Orochimaru's first layer of skin was peeled away within three seconds.
The Wood Dragon's right claw, carrying wind blades, shattered the mud clone he had used as a substitute. The real Orochimaru emerged from the remains of the mud clone, his serpentine body darting wildly through the rubble and mud, moving so fast that it left a string of pale afterimages beneath the moonlight.
Chiba remained where he was, his mental power locked onto Orochimaru's chakra signature. Under the control of his will, two Wood Dragons flanked him from both sides, their bodies crushing deep trenches half a meter deep into the ground.
Orochimaru slipped through the gap between the first Wood Dragon's claws, his snake-like body bending with a flexibility that defied human anatomy. But the second Wood Dragon's tail was already sweeping across directly in front of his escape route.
His body was sent flying again.
This time, Orochimaru completed the hand seals for the Substitution Technique while still in midair. The body struck by the dragon's tail exploded into white smoke and chunks of mud, while his real body emerged from underground, already more than fifty meters away from Chiba.
"You run pretty fast." Chiba's voice came from behind him.
Orochimaru abruptly turned around and saw Chiba standing three meters behind him at some unknown point, both hands still tucked into his sleeves. That expression made Orochimaru grind his molars.
"When did you...?"
"I walked over while you were burrowing. You tunnel slower than I walk. Old Snake, shouldn't you reflect on that?"
Orochimaru explosively retreated, his hands forming a series of intricate seals in front of him.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Wind-nature chakra compressed to the limit spewed from Orochimaru's mouth, forming a violent torrent more than five meters wide. Carrying rocks and dirt, it blasted