Hiruzen Sarutobi, wielding the Earth Dragon Bullet, didn't stop to rest and swiftly threw out several Shuriken.
Then he frantically Hand Seals.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
A barrage of Shuriken flew towards Kakuzu.
Facing the Shuriken flying towards him, Kakuzu dodged nor evaded, but directly took the hit head-on.
"Earth Release Technique: Armor Hardening!"
The battle between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kakuzu was a massive spectacle, with various Ninjutsu flying everywhere, creating a powerful and back-and-forth exchange.
However, since he was already tasked with joining the Akatsuki, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't really go all out.
Kakuzu coveted Hiruzen Sarutobi's bounty, and when his sneak attack failed, he primarily used Ninjutsu to probe the enemy. With Orochimaru's interference, Kakuzu was unwilling to use his trump cards to escalate the battle.
The two guys who made the biggest splash in the fight were actually still in the trashy phase of testing each other and throwing Ninjutsu at each other.
On the other side, facing Orochimaru's attack, Itachi, who was also tasked with joining the Akatsuki, had no intention of using his trump cards.
Itachi used Sharingan Genjutsu on Orochimaru to delay his attack and then created distance.
"Sharingan Genjutsu: Gold Binding Technique!"
Unexpectedly, Itachi, who had originally planned to stall for time, was surprised to find that the Gold Binding Technique had actually pinned Orochimaru to the spot!
Once Itachi regained control, he immediately intensified the Gold Binding Technique on Orochimaru.
Once again, Orochimaru, who was under control, experienced the Sharingan's restraint over him.
Why?
Why is it so strong?
Even after Jugo left, Orochimaru still managed to obtain natural energy. At this point, Orochimaru was much stronger than when he first encountered Tomoki's shadow clone, in every aspect, including his soul, which had been tormented to pieces by the clone.
Even with his enhanced abilities, Orochimaru was still completely helpless against Itachi's Genjutsu, which was beyond Orochimaru's expectations.
At this point, Itachi, in terms of Sharingan and ocular power alone, was undoubtedly stronger than Ren's previous Shadow Clone. In addition, Itachi's talent in Genjutsu was also much stronger than Ren's.
Orochimaru was easily subdued by Itachi.
Everyone had their own thoughts and held back.
The only one who took it seriously couldn't resist making his presence felt.
Hidan, who was ignored by Orochimaru, was enraged and threw the scythe with all his might the moment he got it.
The target was Orochimaru's head and Itachi, who was not far from him.
Hidan wants to kill two birds with one stone—what a wonderful dream!
As the sound of something cutting through the air approached, Itachi quickly jumped away, and the Genjutsu controlling Orochimaru was also released accordingly.
When Orochimaru, who was struck by Itachi, left the Genjutsu, he was momentarily stunned, but he quickly retracted his neck and dodged the flying scythe.
Hidan pulled back, and the scythe attacked Orochimaru at an even faster speed.
Orochimaru twisted his snake-like neck strangely, but his skin was still cut open, and traces of blood appeared on his face.
"Itachi-kun, it's been so many years! You've given me a wonderful surprise!"
Orochimaru still wasn't paying attention to Hidan; he was staring intently at Itachi, his possessiveness practically overflowing from his eyes.
Itachi felt very uncomfortable being stared at like that by Orochimaru, but unlike Orochimaru was only staring at him, Itachi's eyes darted around wildly, taking in everything on the battlefield.
As for Orochimaru's exclamation, the taciturn Itachi showed no intention of responding at all.
From Itachi's perspective at this moment.
Orochimaru stared intently at him like a lovesick, resentful woman, as if he wanted something to happen between them.
The Akatsuki with the slicked-back hair licked the barely visible bloodstains on his scythe like a pervert, his feet drawing unknown symbols on the ground.
The Lord Third and the Akatsuki were evenly matched, but it seemed that the masked members' fighting spirit was gradually diminishing.
The weasel's observations were very meticulous.
Orochimaru didn't want to miss this opportunity and decided to get serious.
Hidan also became fanatical, wanting to offer sacrifices to his great Lord Jashin.
Kakuzu realized the idea was too difficult and, not wanting to waste time, decided to try earning some extra money.
Just a few breaths later.
"Summoning Technique!"
"Lord Jashin, accept the offerings from your devout followers!"
The situation on the battlefield caused Kakuzu, who was already somewhat Kakuzu to retreat, to jump away after exchanging a ninjutsu Ninjutsu.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and turned to look.
The Akatsuki's slicked-back hair had been transformed into a black and white striped pattern. Several coffins slowly rose in front of Orochimaru, each bearing the inscription "First," "Second," and "Fourth."
This sight caused Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils to contract, clearly indicating that he recognized the Ninjutsu.
"Itachi, stop Orochimaru!"
Without hesitation, Hiruzen Sarutobi swiftly threw Shuriken at Orochimaru. Itachi, unaware of the reason, was equally quick, throwing out a large number of ninja tools with his superb ninja tool throwing technique.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
The coffin appeared much faster; countless ninja tools thrown at Orochimaru were blocked by the coffin and were soon fully exposed above ground.
"It's too late, Sarutobi... Ugh~!"
"Ah, haha! Ah, hahahaha~!"