Sasuke had already dropped out of Sage Mode, and he was visibly panting.
Clearly, the exhaustion his Shadow Clone had shown while turning the enemy's scheme against him had not been entirely an act. At the very least, his Original Body had also burned through a great deal of energy.
Otherwise, Orochimaru would not have misjudged him so easily.
Sasuke also realized that he was different from Naruto. Using Sage Mode and the Sharingan simultaneously, on top of unleashing several ninjutsu, was more than his chakra could sustain, even for this brief stretch of time.
Yet at that moment, Sasuke's face was brimming with confidence, and the seal he had finished forming was an extremely common one.
The Tiger Hand Seal? What Fire Release Ninjutsu is he about to use?
Even with all his knowledge and experience, Orochimaru could not identify the jutsu Sasuke was about to unleash.
His curiosity, coupled with his ample confidence in his own strength, kept Orochimaru from retreating immediately.
He truly wanted to know what jutsu Sasuke, who could no longer even maintain Sage Mode, intended to use to threaten him now.
"Go!"
He swept his hand, and two Giant Snakes lunged straight at Sasuke, crushing the surrounding trees with unstoppable force.
The wind pressure from their advance scattered the flames that had spread nearby, sending them dancing through the sky like birds of fire...
Yet even as the enormous beasts charged toward him, Sasuke kept his eyes fixed on Orochimaru.
He completely ignored the two terrifying Giant Snakes bearing down on him.
Orochimaru also noticed something wrong with the forest fire sparked by the earlier Fire Release attack—
Why did these flames seem to be gathering around him?
"Burn to ashes..."
Sasuke gathered the last trace of Senjutsu Chakra he had mustered into his