surged through the vines.

"Ah—"

Under the searing, scorching heat of the Ripple, Tagorihime shrieked repeatedly. An irresistible force traveled from the end of the vines, pulling her forcefully and unceremoniously toward Lin Qing.

"What the hell do you actually want?"

Repeated setbacks and physical agony caused the snake sage, who had cultivated for hundreds of years, to curse aloud.

As the vines reached their limit, Lin Qing grabbed Tagorihime by the head and pulled her face right in front of his.

"What I want, you cannot provide."

At such close proximity, influenced by the senjutsu illusion, their souls experienced a slight collision.

Tagorihime saw fragments of Lin Qing's thoughts; she saw his desires—

"To conquer the six kingdoms and unify the world... to seal the mountains at Langjuxu... the three visits to the thatched cottage... the entrustment of the orphan at Baidicheng, and..."

"A single spark can start a prairie fire!"

The contempt of a higher life form toward a human vanished from Tagorihime's eyes. She was terrified, panicked, and at a loss. As she gazed into Lin Qing's calm eyes, she felt as if he were saying:

Such longing, such an ideal.

Is this something a snake demon like you can touch? Dare to touch?

"Ahhhhh!!!!!"

Blood trickled from Tagorihime's eyes, nose, mouth, and ears as the entire illusion collapsed.

Lin Qing returned to the village.

The previous illusion, though complex to describe, had occurred in a mere instant. Orochimaru was writhing like a dying viper, having escaped to a spot over ten meters away from Lin Qing.

Seeing Lin Qing regain his senses, Orochimaru was scared out of his wits; he opened a hole in the ground with his mouth, intending to dive inside.

This distance exceeded the range of Star Platinum, and given Orochimaru's escape skills, Lin Qing would never be able to catch him by the time he reached him.

"Jiraiya!"

Lin Qing shouted.

Jiraiya was only two steps away from Orochimaru and could definitely kill him before he entered the tunnel. At the very least, stopping him for half a second would be enough for Lin Qing to catch up.

Jiraiya stood there blankly, the kunai in his hand...

He just couldn't bring himself to throw it.

Orochimaru dove into the ground. A second later, Lin Qing arrived with the sound of wind and thunder, smashing a deep crater into the earth.

But where was there any sign of Orochimaru?

Then, hearing a painful groan behind him, he saw Orochimaru emerge like a viper from the other side, bite Sasuke's neck, and flee back underground in a hurry before Lin Qing could reach him.

He vanished.

Everything happened too fast.

It wasn't until Lin Qing picked up Sasuke and a breeze blew across Jiraiya's face that this legendary Sannin finally snapped out of it.

He looked at Lin Qing, about to speak.

Star Platinum appeared, gripped Jiraiya's face, and slowly tightened its fingers.

Lin Qing stood with his back to Jiraiya, his voice chillingly cold:

"Give me one reason not to kill you."