Orochimaru had every reason to feel proud—after all, he had come far despite his humble beginnings.
As the most favored student of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, Orochimaru—who was born into poverty—had long been celebrated for his exceptional talent and relentless work ethic. With a mentor like Hiruzen, who valued ability above all else, passing down all his knowledge, and through the fortunate acquisition of a summoning contract with the Chijinkai (Earth Crawlers) from the sacred grounds of Ryuchi Cave—a place perfectly suited to his nature—Orochimaru had become one of Konoha's top elite jounin by his early twenties. Many even considered him the next heir to the Hokage title.
Naturally, the Uchiha Clan strongly disagreed with the quiet rumors within the village that Orochimaru was being groomed as the Hokage's successor. However, in the past, due to strict regulations enforced by the Konoha Military Police Force, there had been little chance for direct confrontation between them.
Yet mutual admiration was rare among geniuses—more often, it was sheer rivalry and an insatiable urge to prove oneself.
This was especially true for Orochimaru when he looked at Soushu, whose reputation had soared so suddenly in such a short time.
Though the age gap between them was less than ten years, Soushu had already shaken the Ninja World by defeating Elder Chiyo, a legendary figure from Sunagakure. During the chaotic battles in the Land of Rain involving many great ninja villages, Orochimaru himself had experienced firsthand just how ruthless the "withered flower of the desert" could be—and had once suffered a major setback due to poor intelligence.
So if one followed this line of thought, could it really be that Orochimaru wasn't even stronger than someone who had once been his middle-rank subordinate?
Absolutely not!
A fiercely competitive man like Orochimaru would never silently accept a defeat that no one else noticed.
Even if Soushu was remarkably talented, he was still only seventeen after all! Talent alone wasn't enough; turning it into real power took time, hard work, and experience.
Therefore, although meeting Soushu came partly on the suggestion of his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, it was precisely because this request struck a chord with Orochimaru that he personally sent a formal challenge letter inviting Soushu to a match.
Inside Konoha's Training Ground One—
The largest and best-protected training ground in the village had already been cleared of bystanders ahead of time. Upon the arrival of Orochimaru and Hyuga Soushu, members of the Sealing Team who had prepared in advance activated a small protective barrier to prevent their fight from causing unnecessary disruptions.
"What painstaking efforts!"
Looking at the scene before him, Soushu immediately understood that Orochimaru's challenge was far from a spur-of-the-moment decision.
It seemed the Hokage, who had recently suffered a heavy blow from the Coalition of Ninja Clans within the Hokage Tower, intended to use him as a breakthrough point.
But none of this was anything more than the usual wolf in sheep's clothing—the kind of flattery meant to hide ulterior motives. Soushu didn't mind accepting the sweet coating before firing the bullet right back, offering the old monkey a New Year's gift.
"Soushu-san prefers close combat using weapons, am I right?"
Standing on opposite sides of the training field, Orochimaru spoke calmly and without urgency, his hands folded behind his back. "Then why don't we make this a taijutsu-focused match?"
"It's fine. Training should be as close to real combat as possible. Please, Upper Ninja Orochimaru, don't hold back!"
Hyuga Soushu retrieved a sealing scroll from his ninja tool pouch and casually lifted the seal, producing a torch pole weapon which he firmly planted onto the ground hardened by ninjutsu techniques, creating an echoing metallic clang.
"What if,"
Orochimaru grinned widely, then spat a snake from his mouth. The snake slowly extruded a slimy long sword from its own mouth.
"I accidentally injure Soushu-kun? That might cause some unnecessary misunderstandings!"
"Fate decides life and death; Heaven determines wealth and fortune. If one can die on the battlefield, why shouldn't one risk death during training?"
Hyuga Soushu shot back firmly: "Besides, suppose Upper Ninja Orochimaru hesitates and makes a mistake because he held back—that would have serious consequences for both your martial path and self-awareness! This must not be taken lightly."
"Very good! Excellent indeed!"
Orochimaru let out a long laugh toward the heavens and took the initiative to position his sword in front of himself, assuming a stance ready for action.
Likewise, Hyuga Soushu took his stance as well, aiming the heavy hammer at the tip of the torch pole straight toward Orochimaru's head.
In theory, with the distance within the training grounds, Hyuga Soushu could immediately activate [Counter Storm] combined with [Jumping Slash] into a single combo move. However, considering that his opponent was the scheming and resourceful Orochimaru, Soushu decided it best to remain motionless for now and observe, trying to discern Orochimaru's fighting tactics.
"It appears Soushu-kun still shows restraint."
After holding their stances against each other for a while, Orochimaru sighed slightly before saying in a somewhat lonely tone: "It seems your confidence exceeds even what I imagined!"
"Stillness within movement? That is the essence of the Gentle Fist passed down through generations of the Hyuga Clan!"
Soushu blurted out a line he made up on the spot.
"Is that so?"
Orochimaru had never heard such a phrase before, but the expression 'stillness within movement' did indeed sound grammatically consistent with how the Hyugas typically spoke, so he didn't doubt it for a moment. "No wonder Hyuga Soushu has risen so quickly! Family teachings and solid foundation provide true confidence!"
Hyuga Soushu smiled without responding, careful not to speak more than necessary and expose his lie.
"If that's the case, then I won't hold back either!"
Before finishing his sentence, Orochimaru suddenly appeared ten steps away at Hyuga Soushu's left front in a flash, instantly slashing through the air with his sword. A blue Wind Release blade aura cut through space!
Right when the blade aura flew out, the word 'two' only began appearing at his previously standing position, yet his figure already looked slightly blurry!
This was a combination of the Shifting Body Technique and Clone Jutsu!
Although neither technique was particularly advanced, achieving this level of skill required years of painstaking practice!
This perfectly demonstrated Orochimaru's talent and dedication!
"Good!"
Within the confines of the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but exclaim aloud as he watched this scene unfold through the crystal ball, cheering for his disciple's performance!
Meanwhile, Danzo, who was seated in a corner, stared intently at the image on the crystal ball — visibly even more excited than the teacher himself!
"One clean slash should be enough to finish off that white-eyed punk!"
Danzo maliciously thought to himself.
Of course, he knew it was merely wishful thinking.
If something went wrong at this critical moment, it would surely provoke furious retaliation from all the Ninja Clans of Konoha. After all, Hyuga Soushu's actions act as a barometer; any incident involving him signals that the village is trying to overturn established facts and force the clans to give up their hard-won gains.
So, before breaking apart the Coalition of Ninja Clans' unity, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't take rash action or tell others to cause trouble—still, a little warning shot was fair enough!
Just as Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi finished cheering, Hyuga Soushu launched his counterattack in the image shown by the Crystal Ball!
"Bang!"
Although the Crystal Ball couldn't transmit sound in real time, the thick smoke rising after the sudden explosion made it clear how direct Soushu's response was—how incredibly forceful it was! He actually swung his Torch Pole directly, shattering Orochimaru's blade energy!
"What kind of strategy is that?"
Third Hokage couldn't help but frown.
Frankly speaking, against fast and agile ninja, although sword chakra might be quite powerful, it should be easily dodged using secret techniques like Shifting Body Technique. It really wasn't worth taking such a direct hit with bare physical strength.
Therefore, he found Soushu's method of engagement somewhat puzzling.
"A mere brute!"
Danzo muttered sourly from the corner, clearly disappointed.
"Keep your mouth shut and keep watching!"
The Third Hokage shot his old friend a sharp look, then pulled out his pipe, packed some tobacco, and leaned back to watch the fight unfold.
It wasn't just about Soushu—Sarutobi, who also served as a teacher, deeply cared about his apprentice Orochimaru's improvement too. This confrontation offered a perfect opportunity to examine precisely how strong Orochimaru had become after experiencing actual battlefield trials.
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