Shen Mo was thoroughly enjoying the show, but Orochimaru was having a rough time.
He never imagined that sheer, overwhelming strength could produce such an effect.
All his ninjutsu, even sneak attacks…
Before they could reach Tsunade, they were blown away or crushed by the whirlwind from her massive hammer.
Taijutsu? Out of the question.
That was suicide!
Summoning Jutsu!
Orochimaru bit his finger, slamming it to the ground. With a boom, thick smoke enveloped the area, accompanied by the sound of countless trees toppling.
This was his most powerful summon.
Manda.
In terms of raw strength, no human could match the colossal size of a summoning beast.
"Orochimaru," a raspy, booming voice echoed across the sky. "That's Tsunade, isn't it? You're getting better at dragging me into trouble."
The smoke cleared, revealing a monstrous snake, hundreds of meters long and five or six meters wide.
Scarlet maw, purple scales, razor-sharp fangs.
Unlike its animated depiction, this real-life beast was ferocious, its mere presence enough to inspire dread.
Orochimaru looked down at Tsunade and said slowly, "Once this is done, I'll prepare a hundred…"
He didn't finish.
Tsunade had already shattered the ground, charging upward.
"Take this!"
She leaped high, gripping her giant cross, her body seemingly eclipsing the sun.
A holy glow erupted from the cross.
An unimaginable sense of panic surged in Orochimaru and Manda's hearts.
As if they were sinners facing judgment, the massive cross unassailable.
Equipment Skill: Judgment!
For the first time, Tsunade unleashed the power of Holy Light, activating the skill imbued in Divine Blessing.
That fleeting moment of panic…
By the time they reacted, the radiant cross, carrying the crushing weight of a mountain, slammed down.
Boom—!
With a deafening roar, Manda's massive head was smashed into the ground, scales shattering in droves, blood gushing like a fountain.
"Damn you, Orochimaru!" Manda wailed, its enormous body writhing in pain, toppling trees.
Orochimaru fared little better.
At the critical moment, he instinctively stepped back.
Though not hit directly, at that distance, the wind pressure alone struck like a hurricane, dealing a heavy blow. Blood sprayed from his mouth, his clothes tore, and the human-skin mask he wore for disguise ripped apart, revealing a female body and face beneath.
"You…"
Tsunade's eyes widened, staring at Orochimaru in disbelief.
What was going on?
"Orochimaru! I demand a thousand sacrifices, or I'll eat you, I swear!" Manda, dizzy with pain, spat a resentful curse before unsummoning itself to recover.
Orochimaru…
Leaning against a tree, he struggled to stand, gasping heavily.
He was starting to regret not bringing Kabuto.
No, even with Kabuto, against this Tsunade, it'd just be one more hammer strike.
"I'm getting more curious, Tsunade," Orochimaru said, a faint, excited smile on his feminine face. "That strength is unnatural. That panic, that light… what kind of ninjutsu is it? What have you encountered these past years?"
The more Orochimaru saw things he didn't understand, the stronger his instinctive thirst for knowledge grew.
He believed the human body held untapped power, unusable in a single lifetime.
That's why he sought immortality.
Endless life to unravel mysteries.
Now…
He craved to understand everything about Tsunade that baffled him.
"And what's with your body?" Tsunade's brows furrowed again.
She was certain this was Orochimaru.
But this body…
Was Orochimaru secretly a woman?
No, impossible.
This face wasn't his either.
"Why so surprised?" Orochimaru said.
He swallowed a healing pill, recovering slightly, and tore off the remaining mask. His stunningly beautiful face carried an eerie smile.
"I told you, didn't I? All tangible things eventually perish. So, I discarded it and took a better body."
"You… took someone else's body?" Tsunade's breath caught, as if seeing Orochimaru anew, her gaze filled with genuine shock.
Not at the existence of such a jutsu.
But at Orochimaru's lengths to achieve it.
This man…
For his ambitions and desires, he'd become utterly ruthless.
"No wonder you returned to Konoha," Tsunade said, taking a deep breath and raising her cross again. A whirlwind swirled around her, her aura nearly tangible. "Protecting this village was Nawaki's dream, and it's mine too. I don't know what you're planning, but I won't let you destroy it!"
Unease stirred in her heart.
She didn't know what Orochimaru might do now.
"Truly disappointing," Orochimaru said, his smile growing stranger. "I may not be your match now, but…"
His hands flew through signs.
Tiger—Snake—Dog—Dragon.
In a blink, he completed the seals, clapping his hands together.
Clap—
Edo Tensei!
A black vortex appeared on the ground, a coffin slowly rising.
"This… this jutsu…" Tsunade's pupils shrank. "No!"
She erupted forward, trying to stop Orochimaru from completing the jutsu.
But a second coffin rose in an instant.
Too late!
Anxiety crossed Tsunade's face.
"This was meant to be my grand gift for the Third Hokage," Orochimaru said, panting behind the coffins. "Since you know I've mastered this jutsu, care to guess who's in these coffins?"
As he spoke…
The lids of both coffins crashed down.
Tsunade stared silently at the figures inside, veins bulging on her clenched fists.
"Unforgivable!"
She gritted out the words.
Her aura…
Brimmed with towering rage and icy killing intent!