As Saitama moved, natural energy from the surrounding environment began to spiral into his body with him at its center.
Each inch of his skin transformed into a black hole, intensely absorbing natural energy.
Shinta narrowed his lone eye, sensing something massive about to unfold. Yet, he didn't flinch either—he began gathering Sage Chakra within his body.
Though he hadn't fully mastered Snake Sage Art, he still wielded Sage Chakra and could unleash his own unique sage technique—[Petrification].
That's right—Shinta possessed a special sage art of his own. Once infused with Sage Chakra, his venom could instantly petrify anyone who came into contact with it.
Just like Medusa's snake hair, petrification occurred in an instant. Those affected had barely any chance of escaping this fate.
This mechanism was quite similar to what happened during [Frog Sage Art] training—if one failed to properly control Natural Energy, they would experience [Petrification]. The underlying principle seemed comparable.
Whoosh! In less than one second, Saitama entered [Sage Mode]. Due to some unknown transformation, he reached this state extremely quickly, wasting no unnecessary time.
"Hmm... That fast!" Shinta showed some surprise, narrowing his lone eye slightly while suddenly lifting his upper body to create distance between himself and Saitama.
Even though Saitama had already entered [Sage Mode], Shinta still believed he had the strength to fight back.
Meanwhile, Manda also witnessed the change occurring on Saitama. Compared to Shinta, he displayed even greater shock, mouth wide open for a long time.
That was exactly the Sage Art he had studied extensively yet couldn't grasp even the slightest clue how to achieve. And yet, Saitama had mastered it in just a few days and used it so skillfully.
Envy flashed through Manda's eyes—he knew he likely wouldn't be able to learn this technique in this lifetime.
Whoosh! Opening his eyes, Saitama revealed golden vertical pupils, each iris surrounded by three swirling tomoe. Without letting his guard down—even while in [Sage Mode]—he immediately activated the Sharingan.
"Here we go, Shinta!"
Lifting his gaze, Saitama saw Shinta slightly open his mouth, eyes wary. A smirk curled on Saitama's lips.
Boom! With a powerful push off the ground using both legs, cracks rapidly spread outward in all directions from Saitama.
[Sage Technique – Inanimate Rebirth]
Within the Snake Sage Art system, there existed techniques that created things from nothingness—controlling inorganic matter as if it were living organisms.
Pzzzhh!
Midair, Saitama raised his right hand toward Shinta while muttering a low incantation.
This ninja technique originated from knowledge gained previously from Yakushi Kabuto—it wasn't particularly difficult to master.
Hints about this technique were also found in the scrolls of the White Snake Sage.
The nature of [Snake Sage Art] allowed Saitama to effectively employ this kind of sage technique.
As Saitama released Sage Chakra, strange ripples filled the space. Above Shinta's head, stalactites hanging high suddenly came alive, rushing down toward him at incredible speed.
"Hmph!"
Although Shinta had only one eye, he quickly noticed the change above. His massive body moved with surprising agility, twisting midair to bite toward Saitama, who hovered in the sky.
Worth noting is that Saitama, now well-versed in the Snake Sage Art, had gained the same short aerial hover capability as Three Hebihime.
While he couldn't fly freely through the air like Onoki could, he was capable of making brief flights.
Hiss! Shinta moved extremely fast — before his mouth could reach its target, a fierce gust of wind arrived first.
"Hmph!" Saitama turned sideways. This was his first time using Sage Art, and it showed — he was somewhat unskilled and slow, allowing Shinta to dodge.
Yet facing the charging Shinta head-on, Saitama remained completely calm.
Keeping his right hand extended, the Sage Chakra membrane on it began to ripple, sending waves of invisible airflow outward from both hands.
Hiss! A transparent snake-shaped chakra started forming in front of Saitama's palm, then began rotating continuously, resembling an ouroboros biting its own tail, spinning forward.
As the rotation accelerated, the snake grew larger while ripples radiated outward from it as the center.
[Sage Art - White Surge Technique]
Still circulating Sage Chakra internally, Saitama unleashed his ninjutsu.
Bright light and intense sound waves emerged, disrupting his opponent's senses.
This [White Surge Technique] could create air vibrations within a certain range, causing the attacked individual's bones to constantly rub together, resulting in physical numbness and stiffness.
Certainly, the bright light and sonic waves would also deprive the enemy of vision, preventing counterattacks.
"Hmph!"
Facing this attack head-on, Shinta's body instantly stiffened, his solitary eye tightly shut.
Still affected, the intense light caused stinging pain in his eye, tears continuously streaming down.
Boom! Even under such assault, Shinta did not abandon his offensive, clenching his teeth while lunging toward Saitama.
Being a ninja serpent, his body's endurance was much stronger than ordinary humans'. If Saitama's technique struck a regular human, they'd certainly lose their fighting capability immediately. But now his opponent was Shinta — the ferocious serpent with powerful physique and Sage Chakra circulating inside!
Haha! This ninjutsu is pretty interesting too!
Saitama grinned. This technique was something Kabuto Yakushi once used in his memories, so Saitama borrowed it directly.
With a wave of his hand, countless stone pillars rose from the ground, rapidly forming into a swarm of snakes entwining together, flying toward Shinta.
Crash! Shinta's crimson scales were incredibly tough. When they clashed with the inorganic snakes Saitama conjured, countless dazzling sparks flew.
Closer!
Shinta observed Saitama, now less than ten meters away, narrowing his tear-glistening solitary eye slightly, revealing some triumphant gleam.
He had already sensed Saitama mastering Sage Art before, and having seen it in action previously, he had prepared for it early on.
But this human kid probably didn't know about the Sage Art he himself possessed. That was exactly the advantage — it's like the saying: 'Enemy sees you, but you don't see enemy'!
However, its Sage Art had one major drawback—it only worked at close range.
After all, it mixed its own venom with Sage Chakra inside its body and then sprayed it outward. The range entirely depended on the initial velocity and force of the venom.
As its body collided with those stone snakes, it twisted midair, shoved aside surrounding obstacles, and created an opening to face Saitama directly.
"Kid, today I'll teach you what real combat is! Don't think just because you've mastered Sage Arts, you're invincible!"
Shinta thought bitterly to himself. Through narrowed eyes, it locked onto Saitama's position, then once again opened its mouth wide, aiming straight at him.
Puchi! Like a water gun spraying, a light-red liquid with an intense pungent odor shot out from deep within Shinta's mouth.
Its target was none other than Saitama midair. Once the venom left its mouth, it moved extremely fast—like a red streak of energy—shooting directly toward Saitama.
"Hehe!"
Saitama instantly spotted the liquid coming from Shinta's mouth. Seeming well-prepared, he simply focused his willpower, and another giant figure leapt up from the ground.
A snake head completely made of stone—more accurately, it resembled a Dragon more than anything else!
Roar! As soon as the Stone Dragon Tu Yi appeared, it blocked between Saitama and Shinta, letting out a furious roar aimed at Shinta.
The sound wave shook the heavens, making even the stalactites overhead wobble precariously.
Zizi! All the venom hit the Stone Dragon, causing no harm whatsoever to Saitama.
And since the dragon was already made entirely of stone, there was naturally no petrification effect either. At most, the venom caused some chaotic fluctuations in the Sage Chakra Saitama was using to control it—but he quickly stabilized them.
Drip! Standing atop the Stone Dragon's head with both arms crossed, Saitama looked toward Shinta, which was continuously buried under more stone snakes. Though Shinta continued to struggle, Saitama still had ample reserves of Sage Chakra remaining.
Roar! Shinta's scream sounded weaker now. Once its Sage Art attack failed, this battle's outcome had already been decided.
Opportunity knocks but once—and once missed, it would never return again.
"Alright, alright! I surrender!"
Looking at the endless waves of [Inorganic Reincarnation] that fractured but reformed again, Shinta, though a brute, wasn't stupid. Therefore, he decisively chose to surrender.
"Now you're talking!"
Saitama released his control over those rocks. Instantly, they lost all vitality, maintaining their shapes motionless.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>