Hiruzen Sarutobi gripped the Adamantine Staff, raised it high, and swung with all his might. Bang!
The White Phosphorus Snake flew away like a kite with its string cut. Midair, it vanished in a puff of white smoke.
It was a sign that the summoned beast had suffered a devastating blow.
Orochimaru watched from the side, a little surprised but hardly shocked. Hiruzen was a Hokage, after all. If he had fallen to that one Ninjutsu technique...
It would have been a joke.
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi standing there so calmly, Orochimaru felt a sudden urge to fight.
He used the Body Flicker Technique and appeared beside Hiruzen Sarutobi in an instant.
A shuriken came flying in right behind him, aimed from a vicious angle.
It was headed straight for the back of Hiruzen Sarutobi's head.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi was a veteran of countless battles. Without a flicker of concern, he swung the Adamantine Staff behind him.
Clang! The shuriken went flying.
By then, Orochimaru's face was right in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
In his hoarse voice, Orochimaru rasped, "Tongue Snake Swallowing!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened.
Orochimaru's neck stretched like a snake's body, shooting out to an impossible length.
Four sharp fangs showed clearly inside his gaping mouth.
His head snaked toward Hiruzen Sarutobi's neck.
Orochimaru's fangs were only a few centimeters away.
With a whoosh, the Adamantine Staff flew from Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand.
It shot straight toward Orochimaru's mouth and lodged between his jaws...
Blocking his bite perfectly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi seized the opening and moved away with the Body Flicker Technique.
Once he was beyond Orochimaru's reach, he held out a hand, and the Adamantine Staff flew back to him.
His attack thwarted, Orochimaru drew his head back, returning his neck to its