"Uchiha brat, behold my ultimate art! Art is an explosion—Katsu!"
Amid a resolute roar, a blazing white light that did not belong to this world erupted. Sasuke, already covered in wounds, revealed a horrified expression.
An explosion that should never have occurred erupted. Within the white light, all matter was swallowed up. The earth shook violently, as though the greatest earthquake imaginable had struck.
In the distant city, baffled crowds scattered in panic, shouting, "Earthquake! It's an earthquake!"
Only after a long while did the ground finally stop trembling. Within ten kilometers of the blast's epicenter, every forest had been completely erased, leaving behind only utter desolation.
Bang!
A cloud of white smoke suddenly appeared, and a massive snake dozens of meters long emerged in the clearing. Sasuke, battered and bruised, crawled out of its mouth, staggered, and fell to his knees.
Hozuki Suigetsu, who had just finished gathering intelligence, hurried over from afar. The moment he saw Sasuke, he cried out, "What happened, Sasuke? Who did you fight? What was that kind of destructive power?"
Sasuke panted heavily without answering. In truth, he did not even have the strength to speak.
The giant snake beside him looked at Sasuke sprawled on the ground and spoke furiously. "Damn brat... You actually dared to use me... You actually dared..."
As its anger rose, its voice gradually faded. Its snake eyes dimmed until the light within them vanished completely.
Suigetsu glanced at it. "It's Manda. This was Orochimaru's favorite pet, and it just died like that. The power of that ninjutsu just now was truly terrifying."
"Huff... huff... Enough nonsense. How did the intelligence I told you to gather turn out?" After panting for a while, Sasuke finally managed to speak.
Suigetsu shrugged and chuckled. "My, my, you're half-dead and still thinking