Chapter 281: Orochimaru's Wood Release
"Earth Release: Earth Surge Spears!"
Orochimaru didn't sit idly by. After summoning the First Rashōmon gate, he immediately formed hand seals and slammed his hands into the ground. A torrent of Earth Release chakra surged underground.
Rumble…!
Giant earth spears, the size of houses, burst forth from the ground in front of the Rashōmon and extended rapidly toward the Iron Sand Shukaku.
They moved incredibly fast.
The Iron Sand Shukaku, controlled by Sasori, didn't have time to react before its belly was struck and lifted by the earth spears, causing it to lose balance and fall backward.
"Water Release: Surging Water Wave!"
Orochimaru followed up, leaping onto the Rashōmon. A massive wave a hundred meters high formed around him and crashed down on the Iron Sand Shukaku, toppling it completely.
"Lightning Release: Ten Thousand Thunder Bolts!"
Orochimaru didn't stop. He clasped his hands together, then spread them outward, summoning crackling lightning bolts as thick as arms. They rained down on the prone Iron Sand Shukaku.
Crackle crackle…
In an instant, lightning flowed along the water and into the Shukaku's body.
Orochimaru aimed to flush Sasori out of the puppet by electrocuting the interior.
Sasori indeed took the full brunt of the lightning—but unfortunately for Orochimaru, Sasori no longer had a flesh-and-blood body.
Being fully puppetized, lightning attacks were useless against him—especially since he himself could use Lightning Release techniques.
"Hmph…"
Under Orochimaru's furrowed brow, the Iron Sand Shukaku stood back up through the water and lightning, opening its massive jaws toward him.
"Wind Release: Storm Blade Barrage!"
A barrage of wind blades, mixed with iron sand, shot from the Shukaku's mouth, instantly slicing through the waves and sweeping across hundreds of meters.
Orochimaru retreated behind the Rashōmon.
Crack! Boom!
This time, the Rashōmon couldn't withstand the storm for long. The countless wind blades shredded it quickly, leaving deep gashes in the earth.
The Konoha shinobi watching from the cliffside were relieved they hadn't rushed down earlier.
Any one of these Wind Release techniques could destroy a wide area. Down there, they would've been useless. At least up here, they could still provide support.
"Earth Release: Earth Wall Formation!"
"Earth Release…"
"Earth Release…"
"Earth…"
Four of the eight shinobi stepped forward together, forming a massive ten-meter-thick earth wall in front of the Rashōmon, blocking the oncoming wind blades.
The Iron Sand Shukaku's eyes shifted toward them, ready to unleash another barrage.
But suddenly, the ground under its belly split open—and a giant snake head burst out.
"Don't underestimate me, you hunk of scrap!"
Manda launched upward, headbutting the Shukaku in the gut, sending its massive body flying 30 meters into the air.
But the headbutt drained Manda's strength.
"Orochimaru, you'd better prepare those 300 sacrifices I asked for, or next time I won't go easy on you!"
With a final warning, Manda vanished in a puff of smoke, returning to Ryūchi Cave.
Orochimaru said nothing. He emerged from the ground and, seeing the airborne Shukaku, immediately formed seals and unleashed a powerful Fire Release jutsu.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame!"
A blazing dragon of fire erupted from his mouth, expanding midair into a wide flame that looked ready to swallow the Shukaku whole.
Boom!
The flames exploded on impact, partially melting the Shukaku's iron sand exterior due to the extreme heat.
But only partially.
From within, Sasori piloted a slightly smaller Iron Sand Shukaku, bursting out through the belly and through the fire, slamming down a giant palm at Orochimaru.
Boom!
The ground split apart, dust rose, and a crater dozens of meters deep formed—but there was no sign of Orochimaru beneath the hand.
"Earth Release: Earth Core Shift!"
From behind the Iron Sand Shukaku, where he had quietly repositioned himself, Orochimaru slammed his hands into the ground. The terrain within a hundred-meter radius around the Shukaku suddenly collapsed.
At the same time, a shadow clone leapt high into the sky and launched a Fire Release jutsu.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Sasori reacted quickly. He immediately countered with a strong Wind Release blast from the Shukaku's mouth, sending the fireball back toward the airborne Orochimaru.
Poof!
The airborne Orochimaru vanished in a puff of smoke—it was a shadow clone.
On the ground, Orochimaru smirked slightly.
As long as he could trap the Shukaku within a fixed range and keep launching large-scale Fire Release attacks, he could eventually melt all of the iron sand.
In the past, he wouldn't have had the chakra to sustain such output. But now, he was different.
He still had plenty of chakra—and he was feeling confident.
Then… what!?
Just as he was preparing to send two shadow clones to unleash more Fire Release techniques, he looked up—and froze.
The Iron Sand Shukaku had taken flight.
"Not good."
Orochimaru's face changed.
He had completely forgotten that those who used Magnet Release and iron sand manipulation… could fly.
Now airborne, Sasori had the Shukaku open its jaws and unleash another massive rainstorm of iron sand senbon.
Shhhh…
The ground was instantly engulfed in clouds of dust.
The Konoha shinobi on the cliff edge could only watch helplessly, unable to intervene.
"Did he die?"
Sasori stopped the Shukaku's attack and stared into the fading dust.
Soon, several semi-elliptical wooden structures—curved and interlocking—came into view.
"What kind of jutsu is that?"
Sasori was briefly confused, until the wooden structures split open with a crack crack crack, revealing Orochimaru inside.
Then he realized what it was.
"Wood Release!"
"That's definitely Wood Release!"
"Orochimaru can actually use the legendary Wood Release of the First Hokage!"
Sasori was stunned. This was the jutsu that had unified the ninja world, founded the hidden villages—the world-renowned power of the First Hokage.
But his shock quickly turned to excitement.
Now he could see whose techniques were superior—his puppetry or the First Hokage's Wood Release.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Exposed and done hiding his strength, Orochimaru went all out, raising his hand to summon Hashirama's iconic jutsu.
In an instant, countless towering trees burst from the earth like octopus tentacles, reaching toward the airborne Shukaku.
Clang clang!
The Iron Sand Shukaku suddenly transformed. Its hands became massive metal tubes, and its mouth opened wide.
"Fire Release: Flame Torrent Blast!"
BOOM…
A torrent of fire erupted from both the Shukaku's transformed arms and its wide-open mouth, crashing downward like a fiery waterfall.
Boom!
Flames clashed with trees in a massive explosion. The heat instantly split the trees apart.
But Wood Release was still Wood Release. Ordinary Fire Release couldn't fully counter it.
Giant tree tips, like vines, pierced through the flames and surged upward toward the Shukaku.
"Worthy of the First Hokage's Wood Release!"
Sasori was impressed, but with a flick of thought, before the vines could bind him, he had the Iron Sand Shukaku disintegrate into a black iron sand cloud, slipping through the gaps in the vines and flying even higher.
Orochimaru's Wood Release was powerful—but without flight, he couldn't reach Sasori.
At a thousand meters in the air, Sasori stood atop a floating iron sand sphere, revealing his true form for the first time.
(END CHAPTER)
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