He dared not relax in the slightest. He had a feeling that Orochimaru's gaze was meant to make him turn around and look, and that if he did, he would surely suffer a thunderous blow.
This is a space created by the Spirit Transformation Technique.
There are only two souls: his and Orochimaru's.
There can be no other existence.
Araki didn't sense anything unusual at all.
"Don't try any tricks in my space. Before my final battle, I still have one question for you: where are the rest of the Hashirama Cells?"
Araki's tone was quite calm. While stalling for time to gather green Chakra, he didn't forget to ask again about the location of Hashirama Cells.
In truth, he knew in his heart that he probably wouldn't get any information from him at all, and that he would have to find the remaining Hashirama Cells himself. But it was just a matter of asking one more question; he could do it with a few words, and it wouldn't matter if he didn't get the information.
Just as he had thought.
Orochimaru didn't answer him at all.
He continued to stare intently at what was behind Araki.
The genuine emotions conveyed in those eyes almost fooled Araki; if he didn't know what was really going on, he probably would have turned around and looked back.
Good heavens!
Araki silently praised it in his heart.
This is a true movie star!
My acting skills are absolutely terrible compared to Orochimaru's!
However...
At this very moment.
Orochimaru, however, saw a completely different picture.
The modern skyscrapers around him no longer mattered; they seemed to have been blurred away. As his attention shifted away from this place, it was as if only the figure of Araki's soul remained in the world.
but...
Araki's soul is not pure!
At this point, Orochimaru has a certain level of research on the soul, but his research is not in-depth; he only has some superficial understanding, but it still far surpasses that of other ninjas in the ninja world.
After all, this level of expertise is compared to his own, not to others. With his current understanding, he is still far ahead of the ninja world, perhaps even by many years.
Within his sight.
Araki's translucent spirit body emanated a green aura centered on his heart.
This green aura swirled around Araki's body, constantly radiating a terrifying power. It seemed to freeze the surrounding air, causing it to churn and twist, looking like snakes coiling around Araki's body.
If such a scene were to appear outside, he wouldn't care at all. After all, it's just Chakra, and Araki can only use green Chakra. Although it's rare, it wouldn't bother him much.
But this place is different.
This is the world of souls, a space belonging to spirits, and he was already aware of this the moment his soul was pulled in.
When Orochimaru was pulled in, he felt an extremely mysterious attraction that made it impossible for him to refuse the summons of this spirit. He was forcibly pulled in and had no control over his own will.
He could remain calm when he saw Araki before, but when he saw that touch of green, he could no longer remain calm.
In this world of souls, Chakra cannot be used at all. The fact that he could see it and that it was still wrapped around Araki's body can only mean one thing.
That green color wasn't Chakra, but the power of the soul, and it didn't even belong to Araki's soul!
What is that?
Orochimaru had a huge question mark pop into his mind, and because of the direct, close contact between their souls, he sensed an extremely strong danger involved.
He was extremely sensitive to this feeling and dared not get close at all; his heart was pounding wildly.
Buzz!
Suddenly.
The green light emanating from Araki trembled, and a faint, indistinct silhouette gradually emerged.
In a daze.
Orochimaru saw a boy appear behind Araki.
He looked to be about the same age as Araki, and the two looked about 70-80% alike. However, the boy who formed the green light had something wrapped around his forehead and two strands of hair hanging down in front of his ears.
The phantom only had half a body and was twisted under the green light, but Orochimaru could still vaguely see a twisted Tomoe pattern on the phantom's neck.
"Who are you?"
Orochimaru's voice became somewhat terrified. He had read through many ancient books and had once seen a record about the Sage of Six Paths, though not a very long one. However, he had seen the same pattern on the collar.
I haven't seen a similar style of dress since then.
If Araki were dressed like that, he wouldn't be afraid. But this was something that appeared from within his soul, which made him feel that things had become beyond his imagination.
Who exactly are you?
Orochimaru's expression became extremely unnatural. What was happening before his eyes was beyond his comprehension and had a great impact on him. He sensed a hint of death and could no longer remain calm when it came to things that might lead to his death. Orochimaru was extremely tense.
" Orochimaru-sensei, it's me, Araki! Don't you recognize me?" Araki looked at Orochimaru's acting skills in front of him with a puzzled expression. The realism was absolutely Oscar-worthy, and he suddenly felt a little embarrassed by the scene.
But...
Just as Orochimaru asked his last question...
Orochimaru clearly saw the boy in the green phantom behind Araki, and suddenly opened his eyes, his green pupils flashing with a sharp light.
Immediately afterwards.
His soul uncontrollably flew towards Araki's body.
Judging from his movements, it looked like he was about to attack Araki, but only he knew that his soul was completely immobilized, leaving him in a helpless position.
Chapter 29 Green Phantom
"Not good!"
Orochimaru felt a sudden panic. He could clearly sense that his soul was out of control, which filled him with intense worry.
He had never felt so close to death before, but now he did, and the feeling was incredibly intense.
He is now fully aware of the danger he faces.
If a body dies, it can regenerate, or you can simply replace it with another one!
But when the soul dies, it is truly dead!
Orochimaru was perfectly aware of this, but his soul seemed to be bound, unable to control itself, and he charged directly towards Araki.
At this very moment.
Araki was watching Orochimaru warily when he suddenly saw Orochimaru approaching and immediately knew that Orochimaru was about to attack him.
"They're here!"
Araki's expression turned serious and tense; for him, this was a life-or-death moment.
When I watched the Naruto anime before, I learned that the Third sealed Orochimaru's hands and souls with the Reaper Death Seal, temporarily limiting Orochimaru's power until the Fourth Shinobi World War.
This proves that soul-based attacks are effective against Orochimaru!
Instantly.
Araki suddenly raised his palm and, with his fastest speed, struck directly at Orochimaru.
In the world of the soul, there are not many techniques; everything depends on the strength of the soul, which is the most primal form of attack.
Swish!
Araki's attack swiftly struck Orochimaru, moving with incredible speed and without the slightest hesitation. He grabbed Orochimaru's face and tore off a small piece of his soul.
"Um?"
Araki felt a sense of doubt. He had prepared himself for a mutual attack, but at this moment, visually speaking, it was clearly Orochimaru who was launching the attack, yet Orochimaru neither attacked nor dodged the attack. Instead, he took the blow head-on in a very exaggerated way.
This outcome was unexpected by Araki; it was completely beyond his expectations during the process.
In his view, since Orochimaru took the initiative to attack him, he must have been prepared to some extent, but judging from the process and the result, it seemed that he had no idea what he was doing.
but...
Before Araki could have any time to think, Orochimaru attacked him again, though Orochimaru's expression didn't look so good.
There must be some kind of conspiracy!
Araki didn't believe Orochimaru would do something so outrageous without a reason; he must have some ulterior motive. But what exactly that motive was, he didn't know, and he couldn't help but feel nervous.
In such a tense environment.
Araki's gaze toward Orochimaru grew even more serious. He raised his hands, ready for the most primal attack at any moment. After all, tearing apart a soul is the best way to detach it from its physical form. If he could tear off the opponent's soul, the opponent would lose that part of their soul.
Almost instantly.
As Araki prepared, he held one hand forward, ready to launch an attack at any moment, while using the other hand to stuff the Orochimaru's soul that he had just torn off into his mouth and quickly swallowed it.
The soul has no flavor.
This was the feeling Araki had when he devoured Dan Katō soul.
It doesn't really have that kind of texture; it's more like a marshmallow, you can just suck it into your mouth.
Most importantly, consuming the other's soul allows you to replenish your own soul in a timely manner, making you stronger.
This is a process of ebb and flow.
The other person's soul will become less and less as it is torn apart, and the power of the soul will also decline rapidly, while you will become stronger by consuming the other person's soul.
After Araki devoured Orochimaru's soul, his own soul became even stronger, and he felt much more confident when facing Orochimaru again.
Swish!
As Araki Orochimaru forward, Araki ripped forward with his right hand, tearing a large chunk of Orochimaru's soul from his cheek once more.
It's exactly the same situation as before.
Orochimaru simply charged forward without launching any attacks, as if he were being slaughtered at will.