Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Death Of Orochimaru
In an instant, three massive gates called Rashomon emerged in front of the wooden dragon. Each gate had a different shape and a wide-open mouth.
These Rashomon gates were Orochimaru's strongest defense technique at the moment.
Since the time of the First Hokage, only Orochimaru possessed the ability to use Rashomon.
However, Orochimaru could summon only three Rashomon gates, not reaching the maximum of five gates like the First Hokage.
Undeterred, Ryu commanded the Wood Dragon to attack without hesitation.
Boom!
The first Rashomon gate shattered instantly.
Quickly followed by the second and the third gates!
The so-called Rashomon gates proved no match for the mighty Wood Dragon. They only caused a momentary delay.
Seizing this opportunity, Orochimaru resorted to his last resort.
"Release of Ten Thousand Snakes!"
Countless snakes erupted from Orochimaru's unnaturally large mouth.
Hundreds... thousands... tens of thousands...
Soon, a vast sea of intertwined snakes formed, surging forward rapidly.
The power of this snake army surpassed Orochimaru's previous Multi-Snake Hands technique by hundreds of times!
Ryu watched in awe as the snakes engulfed everything in their path.
For a moment, it seemed as if the wooden dragon beneath him would be swallowed whole.
Ryu acknowledged Orochimaru's true strength, even after all these years. He understood the importance of not underestimating him.
Coincidentally, the reinforcements had arrived at the outskirts of the battlefield at that very moment. The faces of everyone from Konoha who witnessed this scene were filled with horror.
"So it really is Orochimaru," Nara Shikaku sighed helplessly. The immense sea of snakes made it nearly impossible to provide immediate assistance.
A sense of frustration appeared on Minato Namikaze's face. With Orochimaru surrounded by snakes, even his powerful Flying Thunder God Technique would struggle to reach the opponent quickly.
Beside him, Uchiha Fugaku activated his Mangekyou Sharingan, silently analyzing the situation. He contemplated his course of action if confronted with such a formidable challenge.
At that moment, Fugaku spoke up, "The Hokage will find a way to handle this. Remember, he possesses the power of Wood Release!"
Yes!
Wood Release!
As children who grew up listening to tales of legendary ninja gods and whose parents witnessed the First Hokage's mastery of Wood Release, the Konoha ninjas felt a surge of excitement and hope for this long-lost but revered power.
All eyes turned to Ryu, and he didn't disappoint.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Bloom!"
Even with his renowned chakra reserves, Ryu felt the strain after using multiple ninjutsu consecutively. Employing the upgraded version of "Wood Release: Deep Forest Bloom!" showcased the true limitations of his chakra for the first time.
But the impact was evident to all.
Just like before, the dormant trees burst out of the ground, growing rapidly.
However, this time, a new development took place. Beautiful flowers bloomed on every tree.
Controlled by Ryu, the petals swiftly opened, releasing a cloud of poisonous pollen into the air.
This powerful technique, previously capable of stunning Uchiha Madara, now had the ability to easily incapacitate even a massive sea of snakes.
In an instant, the hissing ceased, and the terrifying Snake Sea fell silent. The entire battlefield grew still.
Without hesitation, the wooden dragon beneath Ryu's feet sprang into action.
Crushing countless snakes without encountering resistance, the wooden dragon swung its tail and ensnared Orochimaru, who had fallen into a temporary coma due to the pollen.
At that moment, it seemed as though the battle was nearing its end.
"Now, Orochimaru, do you still intend to resist?" Ryu inquired, lowering the dragon's head.
Orochimaru, regaining consciousness after his body modifications, felt the firm restraint around him. Upon hearing Ryu's familiar voice, he grasped the situation. He sneered and remarked, "Resist from a corner? Even if I were captured without a fight, do you believe the Konoha Prison can hold me, Mr. Ryu?"
Shaking his head, Ryu responded, "With your abilities, it won't be long before you escape imprisonment. So, Orochimaru, won't you consider pleading guilty?"
"Plead guilty? No, no, no!" Orochimaru's face remained devoid of remorse, even in this situation. He continued sarcastically, "I have never believed that I am at fault. The pursuit of truth has always followed the same path throughout history. The unwavering dedication of individuals is indispensable. And you, the Fourth Hokage, possessing powers as remarkable as Wood Release, seem trapped within mortal limitations! Like the First Hokage, you possess immense potential but fail to unleash it. In the end, you will meet your demise like any ordinary mortal. It's truly a pity! It's truly abhorrent!" The mind of a crazed scientist.
Once Ryu had made up his mind about Orochimaru, he composed himself and spoke with determination, saying, "I understand what is your thinking. Now, it's time for my final decision."
"As the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, I hereby sentence Orochimaru, the betrayer of our village... to death!"
When traitors are caught in the ninja world, execution is the only punishment they face.
Not every rebel is like Uchiha Sasuke, and there's no one like Uzumaki Naruto around to influence them.
If the Third Hokage were here, Orochimaru might have had a chance to survive.
But since it was Ryu who apprehended Orochimaru, he wouldn't let such a major threat go free.
With a calm expression, Ryu stretched out his hand, causing a section of the wooden dragon wrapped around Orochimaru to shrink suddenly. This accelerated the absorption of Orochimaru's remaining chakra.
The Wood Dragon Technique itself has the power to absorb chakra.
Once a ninja's chakra is completely drained, they will die.
This method of dealing with Orochimaru not only shows respect for someone who once made great contributions to Konoha and held the title of the Third Hokage, but it also ensures that Orochimaru can't escape using his tricky substitution techniques.
Although Ryu doesn't fully understand those secret techniques, he knows that they require chakra to work.
Without chakra, no matter how amazing a technique is, it's useless.
In Orochimaru's case, his chakra visibly diminishes before their eyes, and his own life force weakens.
Strangely, Orochimaru remains silent throughout, but wears a mysterious smirk on his face.
After ten breaths, the wooden dragon can no longer absorb chakra, and Orochimaru ceases to breathe.
The wooden dragon released its grip.
As Ryu looked at Orochimaru lying motionless on the ground, he finally confirmed that his opponent was truly dead, without summoning another newcomer from his body as he had done before.
Is this really the end?
So plain and simple?
Ryu couldn't help but feel a surreal sensation.
Even though he had killed Orochimaru himself, the evidence was right in front of his eyes.
In this world, no one understood better than Ryu the immense impact Orochimaru would have on the entire ninja world in the future.
The latter's perfected Reanimation Jutsu, based on the Second Hokage alone, completely changed the dynamics of the Fourth Great Ninja War.
And let's not forget Orochimaru's astonishing resilience, having died countless times and still returning.
To the point that even if Ryu were to kill Orochimaru with his own hands right now, he couldn't guarantee that Orochimaru wouldn't appear before him later, alive and kicking, defying all expectations.
But... that shouldn't be the case.
After all, the current Orochimaru is still years away from developing techniques like the Undead Reincarnation and Curse Seal.
With this in mind, Ryu nodded to himself, pushing aside those unnecessary thoughts.
Overall, the plan was a success, a resounding achievement.
Now, it's time to reap the rewards from the system announcements.
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