What kind of ninjutsu is this?
Watching the heat ray streak toward him like a laser, Orochimaru's first instinct was that Richard had performed some unknown ninjutsu. Almost immediately, however, he recalled that Richard possessed no chakra whatsoever.
Without chakra, performing ninjutsu was impossible.
In fact, even taijutsu required chakra enhancement to be truly effective—unless one relied purely on raw physical strength with no augmentation. Otherwise, chakra remained essential.
Though uncertain what Richard's heat ray actually was, Orochimaru wasted no time. He immediately executed the Body Flicker Technique, vanishing from his original position.
As Orochimaru evaded, his Wind Style: Great Breakthrough dissipated instantly. Even if the wind attack had continued, however, it would have posed no threat to Richard.
With Richard's current physical capabilities, most attacks in the Naruto universe couldn't harm him. Compared to these "fragile" shinobi, his durability existed on an entirely different level.
In the Naruto world, even Kage-level warriors could be killed by a well-placed kunai. Not just Kage-level fighters—even those classified as "Beyond Kage" remained vulnerable to mundane weapons.
Simply put, Naruto-verse combatants exemplified the classic "glass cannon" archetype: tremendous offensive potential paired with relatively modest defensive capabilities.
Beyond the comparison with Richard, even measured against inhabitants of the neighboring One Piece universe, Naruto-world natives possessed markedly inferior physical constitutions.
Using Body Flicker, Orochimaru successfully avoided Richard's high-velocity heat ray.
To ordinary observers, Orochimaru would have seemed to vanish instantaneously. For Richard, however, with his super vision, he watched Orochimaru "slowly" relocate more than twenty meters to the right—as if witnessing the movement in frame-by-frame slow motion.
Like the Wind Style: Great Breakthrough from earlier, the Body Flicker Technique Orochimaru now employed was entirely conventional.
Though standard in nature, when executed by someone of Orochimaru's caliber, even basic techniques achieved impressive results. At Orochimaru's level, conventional ninjutsu—without even drawing upon his specialized techniques—still yielded formidable combat effectiveness.
However, such ordinary techniques lacked distinctive properties. They served adequately when facing significantly weaker opponents, but against equals or superiors, these jutsu merely wasted chakra.
Nevertheless, Orochimaru had deliberately chosen this approach for a straightforward reason. Though recognizing Richard's unusual nature, he remained uncertain of the precise nature and extent of Richard's abilities.
His decision to employ Wind Style: Great Breakthrough rather than his signature snake techniques represented a calibrated test—to determine whether Richard merited witnessing Orochimaru's specialized jutsu arsenal. If Richard couldn't handle a basic wind technique, he wouldn't qualify to face Orochimaru's more advanced abilities.
Though lacking telepathy in this world, Richard easily intuited Orochimaru's strategy. Precisely for this reason, he had responded with heat vision rather than his more devastating capabilities.
After Orochimaru used Body Flicker to reposition himself over twenty meters away, Richard continued: "I've already advised you to demonstrate your full capabilities from the outset. Clearly, you've disregarded my suggestion. Since you've ignored my advice, don't fault me for responding without mercy."
Hearing Richard's words, Orochimaru's corpse-pale face displayed unmistakable contempt. Though still unable to accurately assess Richard's capabilities, Orochimaru maintained absolute confidence in his own prowess.
"Save such declarations for after you've defeated me," Orochimaru replied.
Richard offered no verbal response. Instead, he sighed under Orochimaru's watchful gaze before vanishing completely from sight.
Super speed!
Without hesitation, Richard activated the superhuman velocity granted by the Superboy-Prime template. He appeared before Orochimaru like a flash of lightning, delivering a right fist to the Sannin's chest before Orochimaru could even register his movement.
BANG!
Struck by Richard's blow, Orochimaru's body burst like a ruptured water balloon.
Had this been anyone else, they would have died instantly. Orochimaru, however, would not perish so easily.
The reason Orochimaru had transformed from Konoha hero to notorious rogue stemmed directly from witnessing life's fragility during the Second Great Ninja War. To avoid sharing the same vulnerability as others, he had systematically reinforced himself through various means.
Lifespan too brief? Develop soul transfer techniques to extend existence!
Human bodies too fragile? Modify one's biological composition!
Still insufficient after biological augmentation? Engineer power rivaling the Tailed Beasts!
Whether his personalized snake techniques or forbidden jutsu like Impure World Reincarnation and Eight Branches Technique—all represented Orochimaru's relentless pursuit of immortality. Fundamentally, his development of these ninjutsu served a single purpose: ensuring his continued survival.
His desire for the Sharingan, curiosity about Wood Release, and ambition to master every technique existed as secondary goals, all predicated on the fundamental premise of remaining alive. Without life, neither Sharingan nor Wood Release held meaning.
Orochimaru's exploded form, rather than signaling death, transformed into hundreds of venomous snakes that dispersed in all directions.
Playing such tricks before me? You vastly underestimate my capabilities.
Though lacking Sharingan, Byakugan, or Rinnegan, Richard possessed super vision. While his enhanced sight couldn't detect chakra directly, it allowed him to identify Orochimaru's true location amongst the serpentine diversion.
X-ray vision!
As Orochimaru's body disintegrated into writhing snakes, Richard activated his penetrative vision. Without difficulty, he located Orochimaru's genuine form among the hundreds of diversionary reptiles.