Chapitre 74: Chapter 74: Orochimaru Marks Sasuke, Naruto Takes His First Blood

Orochimaru felt a headache building as the irritating voice echoed in his ears, making his already fragile patience wear thin.

Naruto, realizing that his weapon had been caught, freed up one hand and made a lunge for Orochimaru's lower body.

Smack—

Quick as ever, Orochimaru intercepted Naruto's attack, grabbing the incoming fist. Now he held the door in one hand, while the other hand clenched tightly around Naruto's wrist.

The stalemate had begun.

Orochimaru had initially planned to fling this cocky brat away, but to his surprise, the kid's strength was immense. He had to use every bit of his power to hold him back, veins bulging in his neck from the effort.

Naruto gritted his teeth in frustration. The fact that his attacks were easily blocked was getting on his nerves. If only Orochimaru hadn't grabbed him, he could've used his signature flying headbutt. But with this distance, he needed some external force to break the deadlock.

Orochimaru's snake-like eyes locked onto Naruto, just as he prepared to extend his neck and bite the brat. However, before he could act, Naruto yelled out unexpectedly:

"Damn it! You dirty snake…"

"You call this a challenge?!"

Hooo—Thooo!

A thick glob of spit, mixed with saliva, shot out of Naruto's mouth. Orochimaru, caught off guard, turned his face instinctively—just in time to catch the disgusting projectile right on his cheek. The yellow-brown spit stuck his hair and face together in a disgusting mess.

His expression shifted from shock to pure rage.

"You've triggered me, haven't you?"

The words echoed in Orochimaru's mind like a taunt, finally breaking his infamous calm. For the first time in years, he felt a surge of fury bubbling up from deep within.

"You little..."

"You..."

Not far off, Sasuke had been running over to help, but Naruto's outburst caused him to pause. Did Naruto just spit on Orochimaru?

Seeing Naruto's 'water style,' Sasuke felt his brain freeze for a moment. There was no way this guy had mastered such an absurd technique.

Orochimaru's fury fueled his strength, and with a sudden burst of power, he managed to push Naruto back. His neck elongated like a snake's, aiming for Naruto's neck, about to sink his teeth in.

Naruto's eyes widened. He instantly retracted the door, causing Orochimaru to stagger from the sudden loss of resistance.

Taking advantage of the moment, Naruto equipped his Netherworld Alloy Gauntlets and dashed forward, launching a flurry of punches into Orochimaru's chest.

But something was off. There was no blood.

Orochimaru's figure started to distort, warping and twisting unnaturally before melting into a puddle of sludge on the ground.

"Damn it!"

Naruto cursed as he realized he'd been duped. These crafty ninjas were always one step ahead.

Swoosh—

Before he could process the fake-out, a giant snake emerged from the shadows, its foul stench filling the air as it lunged at Naruto and swallowed him whole.

"Earth Style: Head-Hunting Jutsu."

From his hidden position, Orochimaru attacked Sasuke, who had been charging forward to help.

Sasuke felt his footing sink and instantly recognized the technique—he'd been on the receiving end of this move many times during Kakashi's training sessions.

Without missing a beat, Sasuke's body shifted as he performed a swift side roll, gripping his massive sword, the Executioner's Blade, before slamming it into the ground.

Inwardly, Sasuke couldn't help but smirk.

Over the past few months, he had visualized countering this very move countless times. Now, at last, he had the chance to execute it perfectly. He was 100% sure that this time, he'd turn the tables on his opponent.

Bam—

A shadow flickered in front of Sasuke, cutting off his attack. Orochimaru grabbed Sasuke's hair and followed with a brutal knee strike. Without pause, he continued to assault Sasuke with punches and kicks, disorienting him.

Though caught off-guard, Sasuke eventually managed to use his Sharingan to predict the strikes. He quickly blocked with his blade, retaliating by smashing the handle into Orochimaru's face.

The blow tore Orochimaru's disguise, revealing his true face.

Orochimaru retreated, a frown settling on his features. How was Sasuke, a mere teenager, able to withstand his relentless attacks?

Across from him, Sasuke wiped the blood from his mouth, showing no sign of fatigue. In fact, he seemed... invincible.

The Executioner's Blade was incredible!

Sasuke had noticed during the fight that the more he used the sword to block and counterattack, the faster his chakra and injuries recovered. His Sharingan glowed brighter than ever as a newfound determination surged within him.

Orochimaru, too, felt excitement bubbling up inside him. Sasuke's body was perfect, an ideal vessel. He had to obtain it.

As the two faced off in tense silence, a series of explosions rang out around them, deafening in their intensity.

Purple portals began to appear one after another as Naruto emerged, cursing under his breath.

"Stupid snake!"

"Doesn't your kind know not to put everything in their mouth?!"

Naruto had just been swallowed whole by a massive snake, but he quickly retaliated by planting an obscene amount of TNT inside the creature. He'd even summoned a clone for a self-detonating explosion.

And then he'd simply opened a portal and walked out, leaving the beast to its fate.

"Well, well, this is unexpected. I didn't think the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki would have a space-time bloodline."

Orochimaru's anger momentarily faded as he marveled at Naruto's abilities. It seemed this brat had inherited the Fourth Hokage's space-time techniques, a rare mutation in the bloodline.

Naruto, however, looked like he was about to explode. Mentioning his father always brought up a sore subject—Flying Thunder God was something he still couldn't figure out. And he was supposed to be a "natural" at space-time ninjutsu?

Even the old man Hokage had been pestering him about when he'd learn it.

So annoying!

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a look, and in the next moment, a swarm of purple portals flooded the battlefield.

Sasuke wasted no time pulling out a scroll of sealing tags and hurling a barrage of shuriken and kunai, each attached to explosive tags.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

With a mighty breath, Sasuke sent flames roaring toward Orochimaru, igniting the explosive tags and engulfing the battlefield in fire.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Bam, bam, bam—

Naruto created a thousand clones, all activating his Blood Burst Technique and appearing around Orochimaru.

The sheer volume of clones and projectiles overwhelmed Orochimaru, giving him no time to react. By the time the real Naruto appeared before him, Orochimaru finally realized how grave the situation had become.

Sasuke had also moved into position behind him.

With a door raised high in Naruto's hands and the Executioner's Blade ready to strike from Sasuke, the duo attacked simultaneously, their speed too great for Orochimaru to counter.

Thud—

Two sickening sounds echoed as Orochimaru's head rolled to the ground, and Sasuke's sword plunged into his chest.

Under normal circumstances, one would assume Orochimaru had met his end.

But Naruto wasn't so sure.

This was Orochimaru—the hardest person to kill in the ninja world. There was no way he'd go down so easily.

Sasuke stared at the still body for a while before finally asking, "Is it over?"

"Not quite..." Naruto muttered, pulling out several bundles of TNT and placing them next to Orochimaru's body.

Just as he was about to light the fuse, Orochimaru's severed head spoke, sending chills down their spines.

"I am Orochimaru... If you seek true power, come find me..."

Before Orochimaru could finish his sentence, Naruto dashed forward and kicked the head away, not giving it a chance to deliver any more ominous messages.

He knew it!

Orochimaru wasn't dead yet!

Kicking his head away had to stop him from marking Sasuke... right?

But in that brief moment of distraction, Orochimaru's headless body emerged from the ground and, with terrifying speed, bit Sasuke's neck, planting a cursed seal before slithering away.

Sasuke felt a sharp pain in his neck, followed by a sudden wave of weakness spreading through his limbs.