"Brat, I'll let you see the difference between an old Kage-level monster and a rookie."
Orochimaru's hoarse voice rang out.
"Snake Shadow Dive."
The moment his words fell, several thick serpents shot out from Orochimaru's sleeves like living spears, lunging straight toward Uchiha Itachi.
At the instant he murdered his parents—drowned in regret and agony—Itachi had finally broken through to Kage level. Though his advancement was fresh, a shinobi wielding the Mangekyō Sharingan was by no means inferior to Orochimaru in raw combat power.
In truth, after awakening the Mangekyō, Itachi had already been standing at the peak of near-Kage level. Fully mastering its abilities meant stepping into true Kage territory was only a matter of time.
Facing the five serpents rushing at him, Itachi leapt back expressionlessly.
But unexpectedly—
The snakes twisted in midair, altering their trajectories and chasing him into the sky once more.
Boom!
"Hiss—! Hiss—! Hiss—!"
Unable to evade completely, Itachi was struck instantly by the five green serpents. Just as Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile, the body pierced by the snakes suddenly burst apart—
Transforming into dozens of black crows that scattered across the sky.
"So that's it," Ash muttered, his Sharingan clearly observing everything.
"A fusion of genjutsu and crow summons."
In the next instant, the crows regrouped behind Orochimaru.
Itachi's figure emerged from among them.
A left hook slammed straight into Orochimaru's cheek.
Bang!
Caught completely off guard, Orochimaru was sent flying, his expression instantly turning ugly.
"Summoning: Ten Thousand Snakes!"
Grinding his teeth, Orochimaru slammed his palm onto the ground.
In an instant, an overwhelming tide of serpents surged forth—thousands upon thousands, writhing and hissing as they swarmed toward Itachi under Orochimaru's control.
"Tch… this guy is disgusting," Hidan said, staring at the dense mass of snakes with visible irritation.
"Disgusting or not," someone replied calmly, "Orochimaru is still one of the Legendary Sannin. He's not weak."
Seeing the ocean of serpents closing in, Itachi's brows furrowed slightly.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."
Hand seals flashed.
A massive fireball erupted from Itachi's mouth, incinerating a large swath of snakes in front of him.
But compared to the sheer number surging forward, it was barely enough.
"Damn it…"
Itachi clenched his teeth.
"Ninjutsu alone won't be enough."
Blood suddenly welled from his right eye.
A thin stream ran down his cheek as his Mangekyō spun violently.
"Amaterasu."
In the next instant, black flames erupted exactly where Itachi's gaze fell, devouring everything in their path.
The inextinguishable flames spread wildly, incinerating serpents without mercy. Amaterasu would not vanish until its target was completely reduced to ash—unless sealed by extremely advanced means.
"That's Amaterasu, huh?" Kisame commented.
"It's still a bit rough compared to yours, Ash."
During a past mission, Ash had also used Amaterasu—and whether it was speed, control, or transformation, his black flames were clearly superior to Itachi's.
"Not good—damn it!"
Orochimaru froze for a split second under the pressure of Amaterasu.
That moment was enough.
Black flames licked onto his body.
"Snake Substitution!"
Forced into desperation, Orochimaru activated his unique escape technique. His scorched body split apart like shed skin, peeling away completely as the flames consumed the empty husk.
An S-rank escape technique—no matter how severe the damage, once used, the original body vanished entirely.
From the shadows nearby, Orochimaru re-emerged, his expression dark and cold.
This battle—
Had only just begun.
However, that technique consumed nearly eighty percent of a Kage-level shinobi's chakra.
Its effect was powerful, but it was by no means a substitution technique that could be used freely.
Orochimaru's mouth suddenly split open far beyond what a human should be capable of.
From within, a new Orochimaru crawled out, his body slick with mucus and slime—an utterly revolting sight.
"Damn it… this guy's ninjutsu is so disgusting I'm losing my appetite," Hidan said with a twisted expression of revulsion.
"Disgusting, yes," Ash replied calmly, his Sharingan fixed on Orochimaru.
"But the techniques Orochimaru developed are undeniably practical."
He shook his head slightly.
"Still, this time he miscalculated. The moment he used that technique, the outcome was already decided."
Ash could clearly see it—
Orochimaru's chakra reserves had dropped sharply. Under normal circumstances, Orochimaru might have dragged the fight out far longer.
But not now.
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes."
The instant Orochimaru escaped Amaterasu by shedding his body, Uchiha Itachi struck back with genjutsu.
"Hn—!"
Orochimaru's body froze.
An overwhelming sensation gripped him—countless invisible stakes seemed to pierce his limbs, pinning him in place. Though his physical body was unharmed, his mind was completely restrained.
"I can't move… damn it," Orochimaru snarled internally.
"Genjutsu restraint—so this is the Mangekyō's power…"
Before he could dispel it—
Slash.
"Guh—!!"
A dull, wet sound rang out.
In the blink of an eye, Itachi had drawn the short blade from his back and cleanly severed Orochimaru's left arm.
Blood sprayed.
"Orochimaru," Itachi said coldly, his expression unchanged, "no matter what ninjutsu you use, it is meaningless before my Sharingan."
Orochimaru staggered back, his severed arm falling to the ground. His eyes burned with fury—he wished nothing more than to tear Itachi apart on the spot.
"It's over," someone said quietly.
Seeing that the victor had been decided, the rest of Akatsuki approached.
"Tch, this is embarrassing," Hidan laughed openly.
"One of the Legendary Sannin, losing to a teenage brat."
He grinned.
"If it were me fighting him, I'd probably end up even worse."
From the side, Ash watched silently.
This battle had proven one thing beyond doubt—
Uchiha Itachi was already standing among monsters.
...
TN:
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