Hiruzen Sarutobi struck Orochimaru back with the Adamantine Staff and immediately formed a hand seal the moment he landed.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"
Whoosh!
The solid ground beneath Orochimaru's feet suddenly transformed into a surging, muddy river, sweeping over his body.
"Earth Release: Rock Plate Coffin!"
Bang!
On either side of the murky river, the ground abruptly rose, forming two massive slabs of solid rock that clamped together, trapping Orochimaru tightly within.
However, in the next instant, Orochimaru vanished from within the rocky prison.
In the blink of an eye, he emerged slowly from another spot on the ground nearby.
"Hehehe!"
"Sensei!"
"If this is all you've got, then trying to hold me here is far too naive!"
Orochimaru's face twisted into a sinister smile, but the alarms in his mind were blaring incessantly.
Standing behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya had his hands clasped together in a meditative pose, clearly gathering Natural Energy.
Having experienced the torment of the White Snake Sage firsthand, Orochimaru was well aware of the difficulty of mastering Sage Mode.
For this reason, when he looked at Jiraiya, his eyes were filled with disbelief and shock.
After all, having grown up alongside Jiraiya, no one knew better than Orochimaru how much—or how little—talent his companion possessed.
But when had Jiraiya learned Sage Mode?
This was a power even he, a self-proclaimed genius of ninjutsu, had yet to master!
Why?!
A surge of resentment and unwillingness welled up in Orochimaru's heart.
Immortality!
As long as I achieve immortality, whether it's Senjutsu or any other ninjutsu, I'll have all the time I need to master them!
Resolving himself, Orochimaru quickly devised a plan to escape.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Boom!
A violent gust of wind erupted, tearing up the grass and scattering stones from the ground.
Seeing the incoming attack, Hiruzen Sarutobi swiftly flipped his hands and slammed them onto the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A towering, sturdy brown earthen wall rose up from the ground.
Bang!
Orochimaru's Wind Release jutsu struck the wall like a cannon of storm-force winds, producing a deafening crash.
Chunks of earth from the wall's edges were blown apart and sent flying, but the central portion of the wall held firm, leaving deep blade-like scars on its surface.
Hiding behind the wall, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Jiraiya, who stood beside him. His expression grew even more serious, and he hesitated no longer.
His hands moved rapidly, forming a series of intricate hand seals. Sparks of silver lightning crackled between his fingers as he worked.
Rumble...
Without the Chakra sustaining it, the earthen wall soon crumbled into a pile of mud. On the other side, Orochimaru had already turned and was fleeing, clearly uninterested in prolonging the confrontation.
"Combination Ninjutsu: Thunder Water Dragon Bullet!"
Roar!
A majestic water dragon, tens of meters long, roared as it surged toward Orochimaru.
The water dragon's body was enveloped in a layer of silvery-white lightning, which enhanced its speed to an astonishing degree. In the blink of an eye, it caught up with Orochimaru.
Boom!
Sizzle!
The thunderous water dragon opened its massive jaws and bit down on the ground where Orochimaru stood. The impact created a blinding flash of lightning, and the ground exploded into a deep, muddy crater, resembling a pool of filthy water. Electric currents crackled menacingly across its surface.
Beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, an unexpected shadow clone had appeared at some point.
This shadow clone seemed to be brimming with concentrated lightning, its body faintly glowing with a dazzling silver-blue hue.
Moments later—
The shadow clone leaped toward a spot ahead and to the left. Just before touching the ground, it condensed a tightly packed sphere of silver-blue lightning in its hands and slammed it down.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Burst!"
Bang! Crackle!
A violent thunderclap echoed as the silver-blue lightning fiercely drilled into the crater left by the earlier attack.
Cough... Cough...
Orochimaru's figure slowly emerged from the ground, looking disheveled and clearly affected by Hiruzen Sarutobi's earlier assault.
Casually brushing the dirt off his clothes, Orochimaru turned his gaze back toward his former teacher and comrade.
Jiraiya's face had already begun to show the distinct features of a toad. The red streaks of blood beneath his eyes seemed even more vivid, and the Natural Energy within him was growing increasingly dense, as Orochimaru could sense.
It seemed that unless he dealt with these two, there would be no escaping today...
But...
How could Orochimaru, alone, possibly contend with a serious Third Hokage and a Jiraiya in Sage Mode?
Damn it, that guy... he wouldn't really—
For the first time, a rare hint of urgency appeared on Orochimaru's face.
After all, Jiraiya was the type to follow through on his words. Even if it meant crippling Orochimaru and keeping him as a prisoner in Konohagakure, Jiraiya would refuse to let him become a rogue shinobi consumed by slaughter.
And if it truly came to that, how could someone as proud as Orochimaru ever endure such humiliation?
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Biting his finger and forming hand seals, Orochimaru pressed his hand to the ground.
A massive plume of white smoke rose, and a colossal purple serpent with black markings appeared before Orochimaru.
"Hmm?"
"This time it's not for delivering a message?"
"Wait, isn't that Jiraiya over there?"
"What's going on..."
The summoned Manda seemed momentarily confused. After all, it had been doing messenger tasks so frequently of late that it had almost forgotten its ferocious nature.
When Manda spotted Jiraiya on the other side, a hint of surprise crossed its face. After all, both Manda and Gamabunta were among the famed "Three Summoning Beasts."
"Don't worry about the details—just block them for me!"
Orochimaru rasped in a hoarse voice.
"Hmm?!"
Manda quickly snapped out of its daze. Finally, a proper task!
"Don't forget my hundred sacrifices!"
Manda hissed ominously before lunging at Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya.
As it charged, Manda opened its mouth and spat out a massive glob of purple-black liquid, aiming to engulf the two.
Sizzle!
The liquid was highly toxic. Even the resilient weeds it touched instantly withered and shriveled.
As Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya leaped away from the ground, Manda's tail lashed out like a streak of purple lightning, striking toward them with incredible speed.
Smack!
Hiruzen's pupils contracted. He swiftly extended the Adamantine Staff in his hand, blocking the tail strike.
However, Manda's tail was surprisingly agile. It coiled around the staff in an instant and, with a powerful flick, hurled it far into the distance.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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