Orochimaru used his remaining chakra to unleash this astonishingly powerful Ninjutsu, preparing for a decisive final clash with Tsunade and the two others.
Earth Style: Earth Dragon Rising!
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
The ground for dozens of meters around violently trembled as if struck by a magnitude ten earthquake. A massive sound, transmitted from deep underground, echoed clearly in everyone's ears.
The surface fissures previously created by the Earth Split and Turn Palm technique disintegrated and shattered further. The ground a meter in front of Orochimaru suddenly erupted with a spiderweb of narrow, fine cracks, quickly bulging upward.
First, a thick smell of earth wafted from the cracks, followed by an even more terrifying howl than the fire dragon summoned by Jiraiya. The roar of the Earth Dragon—its power easily more than double—resounded in their ears, vibrating their eardrums.
A colossal, earthen-yellow dragon head, the size of a small room and radiating a terrifying aura, suddenly burst from the ground. It dragged a mighty dragon body, roughly seven to eight meters long and thick enough for several people to embrace, roaring and bellowing. Under Orochimaru's control, it surged forward to meet the full-power attack from Tsunade and the others.
BOOM!
The astonishing full-power strikes from Tsunade's group viciously slammed into the solid, rocky-yellow Earth Dragon summoned by Orochimaru!
It was as if heavenly thunder had struck an earthly fire, or an earthquake had triggered a deafening explosion. A thunderous roar, spreading an invisible sound wave for miles around, momentarily stunned the chests of the three attackers, sending them flying backward.
Shards of rock, sparks of fire, and the broken remnants of their punch forces scattered everywhere, devastating the surrounding grass and earth. The choking cloud of dust and smoke slowly dissipated.
The majestic, powerful Earth Dragon slowly revealed itself from the dust. Its thick body was pockmarked and riddled with scars of various sizes, and one half of its huge head had been completely blasted away, leaving it disfigured. However, it was coiled in a defensive position, having managed to block the trio's attacks, and still had enough reserve energy to protect Orochimaru within its coils.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hyūga Bluebird exchanged glances and smiled helplessly. They all knew that, even including Chi, the four of them had lost.
Orochimaru stepped onto the dragon's head, which carried him over to Manji, who was watching from the side.
As the Earth Dragon dissipated, Orochimaru, who had completely exhausted his chakra and stamina, looked slightly depleted. After all, the final Earth Dragon Rising Ninjutsu was quite taxing on him.
Manji rushed to embrace Orochimaru and immediately activated the Mystical Palm Technique, condensing a shimmering emerald-green medical Ninjutsu glow to treat him meticulously.
Little Yamata, the wondrous, mystical snake, also poked its head out from his clothes and exhaled a puff of pale-gold breath onto Orochimaru.
Seeing Yamata emerge, Orochimaru waved his hand at Manji: "Go check on Jiraiya and the others. With Yamata, I'm fine now."
Manji hesitated slightly at Orochimaru's words, glancing at Yamata, whose pale-gold markings on its snake body were even more pronounced than three years ago.
Yamata clearly sensed Manji's concern and spoke in its childish, tender voice: "Sister Manji, you go ahead. I will take care of Master."
Only then did Manji give Orochimaru a final concerned look before rushing toward Chi and Jiraiya's group.
Half an hour later, the group, mostly recovered, gathered around Orochimaru as usual, listening to him critique the recent combat exercise, detailing each person's strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
Surrounded by his peers, Orochimaru, who was speaking eloquently, failed to notice two pairs of eyes fixed on him, filled with worship and deep affection.
Jiraiya, Chi, and the others listened intently to Orochimaru's profound analysis and detailed explanations, gaining immense benefit.
Just then, Orochimaru abruptly stopped speaking. A look of confusion flashed across his eyes. In his spiritual energy perception, he clearly detected a signature presence belonging to an Anbu member rapidly approaching.
Whoosh!
An Anbu member, with a cold presence, clad in a black trench coat and wearing an animal mask, appeared next to Orochimaru one breath later. He bowed slightly and said indifferently: "Orochimaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya. Lord Sarutobi summons you immediately."
Jiraiya and Tsunade habitually looked toward Orochimaru. Orochimaru couldn't immediately guess the reason but nodded in agreement to the Anbu member.
After telling Manji, Chi, and Hyūga Bluebird to head home first, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade raced toward the Hokage Tower.
Knock, knock, knock—
Orochimaru knocked on the door of the Hokage Office. Sarutobi Hiruzen, having served his three-year interim term, had been formally installed as the Third Hokage of Konoha Village, the Land of Fire.
"Come in!" Sarutobi's familiar voice came from inside the room.
Orochimaru and his companions pushed the door open. Behind the large Hokage desk, Sarutobi was currently reviewing documents and handling village affairs. Sarutobi, whose power was peaking with his age, unconsciously exuded an aura of Kage-level density, stability, and profound depth—far heavier than three years prior—which pressed upon their minds like a towering mountain.
Sarutobi drew his eyes away from the documents he was reading and looked up. Seeing his three disciples, he smiled warmly, a genial expression that felt like a spring breeze: "You're here!"
"Sarutobi Sensei!" the three greeted respectfully in unison.
"Why did you call for us, Sensei?" Orochimaru asked.
"Mm. The Chūnin Exams are about to begin. Notices and letters were sent out to all countries a few days ago. You should prepare yourselves too," Sarutobi said with a smile.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. He nodded: "Yes, Sarutobi Sensei."
Sarutobi's tone suddenly became serious and grave, with a hint of anxiety in his eyes: "These Chūnin Exams will not be simple. They will even include the direct disciples of the Kage from various countries. You must be extra cautious. Here is the list of participants for the Chūnin Exams from each country. Take a look."
Saying this, Sarutobi took out a file wrapped in a yellowish file cover and handed it to Orochimaru.
Tsunade and Jiraiya also crowded around, hoping to glean some information about the ninja from other countries.
The seal on the file was already broken. Orochimaru easily took out the documents. His dark-golden pupils scanned the list, and a rare, profoundly astonished look appeared deep within his eyes.
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 10 chapters in advance!