But...
Just now, at that very moment.
Araki's entire body shimmered with green light, and green Chakra flared up. The scattered fragments of memories in his mind did not connect, but they gave him a new feeling.
This is a very strange phenomenon.
Previously, those scenes were like a first-person perspective to him, allowing him to personally experience these events and providing a strong visual experience. However, it was ultimately just a matter of perspective, and he was still able to distinguish them clearly.
However, at this moment, Araki felt a sensation from these flashbacks—a sensation he had experienced at the time.
It's as if the scene has transformed into a memory.
From these images, he discovered some methods of using Chakra, and he could even clearly feel the sensations when using it, as if these images were part of his memory, and he was simply recalling them.
"Hiss..."
Araki gasped in shock. At the same time, he suddenly opened his eyes, and green light flashed in his dark pupils.
This feeling was so indescribable to him that a sense of bewilderment flickered deep in his eyes.
What's going on?
"This isn't my memory at all!"
Why would I feel this way?
"If I'm not mistaken, these memories should belong to the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, but why am I able to sense the feelings within them?"
"Could it be related to green Chakra?"
Araki's mind was filled with a bunch of question marks. For him, this was a big problem. After all, even if he had read some of Hashirama Senju's memories, the feeling of reading memory fragments should not be like this. It felt more like recalling something.
"Let's not think about that now. We'll think about it slowly after we deal with Orochimaru!"
After experiencing that flashback, Araki's green eyes gleamed with confidence.
For no other reason than that I felt that restraint was just the right way to restrain the Eight-Headed Serpent.
In the woods.
The three Anbu Ninja who came here had already been torn into a mangled mess by the eight heads of the Eight-Headed Serpent.
There was absolutely no sign of life.
When faced with such a terrifying and enormous monster, humanity has almost no chance of resistance, revealing its own insignificance in every way; yet its sheer power is enough to change everything.
"Your turn!"
At that moment, all eight snake heads looked at the shield with the Demon Face and Fangs, their scarlet eyes gleaming with intense ferocity.
Orochimaru has now been pushed to the limit.
He knew the predicament he was facing. If he were to undo the Eight Branches Technique, all his Chakra might be exhausted at that moment, and he would temporarily lose his ability to fight, something he simply could not accept.
If he were facing the Araki of the past, even if the opponent had become Genin and he no longer had Chakra, he wouldn't be afraid. He could easily defeat Araki with just his physical strength.
This is the confidence of the Konoha Sannin!
But that's not possible now.
Now that Araki has absorbed Hashirama Cells, he is clearly not the same as before, and has entered another level. He can now use extremely powerful Wood Release Ninjutsu, which Orochimaru feels is a great threat and he cannot let things continue like this.
Araki must be dealt with within the time limit of the Eight Branches Technique.
Thinking about this...
Orochimaru's eight snake heads stared intently at the shield of the Demon Face and Fangs, preparing to use the power of his body to launch another attack.
However...
Just as Orochimaru was about to make a move, but didn't, he was just staring at the Demon Face and Fangs shield.
The shield with the Demon Face and Fangs suddenly moved.
Click click click click...
With a sound of wood shifting, the Demon Face and Fangs fangs popped open from the middle, revealing Araki standing inside, gazing up at the Eight-Headed Serpent.
"Um?"
The eight heads of the Eight-Headed Serpent no Orochi showed the same confusion in their crimson eyes. Just as it was about to launch a final attack on the shield of the Demon Face and Fangs, Araki appeared on his own.
"Can't hold on any longer?"
Orochimaru's eyes flashed with a deadly smile; this was the most likely possibility he considered.
After all, his previous relentless attacks on the Demon Face and Fangs's shield, even if they didn't break through the defense, would at least have severely depleted Araki's Chakra in the process. It was essentially a mutually destructive process.
During this process, Orochimaru, who transformed into the Eight-Headed Serpent using the Eight Branches Technique, also consumed a great deal of energy.
Therefore, he instinctively felt that Araki had also consumed a great deal of Chakra.
Actually, there's nothing wrong with that.
In essence, Araki also consumed a great deal of Chakra to maintain this Demon Face and Fangs shield. However Ninjutsu, he had a large amount of green Chakra in his body, which contributed more to maintaining these Chakra.
Chakra was indeed depleted.
However, what was being digested was not Araki's own Chakra, but the green Chakra he had previously absorbed from the First Hokage's Necklace. This consumed almost no energy for him, and he could continue fighting until the green Chakra was exhausted.
This is something Orochimaru was unaware of.
So when Araki opened the shield of the Demon Face and Fangs, Orochimaru's first reaction was that he was done for, and at the same time, a very comfortable feeling welled up inside him.
At this very moment.
Orochimaru already had a feeling that victory was about to befall him.
Hehehe...
Araki didn't react to Orochimaru's words, but simply smiled slightly. However, there was no fear or other emotion in that smile; it was one of complete relaxation.
This was a feeling he hadn't experienced when facing Orochimaru before.
Now it seems...
Orochimaru's use of the Eight Branches Technique had both advantages and disadvantages, but it was a huge benefit for Araki.
If Orochimaru continues to fight in his original form and uses his diverse Ninjutsu, Araki will have no way to defeat him.
However, maintaining such a massive body inevitably means having more Chakra later on, which means it must be done quickly in a blitzkrieg style, and there is absolutely no room for further procrastination.
But it was precisely at this moment that Araki successfully awakened the Wood Locking Wall Jutsu, using the shield of the Demon Face and Fangs to block Orochimaru's attack. Not only did he successfully wear down Orochimaru, but he also used this time to gain a clearer understanding of the Hashirama Cells he had absorbed.
Araki now feels that there are many things to explore within Hashirama Cells, but he doesn't have much time left. Just in time, he discovered a technique that can counter Eight-Headed Serpent, which boosted his confidence to an unprecedented peak.
Araki has just acquired a new technique, while Orochimaru has already revealed his trump card.
Araki's green Chakra surged without being depleted, and he reached his peak condition. Araki Orochimaru, had his Chakra further depleted after the previous exertion and the attack on the three Anbu Ninja, and was almost unable to sustain the Eight Branches Technique.
One rises as the other falls.
Araki finally sensed that the scales of victory had tipped in his favor.
For a moment, both of them had a very interesting feeling, each thinking that they might be about to win.
Snap!
Just then, Araki clapped his hands together tightly, making a soft sound. Terrifying Chakra surged from his palms, and his whole being seemed to change, even his black hair stood on end.
" Wood Release: Wood Release: Hotei Technique!"
Araki's voice rang out softly, returning to the forest. He didn't deliberately raise his voice, but it was clearly heard by Orochimaru.
This was the very technique he had read about in the flashback he had just witnessed.
The First Hokage Hashirama Senju, once used this tree to grab the Nine-Tails ' tail, which was ensnared in Susanoo, and held it firmly in place.
When Araki saw this technique, he had a very strong feeling that if he could use it, he would have a very good way to deal with the Eight-Headed Serpent.
Rumble, rumble, rumble...
In that instant, the entire earth shook, and enormous wooden arms surged forth from the ground, reaching out to grab the head, neck, and tail of the White Phosphorus Snake.
In that instant, so many Wood Release arms appeared—in front, behind, almost every 365 degrees surrounding the White Phosphorus Snake Serpent.
These giant hands did not immediately reach out to grab the White Phosphorus Snake after they emerged, because each hand was under Araki's control and needed to be infused with more Chakra first.
In the past, when Araki watched Naruto, he thought that Wood Release wasn't a particularly difficult Ninjutsu; you could summon anything just by clapping your hands.
However, when he actually used Wood Release himself, he discovered that Wood Release was not so simple. It not only required a very large amount of Chakra, but also very precise Chakra control.
This is extremely difficult.
Compared to other Ninjutsu, Wood Release Ninjutsu requires creating a much larger area of effect. Even when using Cutting Technique, which consume relatively little chakra, it still requires more Chakra than other Ninjutsu.
However, the true strength of Wood Release Ninjutsu is not something that can be achieved in a short time.
Instead, it can be continuously applied.
If we take other Ninjutsu such as Fire Style or Water Release as examples, these Ninjutsu are used once in actual combat. If you want to use them again, you need to cast the Ninjutsu again. Even if you use Fire Style to create a raging fire or Water Release to create a vast ocean, you cannot continuously control the direction of the fire or the vortex inside the ocean. In terms of Ninjutsu, they have already completed the casting.
However, Wood Release Ninjutsu is different.
After the initial use of Wood Release Ninjutsu requires a very large amount of Chakra, it also requires continuous Chakra supply and precise control to complete the continuous Chakra, controlling the trees and vines generated by Wood Release for the next attack.
In comparison...
Araki felt that this was more like playing a game. Other Ninjutsu were like elemental magic, while Wood Release was more like summoning. This was because the plants he was controlling with his Chakra were all alive. Through precise control of his Chakra, he could make the trees grow in the direction he wanted.
After Araki used the Wood Release: Hotei Technique, giant wooden hands appeared around the White Phosphorus Snake. Just controlling these giant wooden hands consumed a lot of his Chakra, so he needed to wait for some green Chakra to help him recover his own Chakra.
The process wasn't too slow; it was completed almost in the blink of an eye. However, there were indeed pauses during the continuous casting of the spell.
This pause did indeed give Orochimaru an opportunity.
However, Orochimaru wasn't thinking about any of that right now. He stared wide-eyed at Araki in front of him and the Wood Release palms that appeared around him. A bunch of question marks popped into his head, and he already vaguely sensed the presence of a threat. An ominous premonition arose spontaneously.
The Wood Release hands surrounding him were each as large as the head of the White Phosphorus Snake Serpent, resembling small mountains, exuding an extremely strong sense of oppression.
The feeling of oppression shifted at this moment.
After Orochimaru used the Eight Branches Technique to transform into the Silver Serpent, his physical form underwent a dramatic change. In his eyes, humans appeared so small and life so fragile. This monstrous, enormous body alone could exert immense mental pressure on humans, easily destroying their inner direction.
But now, when Araki stepped out of that Demon Face and Fangs shield and clapped his hands to summon hands bigger than his head, he was overwhelmed by the sense of oppression.