"Formation of Ten Thousand Snake Fangs!"
Orochimaru crouched on the ground, his mouth stretching open to an unnatural degree. From his gaping maw, countless brown-gray venomous snakes slithered out in a dense, horrifying swarm!
These snakes, their tongues flicking menacingly, surged toward Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya.
In the process, some of the snakes spat out swords that gleamed with a chilling, cold light.
It was easy to imagine the gruesome fate awaiting a fragile human body overwhelmed by this sea of "sword snakes."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression grew serious as he quickly clasped his hands together, forming hand seals at lightning speed.
At that moment, Manda seized the opportunity. The massive serpent opened its blood-red maw, baring two sharp fangs as it lunged straight at Hiruzen.
"Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
Jiraiya, standing nearby, suddenly whipped his head forward. His long white hair flared out as if electrified, splitting into several tendrils that extended like ropes, tightly wrapping around Manda's head.
Hiruzen's chest swelled as if filled with something immense, and he unleashed a massive, blazing torrent of fire.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
The flames erupted from Hiruzen's mouth, twisting and roaring like a ferocious fire dragon. The fiery serpent coiled and danced before him, its head forming the image of a dragon.
The dragon-shaped flames surged toward Orochimaru.
Boom!
The venomous snakes disintegrated into ash the instant they touched the intense heat.
In mere moments, the forest was engulfed in a sea of fire and serpents. But as Hiruzen poured more Chakra into the flames, their intensity grew. A glimmer of light flashed across the surface of the dragon-shaped flames, and the firestorm surged even more fiercely.
Whoosh!
The roaring flames, like a dragon's wrath, overwhelmed the previously balanced stalemate with the snake formation, suppressing it entirely.
Orochimaru's golden, snake-like eyes locked onto Jiraiya.
In his perception, Jiraiya's Sage Mode was nearly complete.
If Jiraiya fully entered Sage Mode, Orochimaru knew he would be forcibly taken back to Konohagakure today.
It seemed... there was only one desperate option left.
Orochimaru's snake-like eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth, and from his throat emerged a sharp, gleaming sword.
In a flash, Orochimaru's figure disappeared, vanishing from sight with the Body Flicker Technique.
When he reappeared, he was already in front of Manda.
The Kusanagi Blade swept through the air in a heavy arc, slicing through the white hair binding Manda's body.
"Manda!"
"Open your mouth! We're canceling the Summoning Jutsu immediately!"
Orochimaru's tone carried a rare urgency.
Clearly, he would never resort to such a measure unless absolutely necessary.
While this method could indeed help him escape the battlefield, it would also transport him to Ryūchi Cave along with Manda.
And once in Ryūchi Cave, Orochimaru had no idea how long it would take to find his way back to the shinobi world.
Moreover, he couldn't be sure how much time he would need to return to the Land of Fire.
He was in the crucial final stages of his experiments, searching for a suitable body for his reincarnation.
If successful, immortality would no longer be a distant dream!
There was a quicker alternative: having Manda contact Sōmi, who could then summon him back from within Manda's body, allowing him to return to the shinobi world smoothly.
But...
Knowing Sōmi's personality, Orochimaru was certain he would take every precaution to ensure he had complete control over him before summoning him back.
However, the current situation left Orochimaru no time to weigh his options.
Escaping here was the top priority.
As Orochimaru leaped into the air, aiming to dive into Manda's open mouth—
Suddenly!
A uniquely shaped kunai shot through the air.
The trident-like kunai embedded itself into Manda's body.
Instantly, black web-like runes spread across Manda's body from the kunai.
"Huh?!"
Manda, who had just swallowed Orochimaru and was about to cancel the Summoning Jutsu, froze in shock. The sensation of the Summoning Jutsu being disrupted was far too familiar!
But when Manda looked down, the figure below wasn't the one it expected. Instead, it was a young man with blond hair, wearing a Konohagakure flak jacket.
"Minato?!"
Two voices cried out in astonishment, one after the other.
"My apologies, Lord Third, Jiraiya-sensei!"
"I've actually been following behind you all along. I hadn't intended to intervene in your fight."
"But if I didn't step in now, Orochimaru-senpai would have escaped for sure."
The blond-haired youth spoke with a slightly embarrassed tone.
Realizing his escape plan had failed, Orochimaru emerged from Manda's mouth once more.
"Minato..."
Orochimaru glanced at the sealing formula on Manda's body. It was clear that, compared to Minato Namikaze, who had inherited the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, his own proficiency in sealing jutsu was far inferior.
"Orochimaru-senpai!"
"If you're thinking of defecting from the village, I urge you to abandon that thought."
"You can choose to stop resisting and return to the village with us. We will ensure you receive a fair trial and give you a chance to atone for your actions. After all, you've made significant contributions to Konohagakure in the past."
Minato Namikaze spoke earnestly to Orochimaru.
"Hehehe!"
"A trial... a hero..."
"Minato!"
"Do you think becoming Hokage is such a grand accomplishment?"
"In the face of absolute truth, your so-called village, your so-called Hokage, are nothing but fleeting illusions!"
Sliding off Manda's body, Orochimaru's raspy voice dripped with disdain.
Even though he was at a clear disadvantage, Orochimaru was not one to surrender so easily!
"Then... I'll have to offend you!"
"Orochimaru-senpai!"
Before Minato's words had even finished—
Whoosh!
A specially crafted kunai had already flown to Orochimaru's side.
In the next moment, Minato's figure flashed into view.
Orochimaru's pupils contracted sharply, narrowing into thin golden needles.
The Yellow Flash—only when facing it firsthand could one truly grasp the weight behind that name.
In the blink of an eye, Minato appeared beside Orochimaru, his hand moving faster than the eye could follow. He pressed it firmly against Orochimaru.
"Curse Mark of Binding!"
Black, elongated vertical lines crawled up from Orochimaru's face, spreading across his pale skin. Even his ghastly white face was marked with black streaks.
However, Orochimaru's mouth suddenly stretched wide, and another "Orochimaru" slithered out from within.
Boom!
The Orochimaru left in place exploded like a tagged explosive, sending up a fiery plume of smoke.
In the next instant—
A massive black-and-yellow staff, humming as it tore through the air, came hurtling toward Orochimaru.
Covered in a faint yellowish slime, Orochimaru twisted his body to avoid the Adamantine Staff's strike. Just as he thought he had dodged the attack, Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands formed seals.
The Adamantine Staff, which had just flown past Orochimaru, suddenly multiplied into dozens of identical staffs, linking together to form an unbreakable golden cage.
Whoosh!
Minato's figure reappeared beside Orochimaru. Using the same swift motion, he pressed his hand against Orochimaru once more.
But this time, Minato didn't give Orochimaru a chance to use a substitution technique.
"As expected of Orochimaru-senpai!"
"I've never seen a substitution technique of this level before."
After flashing outside the golden cage, Minato even complimented Orochimaru's Secret Technique.
Trapped like a bird in a cage, Orochimaru could only glare at Minato with a mixture of frustration and anger.
He had just touched the threshold of immortality—how could he accept defeat here?!
Just as Jiraiya prepared to cancel his Sage Mode and approach Orochimaru to say a few words, a golden streak suddenly tore through the sky, shooting directly toward their location.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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