The two "Sarutobis" completed their hand seals, and another powerful Earth Release ninjutsu was unleashed!
Earth Release: Great Earth River!
Unsurprisingly, this powerful jutsu, which turns the entire affected area into a river of mud, transformed once more in Sarutobi's hands!
The gigantic stone rectangular prism that completely enveloped the multi-acre stronghold, along with the thick stone pillars inside, instantly began to shake and vibrate.
Under the influence of the powerful ninjutsu, the colossal stone rectangle instantly dissolved into clumps of brownish-black viscous mud, gathering into four overwhelming mud waterfalls descending from the sky, surging down onto the ninja inside the stronghold.
The mud rivers formed by the four towering mud waterfalls poured into the stronghold. Amidst the "whoosh, whoosh—" sound of waves like the rising and falling tide, the mud rivers stirred up ten-meter-high brownish-black mud waves, which "rumble—" smashed forcefully onto the broken buildings within the stronghold.
Suddenly, two shadowy figures with powerful auras, estimated to be at the level of ordinary Jōnin from a great nation, burst out of the mud giants, leaped into the air, and were about to land in the adjacent forest to escape with their lives.
The four "Sarutobis" moved their eight hands once more, performing two different sets of hand seals, two pairs of which were identical! The hand seals of two "Sarutobis" suddenly stopped—jutsu complete!
Earth Release: Great Underworld Hand!
Six brownish-black, sky-scraping swamp-mud hands, roughly a hundred times the size of a normal person's hand, suddenly extended from the surging mud river. The six colossal mud hands either slapped down from above, grabbed up from below, or swept in from side to side.
The two Jōnin, skilled in ninjutsu and powerful, remained calm and composed in the air despite the relentless offensive, and began weaving hand seals to counterattack.
Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!
Several points of orange-yellow sparks spat out from one Jōnin's mouth, quickly swelling to the size of a millstone, and continued to rapidly grow until each fist-sized spark had ballooned to the size of a hydrogen balloon used to carry people before stopping. Several giant fireballs, blazing with high-temperature crimson flames, hung in the air like small suns, creating a startling display of power.
Under that Jōnin's control, the giant fireballs flew toward the Great Underworld Hands that were closing in on him. Boom! Boom! Boom!—
Under Orochimaru's surprised gaze, three Great Underworld Hands caught the fierce fireballs, one by one, in their palms and forcefully crushed them. Although the hands themselves shrank slightly, they continued their relentless pursuit of the Jōnin.
The Jōnin, terrified, could not evade in time and was captured by the joint effort of the three Great Underworld Hands. The three brownish-black hands squeezed with all their might. Splatter! Splash!—
Viscous mud and earth liquid, mixed with pulped flesh and blood, splattered everywhere. The mid-air seemed to rain mud and blood, and the thick scent of gore instantly permeated the air.
The other Jōnin who escaped the Great Mud River was clearly much stronger and more experienced in combat, estimated to be a Suna Jōnin secretly dispatched by the Land of Wind. Seeing the horrific fate of the other Jōnin, he grew calmer. Instead of rushing for the forest, he utilized highly skilled taijutsu (body techniques) at the moment the Great Underworld Hands attacked, leaping repeatedly, allowing him to evade several grabs.
Having dealt with one Jōnin, Sarutobi sneered upon seeing the other's evasiveness. Under his full control, the Great Underworld Hands' flexibility and speed had more than doubled.
The Jōnin paused, then began weaving seals!
Wind Release: Thousand Faces Wind!
Unlike the Thousand Faces Wind used by Orochimaru, this Jōnin's powerful chakra and astonishing control over ninjutsu increased the power and scale of this B-rank jutsu severalfold, raising it to the level of an A-rank jutsu.
The powerful chakra condensed into an extraordinary jutsu effect. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh— a series of powerful storms centered on the Jōnin, forming a spherical vortex tens of meters in diameter that completely engulfed the three Great Underworld Hands.
Inside this colossal storm vortex, numerous thin, long, scythe-shaped sharp wind blades, ranging from a meter to several meters in length, continuously sliced and flew back and forth. Because the wind blades were so fast and the commotion so astonishing, the normally invisible air currents and wind blades began to distort people's vision, making it impossible to see what was happening inside the vortex.
After two breaths, the spherical storm suddenly stopped. The three Great Underworld Hands surrounding the Jōnin were covered in dense, scythe-shaped fissures. They finally shattered piece by piece, turning into clumps of mud that fell into the Great Mud River below.
The Jōnin, also descending and using his feet to cling to the Great Mud River, smirked smugly. He then moved rapidly across the mud river's surface, leaping toward the surrounding forest.
Unbeknownst to him, Sarutobi had already prepared a follow-up. The other two "Sarutobis" simultaneously completed their hand seals!
Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!
Roar! Roar!—
Two massive mud dragon heads suddenly emerged from the Great Mud River in front of and behind the Jōnin. Opening their ferocious, gaping mouths, they spat out dozens of fist-sized mud explosive bullets at the Jōnin.
The two dragon heads unleashed nearly a hundred mud explosive bullets with astonishing speed and enough power to pierce an elite Chūnin from a great nation. The Jōnin was instantly enveloped from all sides. Left with no choice, the Jōnin crouched, preparing to leap upward.
Just as the four "Sarutobis" were about to weave seals to deliver the final blow to the trapped Jōnin, Orochimaru, who was watching from the side, acted first.
With the rich combat experience of two lifetimes, Orochimaru keenly seized this fleeting opportunity. His attack, which was executed without coordination with Sarutobi but connected flawlessly, was unleashed in an instant.
Wind Release: Wind Cutter!
Under Orochimaru's superb chakra control technique and profound understanding of Wind Release ninjutsu, a slender, meter-long wind blade silently sliced through the void, heading with perfect precision toward the Jōnin who had leaped upward.
The Jōnin only noticed this fatal "Scythe of Death" when the wind blade was barely a meter away. However, unable to gain purchase in mid-air and with the blade so close, he could only widen his eyes and watch helplessly as the life-taking wind blade, like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, effortlessly slit his neck.
Pshhh—
In mid-air, a crimson fountain of blood suddenly erupted several meters high. A head, with an expression of disbelief still etched on its face, was sent spiraling over ten meters into the sky!
Poof! Poof! Poof!—
Sarutobi's three physical clones dispersed. He turned around, his gaze filled with admiration as he swept over Orochimaru, and then once again cast his resolute gaze toward the battlefield.
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