Snake Uncle Is Stunned: You're Fiercer Than a Tailed Beast!

Tsunade stood frozen in place, still reeling from the massive shock, unable to regain her senses for a long while.

Uchiha Xuan slowly withdrew his finger and looked at her dazed expression before speaking blandly.

"Your control over your strength is far too crude."

His voice was calm, yet it struck Tsunade's already fragile pride like a heavy hammer.

"You merely force chakra into your fist. It may appear immensely powerful, but the force is scattered and riddled with openings. True strength lies in control, not destruction."

With that, he stopped paying attention to Tsunade, turned around, returned beneath the tree, and continued resting with his eyes closed.

Not far away, Orochimaru had witnessed the entire scene clearly from start to finish.

His snake-like eyes gleamed with curiosity and excitement, a light even more fervent than when he discovered rare experimental materials.

If the Majestic Destroyer Flame he had unleashed in the valley during their previous mission had demonstrated Uchiha Xuan's terrifying talent for ninjutsu and enormous chakra reserves—

Then casually catching Tsunade's Monster Strength Fist with one finger had revealed his utterly absurd mastery of taijutsu, strength control, and physical durability!

How interesting.

Utterly fascinating!

This Uchiha Xuan was covered in mysteries from head to toe!

From that day onward, Orochimaru's attitude toward Uchiha Xuan changed completely.

He was no longer the teammate who watched coldly from the shadows.

He became a fanatical scholar, a bottomless well of curiosity, a walking barrage of questions.

"Xuan-kun, your chakra nature seems different from ours. May I study it?"

"Xuan-kun, is that instantaneous burst of speed some special taijutsu? What is the principle behind it?"

"Xuan-kun, your body seems to possess recovery abilities beyond those of ordinary people. Would you mind if I drew a vial of blood?"

Every day's training became Orochimaru's personal little class of endless questions.

Like a piece of sticky taffy, he clung to Xuan, endlessly asking difficult, bizarre, and even somewhat perverted questions in his hoarse voice.

Even Tsunade, standing nearby, could no longer stand it.

"Hey! Orochimaru! Aren't you disgusting? Stay away from Xuan!"

However, Uchiha Xuan showed no disgust toward Orochimaru's harassment.

He knew that Orochimaru was a true genius, a madman willing to pay any price in pursuit of the truth.

Talking to someone like him was far more interesting than speaking with a simple-minded violent woman like Tsunade.

From time to time, he revealed theories far beyond this era, such as "life energy" and "cellular activity," and every time, Orochimaru treated them as priceless treasures and fell into prolonged contemplation.

Finally, one afternoon when the two of them were training alone, Orochimaru could no longer resist making his move.

"Xuan-kun, please enlighten me!"

Without any warning, he formed hand seals, and dozens of venomous snakes burst from his sleeves like black lightning, striking at Xuan's vital points from every direction!

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Faced with this sudden attack, Xuan did not even open his eyes.

He simply remained seated as the chakra of his Sage Body gave a faint tremor!

"Bang!"

An invisible blast of air erupted from his body. The charging venomous snakes exploded into clouds of blood the instant they came within half a meter of him, as though they had collided with an invisible wall!

"Not bad."

Xuan slowly opened his eyes and rose to his feet.

When Orochimaru's first strike failed, his eyes grew even more excited.

His neck suddenly stretched endlessly at a bizarre angle, lashing toward Xuan like a long whip. His mouth opened to its limit, revealing the cold gleam of the Kusanagi Sword within!

"Snake Jaw!"

This was no longer a ninjutsu a genin should possess, but a forbidden technique he had researched in secret!

Yet in the face of that bizarre attack, Xuan merely... extended one hand.

Though moving later, he struck first, gripping Orochimaru's elongated neck with perfect precision before smashing him into the ground like a sack!

"Boom!"

The impact blasted a huge human-shaped crater into the ground.

Orochimaru did not give up. His boneless body slid out of the crater, and he formed hand seals once more.

"Myriad Snake Net Formation!"

In an instant, thousands upon thousands of venomous snakes poured from his mouth, forming a sea of serpents capable of swallowing someone whole in moments!

"All flash, no substance."

Xuan curled his lip, feeling a little bored.

He stopped holding back and stomped hard!

"Rumble!"

Centered on him, the ground across the entire training field suddenly sank an inch!

A vast, visible blast wave mixed with golden chakra swept outward like a tsunami!

Before that absolute force, the terrifying sea of snakes was instantly crushed, torn apart, and ground into dust!

Orochimaru himself was sent flying by the blast wave, tumbling through the air more than a dozen times before crashing heavily to the ground dozens of meters away.

The winner had been decided.

Uchiha Xuan reined in his aura and clapped his hands, as though he had merely chased away a swarm of flies.

Looking at Orochimaru lying on the ground, unable to get up for a long while, he asked, "Do you want to continue?"

Orochimaru did not answer.

He lay on the ground, panting heavily, his entire body aching as though it were about to fall apart.

Yet in his golden snake-like eyes, there was not the slightest hint of frustration or defeat. Instead, they shone with a near-mad, blazing light!

He began to laugh hoarsely, and his laughter grew louder and louder.

"So that's how it is... So that's how it is..."

Struggling to raise his head, he stared fixedly at Uchiha Xuan as though looking upon a miracle.

"Xuan-kun, your body... the life force contained within your body..."

His voice turned hoarse and trembling from excitement.

"It is simply... simply greater than any summoned beast I have ever seen, even the legendary tailed beasts!"

"You... you are the ultimate form of 'truth'! The final answer to immortality!"

"No! I was wrong!" Tsunade looked at Orochimaru and cried out in terror. "You... you're not human at all!"