Chapter 28: Could Lord Orochimaru… Actually Be Dead?
"What the heck is that!?"
"Such terrifying pressure…!"
"If that palm really comes down, won't the entire Konoha Village get flattened?!"
"Just what level of monster could unleash something like this?!"
"Could it be…
the power of a Hokage?!
Is this some kind of technique belonging to the Third-sama?!"
...
The overwhelming pressure radiating from the gigantic Buddha Palm hanging in the sky was simply horrifying.
Every single person present could clearly feel the suffocating weight coming from that enormous hand.
Because of this,
everyone in the arena—
in that instant—
had their attention completely drawn to the descending Buddha Palm.
They even forgot they were supposed to be fighting.
This strange pause didn't just affect the ordinary shinobi.
Even Gaara, who had fully released the power of the One-Tail, began to tremble violently.
"What… is that thing…?
So strong…
If I get hit by that…
I'm probably going to die…"
Gaara shuddered involuntarily.
But soon he sensed that the terrifying palm wasn't aimed at him.
Only then did his tense body relax slightly.
Even so…
while continuing to attack, he very consciously avoided directing any attacks toward the direction of the VIP viewing platform.
...
"Damn it…
I… I can't even move…"
Orochimaru discovered something that made his soul tremble——
He was completely suppressed!
Under that dreadful pressure,
he couldn't even twitch a single finger.
"So this… is the strength of that so-called Holy Master…?"
Looking at the palm growing larger and larger in his field of vision,
his mentality finally collapsed completely.
"Why?!
Why is it always targeting me?!
WHY?!"
No one answered his frantic question.
The Buddha Palm came crashing down with world-shaking pressure.
In that moment,
the entire world seemed to fall eerily silent.
Then——
BOOOOOOM!!
Houses, Wood Release constructs, Orochimaru himself…
Everything vanished beneath that single palm.
All that remained was an enormous hand-shaped crater on the ground.
Gulp…
Sarutobi Hiruzen swallowed hard.
Only after a long moment did he let out a shaky breath.
"That attack…
Could it really be… from that mysterious Holy Master?"
Right now,
even the Third Hokage couldn't help suspecting the leader of the so-called "Black-Clad Organization."
Because in his opinion,
only the head of that mysterious group could possibly unleash such an earth-shattering technique from such a long distance.
...
"N-no way… this can't be happening…"
Kabuto's eyelids were twitching like crazy as he stared at the scene not far away.
"L-Lord Orochimaru…
Could he…
Could he actually be… dead?!
No…
Impossible…
I don't believe it…
This has to be a lie, right?!"
...
"What kind of existence… could unleash a technique like that…?"
Kakashi stared fixedly through his Sharingan.
Even though the palm hadn't been aimed at him,
he still felt his heart pounding in terror.
"Could it be…
that the person who used this technique is connected to that mysterious Black-Clad Organization?
Just… what kind of group are they, really…?"
...
Countless people stared blankly at the giant handprint on the ground.
For a short while,
the entire battlefield fell into a bizarre, pin-drop silence.
It wasn't until Gaara let out another furious roar that everyone finally snapped back to reality.
"Damn it! There's still this monster!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath,
then swung the Adamantine Nyoi staff and charged straight toward Gaara.
"Die!!"
It seemed the earlier palm strike had completely stimulated Gaara.
Seeing the Hokage rushing at him,
he went berserk and whipped a massive tail toward Hiruzen.
BOOM!!
The Third Hokage, already at his limit from the previous battle,
naturally couldn't withstand this blow.
He was sent flying with a single tail swipe.
"Hokage-sama!!"
Several Anbu immediately rushed over to check on him.
Because of this small interlude,
the entire competition venue once again erupted into fierce combat.
"Hinata, you go first.
Leave this monster to me.
You go deal with the invaders."
Ever since Gaara's transformation,
Hiashi had been protecting Hinata closely.
Even though Hinata had become much stronger now,
in Hiashi's eyes,
his daughter was still very weak.
"It's okay, Father."
Hinata shook her head and continued attacking Gaara.
Actually…
she still had much more powerful techniques she hadn't used yet.
But she always felt that last time she had caused trouble for Byakuya.
If she used an even stronger move now,
maybe it would bring some kind of trouble to him again.
Besides, there were plenty of other shinobi here.
So she had been holding back,
only using her "Lightning Discharge Mode" to fight Gaara.
"Father, it's fine.
The Third Hokage-sama is here now too.
Together we can definitely defeat this monster!"
Hinata's gaze was firm.
However——
the moment she finished speaking,
Hiruzen was once again sent flying by Gaara.
"Hokage-sama seems to have been injured during his battle with Orochimaru…"
Hiashi continued, voice heavy.
"It's too dangerous here.
You should leave first!"
"No!"
Hinata's eyes were resolute.
She wanted to change herself.
This moment was a perfect opportunity.
She knew that with Byakuya's strength,
dealing with this monster would be child's play.
The reason Byakuya hadn't acted yet…
was most likely because he wanted to give her a chance to grow stronger.
"Byakuya-kun…
That giant palm just now… was it your technique?"
Hinata subconsciously glanced toward the enormous handprint in the distance.
A sudden guess appeared in her mind.
As the person who understood Byakuya the best,
she was very clear that only he possessed the power to unleash such an attack.
"Hinata!!"
But the instant she got distracted——
Gaara's attack arrived.
She had just heard her father's warning, but before she could react——
Hiashi suddenly rushed in front of her,
using his own body to block Gaara's tail strike!
BOOOOM!!
Hiashi obviously couldn't withstand such a blow.
His entire body was sent flying.
"Father!!"
Hinata cried out in alarm.
Only after seeing Byakuya suddenly appear and catch her father did she let out a small sigh of relief.
"Your father is fine.
You don't need to hold back anymore.
Go all out."
Byakuya's voice suddenly rang clearly in her ears, even though he was quite far away.
It filled her with boundless confidence.
"Mm!"
Hinata closed her eyes.
When she opened them again,
the look in her eyes had subtly changed——
becoming far more confident and determined.
She quickly formed hand seals.
A moment later——
her entire body suddenly burst into flames!
"Blaze Release Mode… Activate!!"