With the sound of shuffling footsteps and tattered clothing, Orochimaru approached Uchiha Yuta with an calm demeanor. Uchiha Yuta's heart sank, and he instinctively took a step back, feeling a chilling sensation running down his spine. Even as an elite ninja, he couldn't help but be afraid!
It was hard to believe that just twenty minutes ago, his team had the upper hand, with three Jonin and five Chunin. Yet now, the powerful Uchiha Kaze was at the mercy of this devilish figure!
Why hadn't Orochimaru's chakra and stamina been exhausted? Could Yuta defeat him?
Yuta's chakra had already dipped below the warning line. As a Jonin, he wasn't known for having abundant chakra reserves. In fact, he had even released the three tomoe sharingan to save chakra!
If even skilled Jonin like Kaze with their illusions and the Sharingan had failed, what chance did his eyes have?!
As the mission failed and the situation was exposed, Uchiha Yuta knew his future looked grim, but he still didn't want to die. However, attempting to escape, he was met with the formidable earth wall reinforced by Orochimaru!
Bitterness welled up in Yuta's heart. He had initially treated Orochimaru's actions as a joke, but in just ten minutes, this sturdy earth wall had become an inescapable barrier!
"Do you still wish to run? Is the esteemed Uchiha Jonin truly afraid of a mere child?" Orochimaru, too, was in a dire state, and both were evenly matched.
But at this moment, the one whose aura would overpower the other's gaze would emerge victorious!
Having revealed his cowardice, Yuta was destined to lose!
"Give up! Be absorbed into my strength!" Orochimaru roared and lunged at Yuta, releasing the seals on his hand. Dozens of white snakes shot towards Yuta like white lightning!
Orochimaru was also running on fumes, leaving him with no choice but to use his final resort!
"Damn, I can't hold back anymore. This kid has too many tricks. I have to finish him in one strike." Yuta, having given up on the mission, no longer held back. He burned the last chakra within him, channeling his strong will to survive, unleashing the last reserves of his power in a surge of monstrous flames.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bomb!"
In an instant, the raging flames engulfed the confined space like a roaring ocean, reducing everything before it to ashes. Metal was melted by the intense heat, combustibles turned to fuel, and even the load-bearing columns began to crack, as this legendary Fire Style jutsu devoured everything in its path like an unimaginable flamethrower!
With a deafening "Boom!" the intended ceiling shattered under the immense pressure, and the scorching fire wave surged upward uncontrollably. The entire five-story hospital was filled with a massive blaze and billowing smoke, as all the windows shattered simultaneously, unable to conceal such a horrific scene!
In an instant, Konoha went from silent to noisy, as countless buildings were lit up by lights, and teams of ninjas rushed to the scene!
"What's happening?!" The village authorities, roused from their sleep, inquired angrily.
The third elder, who had returned home, felt a dreadful foreboding upon hearing the loud noise.
"Has the mission failed?" The Great Elder muttered to himself, sitting alone in his room.
Tobirama, looking at the distant flames, had a somber and icy expression. When he turned to bed, Tobirama was trembling with anger and flushed.
"Such a powerful Fire Style...! Uchiha! I'll never forgive you!" Tobirama raged as he looked at the burning hospital building. Even the Uchiha ninjas guarding outside were stunned, and the patients and medical staff who were under Uchiha's illusion were suddenly freed, shouting and crying in confusion.
"Oops! The mission is a failure. Retreat immediately." Several Chunin attempted to escape, but masked figures surrounded them, leaving the Uchiha ninjas with despair in their eyes.
At that moment, Yuta lay amid the wreckage, his clothes charred black, and his breath fading. Even the initiator of the Fire Style jutsu was affected in such a confined space. The flames had consumed all the air, resulting in an explosion that left the area riddled with holes, and thick smoke billowed outward, causing Yuta to cough incessantly.
He had given up on the idea of escape. The momentum was such that he was likely already surrounded by the outside world, and he no longer possessed the strength to run.
Surely, Orochimaru must be dead now, right? Yuta wanted to take another look!
Struggling to get up, Yuta staggered over to where Orochimaru had stood before. Pushing aside the smoke, he saw several icy and fractured snake corpses on the ground. These snakes seemed more like metallic constructs than living creatures, but under the intense heat, they melted, exploded, and turned black.
These must be the remnants of Orochimaru's last defensive measures, Yuta thought to himself.
Continuing his search, Yuta finally found Orochimaru's charred body among the pile of metal snake corpses!
Orochimaru's body was scorched black, almost unrecognizable, and his face obscured!
"Hahaha! You're finally dead!" Yuta laughed maniacally, resembling a gambler who had lost everything only to witness the casino being shut down by the authorities.
However, with a "stab" sound, Orochimaru's "corpse" was torn open from the inside, and a new Orochimaru emerged from the charred skin, swiftly impaling Yuta's heart with a kunai, much to Yuta's disbelief!
"You! How... how is this possible...!" Yuta stared at the panting Orochimaru and collapsed, unable to accept his fate.
"Huh... That was a close one!" Orochimaru's head spun as he felt his consciousness waning. His last use of the snake sloughing technique had nearly exhausted him. Fortunately, Yuta's death allowed a bright red brilliance to flow into his body, preventing him from fainting.
"After absorbing so much of that red energy, my chakra must have been restored due to becoming a Jonin!" Orochimaru realized that if it wasn't for this strange red energy, he would have certainly perished this time. He had underestimated Yuta's strength, the power of the Sharingan, and his luck in this battle.
It seemed he would need to take a more cautious approach in the future. This time, he had been too reckless.
Greedily eyeing Yuta's lifeless body, Orochimaru's desire for power intensified. That was the light known as "Ambition!"
"Now, it's time to harvest!" Orochimaru gritted his teeth and summoned a large snake.
Though depleted after the battle, Orochimaru's efforts were far from over. These sacrifices would be well worth it!
The massive snake opened its mouth and revealed a pile of corpses—the fallen Uchiha ninjas.
Anticipating such an outcome, Orochimaru had silently directed his snakes to devour the fallen ninjas during the battle. When the fire broke out, Orochimaru swiftly summoned the snakes to save his "spoils."
"Come forth! Be absorbed into my strength! Devour!"
Orochimaru roared, and countless white snakes poured out of his body, voraciously biting into the corpses, gnawing bones with their sharp teeth.
As more and more people surrounded the area, Orochimaru knew he had to hasten the process. At this moment, he revealed his most sinister and ugly aspect, as he devoured the fallen Uchiha ninjas, absorbing their power, and growing even stronger.
The cold and dark aura of Yin Release combined with the power of the Uchiha Bloodline—Orochimaru basked in the strength that surged through him. His body and chakra grew more potent, and even his depleted spirit revitalized and strengthened under the influence of the dark and chilling energy.
This was the power of the Yin Release! This was the might of the Uchiha Bloodline!
Orochimaru chuckled in satisfaction, realizing that many more people had arrived to surround him. He knew he had to act quickly to digest the power he had gained. And so, with greedy eyes fixed on Yuta's lifeless form, Orochimaru smiled with a sinister resolve—ready to continue his dark path of ambition.
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