"Or do you really think that even one-tenth of your power would be enough to kill your teacher?"
Even at his most arrogant, Orochimaru would never have dared to say such a thing aloud.
Master and disciple understood one another too well. Because of that understanding, Orochimaru knew the truth better than anyone else.
At this moment, he was no match for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
In reality, Orochimaru clearly understood that he had already stepped into a dead end.
Holding the diamond-hard staff firmly in his hand, Hiruzen turned toward his once-proud disciple and issued his final invitation.
"Come, Orochimaru!"
"It's time to settle everything once and for all!"
Boom!
Hiruzen instantly released a massive surge of chakra. Swinging the adamantine staff with terrifying force, he struck the enormous body of the Eight-Headed Serpent head-on.
The impact was so powerful that the gigantic snake was sent flying through the air.
Naruto and the others stared in shock.
"So powerful…"
Although Hiruzen was far past his prime, he was still the legendary Third Hokage. More than ten years earlier, even in his old age, he had managed to drive the Nine-Tails out of the village with a single strike from Enma's staff.
Compared to the Nine-Tails, the Eight-Headed Serpent was far weaker.
Orochimaru coughed up a mouthful of blood immediately after taking the blow.
The giant serpent writhed violently, roaring in pain and fury as its massive body twisted across the battlefield.
"Go, Enma!"
"Right!"
Hiruzen showed no intention of retreating.
His greatest regret in life had been his moment of hesitation. Because he could not bring himself to kill Orochimaru in the past, that mercy had eventually become the darkest stain on his heart.
As he had said earlier, everything had to end today.
Boom!
Another crushing strike descended from above and slammed mercilessly into the Eight-Headed Serpent.
Orochimaru, already weakened and severely injured, could only force one of the White Serpents to block the attack.
Crash!
The snake's head instantly bent backward from the impact before collapsing heavily onto the ground, completely unconscious after being struck by the adamantine staff.
"Damn it! Why won't this old geezer just die already?!"
Orochimaru's composure finally shattered as he roared in anger.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen became even calmer. A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Orochimaru… you've completely lost yourself, haven't you?"
Using the recoil from his previous attack, Hiruzen leapt high into the air. Facing the gigantic serpent below him, he rapidly formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Blazing Flame Technique!"
In an instant, a roaring sea of flames engulfed the Eight-Headed Serpent's massive body.
The remaining White Serpents screamed miserably as they were swallowed by the inferno.
However, in the next moment, Orochimaru suddenly emerged from the mouth of one of the snakes. A long Kusanagi Sword shot forward from the serpent's jaws like lightning.
Not only had Orochimaru escaped the flames, but he had immediately launched a counterattack.
This was his Snake Extraction: Sword Extraction Technique!
Clang!
The Kusanagi Sword collided violently against Hiruzen's adamantine staff.
A powerful shockwave erupted from the collision, forcing both men backward at the same time.
Hiruzen landed steadily on the ground while Enma's face emerged from within the staff.
"Hiruzen! Even my diamond-hard body can't withstand the Kusanagi Sword forever!"
"We need to finish this quickly!"
Hiruzen smiled calmly.
"No matter what happens, I'm not the one who should be worried."
Orochimaru gritted his teeth in hatred, but he knew Hiruzen was right.
Under normal circumstances, even if he had fallen into a trap, Hiruzen would not necessarily have been able to defeat him easily in a one-on-one battle.
Although Orochimaru no longer possessed Edo Tensei, the outcome between them would still have been uncertain.
But now…
He had been caught completely unprepared. His battle against Team Seven had already left him heavily injured and dangerously weakened. On top of that, he had forcibly broken free from the Adamantine Sealing Chains, consuming an enormous amount of chakra.
Facing a fully prepared Hiruzen Sarutobi in this condition—
He had almost no chance of victory.
Even though rage filled his heart, Orochimaru had already begun searching for an opportunity to escape.
"Hiruzen-sensei… are you really that confident?"
At this moment, the Eight-Headed Serpent had nearly been destroyed. Only four White Serpents remained, writhing weakly on the battlefield.
One of them suddenly opened its mouth.
Orochimaru burst out from within, wielding the Kusanagi Sword as he lunged directly toward Hiruzen.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sword and adamantine staff collided repeatedly.
Each clash unleashed terrifying shockwaves that tore through the battlefield and shook the earth violently.
The former master and disciple were now fighting with their lives on the line.
But despite Orochimaru's strength, he had already consumed far too much chakra and suffered severe injuries. No matter how desperately he fought, he could no longer match Hiruzen.
Wielding Enma's adamantine staff, Hiruzen steadily maintained the upper hand.
Although he was no longer the strongest shinobi of his youth, against the current weakened Orochimaru, he was still overwhelmingly dominant.
Very quickly, the battle became completely one-sided.
Known throughout the ninja world as "The Professor," Hiruzen displayed terrifying mastery over countless techniques. Earth Release, Water Release, and Fire Release flowed seamlessly one after another.
Combined with his exceptional taijutsu and Enma's overwhelming power, he completely suppressed Orochimaru without giving him any room to breathe.
"Damn you, old fool!" Orochimaru roared furiously.
"I should have killed you when I invaded Konoha!"
Hiruzen burst into laughter.
"Orochimaru, why are you speaking nonsense?"
"It's not that you didn't kill me."
"It's that you couldn't."
"Don't overestimate yourself."
Orochimaru's face twisted with fury.
"Even if I die today, I'll drag you down with me!"
Suddenly, the remaining two White Serpents lunged forward simultaneously.
One attacked from the left while the other struck from the right, both aiming directly at Hiruzen.
Hiruzen swung the adamantine staff and knocked one of them aside instantly.
But the second serpent wrapped around him like a gigantic whip.
"Hmph!"
"Adamantine Prison Wall!"
Hiruzen rapidly formed hand seals.
The adamantine staff instantly multiplied into dozens of black rods that surrounded him like an indestructible cage.
This was one of Hiruzen's ultimate defensive techniques.
Even the First Hokage's Deep Forest Emergence had once failed to destroy it.
As expected, the White Serpent slammed heavily into the barrier but failed to break through. Instead, the impact caused the serpent itself to become dizzy and disoriented.
At that exact moment, Hiruzen dispersed the Adamantine Prison Wall and immediately formed another set of hand seals.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The tiny shuriken instantly multiplied into gigantic blades larger than a human body.
The massive shuriken rained down mercilessly upon the White Serpent.
Blood exploded everywhere.
The serpent was shredded apart in an instant before collapsing to the ground with a miserable scream.
At this point, only a single White Serpent remained from Orochimaru's Eight-Headed Serpent Technique.
And Orochimaru himself was hiding inside it.
Breathing heavily, Orochimaru finally realized how hopeless his situation had become.
"Orochimaru," Hiruzen said calmly, "there's nowhere left for you to run."
"Checkmate."
Suddenly, Orochimaru burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
His body twisted grotesquely as he crawled out from the serpent's mouth. His pale face became increasingly distorted, making him look even more terrifying.
"I never imagined I'd be defeated by a few brats, Hiruzen-sensei!"
"If I hadn't been seriously injured while breaking free from those Adamantine Sealing Chains, who knows who would've won this battle?!"
Hiruzen smiled faintly.
"Perhaps."
"But reality is reality, Orochimaru."
"You must pay the price for your arrogance and carelessness."
"In your eyes, Naruto and the others were always just toys. You treated them casually because you believed everything was under your control."
"But you never expected that one day you would be pushed into a corner by those very same children."
"In that regard… you are far inferior to Jiraiya and Tsunade."
Orochimaru sneered coldly.
"You old fool… are you still trying to lecture me?"
Hiruzen nodded quietly.
"Yes."
"This will be your teacher's final lesson."
Orochimaru let out a furious hiss.
"I will never die here!"
"My ambitions have only just begun!"
Boom!
The enormous White Serpent shot forward like a missile.
At the same time, Hiruzen unleashed every ounce of his remaining strength and swung the adamantine staff with devastating force.
Crash!!!
The terrifying recoil pushed Hiruzen backward several meters.
But the White Serpent let out a final scream before crashing heavily onto the ground.
The Eight-Headed Serpent Technique had finally been destroyed completely.
A massive cloud of white smoke exploded across the battlefield.
Orochimaru's true body was fully exposed.
In the next instant, his body transformed into a gigantic snake that rapidly slithered away in an attempt to escape.
"You're still trying to run?!"
Hiruzen's adamantine staff shot forward instantly and slammed down heavily on the fleeing Orochimaru.
Orochimaru hastily raised the Kusanagi Sword to block.
But in terms of raw strength and taijutsu, he was no longer Hiruzen's equal.
Boom!
The enormous snake body was smashed violently into the ground.
"Damn it… that hateful old man…"
Orochimaru's eyes burned with fury.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)