The two locked eyes, understanding that a battle was inevitable.
"In that case, let me show you what I've got." As he spoke, Naruto extended his right hand and instantly cast a Kido.
"Hado Number 31: Shakkaho!"
An endless blaze erupted from Naruto's palm, completely engulfing Orochimaru in front of him.
In an instant, a violent explosion rocked the area where Orochimaru had stood. Flames raged, and a sea of fire spread, sending nearby animals fleeing in terror.
The air warped from the intense heat, and scorched black marks littered the surroundings.
"Missed? As expected of a Sannin, your reflexes are truly fast." Naruto praised, then pointed towards an empty area and continued to instant-cast Kido.
"Hado Number 54: Haien!"
A disc-shaped flame enveloped that area, and within it, Orochimaru's figure finally appeared, his voice tinged with slight surprise.
"Truly impressive, Naruto-kun. It seems I've still underestimated your potential, to be able to pinpoint my true location so quickly. And the power of this Kido already surpasses ordinary ninjutsu. Quite good indeed. But if you think this is enough to convince me, it's not quite there yet."
The flames ignited Orochimaru's body, burning continuously, but Orochimaru's expression remained playful. Soon, the original Orochimaru gradually melted away in the flames, while his true body, having used a snake substitution, had easily escaped the inferno.
When he reappeared, he was completely unscathed.
"Even a Kido in the 50s is ineffective?" A faint smile touched Naruto's lips.
After his training on Mount Myoboku, his Reiatsu had seen a small increase, and he could now instant-cast Kido up to number sixty.
But against a Kage-level powerhouse, Kido indeed wasn't quite enough.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
"Hado Number 33: Sokatsui!"
Ninjutsu and Kido combined. In that instant, the explosive flames that were originally falling from the sky, amplified by the Great Breakthrough, swelled several times in size, crashing down towards Orochimaru's location like a meteor.
Watching the extremely powerful attack, Orochimaru's brow twitched violently, though he continued to verbally undermine Naruto's confidence:
"With the Nine-Tails' chakra, you can indeed use ninjutsu of considerable power, even combining it with Kido to elevate that power another notch. But if this is the extent of a Shinigami's potential, then I'm sorely disappointed."
Orochimaru paid no heed to the steam hissing from the ground due to the intense flames. The next moment, he passed through the sea of fire and appeared before Naruto, his right hand transforming into an endless torrent of striking snakes.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
"Such an imaginative ninjutsu, interesting." Faced with a self-created ninjutsu he had never seen before, Naruto was suddenly reminded of Jiraiya.
One is a toad, the other a snake. Aren't they natural enemies?
Naruto smiled faintly and drew Kyoka Suigetsu. The blade flashed, instantly blocking the lunging snake swarm.
Almost in an instant, the heads of the snakes were severed.
"Kido doesn't work, so now you resort to swordsmanship?" Orochimaru's mouth gaped open, and under Naruto's somewhat uncomfortable gaze, he regurgitated the Kusanagi Sword from his mouth, meeting Naruto's Kyoka Suigetsu.
"Your method of storing your sword is truly astonishing. But if your caliber amounts to mere parlor tricks, then I'll be very disappointed," Naruto sneered, ripples of Reiatsu emanating from Kyoka Suigetsu in his hand.
Although Orochimaru had been immersed in research for many years, his own combat prowess hadn't declined. His taijutsu experience was not much inferior to Jiraiya's, and he had been through hundreds, even thousands, more battles than Naruto.
Therefore, after a few probing exchanges, Orochimaru had roughly gauged Naruto's level of swordsmanship.
He was quite surprised by Naruto's talent.
At only twelve years old, he possessed commendable swordsmanship and ninjutsu, as well as a Kekkei Genkai brimming with potential. This was perhaps what it meant to be a genius.
A pity that such a genius could not currently become his vessel.
Orochimaru's mind stirred, and the Kusanagi Sword in his hand struck out with extreme speed.
Clang! Clang! Clang! The sound of clashing blades echoed continuously through the dense forest. The surrounding trees were constantly scarred with sword and blade marks. With every flash of a blade, a large tree would come crashing down.
They could rightly be called the forest's number one logging duo.
Orochimaru's Body Flicker Technique was exceptionally refined, and paired with his decent swordsmanship, every thrust was aimed at a vital point.
Naruto had undergone hellish taijutsu and tactical training. Coupled with his Shunpo, he could barely keep up with Orochimaru's speed.
But in the continuous exchange, he inevitably fell into a disadvantage.
This was, of course, partly due to Orochimaru holding back.
During the battle, he didn't forget to verbally provoke Naruto: "My, my, Naruto-kun. If this is all you have, then the potential of Shinigami and Hollows doesn't seem quite enough to impress me."
As a cold viper, he excelled at toying with opponents physically and mentally, delivering a double blow.
What surprised him, however, was that in the face of his ridicule, Naruto's expression remained warm and gentle, without a trace of displeasure.
Such shrewdness greatly impressed Orochimaru.
And Naruto, in turn, regarded Orochimaru as an excellent whetstone, thoroughly integrating the taijutsu and tactics he had learned recently.
Unconsciously, the area around the two had become completely barren, the ground covered in a chaotic mess of blade marks. The force of their fierce battle had scared away countless wild beasts.
This caused considerable hardship for the other examinees. They'd be walking along perfectly fine, only to constantly run into various large, ferocious beasts.
"It's time to end this. I need to go find Uchiha Sasuke too," Orochimaru said, glancing at the sky and revealing a perverse, sinister smile.
He increased his speed, forcing Naruto back with a sword strike.
His speed skyrocketing, he closed in on Naruto, the Kusanagi Sword in his hand thrusting out relentlessly.
Schlick! The Kusanagi Sword pierced Naruto's shoulder, but there was none of the expected resistance.
"Your Substitution Jutsu is quite adept." Sensing the rush of a blade from his right, Orochimaru unhesitatingly withdrew the Kusanagi Sword and thrust it forward to meet the attack.
Clang! A force strong enough to numb his arm shot through him. Orochimaru's expression changed slightly.
Naruto was hiding his true strength?
The next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen and was kicked into the sky by Naruto.
"Hado Number 12: Fushibi!" A Kido net directly ensnared Orochimaru completely.
Naruto raised his right hand again. "Hado Number 33: Sokatsui!"
Boom! A violent explosion of flames erupted from Naruto's hand, directly engulfing Orochimaru.
"Hahaha, Naruto-kun, I've already told you, your Kido is completely useless against me!" Orochimaru's expression showed no panic at all; instead, he smirked wickedly. But his expression froze the next moment, and he blurted out in shock:
"Why is my chakra frozen?!"
The answer he received was an endless torrent of explosive flames.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Searing sparks erupted from the area centered on Orochimaru, and billowing black smoke almost blotted out the sky above.
The entire area had completely transformed into a sea of fire.
Against the backdrop of the flames, Naruto's expression was warm, a brilliant and gentle smile on his face as he slowly explained:
"Kido isn't just about destruction; it also has applications for restriction and healing. The Fushibi I used can temporarily slow the flow of chakra. Although against a Kage-level powerhouse, the control time won't exceed three seconds, three seconds is more than enough."
"Mr. Orochimaru, I wonder if this is sufficient to prove the potential of a Shinigami."