Naruto studied Orochimaru's so-called "corpse" with cool detachment. In his perception, the Sannin had indeed been injured—but killing Orochimaru outright? That was nearly as impossible as destroying the entire shinobi world.
The ground all around them was scorched black from Sasuke's lightning attack, a deep trench carved across the earth. Sakura stood frozen, staring at the devastation.
"Is… is this something a shinobi can really do?" she whispered, her face pale with shock. Her image of what it meant to be a ninja was shattered in an instant.
The strongest shinobi she had ever seen was Kakashi-sensei, yet even he had never displayed such overwhelming destructive power. The sight left her hollow, inferiority pressing down on her chest.
Just then, Sasuke stiffened. Orochimaru's twisted body began to twitch. His wide, unnatural mouth opened, and a pale figure slithered out of it.
His new body glistened with a sheen of slime, his golden eyes gleaming with malice—and with lingering caution.
That technique… an attack at the level of an S-rank jutsu.
Orochimaru's expression darkened. He had been forced this far by a boy. Rage simmered in his chest. Chakra surged through him, oppressive and venomous, filling the clearing with the killing intent of a shinobi on par with the Five Kage.
Sasuke's breathing was heavy. His chakra was nearly spent, and even his strongest technique had failed to do lasting harm. His eyes flicked toward Naruto, silently urging him—it was no longer a time to simply spectate.
Naruto sighed, feigning helplessness, then leapt to Sasuke's side.
He stepped forward, placing himself between Sasuke and Orochimaru.
Orochimaru tilted his head, studying the boy's calm expression. "To stand so unshaken in front of me… You're either a fool or someone with true courage. I almost admire it."
He did not connect this boy to the mysterious leader of Umbrella. The Naruto before him wore no mask, his voice and clothes different from that time. And after all—Naruto was nothing more than a Genin of Konoha. The two identities seemed impossible to reconcile.
Naruto's lips curved faintly. "Oh? You really think your strength is that impressive?"
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. The earlier battle would soon draw the attention of other Konoha shinobi. It was time to move on.
His neck suddenly stretched unnaturally long, his serpentine body bending in grotesque fashion. It was the secret of his Body Substitution Technique, a transformation born of his own experiments—something no one else could replicate.
Originally, he had intended to brand Sasuke with the Cursed Seal before retreating. But Naruto moved first, releasing a sudden gust of Wind Release chakra. A blade of wind tore past Orochimaru, nearly severing his head.
Orochimaru recoiled in shock, his head snapping back as he glared. He had misjudged the boy.
"Heh… I didn't plan to bother with you. But since you're so eager to die—"
Small snakes slithered from his sleeves, striking toward Naruto. Yet Naruto didn't even flinch. With a single hand seal, he expelled a torrent of flame.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
The snakes were instantly incinerated, charred to ash.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. The boy's speed—both in weaving seals and releasing jutsu—was unnatural. And his calmness… even after facing Orochimaru's full killing intent.
"Brat. Who exactly are you?" Orochimaru demanded, his tone low and dangerous.
"Me?" Naruto grinned. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."
Orochimaru's pupils constricted. "…Uzumaki?"
In that instant, the pieces clicked. In Konoha, only one carried that name. The child of Uzumaki Kushina and the Fourth Hokage. The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
But even with that in mind… this power was far from ordinary.
He lashed out again, probing Naruto's limits. Yet each strike was brushed aside with ease.
Naruto chuckled. "If your attacks are that weak… then I'll take my turn."
In a blur, he vanished, reappearing in Orochimaru's guard. His kick landed squarely, sending the Sannin crashing back. Before Orochimaru could recover, Naruto's hands slammed into him, driving him into the earth with bone-shaking force.
Boom!
The ground split and dust exploded outward.
Orochimaru clawed his way up, his eyes sharp, no longer calm.
Taijutsu…? And yet his ninjutsu from before…
The boy was not what he seemed.
Naruto raised his hand, chakra spiraling into form. A Rasengan bloomed in his palm, swirling with destructive force.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed at the sight of the familiar jutsu. Before he could react further, Naruto charged and slammed it into him.
The impact felt wrong. Orochimaru's body dissolved into mud—the Substitution Technique.
A figure rose from the ground behind Naruto, arm elongating and twisting into a serpent, fangs dripping with venom. The snake lunged.
Naruto flipped gracefully through the air, evading, and in mid-spin his chakra surged again. The wind howled around his palm, invisible currents condensing with deadly precision.
"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"
The high-density chakra sphere screamed with power, its edges tearing the very air.
Orochimaru froze. His instincts shrieked in alarm. This technique carried a force no less terrifying than Sasuke's lightning strike earlier.
Impossible… How can this boy wield such power?!
For an instant, the figure before him overlapped with another in his memory—someone he both hated and feared.
"Who exactly are you?!" Orochimaru's voice cracked, unable to remain calm.
Naruto let the Rasenshuriken slowly unravel, the roaring wind dispersing into the night. His gaze fixed on Orochimaru, steady and unyielding.
"Don't you already have an idea?" he said quietly. "Time's up—the Konoha shinobi are already on their way."
He stepped closer, his presence pressing down like a weight. "Orochimaru… it's good to see you again. But Sasuke isn't yours. He's mine."
As the words left him, Naruto's aura shifted. Power radiated outward. Dark lines of pigmentation spread around his eyes.
Natural energy surged through him.
Sage Mode.
Orochimaru's eyes widened. He knew this state. Yet something was wrong. This Sage Mode… it was unlike anything he had seen before. Neither the incomplete form of that fool Jiraiya, nor the slug-based arts of Shikkotsu Forest.
It was something else entirely.
"What Sage Mode is this…?" Orochimaru whispered, his voice hoarse.
Naruto's tone was calm, measured.
"Sasuke can never be your vessel. Your Living Corpse Reincarnation is flawed—you'll never hold his body forever." His eyes narrowed.
"Give up on him, and in return… I'll give you the method to enter Sage Mode. You understand its value. The power of true Senjutsu isn't inferior to the Uchiha clan's Mangekyō Sharingan."
Orochimaru stared at him, long and silent, the hunger in his eyes barely masked. Finally, he rasped, "I hope you won't regret those words."
With a hiss of movement, his body slithered back into the shadows of the forest.
But as he retreated, bitterness gnawed at him. His prize, years in the making, had been seized in an instant. Worse still was the boy himself—Naruto.
That Sage Mode… that overwhelming, flawless power.
Naruto already had the strength to kill him. And he knew it.
Orochimaru clenched his teeth. The intimidation was deliberate, and effective.
But the offer Naruto dangled before him… Senjutsu, the perfected Sage Arts—he craved it.
After all, the Cursed Seal, his proudest creation, was nothing more than a crude imitation of true Sage Mode, siphoning fragments of natural energy.
Compared to real Senjutsu, it was trash.
And now, Naruto had shown him the genuine article.
...
TN:
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