Sharingan! Three tomoe in each eye!
At this moment, Sasuke activated his full power without reservation.
Seeing Orochimaru emerge from underground, that mocking smile still plastered across his pale face as if completely dismissing Sasuke's strength, anger flared hot in Sasuke's chest. Perfect. Rage was ideal fuel for Fire Style techniques, amplifying their power. Without hesitation, Sasuke unleashed multiple fire techniques toward where Orochimaru stood.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
In less than a minute, with Orochimaru and Sasuke at the center, a radius of over a kilometer transformed into a blazing inferno. Trees crackled and popped as flames consumed them, the heat distorting the air itself.
Facing the overwhelming sea of fire, Orochimaru had no choice but to use his snake substitute technique, sinking underground once again to avoid the assault.
"Still too young!" Orochimaru's mocking voice echoed through the flames, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere. "Bombarding indiscriminately right from the start, continuously throwing ninjutsu without strategy. This wastes enormous amounts of chakra. Don't you know that duels between ninja are protracted battles?"
His laugh was sharp and cruel. "Besides, no matter how much you bombard me like this, you can't actually hurt me!"
Within the sea of flames, Orochimaru's playful, sneering voice reverberated, clearly attempting to shatter Sasuke's confidence with words alone.
But what Orochimaru didn't know was that Sasuke had been trained—no, tortured—by Naruto for years. Using Naruto's unique methods to improve his physical conditioning, as his body's overall level increased, the chakra within naturally grew more abundant as well.
That barrage of attacks? Sasuke hadn't even consumed one percent of his total chakra reserves.
Ten more Fire Style techniques would barely make him break a sweat.
Therefore, Sasuke completely ignored Orochimaru's attempt at psychological warfare.
Soon, Orochimaru emerged from the ground again. Sasuke's lips curved into a cold smile. He gripped a kunai in his right hand, stepped forward with explosive speed, and appeared directly before Orochimaru. The blade drove straight toward the man's heart.
"Oh? Sasuke-kun, are you trying to compete in taijutsu with me?"
Orochimaru sneered, though his current body wasn't particularly strong—after all, this was a woman's body taken from Kusagakure—but as a veteran ninja, his physical combat experience far exceeded a novice like Sasuke.
Insufficient strength could be compensated for with superior technique. Orochimaru could deflect power with minimal effort, using four ounces to redirect a thousand pounds.
Seeing Sasuke's kunai stabbing toward his heart, Orochimaru didn't panic. His hands clasped at his waist, gathering strength. Then he tilted his head back, mouth opening impossibly wide. A snake crawled out from Orochimaru's throat—when it emerged about seven inches, the serpent's own mouth opened and disgorged a sword.
Orochimaru's hand shot out, grasping the legendary Kusanagi blade. He swung it forward in one fluid motion.
CLANG!
The crisp metallic ring echoed through the burning forest as Orochimaru's Kusanagi sword deflected Sasuke's kunai aside.
Then Orochimaru immediately counterattacked, the blade stabbing toward Sasuke with lightning speed. Sasuke's reaction proved sharp—he blocked directly, kunai meeting sword.
The tip of the Kusanagi scraped against the flat of the kunai, throwing sparks. Ginger is indeed spicier when old—Orochimaru's combat experience vastly exceeded Sasuke's. After just a dozen exchanges, Sasuke found himself being overwhelmed.
But even while at a disadvantage, Sasuke's expression remained calm. Not a trace of panic showed on his face or in his movements. He still received Orochimaru's fierce strikes one by one in an orderly, measured fashion.
As his opponent, even Orochimaru had to inwardly praise Sasuke's combat quality. Though Sasuke could catch his attacks through Sharingan prediction, the composure required was impressive.
Looking at Sasuke's eyes—red pupils with three tomoe spinning endlessly within each—Orochimaru felt desire stir in his chest.
What beautiful eyes. But they'll be mine soon.
Ting! Clang! Ting!
Combat demanded intense focus. Time passed quickly—more than ten minutes blurred by. Perhaps the two fighters had temporarily forgotten the concept of time entirely.
But Naruto and Sakura, watching from outside the combat zone, knew precisely how long had elapsed. During those ten minutes, Sasuke had consistently been at a disadvantage. The two combatants fought and moved, covering nearly a full kilometer of ground.
Ironically, because Sasuke had released three fire techniques that set the forest ablaze within that kilometer radius, their stamping and fighting had inadvertently extinguished most of the flames.
Environmental protection through combat. How considerate.
Sasuke remained at a disadvantage throughout. Sakura watched with growing worry, terrified that in the next second, Orochimaru's blade would pierce Sasuke's heart.
Naruto didn't share her concern. He'd said he'd back Sasuke up if needed, and he possessed complete confidence that Orochimaru couldn't harm a single hair on Sasuke's head.
This battle with Orochimaru served as valuable combat training for Sasuke. It was genuinely beneficial.
Having fought to this point, Sasuke recognized that with pure taijutsu alone, he couldn't defeat Orochimaru quickly. Therefore, the kunai in Sasuke's hand suddenly changed trajectory. The attack transformed from measured strikes into something desperate, as if he intended to stake everything on one blow. The force behind it made even Orochimaru's expression shift slightly.
He smiled mockingly. "Sasuke-kun, are you starting to lose your composure? This isn't good. When your rhythm becomes chaotic, your heart follows. Fighting like this will only make you lose faster."
Still too young. Young people simply can't maintain patience. Orochimaru thought dismissively.
But Sasuke paid no attention to Orochimaru's cynicism. With one powerful blow, he drove Orochimaru back several steps. Then Sasuke whispered a single technique name:
"Flying Thunder God."
In the blink of an eye, Sasuke vanished from before Orochimaru's face.
Orochimaru's expression changed dramatically. With a whoosh, Sasuke materialized directly behind him. A swirling sphere of chakra—the Rasengan—slammed into Orochimaru's back like a sledgehammer.
Orochimaru flew backward as if struck by a charging bull.
CRASH!
He slammed brutally into a massive tree trunk, the impact shaking loose a cascade of leaves.
After a moment, Orochimaru stood up in obvious disarray. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, looking at Sasuke with cold calculation. A smile still played at his lips despite the injury. "Sasuke, I underestimated you."
Thinking back to the technique Sasuke had just used, even Orochimaru felt moved. Those techniques belonged to the Fourth Hokage—a man Orochimaru knew very well indeed.
Now his famous signature techniques—Flying Thunder God and the Rasengan—had appeared again in the hands of a young boy. The sight stirred old memories Orochimaru had thought long buried.
However, Sasuke wouldn't give Orochimaru time to reminisce. Without hesitation, he formed two more Rasengan and hurled them forward.
Two spheres of spiraling light rushed toward Orochimaru. Having already suffered one hit, Orochimaru didn't dare show the slightest negligence. He immediately deployed his most powerful defensive technique.
"Summoning Jutsu: Triple Rashomon!"
"Great Serpent Substitution Technique!"
Three massive demonic gates rose from the earth, standing alternately before Orochimaru in layered defense. But Orochimaru still felt such protection insufficient. To be absolutely safe, he also activated the serpent substitution technique he'd developed himself.
The Rasengan exploded directly against the triple iron gates. Brilliant light instantly covered the entire battlefield, even shrouding Orochimaru's figure completely, rendering him invisible within the blast.
Sasuke stood aside, calmly observing the explosion.
After a moment, the light gradually dissipated. Sasuke looked toward the impact zone. A deep crater with a diameter of several meters had been blasted into the previously flat ground. The three gates had vanished entirely, and Orochimaru was nowhere to be seen.
Blown to ashes? Sasuke wondered.
Kage-level strength should be more than this, right? He thought to himself. If this was truly Kage-level power, it would be far too worthless.
Sure enough, just as Sasuke suspected, Orochimaru's figure emerged from within the deep crater. He looked at Sasuke, his smile returning despite obvious damage. "Sasuke-kun, I must say—possessing such strength at your young age is truly remarkable."
His eyes gleamed with renewed interest. "I'll have to face you seriously now! With such capabilities, I sincerely hope Sasuke-kun will join my organization. Come, let's fight together, kill Hiruzen Sarutobi together, and destroy Konoha together!"
Orochimaru's voice took on a demonic quality as he laughed, the words echoing with dark promise.
"Sasuke, take a rest. Leave the rest to me." At that moment, Naruto stepped forward, positioning himself beside Sasuke. He looked directly at Orochimaru. "I'll handle this."
The reason Naruto intervened was simple—he wanted to capture Orochimaru as quickly as possible to learn what valuable information the snake possessed. Some of it might prove useful.
Since Naruto had stepped up, and Sasuke recognized he wouldn't defeat Orochimaru quickly through extended combat, he nodded agreement. "Then I'll leave him to you. I'm going to rest."
Turning away, Sasuke walked back to where Sakura waited and sat down.
Seeing the sweat on Sasuke's face, Sakura immediately pulled out a handkerchief and offered it over. "Sasuke-kun, wipe off your sweat. You worked so hard!"
"It wasn't hard. Just a warm-up." Sasuke accepted the handkerchief and wiped his face, his tone casual and composed.
This battle had at least allowed him to gauge his own strength accurately. The power gap between himself and Orochimaru wasn't insurmountable. Perhaps after he entered Sage Mode, he could directly crush this snake.
At minimum, his speed exceeded Orochimaru's.
Thinking this, Sasuke quietly placed a Flying Thunder God mark on Orochimaru. Even if this guy fled to the ends of the earth, Sasuke could find him.
After placing the mark, Sasuke raised his eyes toward the two figures now facing each other.
Naruto studied Orochimaru. Orochimaru studied Naruto. The more Orochimaru looked at Naruto, the more joyful he became. Long golden hair, straight and well-proportioned physique, handsome and distinct features, a pair of deep blue pupils that seemed to hold infinite charm...
Such a beautiful person exists in this world!
Orochimaru had originally decided to use Sasuke's body as the vessel for his next reincarnation. But now, seeing Naruto, he immediately abandoned that plan. He would use Naruto's perfect body as his next container instead.
Truly wonderful!
Naruto saw the naked desire in Orochimaru's eyes. He didn't know exactly what Orochimaru coveted, but in his assessment, this person was deeply weird. Having strange ideas was only natural.
In cases like this, Naruto generally wouldn't choose someone as a potential friend.
"Orochimaru, next—let me play with you." Naruto's voice carried calm confidence.
"Oh?" Orochimaru looked at Naruto with that serpentine smile. "It was Sasuke-kun just now, and now it's Naruto-kun. Are you two planning to wear me down with a rotation strategy? It's a clever idea, but I'm afraid I must disappoint both Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun. When it comes to endurance, consumption is what I fear least."
After all, the ninjutsu he'd developed consumed enormous amounts of chakra, yet he could use them one after another repeatedly. This demonstrated the simple fact that he, Orochimaru, possessed truly massive chakra reserves.
"Think whatever you want." Naruto's expression didn't change. "But whether we fight or not—the choice is mine, not yours."
Without waiting for a response, Naruto stepped forward. In an instant, he appeared before Orochimaru and threw a punch.
Earlier, when Sasuke had faced Orochimaru, the snake's taijutsu had dominated. Therefore, Naruto would directly use his body to demonstrate to Sasuke who ranked number one in physical combat.
Faintly guessing Naruto's thoughts, Sasuke's mouth twitched with slight exasperation. A little petty, isn't he?
"Taijutsu again? Could it be that Naruto-kun's physical combat skills exceed even Sasuke-kun's?" Orochimaru spoke mockingly. When it came to taijutsu, he wasn't afraid. What he genuinely feared was Naruto also knowing Flying Thunder God and Rasengan.
Therefore, Orochimaru maintained full vigilance, guarding against Naruto suddenly deploying the same combination meal of Flying Thunder God plus Rasengan. That wouldn't be pleasant at all.
"Better than Sasuke?" Naruto's fist didn't slow. He smiled with absolute confidence. "No—Sasuke's taijutsu isn't even worth mentioning compared to mine."
Hearing Naruto's merciless words, Sasuke felt profoundly irritated. But he was helpless. He couldn't beat Naruto, so whatever Naruto said was correct.
"Then I'll have to see for myself." Maintaining that serpentine smile, Orochimaru held his Kusanagi sword behind his back and threw a punch with his empty hand.
Confident. Completely confident.
"Uh..." But in the very next second, Orochimaru's face became as ugly as if he'd swallowed a live fly.
The moment his fist met Naruto's, he felt tremendous force surge through the contact—like being struck by a charging dinosaur. Incomparable power.
CRACK!
That was the sound of Orochimaru's hand bones shattering. Immediately afterward, Naruto's punch sent Orochimaru flying backward. He crashed through a massive tree with a thunderous BOOM, breaking it clean in half.
Leaves rained down, hitting the ground with a series of soft impacts.
Within seconds, Orochimaru stood up from the chaotic scatter of foliage. He stared at Naruto with genuine shock etched across his pale features. He'd never imagined Naruto's body concealed such overwhelming physical power.
That single blow had broken Orochimaru's hand bones completely.
"Orochimaru, I'm going to use my full strength now." Out of basic politeness, Naruto thought it better to inform Orochimaru in advance. Otherwise, the shock might be too severe.
This isn't full strength? Is Naruto truly this terrifying? Or is this just a bluff to frighten me? Orochimaru wondered internally, trying to calculate the truth.
Naruto didn't know or care what Orochimaru was thinking. He wouldn't waste effort on meaningless bluffs. This time, he genuinely intended to attack with full power. He wanted to test something—what kind of result would he produce when fighting with absolutely everything he had?
After notifying Orochimaru, Naruto spoke quietly:
"Iron Body Technique—Full Activation."
The moment those words left his lips, Naruto's height began increasing rapidly. He grew larger under Orochimaru's shocked, widening pupils. His jacket burst apart, tearing into pieces that fell away one by one like shed skin.
In the blink of an eye, Naruto's height exceeded the forest trees themselves. The canopy barely reached his shoulders before he finally stopped growing.
This was the maximum height Naruto's Iron Body Technique achieved when fully activated—approximately ten meters tall.
Compared to before, he'd made some progress. His massive form towered over the battlefield, muscles rippling beneath tanned skin, power radiating from every fiber of his being.
Orochimaru stared upward, his confidence finally cracking into something resembling genuine fear.