Chapter 64: Skylark and War Serpent—The Zero-Tails Scroll
Thick fog, swirling mist, pitch-black haze.
Atop the fog-shrouded fortress wall,
A tense standoff ensued.
Mei Terumi turned in surprise, her eyes widening slightly.
Their opponent was Orochimaru—one of the Legendary Sannin!
Even she felt a slight tremor course through her body from just a hint of his killing intent.
And yet Tsukasa showed no fear whatsoever, even daring to speak back with cold defiance.
Did this young man truly not understand what fear meant?
Tsukasa stared coldly at Orochimaru, his left hand already resting on his ninja tool pouch, the fingertips of his right hand gradually turning black with Earth Release chakra.
During this period, Orochimaru's combat style was still relatively conventional, largely following the ninjutsu teachings of his mentor, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
This was quite different from the later, nearly invincible Orochimaru who'd perfected his immortality techniques.
Could he win? Definitely not.
But if you asked Tsukasa whether he could die here? Absolutely!
"Kukuku... interesting." Orochimaru looked down at Tsukasa coldly.
He raised his hand slightly, about to unleash his Hidden Shadow Snake Hands.
However, at that moment,
Orochimaru suddenly jerked his head, looking toward the cliff outside the fortress.
A massive boulder suddenly tore through the vast white mist and hurtled down toward Orochimaru's position.
Orochimaru's pupils contracted, and he immediately raised his hand and launched his Hidden Shadow Snake Hands.
Eight giant serpents coiled around the boulder, halting its momentum.
The next instant, another massive boulder came crashing down!
The second rock collided with the first, pushing forward with combined force, crushing through Orochimaru's snake technique. The momentum continued unabated as it slammed into Orochimaru directly.
His face deformed, his limbs twisted, and he was crushed flat against the ground.
"Did Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, just die like that?"
Mei Terumi stared in shock at Orochimaru's body, flattened beneath the enormous boulder.
With injuries like that, there was no way anyone could survive, right?
"That guy won't die so easily." Tsukasa frowned slightly and immediately pulled Mei Terumi back several steps.
Sure enough, the next moment, a pair of hands suddenly emerged from the mouth of the crushed Orochimaru. The jaw stretched impossibly wide, and a brand-new Orochimaru crawled out from the dead body, covered in saliva and mucus.
"Tsk... circling at the edge but refusing to enter the trap." Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and looked toward the large opening blasted through the fog by the boulders.
"What a cautious little skylark."
At the end of that opening,
Shinnō, wearing his yellow medical coat, stood impassively at the cliff's edge, staring down at Orochimaru.
He reached up and tore open his coat, revealing a pair of massive, powerfully built pectoral muscles that seemed to flex with power.
Then he crooked his index finger at Orochimaru.
A clear provocation.
The opening was quickly filled by surging fog and closed.
"Those Root bastards..." Orochimaru licked his lips, his eyes dark as he muttered to himself,
"Looks like I'll have to catch him myself."
He turned to glance at Tsukasa, smiled coldly, and said nothing.
As if everything was already understood without words.
The next moment,
He leaped directly from the fortress wall, biting his thumb in mid-air. He formed hand seals and slapped his palm forward.
A surge of white smoke erupted.
A massive purple serpent—its neck as thick as a building—stretched out its head, towering far above the fortress wall.
A colossal shadow descended, instantly blocking out the sun.
Faced with the enormity of this summoning creature, both Tsukasa and Mei Terumi swallowed hard.
Staring up at it, Tsukasa suddenly remembered an old saying:
"Bigger is better, more is superior!"
For the first time, he felt the absolute truth of those words.
Soon, the enormous serpent, carrying Orochimaru on its head, slithered away, disappearing into the mist in an instant—a scene that reminded Tsukasa of a horror movie.
A terrifying, monstrous silhouette loomed within the fog, radiating indescribable dread.
Soon, a tremendous roar erupted from the distance!
Accompanied by the agonized hissing of serpents, flames and wind blasts rose into the air.
A violent gale raged in the distance, and the Jashin Cult members below didn't even need to disperse the white fog.
The shockwaves from the battle simply swept over, instantly clearing the mist shrouding the fortress.
Finally, Tsukasa could see a massive crimson aura rising in the distance.
Countless gray serpents surged into the air, swarming around a figure wrapped in an energy aura reminiscent of a Super Saiyan transformation.
Secret Technique: Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!
This was a true battle between Kage-level powerhouses!
"Whoa!"
For some reason, Tsukasa felt his blood boiling, his body involuntarily yearning for combat.
He longed to find an opponent worthy of trading blows.
Mei Terumi stood nearby, her brow furrowing slightly as she clenched her fists.
Such a battle, such overwhelming power, such unrivaled dominance on the battlefield!
She felt a powerful yearning as well.
Someday,
She too would become such a powerhouse,
Step onto the world stage, sweep away the darkness plaguing Kirigakure, and usher the Hidden Mist Village into a new era of glory!
But then,
With a heavy thud,
A crashing sound echoed nearby.
A large figure suddenly leaped onto the fortress wall from within.
Both of them, instantly alert, turned their heads.
Upon seeing the newcomer, shock filled their expressions.
Because
It was the very same person currently engaged in fierce battle with Orochimaru not far away!
Shinnō!
"Surprised?" Shinnō said calmly, observing Tsukasa's astonishment.
"That's a Shadow Clone."
"Consider it... a form of insurance."
When Tsukasa heard the word "insurance," his system-sensitized awareness immediately triggered, and he thought: This old guy is also into insurance policies?
He couldn't help but frown slightly, looking up at Shinnō and asking in confusion,
"What insurance? What are you talking about?"
Shinnō stared at Tsukasa with a cold expression, sneering,
"Stealing another shinobi's secret techniques in the ninja world will incur hatred and fierce retaliation comparable to destroying someone's family or village."
"Every technique is an extremely precious treasure—even a C-rank ninjutsu."
"But you actually dared to copy my S-rank forbidden technique right in front of me."
"Should I say you're incredibly foolish or incredibly bold?"
Then he snorted coldly and continued calmly,
"If you hadn't jumped down to fight, I would have killed you on that cliff."
"If you'd died beneath this wall, I would have retrieved your corpse and taken it back for dissection."
"If you'd revealed my location to Orochimaru here, I would have killed you on the spot."
"What?!" Tsukasa couldn't help but stare in dismay.
I actually missed so many precious opportunities to die!
Shinnō shook his head, looking at Tsukasa's expression with exasperation.
"But you, you foolish hot-blooded brat with more courage than sense..."
With that,
He sighed, pulled a yellow scroll from inside his medical coat, and tossed it toward Tsukasa.
"Here."
"If you can't stay with the Uchiha anymore, you can find me at the old Sky Ninja Village ruins. Just you—no one else."
Tsukasa caught the scroll and looked down.
The cover was inscribed with cryptic seal formulas he couldn't decipher.
Combined with Shinnō's serious expression, he looked up at Shinnō in confusion and asked,
"Wait—what is this? And what the hell are you talking about?"
Shinnō's face suddenly became grave. He took a deep breath and spoke in a low, ominous voice,
"This is—"
"The most extreme power in the shinobi world."
"The convergence point of all hatred and resentment."
"A terrifying entity that devours the heart and manifests the deepest darkness."
"Dark Chakra."
"The Zero-Tails!"
End of Chapter 64
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