'As expected, having too much desire to attack when fighting Master will only lead to being caught off guard.'
Orochimaru slowly rose, his figure flashed, and he once again battled with Shin'yu.
This time, he simply gave up on attacking, instead switching to a steady and defensive approach. He remained unmoved by Shin'yu's deliberate openings, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Fists and palms intertwined, afterimages flew, and muffled thunder-like explosions erupted within the temple from time to time, with invisible ripples spreading through the air.
Sure enough, after changing his battle strategy, Orochimaru shed his previous disarray and unknowingly lasted more than ten rounds against Shin'yu.
After all, this was his first time entering Sage Mode in perfect condition. He had not yet fully mastered the surge in power and speed, but after a period of adaptation, he became more and more proficient.
The most obvious change was that the oppressive feeling he felt when facing Shin'yu had diminished significantly.
He was surprised to find that, with the blessing of Natural Energy, his speed was no less than Shin'yu's, and even slightly surpassed him. It was only because his movements were predicted by the Sharingan that he couldn't capitalize on his speed advantage.
Thinking this, he tilted his head, dodging Shin'yu's fist, and delivered a liver-busting punch that broke the sound barrier, heading straight for Shin'yu's abdomen.
Unexpectedly, Shin'yu changed his fist into an elbow, his figure advancing instead of retreating. The chaotic afterimages converged into a fierce elbow strike, slamming hard into Orochimaru's chin, sending him flying first.
"Crack!"
A crisp sound of bone cracking was mixed in with the muffled impact. Even the White Snake Sage heard it and slightly raised its head.
Orochimaru plowed the ground with his limbs, scraping against the blue stone tiles for more than ten meters before stopping his retreat. He shook his head to dispel the dizziness, and when he looked up again, he realized that his jaw was dislocated, hanging loosely.
However, there was no panic in his eyes, and he calmly pushed his jaw back into place, revealing a triumphant smile.
This was exactly his plan to temporarily disengage!
To fight against Master's Taijutsu, he must first target his eyes. Otherwise, in front of those eyes that could predict every movement, he would have no chance of winning!
He formed hand seals, took a deep breath, and suddenly puffed out his cheeks.
"Sage Art: White Rage Technique!"
In an instant, a massive burst of red light spewed out. It was a scarlet jiao dragon, its long whiskers twisting, its claws holding a black pearl, and in just an instant, it flew to the top of Shin'yu's head.
"This is..." Shin'yu stared at the red dragon, a flash of inspiration in his mind, and directly closed his eyes.
The red light twisted, as the red dragon frantically rotated around the black pearl, like a deep red tide. When all the red light had completely submerged into the black pearl, a clear and melodious hum resounded throughout the temple.
"Buzz—"
In that instant, a massive amount of light burst out from the pearl, illuminating the dark Ryuchi Cave, as if a small sun had fallen from the sky, revealing every stone wall in detail.
Not only that, but in addition to the light that would blind the eyes, there were also strong sound waves surging in all directions, almost tearing the eardrums.
Under the vibration of the sound waves, the air twisted and trembled as if it had been boiled, and even the human body resonated with it, making it impossible to move.
Sage Art: White Rage Technique, is a Sage Art that uses intense light and sound to obstruct vision and hearing, and then uses air vibrations to paralyze the senses and block the opponent's movements, all under the resonance of Natural Energy.
In this environment of strong light and noise, if one were to open their eyelids even a tiny crack, their eyes would definitely be blinded in an instant.
Shin'yu closed his eyes, but did not cover his ears immediately.
Although the vibration was strong, it was far less than the pressure under ten thousand meters of deep sea. With the powerful Physical Body of the "Sea God Body", he could withstand the sound wave damage and move freely.
In reality, this level of fluctuation had minimal impact on him; the real trouble was the pervasive, intense light.
At that moment, a figure flashed, raising a hand to strike Shin'yu's back.
Shin'yu abruptly turned, a spinning kick landing squarely on the target, but Orochimaru used the force to retreat, flinging several Exploding Tag Kunai.
The speed was such that only a flash of fire could be seen merging into the air, and by the time they reached Shin'yu, the Exploding Tags were already ablaze.
Orochimaru stared at Shin'yu, a certain anticipation in his eyes.
After entering Sage Mode, an additional layer of serpentine cornea covered his eyelids, shielding his vision from the intense light, while his Sage-transformed body could calmly handle the sounds and vibrations. Therefore, this Sage Art: White Rage Technique allowed him to instantly create a field advantage.
He knew that this level of restriction couldn't possibly block Master's movements, nor could it disrupt the other's Chakra flow, but it could shield Shin'yu's eyes.
Although Shin'yu's sensory abilities were also very strong, relying solely on perception wouldn't allow him to keep up with his speed!
Amidst the piercing sound waves, Shin'yu's lips moved, and in the next instant, with a surge of rushing air, he vanished into thin air.
By the time Orochimaru reacted, someone had already grabbed the back of his neck from behind, lifting him straight up.
Although hurried, he still read Shin'yu's lip movement from just now:
"Second Gate of Rest, open."
In the next instant, with a burst of tremendous force, his vision abruptly changed. As a layer of milky white aura exploded, he was thrown violently to the ground by Shin'yu, landing right in front of his own Exploding Tags.
"Boom!"
A layer of intense fire engulfed Orochimaru's body, visible to the naked eye, and then exploded with a roar. The tyrannical power formed a wind pressure, flattening everything within a dozen meters.
As the sound and light dissipated, the effect of the Sage Art: White Rage Technique reached its end. A wisp of black smoke lingered, leaving only a ravaged black pit in its wake.
Orochimaru knelt in the pit, panting, his body covered in scorch marks. Although miserable, it wasn't a fatal wound for him.
Shin'yu stood at the edge of the pit, looking down with a calm gaze. "We agreed on a Taijutsu match, why use Sage Art?"
Having opened the Eight Gates Release Formation Second Gate of Rest, he looked no different from his usual state. In fact, only after opening to the Fourth Gate of Injury would a faint cyan aura surround his body, gradually deepening as each gate was opened.
Orochimaru took a deep breath, calming the pain on his body. He was stunned by the speed Shin'yu had just displayed.
He knew that Shin'yu's Eight Gates Release Formation was a move that unlocked the body's hidden potential, temporarily granting immense power by releasing the channels within the body that restricted Chakra, burning the Physical Body.
A few years ago, he and Hiruko had sparred with Kakuzu, who cultivated this technique, and that was the first time he had personally experienced its power.
According to Kakuzu, the rate at which humans develop their brains is pitifully low, and the Opening Gate is to remove the limitations of the brain, so as to exert 100% of the body's abilities, by overloading the consumption of the body's energy, to enhance their own attack and speed.
The Second Gate of Rest, is to remove the limitations of physical fatigue, by overloading the squeezing of the body's energy, to offset the fatigue brought about by the Opening Gate, so as to restore physical strength, so that they become tireless "perpetual motion machines".
The Third Gate of Life, is the last safe zone of the Eight Gates Release Formation, after opening, it will further enhance the attack and speed to the limit that the human body can withstand.
Continuing down, the body will suffer inevitable damage.
He really didn't expect that his Sage Mode, which he had painstakingly cultivated for two and a half years, would be directly crushed by Master's casual "Second Gate of Rest."
Kakuzu used the Fifth Gate of Limit to win against the two of them back then!
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