Strangulation

Boom—

Deep within the silent canyon, muffled thunderous booms rose and fell in succession. Waves of dust surged into the sky, and the entire canyon trembled faintly beneath the immense noise!

Crash—

Enkō darted and weaved through the forest. The moment his feet touched the ground, a deafening roar like flying sand and stones erupted from his right!

Whoosh—

A fierce gale howled, carrying dirt and broken branches as a thick snake tail glinting with a sinister light swept toward him with terrifying force!

Enkō's pupils constricted. He immediately kicked off the ground and leaped into the air. The massive snake tail crushed through the dense forest beneath him with a series of cracking sounds, easily flattening countless trees and leaving behind a fan-shaped clearing!

Ten minutes earlier, when Enkō had learned that this giant snake came from Ryūchi Cave but seemed to have an irreconcilable conflict with the White Snake Sage, he had immediately set his sights on its treasures. If Ryūchi Cave was not backing it, what the hell did he have to worry about?

Enkō's actions had thoroughly enraged the giant snake. Its entire body rose from the water, and it opened its bloody maw to bite down on him!

Enkō dodged the giant snake's bite, soaring over its head like an eagle striking across the skies. The long blade in his hand left its sheath, crimson flames dancing along its edge as he fiercely slashed down at the snake's head!

Uchiha Flame Slash!

Smack—

The flaming blade struck the black scales, instantly shattering them and splashing out several drops of blood!

The giant snake clearly felt the pain, but it was only a superficial wound. It shook its enormous head, rage filling its serpent eyes. Its fury had clearly been stirred, and it opened its massive bloody mouth at Enkō in midair!

Sage Art: Serpent Chant!

Boom—

A ring of air exploded from the snake's mouth. With Enkō suspended in midair and unable to evade, the chakra cannon blast struck him squarely. The tremendous shockwave instantly sent him flying backward like an arrow released from its bow!

Crash, crash—

Enkō smashed through countless trees, bouncing across the ground several times like a skipping stone before driving his long blade into the earth and forcibly steadying himself dozens of meters away!

Crack, crack—

Enkō tilted his head slightly. Fine cracks had appeared in the black Susanoo Skeleton surrounding him, and he could not help sighing inwardly. "As expected of Sage Art. Its power is indeed far greater than ninjutsu."

"Then what about this move?"

As he spoke, his right eye focused on the tiny wound he had cut into the giant snake's head!

Dojutsu: Heaven's Pobei!

Bang—

A cloud of bloody mist instantly erupted from the giant snake's head. Its original injury was worsened fivefold in an instant, and the pain drove the giant snake into a wild thrash as it let out a shrill hiss!

"Ah! You damned brat, you've completely enraged me!"

The giant snake roared toward the heavens, then began gathering an enormous amount of chakra throughout its body!

"Sage Art, huh? Let me borrow it!"

This time, Enkō aimed the Mangekyo Sharingan in his left eye at the giant snake, then activated his dojutsu!

Dojutsu: Kagami no Mitama!

Because the effects of the medicinal wine had not yet worn off, Enkō could use his dojutsu without restraint. But in the next moment, his expression suddenly changed. "Wait? Why isn't it working?"

Crash—

The giant snake on the other side was not about to wait for him to figure things out. It opened its mouth, and a red dragon of light shot out at high speed. The light dragon clutched a black bead in its hand and spun rapidly around it before detonating in a violent explosion!

Sage Art: White Excitation Technique!

The explosion's blinding white light and piercing sound made every bone in Enkō's body scream in agony, forcibly pinning him in place and leaving him unable to move!

Boom—

In the blink of an eye, the enormous snake tail swept over once more. The log-like tail slammed into his waist, and the overwhelming force made Enkō let out a muffled groan as his face instantly flushed red!

This time, Enkō flew even farther, flattening a whole stretch of trees in his wake!

"Pfft!" Enkō spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling as though his internal organs had been displaced. Two ribs had been snapped, and his head spun violently!

Enkō raised one hand, and the Mangekyō Sharingan in his right eye flashed!

Dojutsu: Heaven's Pobei!

His injuries immediately lessened fivefold, and all the pain instantly dropped to its lowest point!

"Whew..." Enkō let out a light breath. Just as he was about to stand again, the earth beneath his feet began to shake violently!

!!!

Boom—

A huge black shadow burst from the ground. Its gaping mouth, larger than Enkō himself, lunged straight at him, and he could even see its pitch-black throat!

Whoosh—

With his injuries reduced, Enkō had lost none of his speed. He kicked off and flashed to the right. After the giant snake bit down on empty air, its enormous body twisted sharply, its coils winding as its thick tail swept in from behind once again!

"Ha!"

But Enkō obviously could not be struck by the same move twice. Black flames blazed across his body, and amid a roar, the Crow Tengu Susanoo descended with force. The Susanoo spread its arms, took a heavy blow to the chest, and directly grabbed the giant snake's tail!

Thud—

With a muffled boom like thunder, the entire Susanoo rotated half a circle with the snake tail before forcibly stopping it!

"Ha!"

Enkō roared, desperately squeezing every bit of power from his eyes. The Susanoo exerted its strength, sinking the ground beneath its feet. Using its tail as a pivot, it lifted the entire giant snake into the air and then hurled it over its shoulder in an earthshaking throw!

Boom—

The entire canyon shook violently, and countless fragments of stone rained down from the cliffs!

"Pant, pant, pant..." Enkō gasped heavily. Although the Mangekyō's side effects were gone, the consumption of his eye power was still real. After catching his breath slightly, he felt the snake tail in his grasp suddenly tighten!

Whoosh—

Before he could release the tail in his hands, the snake's body ahead sprang up and coiled around him, trapping the Susanoo in the center. Then immense force surged in from all directions, crushing down like mountains pressing on an egg, as though he were trapped between mountain ranges!

Sage Art: Giant Serpent Strangulation!

Crack, crack, crack—

The Susanoo let out harsh cracking sounds beneath the rapidly tightening snake body. Countless fractures visibly spread across its armor. Once the Susanoo shattered, Enkō would be strangled to death by the unbearable pressure in the next second!

"Brat! Die!"

A vicious gleam flashed in the giant snake's eyes as it tightened its body with all its strength. The encirclement shrank inch by inch, while spiderweb-like cracks already covered the Susanoo, as though it would crumble apart at any moment!

"One minute left!"

Enkō's eyes were bloodshot as he controlled the Susanoo to force the snake's body apart with all its strength. Heaven's Pobei still had one minute of cooldown remaining. Only by enduring for that minute could he worsen the giant snake's injuries again!

"Roar!"

The giant snake realized that no matter how hard it tried, it could not tighten its coils any further. It suddenly twisted its body, wrapping around the Susanoo in kind and hurling it high into the air before smashing it viciously into the ground!

Boom—

Enkō felt the world spin. Under the tremendous impact, blood continuously seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his face turned from red to green. At that moment, the Crow Tengu Susanoo finally shattered completely, turning into lingering flames that vanished into nothingness!

"Brat! Die!"

A flash of delight appeared in the giant snake's eyes as its enormous body rapidly constricted!

Dojutsu: Heaven's Pobei!

Rumble—

A thunderous crash of some massive object striking the ground echoed through the canyon. After a long while, it sank into deathly silence once more...