Chapter 23 - Chapter 23: Teacher

💎 WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎

🔥 30→2ch | 60→5ch | 100→8ch | 200→15ch | 400→25ch

⏰ Resets Monday!

CLANG!

The first draw-cut of Qianyu's First Form: Thunderclap and Flash: Sixfold met empty air as Orochimaru simply wasn't there anymore.

Qianyu's foot slammed against a tree trunk. He pivoted, using the terrain to redirect his momentum in a new, impossible line. The lightning blur shot toward Orochimaru again.

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with interest. "Oh? You've mitigated the main weakness of Thunderclap and Flash—its predictability once the trajectory is seen. Clever boy."

He didn't think this was some hidden ultimate technique Qianyu had been saving. It was still, fundamentally, the same move. Just… evolved.

To an untrained eye, it looked simple: use the surroundings to change direction mid-charge. But Orochimaru saw the immense difficulty.

Qianyu pursued ultimate speed. Greater speed meant greater force. Redirecting that force via a tree or rock meant absorbing all that kinetic energy into his own body. That single footprint he'd left on the trunk—deep enough to punch clean through the wood—spoke volumes about the power involved.

One mistimed angle, one lapse in control, and his legs would shatter. The backlash of the chakra-enhanced speed alone could cause catastrophic damage. Yet Qianyu's movements were precise, his chakra control exquisite. His fundamentals were rock-solid.

"Let's see your limit, then," Orochimaru murmured, hands forming a seal. "Wind Style: Wind Cutter Technique!"

A blade of howling wind, sharp enough to sever flesh and bone, sliced through the air toward the streaking lightning.

Qianyu's foot stamped down on a protruding rock. He changed course, the wind blade passing harmlessly behind him. He kicked off a nearby tree, redirecting again, a relentless bolt homing in on its target.

"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"

A barrier of earth erupted in his path. Qianyu's blade cut through it without slowing. But on the other side, Orochimaru was already gone, having relocated with a Body Flicker.

The Sharingan tracked the new position instantly. Qianyu adjusted his charge, a living lightning rod seeking its ground.

Orochimaru watched the approaching streak. "You've patched one hole," he called out, his voice calm amidst the chaos, "but the core remains. You attack in a straight line. Every time. Your speed is impressive, but not beyond my reaction. Predicting you is trivial. If this is all you have, the result will never change."

As if to prove his point, he sidestepped another flashing draw-cut with ease.

"You said 'Sixfold,' correct?" Orochimaru continued, analyzing aloud. "Five directional changes so far. That leaves… one final attempt. Am I wrong?"

He wasn't. Qianyu's legs burned with a deep, needle-sharp agony. Sixfold was his current limit.

But if Orochimaru thought that was the whole plan, he was sorely mistaken. A faster, more predictable straight line—be it six, eight, or eighteen of them—was useless against someone who could simply step aside. Qianyu wasn't an idiot. He hadn't been charging mindlessly like a trained monkey for no reason.

This sixth and final charge… this was the kill shot.

Qianyu launched himself from one last tree, teeth gritted against the fire in his thighs.

Orochimaru's brow furrowed slightly. A flicker of movement—Qianyu's left hand had twitched as he pushed off the trunk. An unnecessary motion.

He understood why a second later.

The moment Qianyu left the tree, a sharp zing of tension echoed around Orochimaru. Something thin and viciously strong snapped tight across his limbs, his torso, pinning him in place.

In the stark, blue-white light of Qianyu's lightning, the bindings became visible.

Wire. Ninja wire.

The strategy clicked into place in Orochimaru's mind. Brilliant. Qianyu knew the raw speed of his technique couldn't guarantee a hit against a foe who could teleport away. The solution? Remove the option to dodge entirely.

During each of those tree-kicks, Qianyu had been secretly looping wire around the trunks. Conductive, resistant to the lightning's heat, nearly invisible against the dark forest floor at night. That final hand-twitch? Securing the prepared strands, using the insane velocity of his final Thunderclap and Flash to whip them around his target in an instant.

His appreciation for the boy spiked. To devise and execute such a tactic under pressure… Excellent combat intellect. Superb execution.

A flash of light. A clean, horizontal cut.

Orochimaru's head toppled from his shoulders and hit the ground with a dull thud.

Qianyu's own legs finally gave out. He crashed to the dirt, gasping, every muscle in his thighs screaming in protest.

Kill Orochimaru? The thought was laughable. The man was a legend of survival, with more backup plans than anyone in the world had a right to.

As if on cue, the headless corpse began to… writhe. It split open down the back, and a new Orochimaru, slick with viscous fluid, slithered out of the old skin like a snake shedding.

Great Snake Replacement Technique. No hand seals required. A perfect, instantaneous escape.

The Sannin walked calmly over to where Qianyu lay, looking down at him. "You continue to surprise me," he said, his voice a low, pleased hiss. "I retract my earlier comment about your adaptability. To conceive of that method and enact it so swiftly… Your decision-making and will to act are exemplary."

Gritting his teeth, Qianyu forced his trembling legs to obey. He pushed himself up, standing on shaky ground, hope blazing in his eyes. "Lord Orochimaru, then I…"

Orochimaru placed a hand on Qianyu's shoulder. The grip was firm, final. "After your graduation exam in four days, I will come for you. You may address me as your teacher now."

All pain vanished, forgotten. Qianyu's spine straightened instantly, his posture becoming rigid with respect. "Yes! Teacher Orochimaru!"

Orochimaru released his shoulder, gave a final, approving glance, and walked past him, melting into the shadows of the training ground.

As the adrenaline faded and the ache in his legs returned in full force, a fierce, quiet certainty settled in Qianyu's heart. Following this man… he would become strong. Truly strong.

A flicker of genuine, if cynical, gratitude surfaced. Thanks for the assist, old man. All those years of playing the obedient soldier for Hiruzen Sarutobi… maybe they were finally about to pay off.

~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~

Read up to (40+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on

Visit us here:patreon.com/GoldenLong

Happy reading, everyone!