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“That hateful chakra… it’s the Nine-Tails?”
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up, his gaze directed towards the Forest of Death.
Naruto Uzumaki, having entered a partial Tailed Beast state, radiated the Nine-Tails’s chakra so intensely that it could be felt far away, covering a vast distance.
Besides, Hiruzen had been keeping an eye on the Chūnin Exams situation anyway.
Without further thought, Hiruzen immediately headed towards the Forest of Death. He absolutely couldn’t allow another Nine-Tails incident.
Konoha, in its current state, truly couldn’t withstand another rampage from the Nine-Tails. If it happened again, Konoha might fall to the bottom of the Five Great Villages.
While Hiruzen rushed towards the Forest of Death, Orochimaru was already clashing with the six-tailed Naruto.
Naruto swiped at Orochimaru with claws formed from the Nine-Tails’s chakra. These claws were as sharp as divine weapons.
Orochimaru quickly raised his Kusanagi Blade to block.
The moment they clashed, Orochimaru’s expression changed. The terrifying force was more than he could handle; he was sent flying backward.
After knocking Orochimaru back, the Tailed Beast Naruto vanished in a blur, reappearing instantly behind Orochimaru. His claws tore a hole straight through Orochimaru’s abdomen.
‘You stabbed Sasuke; I’ll put a hole in you.’
Well, actually, the Tailed Beast Naruto had no consciousness, fighting purely on instinct.
However, it was precisely this instinct that allowed him to easily suppress Orochimaru. Fighting purely on instinct was often more effective than conscious thought.
Despite the gaping hole in his abdomen, Orochimaru didn’t die. His Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique came into play.
Using his outer body as a substitute, his true form slithered out from the mouth of the original body—a completely unharmed Orochimaru emerged.
——
“Disgusting! I almost couldn’t stop myself from attacking him.”
When Orochimaru used his Body Replacement Technique, Kushina almost couldn’t resist attacking the repulsive Sannin.
“Why are all his Jutsu so gross?”
Kushina felt that Orochimaru’s jutsu were progressively more revolting.
Summoning dense swarms of snakes was bad enough. Now, this Body Replacement Technique was even more nauseating.
“Though it’s crude and disgusting, his substitution technique is powerful. It can save his life in critical moments.”
Shin commented. Orochimaru’s substitution jutsu was probably the strongest of its kind, bar none.
Regardless of how disgusting it was, practicality was paramount for a ninja. Ninja generally didn’t care about such things.
Well, except for Kushina, and Shin himself.
Although Shin acknowledged the effectiveness of the Body Replacement Technique, he had no desire to learn it. Besides, he didn’t need it.
Shin now pursued elegance. Such disgusting techniques? He definitely wouldn’t touch them; they’d ruin his image.
“ROAR!”
The Tailed Beast Naruto let out a low growl, then gathered Yin and Yang chakra, preparing to fire a Tailed Beast Ball.
Even in a partial Tailed Beast state, not fully transformed, he could still use the Tailed Beast Ball.
“<Summoning Technique: Triple Rashōmon!>”
The Triple Rashōmon—a summoning technique. The complete version was likely the Five-Layer Rashōmon, a jutsu belonging to the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
It wasn’t surprising Orochimaru knew this. After all, he had even obtained the Edo Tensei technique; learning the Five-Layer Rashōmon wasn’t out of the question.
Orochimaru’s strength wasn’t sufficient, however, so he could only summon three gates.
The Triple Rashōmon was meant to block the Tailed Beast Ball. Unfortunately, Naruto’s current attack power was too high.
Honestly, Orochimaru would have struggled against a four-tailed Naruto at this point, let alone a six-tailed one.
The Triple Rashōmon was shattered. In Hashirama Senju’s hands, it easily blocked Tailed Beast Balls. In Orochimaru’s hands, it failed.
——
“He can only summon the Triple Rashōmon?” Kushina couldn’t help but scorn Orochimaru.
“Well, this Jutsu consumes a lot of chakra. It’s normal that Orochimaru can’t use its full form,” Shin explained. The stronger the jutsu, the more chakra it consumed. The power also varied depending on the amount of chakra used.
“Is he dead?” Kushina asked, looking at the dust-covered area. The Triple Rashōmon hadn’t blocked the Tailed Beast Ball.
“No. Orochimaru won’t be killed that easily. He has too many survival techniques. But the outcome of this battle is already decided. Orochimaru is no match.”
Shin knew Orochimaru still had trump cards up his sleeve, but even if he used them, he likely couldn’t defeat the six-tailed Naruto.
‘At this stage, for Naruto Uzumaki to unleash such strong Tailed Beast chakra… I wonder if his body can withstand it.’
Shin looked at Naruto, cloaked in the Tailed Beast garment. Naruto currently had no consciousness—When he woke up, the damage to his body would surely be significant. But he wouldn’t die; after all, he possessed Uzumaki blood.
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“The Nine-Tails’ power is truly immense. But once I obtain the Sharingan, I’ll control it!”
Orochimaru looked wretchedly at the distant Naruto Uzumaki.
This place is not suitable to stay long.
Even if he used all his trump cards, including the Eight Branches Technique, Orochimaru wasn’t absolutely confident he could win.
Since victory wasn’t assured, staying here was a waste of time. Better to leave quickly.
Besides, the commotion—the Tailed Beast Ball attack—had shaken the entire Forest of Death. It must have attracted Konoha’s attention.
His teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was probably already on his way.
Quickly approaching Sasuke Uchiha, Orochimaru bit Sasuke’s neck, planting the Cursed Seal on him, then swiftly departed.
Sasuke Uchiha had fainted earlier, but the pain from Orochimaru’s bite and the Cursed Seal jolted him awake.
“Sasuke-kun, I await the day you come find me. I can give you the power for revenge. Staying in Konoha will lead you nowhere.”
After leaving these parting words, Orochimaru vanished without a trace.
“Revenge?” Hearing those words, Sasuke felt the excruciating pain become somewhat bearable.
——
Meanwhile, Naruto Uzumaki swayed unsteadily and collapsed to the ground, the Tailed Beast chakra completely dissipating.
the Nine-Tails, residing within Naruto Uzumaki, roared in fury.
So close! So close to breaking the seal! But at the critical moment, Naruto Uzumaki couldn’t hold on and fainted.
If the Nine-Tails could attack Naruto, it would definitely beat him to death. the Nine-Tails itself harbored immense hatred for its Jinchūriki.
Especially at this time. Later, the Nine-Tails and Naruto would build trust and cooperate. But right now, the Nine-Tails wanted nothing more than to tear Naruto Uzumaki apart.
Shin glanced at the unconscious Naruto Uzumaki, then his gaze shifted to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had just arrived.
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