Chapter 45: Snake and Scorpion (Part 2)
Although Orochimaru's expression didn't change after hearing Sasori's words, a glint of cold killing intent flickered in his eyes.
As one of the Legendary Sannin, his status in the ninja world was beyond question. While he acknowledged that Sasori was on par with him in terms of strength, to be spoken to in such a commanding tone—as if his life were already forfeit—filled him with seething fury.
"Oh? Then I'd like to see for myself just how formidable the famed Sasori of the Red Sand really is." Orochimaru licked his lips with his serpent-like tongue, a smile playing across his face.
Sasori showing up on his doorstep gave him the perfect opportunity to test the limits of his new body after rebirth and the implantation of the Dual Polarity Cursed Seal.
However, Orochimaru remained cautious of the man standing silently beside Sasori—the one with a mysterious ocular kekkei genkai. It wasn't just the air of overwhelming power surrounding him that put Orochimaru on edge, but also the deference Sasori had shown toward this man.
"So, will the two of you come at me together, or one at a time?" Orochimaru asked, probing for more information. While he was confident in handling Sasori alone, if the other man was of equal or even greater power, retreat might be the wiser option.
Sasori, controlling his puppet body Hiruko, took a few steps forward and said coldly, "I alone will be enough."
Before his words had fully settled, the scorpion-like tail protruding from Hiruko's back suddenly lashed out toward Orochimaru, the stinger gleaming with a deadly black sheen—clearly poisoned.
No one in the ninja world dared take Sasori's poisons lightly, not even Orochimaru. With a swift motion, he dodged the incoming strike and surged forward toward Hiruko.
"Hiruko: Senbon Barrage!"
The puppet's mouth opened wide, launching a torrential rain of poisonous senbon needles. Yet Orochimaru clasped his hands together, and his body twisted and slithered with unnatural grace—like a snake dancing through a storm. He evaded every needle with eerie precision, unharmed.
Just as Sasori began to retreat to gain distance, four massive brown serpents erupted from the ground beneath Hiruko, biting down with vice-like grips and pinning the puppet in place.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Spears!"
Orochimaru completed a set of hand signs, and sharp earthen spikes jutted up from the ground, impaling Hiruko clean through.
But despite the apparent victory, Orochimaru's expression remained neutral. He quickly realized what he had just destroyed was only a sand clone.
In the split second of the attack, Sasori had retrieved Hiruko into a summoning scroll and left a sand clone behind to mislead Orochimaru—then used a stealth jutsu to escape.
"As expected of Sasori of the Red Sand... You're not so easy to kill," Orochimaru said, turning around to face Sasori, who had now revealed his true form.
Though Sasori was well into his thirties, he had transformed his own body into a human puppet after leaving Sunagakure. No longer aging, he maintained the appearance of a teenage boy.
Knowing full well that he couldn't hold back, Sasori pulled out a scroll marked with the kanji for "Three." With a burst of white smoke, a blue-haired man in a gray cloak appeared at his side—a human puppet with a cold, regal bearing.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as he studied the puppet, and recognition dawned. His pupils shrank in shock.
"The Third Kazekage?! So the mystery behind his disappearance during the Third Great Ninja War... it was you, Sasori!"
The disappearance of the Third Kazekage had been the catalyst for the Third Great Ninja War. Until the war ended, no one had known his fate. Now, with Sasori revealing his prized puppet, the truth was self-evident.
But the shock didn't last long. Orochimaru's expression shifted to one of intrigue as he licked his lips again.
"Magnet Release… I've always wanted to study that kekkei genkai myself."
Sasori replied with a blank expression, his voice now that of a boy: "Then consider this your chance."
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
"Thousand Hands Manipulation!"
And thus, the true clash began.
Orochimaru's right hand suddenly erupted with dozens of brown venomous snakes, lunging at Sasori and the Third Kazekage puppet. In response, the puppet extended a mass of mechanical arms from its right side.
The two jutsu collided, but Orochimaru's serpents were clearly outmatched—shredded instantly by the sheer power and force of the puppet's mechanical limbs.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!"
The Third Kazekage puppet's jaw opened wide, unleashing a downpour of black iron sand that rained heavily toward Orochimaru's position.
Magnet Release and Iron Sand were the unique kekkei genkai of the Third Kazekage. Refined through chakra, this iron sand was not only incredibly heavy but devastatingly destructive—far surpassing ordinary Sand Release techniques. This was precisely why the Third Kazekage was considered the most powerful Kazekage in history.
Once the iron sand entered an opponent's body, it inflicted excruciating pain and allowed the Kazekage to disrupt their chakra flow—effectively neutralizing their combat capabilities.
Facing the overwhelming might of this technique, Orochimaru didn't dare underestimate it. He immediately formed hand seals to summon a powerful defensive ninjutsu.
"Summoning: Rashomon!"
With a thunderous boom, a massive demonic gate burst from the ground in front of Orochimaru, bearing the twisted visage of an oni.
The puppet's iron sand rain and mechanical limbs slammed into the gate. Though Rashomon held for a moment, the relentless assault soon shattered it, sending the gate toppling to the ground.
But the time it bought was enough.
Using the brief cover from the Rashomon gate, Orochimaru slipped to Sasori's flank. His hands blurred through seals, and his body transformed into dozens of pale, arm-thick snakes, all striking toward Sasori with terrifying precision.
"Something's wrong with this jutsu!"
From the sidelines, Pain's Rinnegan saw through the true nature of Orochimaru's attack instantly.
But Sasori, lacking such a dojutsu, couldn't perceive the deception hidden within the technique.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Barrier!"
The puppet soared into the sky and unleashed an enormous wave of black iron sand, forming countless razor-sharp spears that expanded outward like a net—blanketing the entire battlefield.
To Sasori's shock, Orochimaru's serpents passed through the iron sand as if they had no physical form.
It was too late to dodge.
The swarm of snakes latched onto Sasori's body, biting down fiercely. Wherever they struck, his puppet body began to freeze—ice rapidly spreading until he was completely encased in a thick block of ice.
Orochimaru had used a technique called Phantom Snake Substitution—a genjutsu-based clone art developed through joint research with Yusuke. While Yusuke used crows as his medium, Orochimaru employed snakes.
Because the clone had no true physical body, it was bizarre and difficult to detect, making it a perfect trap for first-time opponents. Unless one could uncover the trick behind the technique, they'd be left at its mercy.
"A genjutsu-based clone fused with Ice Release? I've never heard of Orochimaru possessing an ice kekkei genkai..."
Even Pain, expressionless as ever, was puzzled. He had no prior knowledge of Orochimaru having any ice-related abilities.
What he couldn't have known was that Orochimaru was no longer using his original body. Through a forbidden technique, he had transferred his soul into the body of a young ninja born with the Ice Release bloodline limit.
Stepping out from within the frozen block that now held Sasori's body captive, Orochimaru was confident—his Ice Release should have completely sealed Sasori's true form.
He was just about to claim the Third Kazekage puppet floating in midair when it suddenly launched a black iron spear from its mouth, forcing Orochimaru to dodge with a sharp hiss.
"That shouldn't be possible…"
His eyes narrowed. The real Sasori was sealed inside the ice, and the puppet should be without a controller. So how is it still moving?
Orochimaru's gaze swept the area—and then, he saw it.
"There!"
A cloaked figure was hidden behind a large tree, chakra threads clearly visible as they manipulated the puppet.
At the last moment before being sealed, Sasori had released a new puppet body, and his soul's core—the Regeneration Core—had transferred into it, narrowly escaping defeat.
"Sasori, let me handle this."
Pain raised his hand, stopping Sasori from continuing the fight. He had seen enough. Though brief, the earlier exchange had clearly tipped in Orochimaru's favor. Pain didn't believe Sasori could win alone.
"Tch."
Sasori clicked his tongue but said no more. Orochimaru turned to face Pain.
Without warning, his body elongated and snapped forward—appearing before Pain in the blink of an eye.
"Those eyes… I'll be taking them!"
Though Orochimaru had never seen eyes like Pain's before, instinct told him they were incredibly rare—far from ordinary.
Pain, still expressionless, raised his hand.
"Shinra Tensei."
A massive wave of repulsive force slammed into Orochimaru, flinging him backward like a ragdoll. But due to his modified, almost boneless body, the impact caused little real damage.
As he stumbled to his feet, still dazed, Pain calmly extended his right hand.
"Banshō Ten'in."
An irresistible gravitational force pulled Orochimaru back the way he came. Yet his instincts and experience kicked in.
With a flash of hand seals, he once again activated Phantom Snake Substitution. His body split into dozens of pale snakes, fangs bared, all rushing toward Pain.
As they surged forward, each serpent bore Orochimaru's twisted visage.
Pain remained still. From the sleeve of his left arm, a thin black rod extended.
"Die."
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