Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Death of Orochimaru
Orochimaru's expression was grim.
Staring at the corpse, he gritted his teeth and uttered, "The operation is over..."
"Let's go back!"
He was exhausted, barely able to muster any chakra.
Two sound ninjas lifted him and leaped away.
The Anbu immediately pursued, "Don't think you can escape!"
A male ninja with six arms turned in mid-air, spitting out a web that spread over them.
Caught off guard, the Anbu were bound tightly.
Kunai slashes were ineffective, wrapped in mucus, sinking deeper.
They were anxious, watching Orochimaru flee.
A chant echoed in their ears.
"Ye lord!"
"Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!"
"Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!"
"Hadō #31. Shakkahō (赤火砲, Red Fire Cannon)."
They turned around.
Naruto raised his hand, his expression calm, the words flowing from his mouth.
His intonation was elegant yet chilling.
In his palm, a ball of orange-red fire formed, hot and bright.
It was released, flying swiftly.
The web burned to ashes with a hiss before it even touched the fireball.
One of the four, a fat man, stepped forward.
Clapping his hands, he performed a summoning technique, and a massive earth golem appeared out of thin air.
It served as a barrier, protecting them.
But it couldn't stop the seemingly small fireball.
The fire burned, melting the mud, dripping away.
In the blink of an eye, the golem vanished in a puff of white smoke.
The cannon's power was hardly diminished.
The fat man gritted his teeth, stepping forward to resist.
With a loud explosion, a surge of air erupted.
The people he protected were disrupted, forced to land.
Naruto used Shunpo, catching up to them from behind, "I haven't said you can leave."
The few who still wanted to escape.
Their steps suddenly grew heavy.
Something shackled their ankles, rooting them to the ground.
A technique?
No...
This wasn't a technique.
The fallen fat man stared at Naruto in horror.
Just the aura emanating from this blond boy rendered them immobile.
What a terrifying monster!
"Naruto-kun." Orochimaru turned back, his face no longer playful but twisted and grim, "Are you so eager to avenge the Third Hokage?"
"He did a lot to wrong you."
Naruto slowly drew his sword, "What is the technique that extracts souls from the dead, hand it over."
"You're interested in that technique?" Orochimaru was surprised, then chuckled, "Do you want to use it to see your parents?"
"If so, Naruto-kun, we can make a deal."
He eyed Naruto's sword, recalling the burning pain in his chest, just like the feeling of having his hands cut off.
It was a technique that could harm the soul.
Perhaps...
By understanding it, he could restore his hands.
Naruto shook his head in disgust, "I will never trade with a sinner who plays with souls."
"Besides..."
"Orochimaru, what makes you think you have the leverage to negotiate?"
"Do you still have that capability?"
Orochimaru's face was solemn as he glanced at his crippled hands.
If not for this seal... he might have had a chance to escape.
Losing the ability to form seals.
A ninja becomes almost useless.
That technique which didn't require seals, only chanting incantations...
If only he knew it.
"Don't think of harming Orochimaru-sama." A struggling shout came from the side.
Accompanied by a strange chakra fluctuation.
Three tall humanoid creatures.
They were insignificant.
Naruto's gaze skipped over them.
The female ninja with pink hair underwent a transformation—her skin darkened, white horns sprouted from her head, and her aura underwent a dramatic change. Not only did her chakra become significantly more powerful, but she was also enveloped by a more chaotic, frenzied, and higher-level energy.
It was this power that allowed her to stand up under her own pressure.
From an ordinary elite Chunin, she leaped to the level of Jonin.
What is this?
She wasn't the only one who could use this peculiar power.
A ninja who grew an extra head underwent the same transformation and stood alongside Tayuya to block Naruto's path.
The six-armed ninja grabbed Orochimaru and retreated quickly.
The large ninja wanted to help protect Orochimaru's retreat, but due to his severe injuries, he had no choice but to stay behind, activating the same state in an attempt to block Naruto.
The six-armed ninja moved swiftly.
His abilities were strange.
The Anbu who tried to interfere were helpless against his web.
Orochimaru looked back, staring fixedly in the direction of the battlefield.
But after turning a corner, he could no longer see it.
"The Curse Mark" is one of his proudest research achievements, capable of making an ordinary ninja explode with immense power in an instant.
But could such power allow the three of them to hold off Naruto long enough for him to escape?
He pondered this.
The six-armed ninja carrying him suddenly stopped, throwing him forward due to inertia, causing him to fall heavily to the ground.
As he rolled, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye.
A dark red blade pierced his heart.
Lightning flickered.
Silently, one strike killed him.
The six-armed ninja didn't even sense Naruto's approach.
"Is that all Jirobo and the others could delay you?" Orochimaru marveled.
"Speak." Naruto brandished his sword, raising his other hand, "What is that technique?"
"How do you manipulate the souls of the dead?"
As he spoke, he raised his hand, forgoing the incantation.
"Bakudō #30. Shitotsu Sansen (嘴突三閃, Beak-Piercing Triple Beam)."
Three sharp golden beams shot out, pinning Orochimaru's feet and abdomen, immobilizing him on the ground.
"This is bad." Orochimaru lifted his head, straining, "I haven't been forced to such a point in a long time."
"If I give you that technique, will you let me go?"
Naruto didn't reply, just raised his sword, aiming at his throat.
Orochimaru chuckled, studying the person before him.
Escape was impossible.
Substitution or clones wouldn't work either.
This blond kid's perception was terrifyingly strong.
He didn't want to kill him immediately.
He couldn't afford to fall into the hands of Konoha, into the hands of Danzo.
Given this, he had only one option.
Suddenly, he opened his mouth, and instead of a tongue, a brown snake emerged, biting a sharp, cold blade.
Naruto slashed.
But unexpectedly, the blade wasn't aimed at him.
Instead, it was aimed at...
Orochimaru himself.
The brown snake twisted, and the long sword pierced its owner's heart.
With all his strength, he stared at Naruto with his golden vertical pupils: "This broken body can't escape from you."
"But Naruto."
"We will meet again."
"As for that technique..."
"Naruto-kun, perhaps you will find it."
Blood flowed, soaking his body, and his aura and chakra rapidly declined.
Naruto frowned at the rapidly deteriorating corpse.
The shell was empty, devoid of a soul.
There was no other sign of Orochimaru's presence fleeing.
It wasn't a "fake death" or "substitution" technique.
And those words...
"We will meet again."
Orochimaru didn't know he was a Shinigami.
So...
Did he still possess a technique to "revive" himself?
Such decisiveness.
Realizing Naruto wouldn't kill him, only seal him, he chose to end himself without hesitation.
Preferring death to revealing the technique.
Or rather, preferring death to being captured by Konoha?
The Anbu arrived, standing far behind Naruto, unable to approach due to his lingering aura.
They were even more shocked by the pierced corpse.
The "S" rank rogue ninja of Konoha.
The mastermind behind this incident.
The culprit who killed the Third Hokage.
Orochimaru died in front of Naruto.
Naruto sheathed his sword and turned back to look at them calmly.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— 100 Advance Chapters!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone