"What the hell was that?!"
Orochimaru crushed the fear rising in his soul, eyes wide with shock and suspicion. Why did he feel a sense of danger from this girl? It was as if an ant were facing the entire heavens and earth—the overwhelming feeling of being crushed at any moment made Orochimaru's heart race.
[Reality].
With just a light snap of her fingers, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck down from the dark, cloud-covered sky. The natural lightning gave Orochimaru no time to react. In an instant, it engulfed the area where he stood. Tall trees were helpless against it—everything around Orochimaru turned into flattened ruins.
When that oppressive aura emerged, The Third immediately felt an ominous premonition. Upon seeing the heaven-piercing lightning, his expression turned even graver.
"Yu-san, summon the Anbu immediately and head to the Forest of Death for an investigation."
I hope nothing happens! Thinking about Sakura and the others currently taking the exam, The Third's face showed deep unease.
On Konoha's streets, countless ninjas could be seen running across rooftops, each wearing tense and anxious expressions. Villagers who had been shopping calmly began orderly evacuating toward Konoha's shelters.
Inside the Forest of Death, most Genin hid in terror, overwhelmed by the suffocating pressure causing them to sweat uncontrollably. However, Hinata, Ino, and the Uchiha present forced themselves forward, bravely resisting their instinctive fear. Amidst this immense pressure, they sensed a familiar power. Though their bodies and souls naturally recoiled in dread, they overcame it through sheer willpower.
Please don't let anything happen!
As they raced toward it, sensing the fury buried in that overwhelming power, their hearts sank.
The lightning gradually faded, revealing a colossal python corpse lying motionless at the scene. The snake was unquestionably dead—half its body shattered by the lightning strike while the remaining half was charred into carbonized remains.
Orochimaru's shattered form crawled out from the mouth of his summoned snake. After shuddering violently, a weak, pale Orochimaru, devoid of color and slightly trembling, emerged from the ruined corpse.
"Cough... cough..."
Orochimaru, having narrowly escaped death via the [Snake Shedding Jutsu], covered his mouth while coughing. Blood dripped through his fingers onto the ground. Natural lightning was far beyond anything a regular ninja's Lightning Release could produce. Had he not summoned a giant serpent in a last-second attempt to block the strike, combined with the miraculous effects of the [Snake Shedding Jutsu], Orochimaru would have certainly perished beyond recovery.
Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Seven: Naruto's Blood, Rampant Sakura [End]
"Never thought a mere Konoha Genin could possess such immense power."
Orochimaru's eyes burned with shock. Chakra allowed ninjas to achieve miraculous feats, but controlling raw natural lightning? That was an entirely different scale of power—one that placed its wielder practically on the level of gods.
Yet beneath his astonishment simmered a deep greed. What a marvel it would be to possess such power! At this moment, Orochimaru elevated Sakura to the same rank as Sasuke—both now equally desirable vessels. As for her being female, such trivialities never concerned someone like Orochimaru, sometimes mockingly called Hebihime—Lady Serpent.
"You've barely scratched the surface, Orochimaru. Ready to defy reality itself?"
Sakura's gaze remained cold and expressionless, her tone alone betraying the icy fury within. "Ready to challenge the very laws of this world!"
"What?!"
Before Orochimaru could grasp her meaning, the ground beneath him shook violently. A searing column of magma erupted from below. Only by narrowly dodging at the last second did he avoid being incinerated.
Magma burst in rapid succession from beneath Orochimaru's feet. Though he evaded frantically, he eventually faltered. His left arm, nearly disabled after just grazing the molten flow, bore grievous burns. His face darkened; the assault reminded him of the Four-Tails' Lava Release. Yet no chakra fluctuations accompanied the eruptions—these attacks seemed more like acts of nature itself, leaving him nothing more than an unfortunate soul hunted by Mother Nature's wrath.
Magma surged through widening cracks across the earth, instantly cooling into solid rock when exposed to air. Orochimaru scanned warily, not daring to let down his guard even slightly.
As a sudden gust lashed his face, he shot sideways in an instant. A razor-sharp wind blade sliced past, carving a long gash along his cheek.
"Lightning, magma, then wind—all at once! Could she actually be bending nature itself against me?!"
Pure ecstasy flashed across Orochimaru's face. Such overwhelming strength—he'd never encountered anything like it. To wield such power would be beyond exhilarating.
"Orochimaru," Sakura said, raising her right hand toward him, violet energy swirling in her palm. "Those who err must pay dearly. Your Snake Shedding Jutsu is impressive—but how many times can you use it?"
The energy in her palm shot forward like thunder. [Power Surge]
Wherever the purple lightning passed, rocks and trees alike crumbled into dust—no force could resist this pure, devastating surge.
"Not good," Orochimaru could feel the deadly chakra lurking within. Without hesitation, he smeared some blood from his clothes onto his thumbs, quickly formed hand seals, and slammed both hands onto the ground. [Triple Death Gate Summoning]!
The moment the summoning technique was completed, Orochimaru spun around and bolted without hesitation. Although he strongly desired to obtain both Sasuke and Sakura's physical forms, he could also sense that staying any longer would pose a life-threatening danger. Despite his frustration, when faced with such a deadly crisis, Orochimaru still knew how to make the right choice.
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