Beating Orochimaru

I've been underestimated, Orochimaru thought to himself.

Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan abilities were unknown, he could manifest a Complete Body Susanoo, and he possessed mysterious Fire Release ninjutsu, along with monstrous attack and defensive power—he was not to be engaged head-on. If he could use his own ninjutsu to stall for time, he would win as soon as ten minutes had passed!

Orochimaru mentally mapped out his tactical plan.

Orochimaru's strength was undeniable, yet he always lacked that final edge compared to the top-tier powerhouses, much like his teacher, the Third Hokage. However, his ability to escape death was truly formidable...

Obito intended to establish his dominance this time, to make Orochimaru see the gap between them! He also wanted to see just how powerful the Bankai of Ryujin Jakka truly was! He just hoped he wouldn't accidentally kill Orochimaru in one stroke...

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" Orochimaru performed a single-handed seal, blowing a violent gale from his mouth toward Obito. The wild wind, carrying sand and stone, roared forward like a sandstorm! Simultaneously, Orochimaru rapidly increased the distance between himself and Obito.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... Shuriken flew from Orochimaru's hands toward Obito as his hands blurred through seals: Ox-Dog-Dragon-Rat-Dog-Boar-Snake-Tiger. The speed of his hand seals was so fast they were practically phantoms.

The shuriken hid within the sandstorm, splitting from one into two, then four, multiplying endlessly—the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique! It was as if a black cloud were pressing down upon the city!

"Flashy, but useless!" Ryujin Jakka was already unsheathed! "Shikai: All things in the universe, turn to ashes, Ryujin Jakka!"

He swung his blade! A streak of flame, cutting through the heavens and earth, surged straight toward the black cloud ahead!

Where the blade passed, the clouds vanished, and the swarming shuriken were reduced to molten iron!

Damn it! Why is he so strong? Although it had been a probing attack, the result made Orochimaru's heart sink further. Was this a technique similar to Sakumo's, where fire-attribute chakra was imbued into a weapon?

Obito had no intention of dragging this out for ten minutes; he wanted a swift victory! Blue chakra flames ignited around his legs, and Obito's figure moved with the speed of a blue lightning bolt, charging toward Orochimaru. Simple, brutal!

That foolish woman, Tsunade! Orochimaru cursed internally. The news of the romance between Tsunade and Obito had truly shocked the upper echelons of Konoha. The world had gone mad—an Uchiha and a Senju sharing a bed!

He was, of course, intimately familiar with the power of Tsunade's Strength Enhancement.

Orochimaru tilted his head back and opened his mouth, stretching it wider and wider! A sword hilt, wrapped in his tongue, was slowly regurgitated... it was Orochimaru's Kusanagi Sword.

Clang! With a sharp sound, steel met steel as Orochimaru raised his sword to block Obito's downward strike. The immense force was enough to make Orochimaru struggle to keep his footing!

Clang, clang, clang... In the blink of an eye, Obito had struck hundreds of times! Each blow hammered against the Kusanagi Sword like a heavy mallet, forcing Orochimaru to retreat step by step under the overwhelming pressure.

I must create distance! Orochimaru felt a surge of anxiety. In terms of taijutsu, Obito's strength completely crushed his own. If he remained pinned down like this, he would be cleaved in two before long!

Orochimaru gathered the strength in his arms, pushing back against Obito's blade while simultaneously lunging backward and to the left!

Splat! Even though Orochimaru's movement was swift, it was not faster than Obito's blade; a right arm was severed from Orochimaru's shoulder!

Hiss. The pain of a severed limb made even the battle-hardened Orochimaru gasp.

Orochimaru covered the wound with his left hand. Little blood flowed, and without any visible effort, a pop sound echoed as a brand-new arm, coated in transparent mucus, regrew.

However, his increasingly pale complexion betrayed that this technique was not easily performed.

"One minute down. I wonder how many times you can regrow that," Obito said, waving his blade.

Orochimaru bit his finger, performed a set of seals, and slammed his hands onto the ground, where a circular rune appeared.

"Summoning Technique: Manda!"

With a thunderous boom, dust billowed into the air.

As the smoke cleared, a massive purple snake, dozens of meters high and nearly a hundred meters long, reared its head.

Manda's enormous vertical pupils scanned the surroundings. After its gaze rested on Obito, it hissed at Orochimaru, who stood atop its head: "A mere insect dares to bother me! Orochimaru, you are becoming more and more useless!"

"You will change your tune once you witness his power," Orochimaru rasped.

"The usual terms: one hundred living sacrifices afterward! Let me show you the might of Lord Manda!" Manda's massive, muscular body, as sturdy as iron, shimmered with purple scales as it lunged toward Obito like a purple streak of lightning!

It intended to crush this little insect to death!

"So this is Manda? Truly an annoying creature." Let you be the first soul to perish beneath this Zanpakutō.

"Castle Wall Flame Prison!" Ryujin Jakka descended in a single strike! The roaring flames on the blade instantly transformed into a colossal, heaven-reaching palm that snatched at the charging Manda!

"Ah!??" In an instant, Manda was gripped within the flaming palm, held as easily as a chick...

The roaring palm radiated a temperature approaching 6,000 degrees! Manda's purple scales were already charred black, and a thick, acrid stench of burning flesh filled the air.

Orochimaru watched in secret horror. He knew Manda's capabilities all too well; otherwise, he wouldn't have offered one hundred living humans as sacrifices for every summoning.

"Rumble!"

The ground behind Obito instantly split open, and a massive snake tail whipped toward him with lethal force.

Manda's purple scales looked somewhat dull; it turned out that Manda had used its shedding ability to escape the burning of the Castle Wall Flame Prison, utilizing Earth Release to tunnel underground and circle behind Obito for a sneak attack.

Accompanying this was Orochimaru's own assault, as countless snakes hissed and surged toward Obito...

Obito felt his scalp tingle—not from fear, but from disgust. He had tested the techniques he wanted to; it was time to end this boring gamble! He had originally wanted to try his Bankai, but judging by the flow of the battle, Orochimaru wouldn't be able to withstand it!

"Infernal Hell!"

Dozens of fire pillars, reaching toward the heavens, surrounded Manda and Orochimaru, rapidly contracting and converging!

"BOOM!"

The dozens of fire pillars detonated simultaneously! It was as if a miniature sun had exploded! Scorching energy rippled outward in waves, turning everything in the vicinity to ash!

"Triple Rashomon!"

Orochimaru performed rapid hand seals and slammed them onto the ground! Following this, three massive gates, each emblazoned with an Asura mask, rose from the earth with a deafening rumble!

After summoning the Triple Rashomon, Orochimaru dared not linger, channeling his chakra to dive underground using Earth Release!

"Orochimaru! You dare betray me! I curse you to a miserable death! Ah..." Manda bore the brunt of the blast! Its curses vanished in an instant... and its massive body was reduced to ash... The legendary Manda had fallen!

The massive energy fluctuation and the glare of the flames alerted the Third Hokage. After dispatching Anbu to investigate and learning it was caused by a battle between Obito and Orochimaru, he felt a wave of dizziness...

Why are this madman and the leader of Root constantly at each other's throats? With Orochimaru gone, he would just have to let Tsunade take over as the leader of Root!