In the dim underground space, the smoke from the Summoning Technique gradually dissipated.
Orochimaru stood atop Manda's head, his vertical golden serpentine pupils gleaming coldly as he gazed at Shura, who had retreated calmly after landing a successful strike.
A complex mix of emotions churned in his eyes… humiliation from being toyed with, wariness toward unknown power, and the fury of having his bottom line crossed.
"Even if it's a hundred, no… a thousand, I'll get them for you!" Orochimaru's hoarse voice carried deep killing intent.
Having been fooled twice by Shura, Orochimaru was utterly enraged!
"Hmph, you said it yourself!" Manda roared, its massive body grinding against the cave walls as rubble rained down. Its tail lashed out toward Menma with devastating force!
Menma looked up at the giant snake that nearly scraped the cavern ceiling and frowned slightly.
"With a size like that, are you trying to collapse this entire cave?" Menma muttered to himself, realizing he needed to end this quickly.
If Orochimaru was pushed too far, he could simply use the Reverse Summoning Technique to escape to Ryuchi Cave. But if Manda caused the underground cavern to collapse, burying the Iburi Clan, Menma would be heartbroken.
After all, he had already claimed this smoke-transforming clan as his own property.
'Well, let's use that move.' Menma pulled out several specially crafted kunai with his left hand while his right hand began forming a [Mini Spiralling Ring].
Compared to the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken-sized [Spiralling Ring], this [Mini Spiralling Ring] was only the size of a fist. However, the Dark Chakra compressed to an extreme degree inside, wrapped in a ring of Wind Attribute Chakra like a stellar halo, radiated a terrifyingly dense energy!
This is an enhanced version of Spiralling Ring that Menma had developed in the Limited Tsukuyomi World.
The Spiralling Ring was like the initial Rasengan. By compressing it to an extreme, it became the reinforced Mini Spiralling Ring. Further compression would eventually create the [Great Spiralling Ring], rivaling the power of the Super Shinra Tensei.
As Manda's massive tail tore through the air in a sweeping strike, the kunai shot toward Orochimaru like streaks of silver light.
Orochimaru, who was standing on top of Manda's head, merely shifted slightly, effortlessly dodging the kunai as the gust they carried brushed a few strands of his black hair.
At the same time, his hands began forming hand seals, preparing to unleash a Ninjutsu.
Even if he couldn't kill Shura, he would at least destroy this underground cavern completely… making the traitorous Iburi Clan pay in blood!
However, just as Orochimaru formed his hand seals, Manda's tail swept across the ground, and Shura's figure vanished.
An invisible killing intent surged from behind Orochimaru!
"What?!" Years of life-and-death battles honed his instincts, tensing every muscle in his body.
But it was already too late-
Boom-!!!
The Mini Spiralling Ring slammed directly into Orochimaru's side. The ultra-compressed dark energy exploded at his waist.
Already injured, half of Orochimaru's torso was torn apart by the dark and Wind Attribute Chakra, the pain as if savaged by a wild beast!
Menma suddenly appeared behind Orochimaru, a specially crafted kunai in his left hand while his right hand's Mini Spiralling Ring sent both Orochimaru and Manda crashing down.
Boom-
Manda let out a pained screech as its massive head was driven into the ground by the shockwave, the impact forming a crater with spiderweb-like cracks.
The Summoning Technique was forcibly dispelled.
"Cough..." After Manda vanished, Orochimaru was left embedded in the deep crater.
But then, the nearly bisected body began to dissolve. A pale arm stretched out from Orochimaru's mouth, swiftly tearing free as another Orochimaru emerged from within.
As the newly shed body broke free, a sticky hand brushed back the damp hair, revealing snake eyes burning with a mix of scholarly curiosity and killing intent.
[Orochi-style Substitution Technique], one of Orochimaru's signature Ninjutsu.
"Why... do you know the Flying Thunder God Technique?!" Orochimaru's voice trembled with agitation, his tongue unconsciously flicking across his lips.
He once again mentally ran through every Konoha's Ninjas he could recall, from the deceased Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama to the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and to Namikaze Minato's bodyguards.
But none of them matched the person standing before him now.
It was as if Shura had appeared out of thin air!
If not for Orochimaru's battle instincts prompting him to prepare the [Orochi-style Substitution Technique] in advance, that terrifying Ninjutsu just now might have shattered his spine.
'The Flying Thunder God Technique… and that jutsu eerily similar to the Rasengan...' Orochimaru's nose twitched slightly as he wiped the blood from his lips, his mind involuntarily flashing back to Minato, who had died in the Nine-Tails Rampage three years ago!
'Could it be Minato…? No… impossible… I personally witnessed Minato and Kushina's burial...' Beads of sweat formed on Orochimaru's forehead.
During the Nine-Tails Rampage, Orochimaru had still been a Konoha's high-ranking figure and had attended the funeral of the Fourth Hokage and his wife.
With his years of research on human anatomy, there was no way he could be wrong about the bodies of Minato and Kushina.
Moreover… he had even obtained some of Minato's cells afterward.
None of the clues Orochimaru had could explain the origins of the man before him.
But Orochimaru was very sure of at least one thing… the other party was undoubtedly a Konoha's Ninja!
At this time, Shinigami and Tennyo had already evacuated the Iburi Clan, leaving only Menma and Orochimaru in the underground space.
"Is that all you've got?" The sound of Menma's footsteps echoed through the silent cavern.
Under the dim light, Shura stepped forward from the dissipating smoke, each step intensifying the suffocating pressure in the air.
Even Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, felt an overwhelming sense of oppression bearing down on him.
This level of danger reminded him of his battle against Hanzo the Salamander during the Second Great Ninja War!
Meanwhile, Menma was contemplating how to make Orochimaru serve him.
Orochimaru's scientific prowess was undoubtedly the greatest in the entire Ninja World… but Orochimaru was also a man of immense pride, unwilling to submit to anyone easily.
Even when faced with Nagato and his Rinnegan, Orochimaru had dared to covet those [Eyes of God].
And when encountering Itachi's Sharingan, Orochimaru had still harbored his own schemes.
Making Orochimaru truly submit was no simple task.
With Menma's current strength, he cannot completely control Orochimaru… unless he can obtain Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan.
'But…'
Menma leisurely circled Orochimaru, his steps unhurried.
In the crater, Orochimaru clutched his wound, his serpentine eyes filled with venomous hatred, glaring at Shura like a cornered viper.
"I'd advise you to use the Living Corpse Reincarnation less often." Menma's low voice carried a warning.
Orochimaru's face twisted in shock at first, then contorted strangely upon hearing Shura mention the secret of his Living Corpse Reincarnation.
"No… you can't possibly know… about Living Corpse Reincarnation..." A choked laugh escaped Orochimaru's throat as his fingers trembled with excitement, half his face obscured by his hand.
The Living Corpse Reincarnation Technique, an ultimate Forbidden Technique Orochimaru had developed to achieve immortality, was his most closely guarded secret.
Orochimaru was certain he had never revealed this technique to anyone!
"Fascinating… utterly fascinating..." Orochimaru clutched his wounded abdomen with one hand while the other covered half his face, his visible eye burning with madness.
"Attacking Konoha, assaulting Kumogakure, impersonating Danzo, using a technique nearly identical to the Rasengan, wielding the Flying Thunder God Technique, intercepting my escape route with precision, knowing about my Hashirama's cells, and now… even aware of my untested Living Corpse Reincarnation..."
"I understand now." Suddenly, his laughter ceased. Orochimaru lowered his hand, his expression eerily calm.
"You are a Ninja of Konoha! But you are not a Ninja of Konoha of this era!"
Orochimaru slowly straightened, staring at the masked man before him with the ecstatic glee of a man who had just discovered a new world.
"You're from the future… aren't you?! Shura!!!"
Menma: 'Huh?'