Swish! Swish! Swish!
Sasori stepped gracefully onto the steel cable and launched himself high into the air, his movements fluid and precise despite his mechanical nature. From the unfurled scroll in his grasp, dark shadows began streaming forth in rapid succession, each one taking shape as they emerged.
Within the span of a few heartbeats, more than a hundred puppets had materialized behind him, suspended in the air like a supernatural army of the dead. The sight was both magnificent and terrifying—a testament to the pinnacle of puppetry arts made manifest.
Even someone of Hatake Sakumo's legendary caliber couldn't suppress his shock at witnessing such an unprecedented display of puppet mastery.
Buzz.
Sasori, having long ago transformed his own body into the ultimate human puppet, opened a compartment in his right chest with mechanical precision. Hundreds of azure chakra threads shot forth like streams of liquid light, each one finding its target as they connected to the suspended army of puppets behind him.
"He's transformed his own body into a human puppet and elevated the art of puppetry to heights never before imagined!" Sakumo breathed, his voice carrying both admiration and horror at the grotesque innovation before him.
The strength of any puppeteer was traditionally measured by the number of puppets they could simultaneously control with precision and effectiveness. Throughout the shinobi world, the pinnacle of this art had always been represented by Elder Chiyo of Sunagakure, whose mastery was the stuff of legends.
Chiyo could control ten puppets using just her ten fingers—a feat that represented the absolute ceiling of what traditional puppetry could achieve through conventional means. Her technique was considered the ultimate expression of the art form that had been passed down through generations.
However, Sasori was now manipulating more than a hundred puppets simultaneously, a feat that completely shattered every conventional understanding of puppetry's limitations and possibilities.
The puppet arts that had originated from the legendary first puppeteer, Monzaemon, had been refined and revolutionized by this mad genius into something that transcended the very concept of what puppetry could be.
There was no question that Sasori had become the most formidable puppeteer in the history of the shinobi world.
Click!
At Sasori's mental command, the entire army of puppets behind him moved as one, their synchronized movements creating an ominous symphony of clicking joints and whirring mechanisms.
Looking down at Hatake Sakumo from his elevated position, Sasori slowly brushed his hand through the crimson bangs that fell across his forehead, revealing piercing eyes that gleamed with cold madness between his fingers.
A low, slightly unhinged laugh began emanating from his throat, the sound carrying the weight of years of obsession and twisted artistry.
"I'm nothing like the child I once was," Sasori's voice carried a dangerous edge of pride and insanity. "I have surpassed everyone—I am stronger than any puppeteer who has ever lived!"
His eyes suddenly narrowed to predatory slits, and with a gesture of his will, hundreds of puppets descended upon Sakumo in a coordinated assault designed to overwhelm through sheer numbers and precision!
Crash! Boom!
Two massive water dragons spiraled upward through the air, their serpentine forms colliding with tremendous force as they bit and clawed at each other. The impact sent both constructs exploding into cascading torrents of water and mist that obscured the battlefield.
At the source of this aquatic clash, both the Second Hokage and Nawaki were already changing their hand seals, preparing their next techniques as water continued to swirl around their positions in preparation for even more devastating water-style ninjutsu.
Approximately a hundred meters away from their intense battle, in the southeastern district of the village, two of the legendary Sannin were engaged in their own fierce combat that threatened to level several city blocks.
"Ten Thousand Snakes Formation!"
Orochimaru's body moved with inhuman fluidity as he slithered across the ground like a serpent, circling around to position himself behind Jiraiya. Opening his mouth impossibly wide, countless small pythons poured forth in a writhing torrent, their collective hissing creating a sound like rushing wind mixed with death itself.
Jiraiya's experienced eyes tracked his opponent's movement, and his hands shifted to form different seals with practiced efficiency.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Pressing his palm firmly against the debris-strewn ground, Jiraiya watched as the solid earth began rapidly transforming into a viscous, yellow-brown swamp that bubbled and churned with supernatural hunger.
The serpentine torrent that Orochimaru had unleashed was immediately swallowed by the hungry marsh, the snakes disappearing beneath the surface with barely a ripple to mark their passage.
Whoosh!
Just as Jiraiya was completing his technique, Orochimaru launched himself through the air above the newly created swamp. His jaw unhinged once again, and the legendary Kusanagi sword slowly emerged from his throat, its blade gleaming with deadly purpose as it aimed directly for Jiraiya's vital points.
Jiraiya's expression remained calm and focused despite the approaching threat, his hands shifting once more to form the necessary seals.
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"
His wild white hair began growing at an extraordinary rate, the strands thickening and hardening as they twisted together to form an impenetrable defensive barrier that completely enveloped his body.
"You think such a simple technique can defend against my Kusanagi sword?" Orochimaru's eyes flashed with cold confidence and disdain.
Jiraiya's Needle Jizo was indeed a formidable defensive technique, capable of repelling even B-rank ninjutsu through its combination of density and razor-sharp hair. However, the weapon that Orochimaru wielded was no ordinary blade—it was a legendary artifact that he had spent years seeking and obtaining.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld—Volcanic Eruption!"
Even while maintaining his defensive posture, Jiraiya's hands continued moving through additional seals, adapting his previous technique into something far more aggressive.
BOOM! BOOM!
The yellow swamp that had previously been content to simply trap objects suddenly began churning with violent intensity. The marsh mud erupted upward like a volcanic explosion, forming dozens of hardened spikes that shot toward Orochimaru's airborne form with lethal precision.
Thunk!
Caught in mid-air with no means of evasion, Orochimaru's body was pierced by multiple earthen spikes that emerged from the swamp below. The legendary Kusanagi sword stopped mere inches from penetrating Jiraiya's defensive barrier, its wielder now immobilized by the unexpected counterattack.
The white hair gradually retracted, revealing Jiraiya's weathered but determined face as he studied his apparently defeated opponent.
"Orochimaru, it's over," Jiraiya spoke in a low, measured tone, though his eyes remained watchful and alert.
He understood better than most that Orochimaru, as one of the legendary Sannin, possessed intimate knowledge of his techniques and fighting style. However, his former teammate had been absent from Konoha for more than a decade, during which time Jiraiya had continued developing new techniques and refining his existing arsenal.
"So you deliberately showed me a weakness to draw me into your trap," Orochimaru observed, his pale face showing no signs of pain despite having multiple spikes piercing his body. His serpentine eyes fixed on Jiraiya with an expression that seemed almost... amused.
Jiraiya's brow furrowed with concern. Even with Orochimaru's considerable resilience and unnatural constitution, being impaled by his Swamp Volcanic Eruption technique should have resulted in severe injuries that would affect his combat effectiveness.
Yet his former teammate appeared completely unperturbed by what should have been crippling wounds.
At that moment, White Zetsu's urgent communication reached Orochimaru through their mental network, informing him of the desperate situation developing at the primary battlefield.
"So even those two are having such difficulties," Orochimaru mused internally, genuinely surprised that both the masked man and the black-clad figure would require immediate assistance in such a short timeframe.
He raised his serpentine gaze to study Jiraiya with renewed interest and dark amusement.
"Heh heh heh..."
Orochimaru's characteristic laugh echoed across the battlefield, and suddenly, the flesh and blood of his impaled body began trembling and writhing in distinctly unnatural patterns that defied all biological norms.
"Jiraiya-sensei, be careful!" Kushina's warning rang out from her position nearby, her refined chakra senses detecting the massive surge of power building within Orochimaru's form.
BANG!
The next instant, Orochimaru's apparently defeated body began expanding rapidly, swelling to enormous proportions as an overwhelming wave of chakra-infused pressure exploded outward from his position.
The sheer force of the transformation sent Jiraiya's body flying backward, his defensive techniques proving inadequate against the shockwave generated by his opponent's metamorphosis.
BOOM!
The entire village of Konoha seemed to tremble and shake as if struck by an earthquake, buildings swaying and citizens crying out in terror at the unprecedented disturbance.
Naruto and his fellow genin, who had been escorting civilian evacuees to safety, suddenly turned their heads toward the source of the disturbance. What they saw caused their pupils to contract with primal fear.
Even from their distant position, they could clearly observe a colossal monster that had suddenly materialized within the village proper. The creature possessed eight massive heads, each one gleaming white and serpentine in nature, creating an image so terrifying that it seemed to have emerged from the darkest nightmares of ancient mythology.
"What kind of monster is that?!"
The young shinobi felt their hearts sink as they comprehended that they were witnessing a level of power completely beyond their current understanding or ability to confront.
Jiraiya stared up at the eight-headed white phosphorous serpent that Orochimaru had become, his expression reflecting both horror and grim determination as he processed the magnitude of the threat now facing the village.
The Third Hokage and other combatants engaged in battles throughout the area also paused to witness this unprecedented transformation, their attention momentarily diverted by the sheer scale of what was occurring.
"Orochimaru..."
The Third Hokage's voice carried deep regret and sorrow as he observed what his former student had become. If he had known that things would reach this point, he would have preferred never to have taken the boy as his disciple.
The threat that Orochimaru now posed to the village was beyond anything they had prepared for.
Minato, the masked man, and the man in black, despite being locked in their own intense battle, also took notice of the massive transformation occurring across the village. The masked man's expression beneath his orange mask seemed to brighten considerably.
"So this is the Eight Branches Technique that Zetsu mentioned. Orochimaru certainly hasn't disappointed us," the masked man thought with obvious satisfaction.
Minato noticed the smugness in his opponent's demeanor, and while his expression grew slightly colder, there was no trace of worry or concern in his golden eyes.
Jiraiya was one of the legendary Sannin and had been his teacher for years. If these enemies believed that Orochimaru's transformation guaranteed victory, they were gravely underestimating one of Konoha's greatest shinobi.
"Summoning Technique!"
Standing before the colossal eight-headed serpent, Jiraiya formed the necessary hand seals, and an enormous creature materialized beneath his feet in a massive cloud of summoning smoke.
Looking up at the giant toad Gamabunta that now served as his platform, Orochimaru's multiple heads turned toward them with expressions of disdain and amusement.
"With just that? Do you really think you can stop my Yamata no Jutsu?" Multiple voices spoke in unison, creating an eerie harmony of mockery that echoed across the battlefield.
Jiraiya's expression remained unchanged, his resolve unshakeable despite the overwhelming odds arrayed against him.
SLAM!
He brought his hands together in a powerful clap and called down to the massive toad beneath his feet.
"Bunta, hold this creature off for a moment while I prepare something special to deal with him properly!"