Chapter 109: The "Strongest" Defensive Ninjutsu
On the vast, empty land, the sunlight seemed to be obscured by the unsettling aura emanating from Orochimaru.
Orochimaru slowly crouched down, pressing his palm firmly against the ground. A hint of anticipation and amusement flickered in his eyes as he abruptly slammed his hand on the earth!
In that instant, dust flew everywhere as three enormous, sinister Rashomon gates slowly rose from beneath the ground!
These three gates were about a hundred meters tall. The heavy stone doors exuded an ancient, evil aura, as if they were entrances leading to hell itself.
Orochimaru straightened up and gestured lightly to Uchiha Ren, signaling for him to attack.
Uchiha Ren stood his ground, took a deep breath, and quickly formed Hand Seals, shouting in a low voice, "Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball rapidly condensed in front of him, then shot towards the Triple Rashomon gates like an arrow loosed from a bowstring!
The fireball slammed into the Rashomon gates with a loud bang, sending flames splashing everywhere. However, only the handles on the gates trembled slightly; they were completely undamaged.
The Sound Five stood on a nearby high slope, watching everything with cold detachment.
The lips of Sakon and Ukon curled into a disdainful arc. One of them said softly, "Is it really necessary for Lord Orochimaru to train a brat from the Uchiha Clan like this? He's just a wet-behind-the-ears kid."
Kidomaru nodded in agreement. "To think Lord Orochimaru would personally use the Triple Rashomon. In my opinion, just having you two brothers summon a single Rashomon gate would be enough for this kid to look up to for the rest of his life."
The two-headed freak, Sakon and Ukon, burst out laughing. "That 'palm-sized' little flame wants to break through Rashomon's defense? Since the First Hokage's Quintuple Rashomon, only Lord Orochimaru can use the Triple Rashomon. And geniuses like us two brothers can only manage a single one."
"But even a single Rashomon gate is not something these Leaf Village ninja can even dream of touching! This is the world's strongest defensive ninjutsu!"
Tayuya bent over laughing in agreement. "That little Leaf Village kid looks so clueless, it's hilarious! The fact that Lord Orochimaru took an interest in him is a debt he couldn't repay even with ten lifetimes of loyal service."
Jirobo, wrapped in bandages, clutched the wound inflicted by Kakashi's Raikiri and glared resentfully, "They all say the Uchiha's eyes are amazing. I don't see it."
Kidomaru, with his six arms, also snorted coldly. "Even Jirobo, while he's recovering, could probably kill this kid."
Among the Sound Five, four of them made scornful remarks. Only Kimimaro did not join in the ridicule.
Before the giant gates, Uchiha Ren once again regulated his breathing. The speed of his Hand Seals suddenly accelerated, and the Chakra inside his body surged violently! The blue Earth Grudge Fear Mask on his chest opened its wicked mouth, greedily sucking in the surrounding air.
Seeing his movements, Orochimaru's eyes revealed a look of appreciation.
Uchiha Ren shouted loudly!
"Combination Ninjutsu: Flame-Wind Raging Vortex!"
In that instant, a firestorm several times more powerful than the previous Great Fireball Technique swept out. High-temperature flames mixed with a powerful cyclone, like a giant flame dragon, pounced towards the Triple Rashomon!
The moment the flames made contact with the Rashomon gates, a deafening roar erupted. The powerful impact made the surrounding ground tremble!
Under the force of this impact, although the Triple Rashomon still stood strong, cracks had already appeared on the massive maw of the first gate, as if it were groaning in pain.
Although it didn't break through the gate, this was a Rashomon summoned by Orochimaru! The single Rashomon summoned by Sakon and Ukon was nowhere near as durable as this gate.
If it had been Sakon and Ukon's Rashomon, the outcome might have been completely different right now.
The four who had just been making snide remarks all shut their mouths.
A ninjutsu of such scale and destructive power was a dream far beyond their reach.
Although Kimimaro could break through one gate, the price he would have to pay would be extremely high—far more than just being left gasping for air afterward.
Just as the Sound Five had acknowledged Uchiha Ren's strength, he suddenly started forming Hand Seals again!
Jirobo exclaimed in astonishment, "That kid still has Chakra?"
The spider-man Kidomaru, with his superb vision, widened his eyes. "He's activated the second stage of the Cursed Seal of Heaven. That massive amount of Chakra is no less than ours!"
A second later.
The Sound Five were stunned as they watched the complexity and number of Hand Seals Uchiha Ren was forming!
Tayuya said in shock, "What jutsu is he forming seals for? That's more than ten seals already!"
As soon as her voice fell, Uchiha Ren had already formed thirty seals.
Seeing the number of seals, Kimimaro showed a look of appreciation. "It's Water Release."
As he continued to weave the seals, the surrounding air seemed to be drawn in by Uchiha Ren. Wisps of water vapor began to gather from all directions.
The originally dry ground was gradually covered by a thin layer of mist. The mist moved as if it were alive, surging towards Uchiha Ren.
At this moment, Uchiha Ren's gaze was focused and profound. His hands flew like nimble butterflies, forming one seal after another without the slightest decrease in speed.
Forty-four seals...
The Sound Five all held their breath, their eyes wide as they stared intently at Uchiha Ren.
The disdainful expression on the faces of Sakon and Ukon was long gone, replaced by utter astonishment and disbelief.
Kidomaru's six arms also began to tremble involuntarily, as if feeling the pressure of the immense power that was about to be unleashed.
Jirobo forgot the pain of his wound. His bandaged body leaned forward slightly, his eyes filled with reverence for this unknown ninjutsu.
Tayuya's face flushed slightly, and the appreciation in her eyes grew even more intense.
At this time, it was still five years before Orochimaru's surprise attack on the Leaf Village. The Sound Five were still young and had never seen a young Leaf Village ninja with such strength.
Finally, Uchiha Ren slammed his hands together! With a loud shout, he stomped his foot!
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
In that instant, a massive water dragon surged up from behind him!
The water dragon was tens of meters long, its entire body emitting a cold blue light. Its scales shimmered with a crystalline brilliance under the sunlight.
The water dragon bared its fangs and brandished its claws, surging towards the Triple Rashomon with the force of an overwhelming tide.
Wherever it passed, a deep trench was gouged into the ground. Water splashed several meters high, like a spectacular curtain of water!
BOOM—
Amidst the deafening roar, the water dragon viciously slammed into the Triple Rashomon!
Under the impact of this immense power, a crack slowly split open in the center of the first gate. The crack gradually widened until it was large enough for a person to pass through.
Although it didn't completely destroy the entire gate, power of this magnitude was enough to leave everyone present in utter shock.
An ordinary special jonin, facing such a sturdy Rashomon, would likely find it difficult to cause this level of damage.
Orochimaru looked at the scene before him, a wide smile on his face. The smile contained both acknowledgement of Uchiha Ren's strength and delight at this unexpected surprise.
He slowly walked towards Uchiha Ren and said, "Your performance today has truly surprised me. Are you willing to learn my Triple Rashomon technique? In exchange for your wings."
A sharp glint flashed through Uchiha Ren's clear eyes. "Seeing as my performance was to your satisfaction, could you throw in another technique?"
(end of chapter)