The first to strike was not Ryosuke, nor Orochimaru.
It was a ninja from the Root organization.
If they didn't act now, they would really turn into venomous snakes.
"Orochimaru! Open the barrier and release us!" The fox-masked ninja said, his tone filled with fear.
They could accept being killed with a single slash.
But watching themselves turn into venomous snakes, this was even worse than being killed.
"Heh,"
Orochimaru chuckled lightly, "You are ninjas of the Root organization, and for the 'Will of Fire,' I'm sure you've sacrificed your comrades. Now it's just your turn. Why all the fuss?"
The fox-masked ninja realized that he had been tricked by Orochimaru.
Of the five Root ninjas, Ryosuke killed two. The remaining three exchanged glances, made up their minds, drew their kunai, and rushed toward Orochimaru.
One engaged in close combat, while the other two quickly formed hand seals, about to perform ninjutsu. However, a surge of natural energy entered their bodies, disrupting their chakra flow, causing their ninjutsu to collapse.
There was no need for Orochimaru to act. Kimimaro and Jūgo rushed forward, slaying the three Root ninjas.
The three ninjas fell at their feet. Orochimaru glanced at them, stepped over their bodies, and noticed one of them was still breathing.
He comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, I will have Danzo send you double compensation, and if that's not enough, I'll cover the rest."
Upon hearing this, whether out of reassurance or frustration, the last ninja rolled his eyes and died.
Orochimaru stepped over the corpses and once again spoke to Jiraiya, "As a favor for old classmates, I'll give you one more chance. Leave now, Jiraiya. Exit the barrier and head south. Return to Konoha, and never come looking for me again."
Jiraiya lowered his body and quietly said to Ryosuke and Sasuke beside him, "I'll leave a purification area. As long as you stay inside, you'll be safe. I'll figure out a way to get you out."
Without waiting for a response from Ryosuke or Sasuke, Jiraiya formed hand seals and created a shadow clone to maintain the purification area while his real body charged toward Orochimaru and the others.
Sasuke anxiously watched Jiraiya's back.
"Is this uncle really okay?" He turned to look at Ryosuke.
Since earlier, Ryosuke had been silently standing at the side, staring at his left hand, seemingly deep in thought. Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes widened.
"Brother Ryosuke! You..."
Sasuke saw that Ryosuke's left hand was hardening, and scales like those of a snake appeared on it.
'Could it be that Brother Ryosuke is going to turn into a snake?!' Sasuke was both shocked and terrified.
But then, he saw the scales on Ryosuke's arm shift again.
Fish fins.
Mammal fur.
Exoskeletons of arthropods.
Feathers of birds.
Countless changes occurred in a very short time. Sasuke stood there, dazed, unable to believe his eyes. For a moment, he felt like he was dreaming.
An absurd, strange dream.
"Ugh..."
Jiraiya groaned in pain, breaking Sasuke's thoughts.
Both of their abilities were on par.
Now, Orochimaru had the home-field advantage, and Jiraiya had split part of his chakra to create shadow clones, maintaining the purification area. Facing the strong attacks of Orochimaru, Kimimaro, and Jūgo, he was slowly falling behind.
Leaving Kimimaro and Jūgo to engage with Jiraiya, Orochimaru charged toward Ryosuke.
Orochimaru's thinking was clear, Ryosuke's malevolent spirit and special powers were too mysterious. As long as he dealt with him, this battle… would be won.
Orochimaru smiled faintly as he closed in on Ryosuke. Just then, he saw the ever-changing left arm of Ryosuke, and his thoughts became confused.
'What is this?!'
As one of the few scientists in the world of Hokage, Orochimaru was one of the most knowledgeable ninjas when it came to the human body.
If it were someone else, they might think this was some kind of ninjutsu or bloodline limit.
But Orochimaru knew that this kind of change couldn't be explained by ninjutsu or bloodline limits.
A gust of wind blew by, scattering the feathers on Ryosuke's arm, which slowly returned to human skin.
Kunitsukami opened her domain, and Ryosuke, who had been bowing his head, slowly raised his head and gazed at Orochimaru.
The wind blew across Orochimaru's back, sending a chill down his spine.
'What is this gaze?'
It wasn't fierce or evil. It was heavy.
Like a gaze from the ancient past, crossing through time and space, descending upon him.
Ryosuke raised his Ruin Greatsword and took a deep breath.
Kunitsukami, who had been watching from the air, was startled. Her beautiful eyes fixed on Ryosuke,
The natural energy she had released was being drained with every breath Ryosuke took.
That was the natural energy she had cultivated for hundreds of years, enhanced by the Dragon-Snake Orb of White Snake Sage.
"A mere mortal, how could this be…"
Kunitsukami was stunned, as she saw the ripples and natural energy swirl together and surge into the Ruin Greatsword. The already enormous sword first wound around with golden thunder and then turned into a whirlwind of green winds.
The wind and thunder swirled, and the Ruin Greatsword seemed to stretch dozens of meters longer, its brilliant light piercing through the dark barrier.
Sunlight poured back into the scene.
It was like a beam of spotlight shining on Ryosuke.
Kunitsukami snapped back to her senses. "Little snake! Get out of the way!"
'Get out of the way?'
'Where to?'
Orochimaru's eyes were bloodshot.
Death had never been so close.
"Orochimaru-sama!"
Kimimaro and Jūgo abandoned their fight with Jiraiya and rushed toward Ryosuke.
In the critical moment, they exploded with their maximum potential, stepping in front of the descending blade.
The wind and thunder howled as the long blade fell.
A deafening roar echoed, and the earth trembled. The barrier surrounding the village cracked open with a narrow gap.
Jiraiya swallowed and looked around the battlefield.
Kimimaro, dead.
Jūgo, dead.
Orochimaru… his lower body was missing, only his upper half remained, and his intestines spilled onto the ground.
One strike!
Just one strike!
It shattered all of Orochimaru's plans and backup strategies.
Jiraiya couldn't believe it. All that was left in his heart was shock.
Shii~
The Ruin Greatsword glowed red, burning hot, especially at its core, where the "bones and soul" that once belonged to Samehada let out a faint cry.
That last strike had exceeded the sword's capacity to bear.
"Don't worry, just this once… for now." Ryosuke whispered in reassurance.
The reason he could make that strike was thanks to the abundant natural energy from Kunitsukami.
Now that the barrier had broken and the natural energy was drained, Ryosuke wouldn't be able to replicate that strike anytime soon.
However, with Kunitsukami's "help," he had learned to fuse natural energy with Ripple. If given some more time to practice… he would definitely be able to strike with that terrifying sword light again.
Ryosuke planted the Ruin Greatsword into the ground, allowing it to cool naturally.
In just a short time, Orochimaru opened his mouth, and from it, another complete version of himself crawled out. His remaining half of the body became a "skin," discarded on the ground.
"Great Snake Substitute Technique."
After Orochimaru repaired his body, he immediately planned to flee.
"You really are hard to kill."
A calm voice sounded from behind, and a hand reached out, firmly gripping his neck and lifting him up like a small chicken.
Orochimaru was forced to look up, meeting the cold gaze of Star Platinum.
But then he quickly noticed an even more terrifying gaze than Star Platinum's.
Ryosuke stood before Orochimaru.
"Let me see your proud healing ability. How strong is it, really?"
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