Gazing calmly in the direction where Orochimaru was blasted away by Kaio, Yu took a step forward, followed by the two stunned kids who swallowed hard and caught up.
Upon reaching Orochimaru's location, they saw a huge hole blasted through Orochimaru's body by Kaio, with his neck elongated like a snake.
"Ugh..."
A sound of vomiting came, and on the ground, the twisted and dead Orochimaru widened his mouth, from which another sticky Orochimaru crawled out, seemingly intact and uninjured.
"So disgusting..."
Seeing this scene, Haku couldn't help but frown.
Is Orochimaru using the Substitution Jutsu?
Gazing at the newly appeared Orochimaru, Yu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Although it looked extremely disgusting, he knew it was a kind of almost perfect advanced Substitution Jutsu, using an external body as a substitution, transferring out of the mouth, far more practical than any other Substitution Jutsu.
"Sure enough... you've turned the body of the Hidden Cloud's Third Raikage into a puppet..."
"And you've even retained his NinTaijutsu perfectly, what a genius idea..."
Staring intently at Kaio, who was draped in a black cloak behind Yu, they only saw the brand-new Orochimaru stand up from the ground, his face bearing his iconic sinister smile.
"A body modified by Soft Tissue Transformation, coupled with the disgusting Substitution Jutsu..."
"I have to say, Orochimaru Senpai, you truly are an indestructible foul serpent..."
As he looked at the almost unscathed Orochimaru standing again before him, Yu slightly furrowed his brow, using Parasitic Threads Manipulation on Kaio, Tyrant, Michael, and Toshogun, the four Devil Puppets, to surround himself, Haku, and Kimimaro in the middle.
Indeed, as the only villain in the ninja world who could laugh his way to the end, Orochimaru's combat power might be lacking in the later stages, but his means of staying alive were unmatched by anyone.
"Soft Tissue Transformation, which is sufficient to offset the vast majority of physical attacks, Orochimaru's Substitution Jutsu that renders him virtually invincible as long as his Chakra is abundant, and the Immortality Jutsu, which forcibly occupies a body by transferring the soul into another's shell even after his death.
Even if Orochimaru dies, as long as the cursed seal exists, he can infinitely resurrect through the cursed seal, making him essentially an eternal nuisance."
"Your praise is unnecessary..."
"With the formidable Thread Release Kekkei Genkai and so many powerful puppets at your disposal..."
Facing Yu's somewhat mocking tone, Orochimaru paid no mind, instead, a fervent light burst from his narrow snake-like eyes. "And not to mention the most mysterious Space-Time Ninjutsu... Yu, you are the ninja who truly gives people headaches."
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"We need not dwell on these trivialities..."
Listening to Orochimaru's self-congratulatory words, Yu impatiently interrupted him, his amber eyes gleaming with a hint of dangerous light. "While your Soft Tissue Transformation may counteract most physical attacks, Toshogun's abilities happen to be your nemesis."
"Although your Substitution Jutsu is formidable, I imagine it must consume quite a bit of Chakra..."
Although Orochimaru's Chakra reserves were still substantial, Yu's Observation Haki could clearly sense the significant Chakra expenditure from Orochimaru's recent use of his Substitution Jutsu.
"Hehe... Your observation skills are truly terrifying; nothing escapes you."
"However, I'm becoming increasingly intrigued by you."
Staring into Yu's eyes, Orochimaru couldn't help but extend his long tongue. His research on the Forbidden Jutsu, the Immortality Jutsu, which he had been working on for many years, was nearing completion. Using the body of the Scarlet Yu before him as a vessel seemed like an excellent choice.
Perfect appearance, youthful body, exceptional talent, astonishing potential, mysterious Kekkei Genkai, and so many powerful puppets... All of this sparked Orochimaru's intense interest.
"Perfect timing, as I'm on the verge of completing a Forbidden Jutsu I've been researching for years!"
"Come, Yu, become the vessel for me to embark on the path of immortality!"
With this thought, Orochimaru, visibly excited, let out a low growl. Suddenly, he stomped the ground, and two ferocious pythons erupted forth, wildly biting Yu!
"Tedious tricks..."
"To think you still dare to covet my body, I doubt you can bear the consequences!"
Facing the two giant pythons unleashed by Orochimaru before him, Yu didn't even bother to raise an eyelid.
Activating the power of the Thread Fruit within his body, he gently unleashed countless sharp threads, forming a powerful defensive web around his body like a whirlwind, instantly slicing the two giant pythons into several segments.
Thread Storm— one of the techniques Yu developed over the past three years. His body released countless sharp threads, forming a whirlwind, protecting himself while turning his body into the eye of a storm, cutting off all attacks and enemies around him.
"You've exposed your vulnerability! Brat!!"
Seeing his summoned python instantly killed by Yu, Orochimaru suddenly elongated his neck and opened his mouth wide.
A bright flash of swordlight, like a swiftly rushing meteor, instantly flashed by. Before anyone could react, Yu's body had already been pierced through the chest by an exceptionally long, explosively thrown longsword.
Sword of Kusanagi · Longsword of the Sky!!
This Sword of Kusanagi was something summoned from within Orochimaru's body, one of the few Legendary artifacts in the ninja world. The sword, which could extend or retract from the mouth of a small snake, was forged from the hardest material in the world.
The sharpness of this blade was such that even Monkey King Enma, who possessed a diamond body in the anime, would feel pain upon touching it. As the Sword of Kusanagi danced through the air, its blade would be stained with the blood of all the prey it cut down.
"Yu-sama!!"
Seeing Yu instantly pierced through by Orochimaru's Sword of Kusanagi, Haku gasped in horror, his mouth gaping wide. Just when he had finally found meaning in survival, was he about to lose it all in this moment?
No, absolutely not allowed to happen!
A feeling of despair erupted from the depths of Haku's heart, the first time he felt such hatred for his own lack of strength!
Yes, without strength, how could he protect those dear to him?
In a daze, Chakra within Haku's body surged madly, and dozens of ice spikes suddenly condensed around his body, swiftly hurtling toward Orochimaru!
"Hmm? Is this the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai?"
Noticing Haku's movement, Orochimaru swiftly formed seals, blowing out a gust of wind from his mouth, directly blowing away all the ice spikes released by Haku, knocking Haku himself to the ground with the force of the wind.
This was just a basic C-rank Ninjutsu—Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, yet in the hands of the veteran Kage-level ninja Orochimaru, it exhibited such formidable power.
"Hehe... It seems Yu means a lot to you, huh?"
Orochimaru looked at Haku, who had unleashed the power of his Kekkei Genkai and instantly wore a sinister and greedy smile. What a promising child...
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