Hearing Kai's words, Orochimaru couldn't help but feel a flicker of anger in his heart. Earlier, though he had been far from Kirigakure and unaware of who Kai was battling, the scene of the entire Hidden Mist Village being annihilated was still vivid in his mind. Orochimaru knew full well that such destruction was beyond his own capabilities.
Moreover, when he defected from Konoha, Kai had utterly crushed him in their confrontation. This left Orochimaru with a deep sense of dread toward the man.
A stiff and sinister smile spread across Orochimaru's face as he spoke. "Kai-kun, you must be joking. He's just a tool, isn't he? There's no need to take this so seriously. Besides, I can offer you a trade—Forbidden Jutsu, or perhaps a summoning scroll. How about it?"
If it were anything else, Orochimaru might have let it go. But Kimimaro, with his powerful Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai, was not something he was willing to give up. To Orochimaru, Kimimaro was the perfect vessel for his reincarnation. No matter the cost, he was determined to acquire Kimimaro's body!
Kai's expression turned cold upon hearing Orochimaru's words. He replied, "Orochimaru-senpai, I believe I made myself very clear just now. Kimimaro is my comrade, and unlike you, I do not abandon my comrades so easily." As he spoke, a mocking expression appeared on Kai's face as he looked at Orochimaru.
Standing behind Kai, Kimimaro tightened his grip on the bone in his hand. Hearing Kai's words, his resolve to follow this man grew even stronger.
"What a pity. Since you refuse to trade with me—" Orochimaru's words were cut short as he launched an attack at Kai. Countless large snakes erupted from his sleeves, lunging toward Kai with incredible speed.
Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!
Orochimaru wasted no time probing his opponent. He opened with one of his most signature techniques!
Yang Release: Great Flame!
Seeing Orochimaru's attack, Kai showed no hesitation. He unleashed his Great Flame, a massive fist of molten lava surging toward Orochimaru, incinerating every tree in its path to ash.
Summoning Jutsu: Triple Rashomon!
With three deafening crashes, a thick cloud of smoke rose into the air. Three massive demonic gates appeared in the dense forest, standing tall and imposing as they intercepted the molten lava fist.
"It's useless. This is the strongest defensive jutsu—" Orochimaru's words caught in his throat as he witnessed the unimaginable. Infused with Yang Release, the power of Kai's Great Flame had multiplied exponentially. The temperature reached a terrifying level, and the molten fist punched through the first Rashomon gate, then the second, and finally the third!
The molten fist burned a gaping hole through all three gates and hurtled toward Orochimaru.
Earth Release: Earth Substitution—Split!
A mud clone identical to Orochimaru emerged from the ground, swapping places with him and taking the brunt of the deadly attack.
"Such powerful Lava Release... And combined with Wood Release and that unknown Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai, it seems Kai-kun is the perfect vessel for my reincarnation," Orochimaru said, unable to hide the greed in his eyes as he looked at Kai.
"If you think you're capable, come and take it!" Kai replied coldly, his gaze piercing as he stared down Orochimaru.
Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!
Orochimaru's hands moved rapidly, forming seals. Suddenly, his mouth opened to an unnaturally wide degree, and countless massive snakes poured out, forming a tidal wave of serpents. Each gigantic snake hissed menacingly as they surged toward Kai.
"Disgusting jutsu," Kai muttered with a slight frown, though his hands didn't stop forming seals.
Wood Release: Tree Bind Flourish Technique!
Being in the middle of a dense forest worked to Kai's advantage. Even without the support of Deep Forest Emergence, he could still execute this technique. The surrounding trees transformed into sharp wooden stakes of varying sizes, shooting straight toward the advancing snake tide.
The sheer number of trees in the forest far outnumbered the snakes Orochimaru had summoned. Each snake was pierced multiple times by the wooden stakes, leaving not a single one able to get within three meters of Kai.
Divine Descent! Kai's figure suddenly appeared above Orochimaru, his foot crashing down heavily toward Orochimaru's head.
A bizarre scene unfolded. Orochimaru's head was kicked away like a ball, but his neck stretched unnaturally like elastic, pulling his body along with it.
Returning to his normal form, Orochimaru licked his long tongue and said, "It's useless, Kai-kun. My body has undergone complete soft-body modification. Physical attacks and taijutsu are ineffective against me!"
"Taijutsu is ineffective, you say?" Kai sneered, his eyes flashing with a sharp glint. "Then let me show you a taijutsu technique you can't simply shrug off!"
Gentle Fist Technique: Repulsion—One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Palms!
This was Kai's initial attempt at utilizing the repulsive force of the Tenseigan, inspired by Otsutsuki Hamura's Gentle Fist Technique: Repulsion—One Thousand and Twenty-Four Palms. Although Kai hadn't yet reached that level, this technique was already beyond Orochimaru's ability to withstand.
Each strike landed on Orochimaru's body like an explosion, with the repulsive force wreaking havoc inside him. After one hundred and twenty-eight strikes, not a single bone in Orochimaru's body remained intact. If not for his soft-body modifications, any other Kage-level ninja would have been killed outright by such an assault.
Looking at Orochimaru lying on the ground like a pile of sludge, Kai frowned but chose not to linger. He turned to call out to Haku and Kimimaro, ready to leave. However, an unexpected change occurred.
The seemingly lifeless Orochimaru began to stir. His jaw elongated, his eyes turned into snake-like slits, and scales appeared on his face. The broken body on the ground transformed into a massive snake composed of countless smaller white snakes.
White-Scaled Serpent!
This was Orochimaru's true form. It was clear that he had long since abandoned his human body. His obsession with immortality had driven him to such extremes that he had completely transformed himself.
"This is my ultimate form, Kai-kun. Now, taste its power!"
As he spoke, Orochimaru's neck extended to an incredible length, his head lunging toward Kai. From his mouth, he unsheathed a long sword aimed directly at Kai.
Kusanagi Sword!
Forged from the hardest material in existence, this divine weapon had been passed down since the Sage of Six Paths' era. It was incomparably sharp, capable of inflicting excruciating pain even on the adamantine body of Enma, the Monkey King.
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