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"Toad Sage Jiraiya, Konoha Jonin, Uchiha Itachi has arrived to assist."
As Uchiha Itachi's voice rang out, he joined the battle with the Uchiha clan's most proficient technique—Fire Release.
"Boring little tricks."
Seeing this, Orochimaru's eyes were filled with disdain.
The Uchiha clan's combat abilities were indeed formidable, but centuries of refinement had made their offensive methods increasingly predictable. Moreover, Orochimaru had thoroughly studied them—every one of the Uchiha's signature techniques had been unraveled by him.
Jiraiya, seeing Itachi come to his aid, felt a surge of relief. Without going all out, he and Orochimaru were evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand anytime soon.
And as one of the most prominent Uchiha prodigies currently in Konoha, Jiraiya was well aware of Itachi's prowess. With such a powerful ally joining the fight, subduing Orochimaru would be much easier.
Orochimaru executed another slippery maneuver and unleashed his "Myriad Snakes Roaming Array."
Faced with the overwhelming swarm of venomous snakes, Itachi had no effective countermeasure other than summoning Susanoo to charge forward relentlessly.
Speaking of which, how many snakes did Ryūchi Cave have left? The legendary divine power of Susanoo was unparalleled—its absolute defense and immense strength made it one of the two great powers capable of quelling chaos.
Though Orochimaru's harassment tactics proved ineffective, Jiraiya continued his relentless assault from the side, forcing Orochimaru into a disadvantageous position.
Orochimaru glanced at Manda, still locked in combat with Gamabunta, and sneered.
"What a useless creature." Quickly, he refocused his attention on the two enemies before him.
"It seems I'll have to rely on myself in the end."
"Ninja Art: Hidden Shadow Multi-Snake Hands!!"
Facing Jiraiya, who was forming a Rasengan at close range, and Itachi, wielding his ninjato, Orochimaru calmly summoned multiple giant snakes to block their attacks before swiftly retreating to create distance.
"Don't run, Orochimaru!" Jiraiya shouted urgently.
A flicker of disdain passed through Orochimaru's eyes.
"Fool. How could I possibly escape in this situation? I'll need to take one of you down first before I can even think about fleeing."
At this point, Orochimaru clearly sensed that the balance of victory had tilted toward Jiraiya and Itachi. There was no longer any reason to hold back.
As Orochimaru formed hand seals, a surge of powerful, eerie, and sinister chakra washed over the battlefield, causing both Jiraiya and Itachi's expressions to shift. Their eyes widened with suspicion as they stared at Orochimaru.
Then they heard Orochimaru's chilling and terrifying declaration.
"Jiraiya, behold! This is the perfect form I've always pursued! Forbidden Technique: Yamata no Orochi Technique!!!"
Orochimaru's body began to swell rapidly, eventually transforming into a monstrous eight-headed serpent-like creature, towering like a small mountain.
"What kind of monster is this? This chakra rivals that of a tailed beast!"
Even Itachi, usually composed, felt a pang of panic. The sheer appearance of Yamata no Orochi was horrifying, and though Itachi was strong, he wasn't yet at his peak. His composure wavered slightly.
Compared to the relatively inexperienced Itachi, Jiraiya remained much calmer.
In Konoha, aside from the Scroll of Seals containing numerous forbidden techniques, there were countless others that hadn't been systematically recorded. One of the most notable examples was the Eight Gates Technique, whose true value as a forbidden taijutsu was only realized after unlocking the Death Gate.
The Yamata no Orochi jutsu was similar—it was a forbidden technique Orochimaru had stumbled upon in a secret chamber. Its references to white snakes resonated deeply with him, and through continuous refinement and practice, he had perfected it into what it was today.
Jiraiya calmly analyzed Yamata no Orochi Technique.
"Be careful, Uchiha Itachi.
This Yamata no Orochi Technique is undoubtedly an S-rank forbidden jutsu. Don't underestimate it. From this point on, I won't be able to guarantee your safety.
I'll take the lead—you look for opportunities to strike."
Itachi nodded in acknowledgment and increased his distance from Yamata no Orochi.
At the same time, Itachi felt a warmth in his heart. Having such a reliable senior to rely on was a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time.
From the shadows, Ye Wen observed silently and shook his head.
There was no doubt that Orochimaru had already undergone the Impure World Reincarnation—a technique riddled with flaws.
During their earlier battle, if Itachi had used a genjutsu on Orochimaru at the level of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Orochimaru would have been defeated.
But alas, fate had other plans.
Moreover, Orochimaru seemed to have keenly sensed something amiss and immediately entered this specialized form, significantly limiting Itachi's ability to use genjutsu effectively.
However, in the anime's storyline, Orochimaru's Yamata no Orochi Technique didn't seem particularly powerful—it was easily dispatched by a gravely ill Itachi with just a few swift strikes, leaving Orochimaru to flee in disgrace.
But this time, things were different.
For one, Jiraiya was leading the charge against him. Secondly, Orochimaru wasn't in his severely weakened state as depicted in the original timeline.
Suddenly, one of the massive snake heads opened its mouth, revealing half of Orochimaru's body as he emitted a spine-chilling laugh.
"Hehehe, give up, Jiraiya. In this state, I'm beyond your ability to handle. You've already captured one target—why not retreat and call it a day? If we truly fight, I won't hold back. After all, I don't wish to kill you."
The once dead-last Jiraiya was long gone. The current Jiraiya radiated confidence.
"If you can do it, then come at me, Orochimaru! Today, I will definitely bring you back!!!"
The overwhelming aura of reckless determination made Orochimaru frown. He had already issued a warning, yet Jiraiya persisted. If that was the case, Orochimaru could no longer afford to hold back, regardless of their past camaraderie.
Though Jiraiya and Tsunade had once been his closest companions, things had changed.
Orochimaru, now fully liberated from his former self, was no longer the man who had devoted everything to Konoha.
"Hiss—×8!!!"
A terrifying chorus of hisses filled the air as Orochimaru unleashed the full ferocity of the Yamata no Orochi Technique.
Blades of wind, raging flames, thunderous lightning, muddy swamps, torrents of water, and toxic mists—six terrifying elemental attacks surged forth, causing even Jiraiya's expression to change drastically!
In this version of the ninja world, forming hand seals to cast jutsu was universally accepted as common sense. However, Orochimaru in his Yamata no Orochi form shattered this norm, unleashing techniques effortlessly with a mere opening of his mouths.
With the added advantage of Yamata no Orochi's colossal size, these ordinary techniques reached A-rank levels of devastation. For fragile shinobi, even a single direct hit would spell certain death.
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