As the thick smoke gradually cleared, the enemy's voice came from a distance.
"Heh heh heh. An original A-rank ninjutsu that needs no hand seals—its power really is impressive."
"Uchiha Lihuo, you truly live up to your title as a genius."
The voice was low and slightly hoarse. Though he was being praised, Lihuo couldn't feel even a little happy.
He knew that despite using every trick at his disposal, his opponent had still neutralized them one by one.
"Oh? It looks like you've also mastered some kind of Medical Ninjutsu."
The voice came from far away, carrying a hint of mockery as it reached Lihuo's ears.
Lihuo knew that Dark Release was his last trump card. He had to seize the chance to touch the man's head if he wanted even a sliver of hope.
Before Lihuo could think any further, the smoke had already begun to dissipate.
"This is taking too long. I'll find you another way."
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
As the slightly hoarse voice rang out, Lihuo clearly sensed a violent surge of chakra in the distance.
"That scale of Wind Release is terrifying!"
Suddenly, a massive gust of wind rushed toward him from afar, carrying the faint sensation of something slicing through the air.
The surrounding dust was swept away in its wake.
Facing the rapidly approaching gale, Lihuo's instincts screamed a warning.
He couldn't take this head-on!
Lihuo pushed off hard and barely escaped the gale's range.
Boom!
The gale struck a wooden post in the training ground. The post couldn't withstand the force and snapped with a sharp crack.
What surprised Lihuo even more was that the broken post had been covered in countless cuts.
Some were deep, others shallow. Lihuo realized that his opponent had incorporated Wind Release nature transformation into the Great Breakthrough.
It might not have been as powerful as Naruto's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, but it had still elevated an ordinary C-rank ninjutsu to A-rank destructive power!
This was an expert among experts! He couldn't let the man seize the initiative again!
With that thought, Lihuo didn't hesitate. He charged at his enemy at full speed.
"Nice speed, but your approach is too straightforward." As he spoke, the enemy swiftly formed Hand Seals and aimed at the charging Lihuo.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter." His voice carried a trace of chill.
Suddenly, countless tiny wind blades burst from his hands and shot toward Lihuo.
Lihuo knew that these wind blades might look small and almost invisible, but they were deadly all the same.
If they hit him, he'd be "chopped into mincemeat."
Only then did Lihuo bitterly regret not asking Sakumo to teach him footwork. His Strong Fist movements were broad and forceful, making it impossible for him to weave freely through a barrage of wind blades.
The situation drove Lihuo into a fury. His anger at being suppressed surged up all at once.
He decided to trade injury for injury.
Without slowing down, he would dodge as many wind blades as he could. For the ones he couldn't avoid, he would do his best to heal with Life Return!
Everything came down to this!
Seeing Lihuo charge forward at full speed despite the wind blades, the enemy couldn't help but look surprised.
"Oh? Changing your approach?"
"I can't let you get close that easily."
With that, he increased the barrage of wind blades until they formed an impenetrable net in front of him.
But thanks to his rapid advance, Lihuo had already reached his enemy.
As he faced the approaching web of wind blades, danger surged straight toward his head. His pupils contracted, and he thrust out his left hand.
"Dark Release: Inversion Hole!"
In an instant, a powerful suction burst from Lihuo's left hand. The wind blades, which had been radiating a deadly threat just a moment earlier, now seemed strangely docile.
The mass of wind blades vanished in an instant, turning into pure chakra that passed through Lihuo's left hand and flowed into his body.
Incredible!
Lihuo felt bursting with strength. His chakra was nearly at the limit his body could withstand!
Looking at the enemy, who had frozen for a moment, Lihuo grinned.
"I'm returning that kick from earlier!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, Lihuo darted out his right hand and touched the enemy's head. Then he leaped into a powerful roundhouse kick, striking his still-stunned opponent with tremendous force.
Thud!
The enemy was sent flying like a black shadow. He crashed through several trees before finally coming to a stop.
In the smoke, the enemy slowly stood up.
"Ding! Congratulations on patting..."
Feeling the chakra brimming inside him and staring at the enemy who had been suppressing him the whole time, Lihuo couldn't contain his anger. A bold idea flashed through his mind.
He'd never fought such a well-funded battle in his life. Today, even if the Heavenly King himself showed up, he was going to take this attack!
With no time to pay attention to the system's prompt, Lihuo rapidly formed Hand Seals. Two Shadow Clones appeared.
He spread his hand, and a pale blue Rasengan instantly formed.
That wasn't all! The two Shadow Clones assisted him from either side. One maintained the Rasengan's shape transformation, while the other used Kage Level chakra control to add Wind Release nature transformation to it!
Everything came down to this. Feeling the Natural Energy drain away at a rapid pace, Lihuo knew his Simplified Sage Mode was about to end!
"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"
A gigantic chakra shuriken appeared in Lihuo's hand.
It spun rapidly, emitting a piercing whine and stirring up countless wind blades around him.
He hurled it at the enemy with all his strength. At that very moment, his Simplified Sage Mode completely faded.
Watching the Rasenshuriken fly into the distance, Lihuo finally steadied himself.
He knew this was already his strongest attack.
"Right, system. Whose head did you say I touched?"
"I should choose my rewards carefully. If he isn't dead, I can steam him again."
"Ding! You patted an A-rank ninja on the head: Orochimaru. Choose three of the following rewards."
"Oh, I was wondering who it was. So it was an old acquaintance, Orochi—who! Orochimaru!"
"Wasn't he a ninja from an enemy country?!"
A flood of thoughts surged through Lihuo's mind in an instant.
"Why did he disguise himself as a ninja from an enemy country?"
"And why did he attack me?"
"My trump cards have been completely exposed. What kind of impact will that have?"
The thoughts tangled in Lihuo's mind until he didn't even know which one to consider first.
Watching the Rasenshuriken fly away, Lihuo thought to himself,
"Since things have come to this, I'll choose my rewards first."
What? Save him?
Even Kakuzu, that powerful fighter, had survived the Rasenshuriken. There was no way Orochimaru, the best at staying alive in all of Naruto, would die from it!
Lihuo wasn't worried in the least about whether Orochimaru could survive. He knew the answer was yes. He also understood that this battle would fundamentally change his situation in Konoha.
Whether for better or worse remained to be seen. If he didn't improve his strength quickly, he'd be nothing but meat on the chopping block, lying there while others carved him up.
As the Rasenshuriken struck Orochimaru's location with pinpoint accuracy, countless tiny chakra blades burst out at once.
Since this was his first attempt, Lihuo hadn't managed to achieve the terrifying cell-cutting effect Naruto had in the original story.
Even so, this level of destructive power would give even an elite Jonin a hard time.
"System, claim my rewards."
"Ding! You patted an A-rank ninja on the head: Orochimaru. Choose three of the following rewards."
"Face Copying Technique"
"Five Elements Seal"
"Summoning: Triple Rashomon"
"Greatly enhanced physical capabilities"
"Three random Orochimaru-Style Ninjutsu"
"Five random Wind Release ninjutsu"
What a haul! Looking at the dazzling array of rewards before him, Lihuo was spoiled for choice.
Though he didn't get powerful techniques that Orochimaru only learned later, like Impure World Reincarnation and the Eight Branches Technique, these rewards were still enough to upgrade Lihuo's arsenal.
Lihuo didn't dare hesitate for even a moment. He knew that once the Rasenshuriken's shockwave dissipated, Orochimaru would appear again—and then came the final stage!
He had to do everything he could to stack the odds in his favor!
System, I choose...
Before you continue