Orochimaru's Horror

"Retreat? How long can you keep that up?"

Uchiha Ye, whose neck wound had already healed, spoke in this manner.

"But you're right, it really is time to end this!"

He stomped heavily onto the ground, channeling his power: "Lava Scorch Shot!"

"Whoosh!"

The next moment, Tobirama Senju appeared from a nearby Flying Raijin coordinate.

But before he could react, the ground beneath his feet shuddered violently, and a torrent of scorching lava erupted outward.

"Hiss!"

Facing this scene, Tobirama Senju couldn't help but feel his hair stand on end.

He had no choice but to activate the Flying Raijin once more to retreat.

However!

The moment he reappeared, the exact same scene played out again.

He was forced to retreat once more!

"This guy... could he be planning to..."

In an instant, Tobirama Senju understood Uchiha Ye's intentions.

He intended to destroy every one of his Flying Raijin coordinates, waiting like a hunter for his prey.

Once his final coordinate was destroyed, he would have nowhere left to hide.

He couldn't help but grit his teeth, yet there was truly no way for him to deal with Uchiha Ye.

Because at this moment, Uchiha Ye held the upper hand.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

And so, as Tobirama Senju continuously activated the Flying Raijin to dodge, his coordinates were destroyed one by one.

Until... the very last one!

"Boom!"

This time, Tobirama Senju had no way left to dodge.

He could only face the erupting lava that arrived almost simultaneously with him.

But!

At the very instant the lava reached him, he forced his body to shift slightly in mid-air.

He managed to ensure that only half of his body was incinerated and destroyed.

"As expected of the Second Hokage; I didn't expect you to be able to turn the tide of battle even in such a situation!"

Before Tobirama Senju could even land, Uchiha Ye had already arrived via flash-step, his right arm glowing intensely: "But, it's over!"

He threw a punch, his voice sharp: "Hellhound!"

Yet, Tobirama Senju's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he grinned: "Brat, this is the opportunity I've been waiting for. Go to hell!"

"Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags!"

He summoned a massive swarm of explosive tags, which rapidly adhered to Uchiha Ye's body.

If Uchiha Ye could force him into a desperate situation, why couldn't he turn the tables and regain control?

This was an incredibly swift strike, and coming so suddenly, how could it be dodged?

In the original story, even Obito in his Six Paths form had been hit by half of Tobirama Senju's technique.

One could imagine the sheer power of this move!

"Explode!"

At the very moment his head was shattered, Tobirama Senju triggered this final strike.

He had been observing!

When Uchiha Ye used his abilities, he could not use that strange power that granted immunity to sharp weapons.

He was confident that by the time he reassembled, Uchiha Ye would be blasted into nothingness!

The Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags would not stop until the target was completely obliterated!

"Oh no!"

Seeing this, Sasori of the Red Sand, who was currently engaged with Orochimaru, couldn't help but change his expression drastically.

"Finally... is he dead?"

Seeing this, Orochimaru couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

This was an Enhanced Edo Tensei Body he had specially crafted to deal with the pursuit.

He was on the same level of strength!

He felt that defeating a junior like Uchiha Ye was only natural.

After all, that was the experienced Second Hokage.

How many battles had Uchiha Ye even experienced?

Could he possibly be a match for the Second Hokage?

To have repeatedly forced Tobirama Senju into a disadvantage during the battle was already remarkable enough.

"Hm, that's not right!"

Orochimaru's eyes suddenly sharpened, his expression changing drastically as he looked into the distance, exclaiming in disbelief, "He actually used an ability to negate the damage from the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags?!"

He saw that the area which had been blown to smithereens was now covered entirely in scattered magma.

Then, that magma converged once more to reform Uchiha Ye.

He was completely unscathed!

Sasori of the Red Sand watched this scene with great joy, unable to help but heave a sigh of relief.

Yet, Orochimaru felt a sense of dread, as if something terrible was about to happen.

Uchiha Ye transformed into molten lava once again, lunging directly onto the body of Tobirama Senju as it was in the middle of regenerating. He suppressed Tobirama Senju's movements with the lava, then manipulated Tobirama Senju's hands to rapidly weave signs: "Edo Tensei... Release!"

Suddenly...

The world brightened, casting a pillar of light that enveloped Tobirama Senju!

Tobirama Senju's body also began to glow intensely, and Uchiha Ye immediately detached himself from the body.

This move was simply using molten lava to forcibly control someone else's actions.

It could indeed have miraculous effects!

But the conditions to do so were difficult to meet.

First!

The target must be in a sufficiently weakened state.

That was easy enough!

But the second point was very difficult.

The target's body had to be able to withstand the high temperature of the lava.

This was hard to satisfy!

Except for an Edo Tensei body!

To put it plainly, it was still just dirt.

It could withstand the scorching heat of nearly nine hundred degrees that he currently possessed.

In short, it was an ability that could only be used in this specific situation.

But!

The shock brought about by this sequence of actions was absolutely staggering.

"Edo Tensei, it can actually... be released like this?"

Watching Tobirama Senju, whose soul had already detached from his body, Orochimaru's expression turned incredibly grim. His heart was surging with waves of shock, and he couldn't help but get goosebumps.

This was information even he didn't know!

According to his current research, he believed that only he, the user, could actively release it, or that it could be stopped by someone using a sealing jutsu to restrain the Edo Tensei body.

But now, Uchiha Ye had clearly provided him with a third method.

"Hahaha, Orochimaru, looking at your surprised expression, it seems this scene was not within your expectations!"

Sasori of the Red Sand watched this and couldn't help but mock, "It seems I really guessed right; Ye truly does know information that you don't!"

"Hehe, I'm afraid you won't be able to escape today!"

This undoubtedly made Orochimaru feel even more uneasy.

As for Tobirama Senju...

Even though his soul had been forced out, he was unwilling to leave, actually attempting to forcibly merge with the body once more.

How could he tolerate leaving behind a threat to Konoha?

"Great Eruption!"

But how could Uchiha Ye give him that chance?

Before he could merge with the body, Uchiha Ye had already thrown a punch, completely obliterating the vessel.

"Tobirama Senju, just rest easy and return to the Pure Land!"

Uchiha Ye grinned, "Those who are already dead shouldn't worry so much about the affairs of the living world!"

This caused Tobirama Senju to roar in extreme frustration: "Damn you!!!"

Yet, faced with the pull of the Light of the Pure Land, he was powerless to resist.

"Who exactly are you!"

Tobirama Senju barked the question: "How do you even know the method to undo the Impure World Reincarnation, which I never left in the forbidden scrolls of Konoha?"

It was just like how Orochimaru felt about Uchiha Ye.

Mysterious, and dangerous!

To think he had left such a dangerous person in the world; it was a grave dereliction of duty.

"Do you think I'd tell you?"

Uchiha Ye scoffed: "Do you take me for a fool?"

How could he reveal his own intelligence to an enemy?

Even if that enemy was a dead man!

Hearing this, Tobirama Senju departed, filled with unwillingness.

Uchiha Ye's gaze immediately shifted to Orochimaru: "Now then, it's your turn, Orochimaru!"

Facing Uchiha Ye's playful yet perilous gaze, Orochimaru felt a chill run through his entire body.

To think things would develop into such a situation?

Even for Orochimaru, he couldn't help but feel a sense of despair, as if he had reached the end of the road.

Watching Uchiha Ye approach, his already slit-like pupils narrowed even further.