Amaterasu!
The unique ability of the Mangekyō Sharingan!
It is a black flame created from nothingness through Yin Release, possessing a level of heat and destructive power that ordinary fire can never hope to match. Even more terrifying is that once it touches a target, it will never be extinguished until the target is burned to ash, unless the caster actively cancels it.
Although in the original story, this ability, famed as the "strongest physical attack," hardly ever managed to kill anyone, its raw power was beyond dispute.
Under the control of Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan, Orochimaru tasted unbearable agony within mere seconds. He tried the same method Jiraiya once used, attempting to seal the black flames with a sealing scroll. Unfortunately, the moment he completed one seal, Sasuke immediately released another burst of Amaterasu, once again enveloping the Great White Scale Snake from head to tail.
"Damn it... I seem to have underestimated you, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru grunted, enduring the excruciating pain of the burning.
"Hmph! No matter what you say, you will die here today. I will not forgive anyone who covets the bloodline of the Uchiha, whether it's you or those fools in Konoha!" Sasuke replied with a cold sneer.
"Hahahaha! I admit, these black flames are indeed quite troublesome. But if you think you can kill me with just this, you are far too naive. Do you know why I have always respected Allen-kun? It is because he brought me the key to realizing my dreams! Now, witness my final trump card..."
As the last word left his mouth, Orochimaru's Nen beast began to grow larger and larger, eventually merging with his own Great White Scale Snake form.
As the snake's head bit into its own tail, swallowing it inch by inch and then spitting it back out, the black flames of Amaterasu and all his wounds vanished without a trace.
Seeing this, Sasuke's pupils dilated. "Your Hatsu allows you to heal all injuries by devouring yourself?" he asked in a surprised tone.
Orochimaru flicked his tongue, responding meaningfully, "No. It is more than that. My ability can repair damaged cells as they are devoured and restore them to their peak state. This means that, in essence, I am immortal. Whether you use ninjutsu or any other form of attack, it is futile against me."
"Even if I cut off your head?" Sasuke tested warily.
"Precisely! My Ouroboros symbolizes perfection and eternal existence. Unless someone can kill every single cell in my body simultaneously, I can recover infinitely as long as even one cell remains alive. Now that I have attained immortality, my next pursuit is perfection: to integrate every Kekkei Genkai in this world, learn every ninjutsu, and eventually become an existence like the Sage of the Six Paths. And the Sharingan of the Uchiha is the most critical, most vital link in my plan."
Orochimaru twisted his body, slowly closing in. His pale yellow pupils radiated a fanatical, obsessive light.
Ever since he had been instantly defeated by a single glance from Itachi, he had become obsessed with the Sharingan. Today, he would have his way no matter what; otherwise, given Sasuke's current rate of growth, he likely wouldn't be a match for him the next time they met.
In truth, Orochimaru's direct combat power wasn't exceptionally high. Setting aside the use of Reanimation to dig up the dead to fight for him, his raw strength couldn't compare to Jiraiya in Sage Mode. Furthermore, after multiple reincarnations, his soul had grown increasingly weak, leading to a lower resistance to Genjutsu, a glaring weakness.
However, the Nen system brought by Allen had allowed him to successfully shore up his deficiencies.
But that was as far as it went.
Facing the Great White Scale Snake at point-blank range, Sasuke activated the Cursed Seal of Heaven. Following the method Allen had taught him, he began to draw in vast amounts of Natural Energy, entering a rudimentary Sage Mode in the blink of an eye.
Of course, this Sage Mode relied to some extent on the power of the Cursed Seal. When Orochimaru was researching the Cursed Seals, he did so because he felt they could be used to mitigate the immense risks of learning and using Sage Mode; the Cursed Seal transformation itself was a result of absorbing Natural Energy. Thus, to an extent, it could be classified as a "highly streamlined" version of Sage Mode.
As is well known, the key to Sage Mode is maintaining the balance of Natural Energy within the body; if one absorbs too much, they turn to stone. The Cursed Seal happened to buffer this process, providing a higher margin for error when extracting Senjutsu Chakra.
As a contractor of the Ryūchi Cave, Orochimaru recognized instantly what the changes around Sasuke's eyes signified. He immediately brought his massive body to a halt. "Sage Mode! Did you go to the Ryūchi Cave?"
"No. I learned this from Allen. I have to say, while he might not be a 'good' teacher, he knows many shortcuts. Thanks to him, I can now use a bit of this power as well," Sasuke said, a faint expression of pride appearing on his face.
The Mangekyō Sharingan! Sage Mode! And a vast array of high-level ninjutsu and forbidden techniques!
He could no longer remember how many things he had obtained from that man; he only knew that Allen always seemed to have more and better things in reserve. Unfortunately, his personality and status meant he could never reach the level of Neji or Karin, so he naturally didn't receive the absolute best.
"It seems Allen-kun has completely mastered the Sage Mode of the Ryūchi Cave. What an incredible man! As far as I know, until now, no one has been able to pass the trial of the White Snake Sage," Orochimaru said, his voice laced with intense envy and longing. He had once pursued this power himself, but after seeing a training method with a failure rate so high it was practically intolerable, he had decisively chosen to give up.
"To gain something, one must inevitably lose something. Once you step onto the path of pursuing power, you must never look back with hesitation. Even if the path ahead is a forest of unknown thorns, you must walk into it bravely, even if what awaits at the end is death. Those were the words he said when he granted me power, and now I give them to you. Because the strong are always those who dare to face death. Regrettably, you are not, so you are destined to be a pathetic failure."
After saying this, Sasuke performed hand seals at extreme speed. He combined the black flames of Amaterasu with the lightning-natured Chidori, pouring the entire mixture into his sword.
In the next heartbeat...
The sword erupted with a terrifying chakra that made Orochimaru shudder!
Before he could react, Sasuke used the Body Flicker Technique to appear right in front of him, piercing the Great White Scale Snake from head to tail.
The terrifying lightning-natured chakra lunged through the flesh like a spear, while the black flames of Amaterasu poured directly into the snake's belly, incinerating it from the inside out.
Before Orochimaru could even let out a scream, his internal organs were charred through, and his brain was no exception.
Without a doubt, the man was dead. Every cell in his body had been destroyed in a single instant, leaving him unable to even activate his Hatsu to recover.
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