Kage-Level Clash

"Heh heh, I never said that!"

Orochimaru let out a low chuckle. "It's just that they all want to witness the demeanor of the legendary 'Genius Puppeteer' for themselves."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the people behind him bolted like wild horses, charging forward with a collective roar.

"I'll take this one!"

Sasori of the Red Sand blocked Uchiha Ye, who was about to make a move, his voice tinged with a hint of excitement. "There are a few decent materials among these people that I can use to craft my human puppets."

"You go keep an eye on that guy Orochimaru; I have a feeling something isn't quite right with him!"

Hearing Sasori of the Red Sand's words, Uchiha Ye naturally had no objections.

"Ye-kun, I never expected you to get along so well with Sasori."

"What truly impressive charisma!"

Seeing Uchiha Ye charging toward him, Orochimaru's expression grew much more solemn.

Uchiha Ye's aura was significantly more powerful than it had been when they last met.

And how much time had passed since then?

Not even half a month!

Terrifying Uchiha talent! he thought, a chill running through his heart.

Those who could survive the Uchiha Clan Downfall Night were truly not to be underestimated.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

As a student of the 'Professor of Ninjutsu,' the Third Hokage, Orochimaru was absolutely proficient in all five elemental releases, even if he didn't use them often.

In an instant!

Like a hurricane descending, a shrill, howling gale broke through all resistance, rushing toward Uchiha Ye with such suffocating pressure that it felt impossible to even move.

This was the terror of a Kage-level ninja!

A level of dread beyond ordinary imagination—a 'superhuman' in the truest sense!

"Great Eruption!"

Facing Orochimaru, Uchiha Ye focused his attention to the highest degree.

He activated both his Two-Tomoe Sharingan and Observation Haki.

He wouldn't let a single detail slip!

Orochimaru's combat experience was even more terrifying than Sasori of the Red Sand's, making him a far greater threat.

If he let his guard down, he would be the one to die!

BOOM!

Fire against wind!

In a flash, a crimson glow blanketed the entire forest, and the ground beneath them cracked and sank.

The scorching heat wave was so intense that even Sasori of the Red Sand couldn't help but retreat.

The defensive shell of Hiruko couldn't even withstand the terrifying heat, which reached over five hundred degrees.

"Ah!!!"

A significant number of people in hospital gowns couldn't dodge in time; their bodies were instantly scorched dry, some even turning charred black.

This scene terrified the other patients, who hurriedly scrambled away from Uchiha Ye, staring at him with shock and horror.

If the mere shockwave was this terrifying, how horrific must the center of the clash be?

"Break!"

Having undergone training in the 'lakes and seas,' he had reached the highest level of development his fruit ability could currently achieve.

Although it would be difficult to make rapid progress in his abilities from here on out, the effort was absolutely worth it!

Even the heavy gale unleashed by a Kage-level ninja like Orochimaru couldn't stop the advance of his fist.

"Impressive!"

Seeing the giant magma fist breaking through the wind, Orochimaru couldn't help but marvel inwardly. Has he already grown to this extent? He's practically even more terrifying than Itachi.

"However..."

Orochimaru grinned. "Don't underestimate me!"

"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"

Suddenly, the ground beneath Uchiha Ye's feet turned muddy and incredibly soft.

Uchiha Ye was instantly swallowed up to his mid-calf, rendering him completely unable to gain leverage to move forward.

Is this... Kage-level... tactical judgment?

Simple, direct, and lethal!

Seeing himself restricted in just two or three moves, Uchiha Ye couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

It was just like his first battle against Sasori of the Red Sand; he had been suppressed almost immediately.

"Water Style: Water Clear Wave!"

Orochimaru gave Uchiha Ye no chance to elementalize and assimilate into the surrounding earth to escape. With another set of hand seals, he spat out a surging torrent of water, forcing an involuntary cry of alarm from Uchiha Ye.

Orochimaru's purpose in using Water Style was simple—to restrict his elementalization!

But at the same time, Water Style inevitably served another crucial function.

"Lightning Style: Earth Flash!"

As expected!

Just as Uchiha Ye had guessed, terrifying arcs of lightning erupted from Orochimaru's body, racing along the water flow to strike him directly.

Unable to elementalize due to the water, Uchiha Ye had no choice but to take the hit head-on.

"Urgh!"

The power of Lightning Style released by Kage-level chakra was naturally terrifying.

Even with the current durability of Uchiha Ye's body, he felt as though his cells had been damaged significantly in a split second, severely impacting his condition!

Every movement of his body brought a tearing, agonizing pain.

As expected of the Sannin, truly strong!

Uchiha Ye praised him inwardly, immediately erupting with terrifying chakra to break through his current predicament and pull himself free.

"Trying to escape? How naive, Ye-kun!"

But just as he broke free, Orochimaru's low voice rang out right beside his ear, and a cold blade of light, impossibly fast, magnified rapidly in Uchiha Ye's vision: "Ninja Art: Sky Longsword!"

Squelch!

With absolutely no defense, Uchiha Ye's chest was pierced, and blood splattered everywhere.

Uchiha Ye was driven backward by the longsword, crashing deep into the distant forest as a massive wave of dust rose up!

"No way, that guy Ye is actually at a disadvantage right from the start?"

Sasori of the Red Sand, having nearly finished off his own hospital-gowned enemies, couldn't help but show a look of surprise as he watched the scene.

He looked at Orochimaru, who was spitting out the blade, feeling somewhat shocked: "Is this guy's true strength really this high? Is this... the level of the Sannin!"

Fine!

He admitted he had underestimated Orochimaru in the past.

He had thought their strengths were comparable.

Now it seemed that without his trump card completed, it would be truly difficult to rival Orochimaru.

"However, that guy Ye won't be defeated just like that!"

"He's become as strong as a monster himself!"

He still had that much confidence in Uchiha Ye.

Sure enough, before Orochimaru could continue his pursuit, the forest suddenly grew scorching hot. A massive, burning red hound roared through the air, causing the very atmosphere to crackle and pop: "Dog-Biting Crimson Lotus!"

Accompanied by Uchiha Ye's fierce shout, he emerged from within the flaming hound, pulling with the force of ten thousand tons as he bombarded Orochimaru.

Whoosh!

Orochimaru's lower body transformed into a snake tail in an instant, and with incredibly agile, serpentine movements, he dodged the punch.

Boom!

The forest exploded into a sea of flames, sending charred wood chips flying into the air.

"Lava Style: Scorch Flow Explosion!"

Seeing Orochimaru's serpentine evasion, Uchiha Ye immediately unleashed his ultimate move.

Boom!

Spreading out in a fan shape, a wave of scorching, materialized heat distorted the surrounding space, expanding at a speed that left no room for retreat.

Hiss!

Almost the moment Uchiha Ye threw his punch, Orochimaru felt the stinging heat wash over him.

In the blink of an eye, the temperature multiplied several times over, burning his skin to a deep crimson and causing it to crack and bleed.

Then, without giving him a chance to dodge, it was as if he were facing a falling solar storm, instantly stripping away all his vitality and leaving only a charred, fragile husk scattered upon the ground.