"Rasengan!"
Almost the instant the Rasengan made intimate contact with Orochimaru's face, Naruto dispelled the spherical chakra shell used to maintain its rotation, unleashing the ball's devastating high-speed slicing power directly onto Orochimaru's face—under the guise of giving him a "cosmetic procedure." Furthermore, since the Rasengan belonged to the Wind Style, and Naruto had deliberately guided it to enhance the Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu's flames, the temperature of the fire surged several levels higher! The small tongues of flame originally clinging to the wires and cloth suddenly roared to life!
Within a few short breaths, a blazing inferno engulfed both Naruto and Orochimaru completely.
Wind and Fire—two complementary elemental styles—when combined with the seamless coordination between Naruto and Sasuke, created an overwhelming effect that was far greater than the sum of its parts.
"Ughhhhhh—!!!"
Unlike earlier, when Orochimaru feigned composure while being scorched by the Dragon Fire Jutsu, the moment the combined attack erupted, he could no longer endure the searing pain and let out a guttural scream.
Whether it was the Rasengan's high-speed direct hit, or the fire—now so intense from the boosted wind chakra that even the surrounding air warped—everything was excruciating for an already-weakened Orochimaru. Especially since they were working in tandem, the damage was enough to be considered fatal.
'Using yourself as bait, creating the perfect opening for that little brat to use a combination of Shurikenjutsu and Fire Style, then finishing it off with Rasengan to ignite the flames... Kekeke... Uzumaki Naruto, I have to admit—you're far more cunning than I expected. You don't act like a child at all…'
Perhaps it was the pain reaching its peak, but after his skin began to burn and peel, exposing mangled flesh, Orochimaru's screams began to quiet. Wiping away the blood clinging to the corners of his eyes, he stared with a twisted grin at the one who'd inflicted all this suffering on him.
"But if you think this means you've won… how naïve. You seem to have forgotten the most important point—your life is still in my hands! I've lost this round, sure. But even if I die, I'll drag you down with me!"
Despite having his throat in Orochimaru's grip and standing in the middle of the firestorm, Naruto showed no fear. He smiled brightly, which only made Orochimaru feel increasingly uneasy. As if trying to calm his nerves through aggression, he roared madly and tightened his grip, fingers digging into Naruto's neck.
"Take... you... with me? Me? Hmph... hmhm... hahahahahaha..."
But even faced with Orochimaru's crazed final counterattack and looming death, Naruto's mocking smile didn't waver. Gasping for breath, he chuckled fearlessly and narrowed his eyes with pity as he stared at the once-glorious Sannin who now looked nothing more than a burned, deranged mess.
"That's... not necessarily true."
Poof!
As soon as he finished speaking, Naruto's smirk widened into open mockery. Before Orochimaru could even react, the "Naruto" in his grasp vanished in a puff of white smoke. Orochimaru's tightly clenched fingers suddenly closed on nothing but air—his nails digging deep into his own palm.
What was even more maddening than the pain… was the whisper of smoke fading in his ears.
His supposed hostage—Naruto—had disappeared into thin air at the last second!
"What?! Substitution Jutsu? No… this is... a Shadow Clone?!"
The realization hit like a thunderclap. The duck that had practically flown into his mouth was gone. Orochimaru nearly shattered his perfect white teeth in fury. One of the Legendary Sannin, and he'd been played by a child from beginning to end!
Looking back… when he had instantly "killed" Sasuke and tossed him aside, the dust cloud that rose was white. In other words—Sasuke had been unharmed from the beginning because Naruto had planned everything. He had used Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu to create a smokescreen and then replaced Sasuke with a transformed clone. The real Sasuke had been hiding in the shadows all along, shielded by leftover clones acting as bodyguards. That's why Naruto never dispelled his clones during the entire fight.
And Sasuke's seemingly timid, powerless act at the start?
That was clearly the result of Naruto's bad influence.
Just like how Naruto once used Jiraiya as a distraction to sneak away, the "terrified little Uchiha" had only been pretending. With Naruto firmly gripping his wrist to stop him from acting too early, the two had cooperated flawlessly. As for acting skill? With Naruto, the master manipulator, teaching him—there was nothing to worry about.
Besides, just like Naruto, Sasuke had gone through over a year of rigorous training tailor-made by Jiraiya. And after being constantly scared by Kurama's pressure during their time together, he was long accustomed to intense killing intent. How could Orochimaru, with the same level of pressure as Jiraiya, possibly scare the young genius to the point of wetting himself?
From beginning to end… all of this was part of your plan, wasn't it, Uzumaki Naruto?!
In his final rage, Orochimaru's eyes burst from the relentless heat. Blood and tears flowed together from his ruined sockets, then evaporated into steam. His entire body, now engulfed in flames, looked nothing short of monstrous.
"Oh my, oh my… finally figured it out?"
Seeing that Orochimaru had gone blind, the real Naruto, hidden in a shadow clone, finally exhaled in relief. No longer needing to hide his appearance, he calmly stepped forward and stood beside a smiling Sasuke. His clothes fluttered in the breeze—completely untouched by flame. Not even slightly damaged.
Having fully earned Kurama's trust, Naruto could enter the Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak state at will. He had no risk of losing control due to a power struggle and certainly wouldn't suffer internal injuries from being granted Kurama's power.
In other words, apart from mental exhaustion due to all the strategy and trickery, Naruto had suffered no damage at all—especially compared to Orochimaru, still roaring in pain amid the inferno.
This battle… was nothing less than a total, overwhelming victory for Naruto and Sasuke.
"I was going to let you go… but you just had to ask for death."
As he sensed Orochimaru's fading life force being consumed by the fire, Naruto gently rubbed Sasuke's head with one hand, while lowering the other with a thumbs-down gesture. His eyes narrowed, a flash of killing intent gleaming in them.
"I told you before… Lay a hand on Sasuke? That'll be the stupidest decision of your life."