Orochimaru, Taking a Beating Live

Sitting idly on a tree branch beneath the bright sun, Miya let out a huge yawn.

"Lord Orochimaru, if you're here, just come out."

"What are you hiding there for?"

Like a complete dunce, Miya spoke with a puzzled look after Orochimaru deliberately revealed a trace of himself.

Orochimaru was taken aback. Miya's way of doing things left him a little...

Surprised.

Unconventional, seemingly lazy, yet unusually alert.

Stepping out from behind the tree, Orochimaru stared at Miya and said with a wicked smile:

"As your teacher, I need to understand your strength and abilities."

Orochimaru's gaze was piercing, as though he meant to see right through Miya.

"Use your Taijutsu to attack me!"

A torrent of sinister killing intent erupted from Orochimaru, instantly enveloping Miya.

The Temporary Paralysis Technique, an advanced version of the Three Basic Techniques.

An ordinary Genin facing Orochimaru's overpowering presence would already have been staring wide-eyed in terror, unable to move.

But Miya was different!

With the Atomic Chakra Armor protecting him, there was no way in hell he'd be paralyzed.

It didn't affect him at all!

Miya waved a hand and said to Orochimaru:

"All right! Don't blame me if you get hurt."

Limit Mode, activate!

Cobalt-blue Atomic Chakra Armor instantly enveloped Miya as he charged at Orochimaru.

A sneak attack, without warning or any regard for shinobi ethics.

Orochimaru admired Miya all the more.

His gaze was easy to misunderstand.

As one of the renowned Sannin and an Elite Jonin, Orochimaru swiftly crossed his arms in front of himself to block Miya's charge.

Dodging was out of the question. He wanted to get a good feel for the power of that punch.

I'm a Kage Level shinobi. This punch definitely won't kill me...

Bang.

What the hell? How is he so strong?

Orochimaru, who had taken Miya's punch head-on without dodging, couldn't help cursing inwardly.

Both his arms felt as though they had broken, and he could barely keep his footing.

His guard was wide open.

It wasn't over. Right beside Orochimaru, Miya threw straight punches and swung his elbows.

Side elbows, horizontal elbows, rising elbows.

Roundhouse kicks, side kicks, somersault kicks.

He unleashed a flurry of combinations, ending with a front kick that struck Orochimaru in the chest and sent him flying.

Thud.

Orochimaru lay motionless on the ground, as though he had no strength left at all.

"Lord Orochimaru, stop playing dead."

"Let's keep going."

Seeing Orochimaru lying motionless, Miya rolled his eyes. He knew just how hard Orochimaru was to kill.

His punches and kicks were powerful, but they definitely couldn't kill Orochimaru. They hadn't even injured him just now.

Orochimaru wasn't the strongest in the entire Shinobi World, but he was one of the hardest to kill.

As soon as Miya finished speaking, Orochimaru suddenly raised his head and opened his mouth wide.

"Lord Orochimaru, you're disgusting."

Watching the unharmed Orochimaru crawl out as though shedding a snake's skin, Miya spoke with great disgust.

Orochimaru was taken aback again. It was the first time he had ever heard anyone say that.

Disgusting?

That's not important!

What matters is how practical a Ninjutsu is and what effect it can achieve.

There's something wrong with Miya's thinking.

A smile tugged at Orochimaru's lips. He had felt it for himself just now: Miya's strength went beyond what the report described. He was easily at Jonin level.

Once he seized the initiative in battle, the outcome was decided.

By now, Orochimaru had a clear understanding of Miya's overall strength, and he also knew Miya still had a trump card he hadn't used.

"Hehe, your strength exceeded my expectations."

Miya paid no attention to Orochimaru's words and said:

"Lord Orochimaru, are you ready?"

"Here comes my second round."

Hmm?

Orochimaru was baffled.

Did Miya mean the fight was continuing?

That was what he meant, right?

Orochimaru's smile grew even more wicked.

"Lord Orochimaru, don't use such disgusting Ninjutsu again."

With that, Miya threw another punch at Orochimaru!

This time, Orochimaru chose not to take the hit and hurriedly dodged.

Orochimaru was serious now.

Bang!

Chakra erupted beneath Orochimaru's feet, and his speed shot up as he opened the distance between himself and Miya.

Though this was only the most basic use of Chakra, Orochimaru executed it as smoothly as flowing water, making the most of that burst of speed.

"That's more like it!"

Grinning, Miya charged at Orochimaru again.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."

This time, Orochimaru displayed strength befitting his status.

Orochimaru's tongue transformed into a python that lunged to bite Miya.

"Hmph."

Miya moved swiftly, grabbing the python's head with both hands and yanking hard. Orochimaru flew into the air before being slammed heavily into the ground.

But in the next second, Orochimaru turned into a pile of dirt.

Earth Release: Earth Substitution Technique.

At the same time, the real Orochimaru appeared to Miya's left.

"Multiple Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."

Several pythons shot out of Orochimaru's right sleeve and lunged to bite Miya.

Miya twisted aside, easily dodging them while throwing a punch at Orochimaru.

But he was met with another Ninjutsu attack from Orochimaru.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."

A fierce gale crashed into Miya.

Other people's Wind Release: Great Breakthrough might have been nothing special, lacking power but highly effective at restraining an opponent.

But Orochimaru's Wind Release: Great Breakthrough was different. It had both.

Miya was driven back in an instant.

Orochimaru licked his lips. The fight had only just begun!

With Orochimaru's extensive combat experience, he had many ways to deal with a Taijutsu shinobi like Miya.

After all, one of the friends he had grown up with was Tsunade, a Taijutsu shinobi who lost her temper at the slightest thing.

"Serious Punch."

Orochimaru's pupils suddenly contracted. The next instant, Miya appeared beside him and landed a punch on his head.

It knocked his head sideways.

The Miya who had just been blown away also turned into a substitution log.

When did he form the seals? How did he manage to hide it from my senses?

As Orochimaru flew backward, he wasn't worried about his injuries. Instead, he was thinking about when exactly Miya had formed the seals.

In battle, you pressed your advantage without mercy.

Miya wasn't about to stop attacking while Orochimaru had yet to regain his footing.

His figure flashed forward like a streaking shadow.

Feints and real attacks, punches and kicks came one after another, leaving even Orochimaru struggling to keep up.

Orochimaru, taking a beating live.

Yet the miserable-looking Orochimaru wore a smile.

He was very satisfied with Miya's strength and felt delighted.