Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and stared at Seiryū for two seconds. Then a cold smile curled across his lips.
"Very well. Since they failed to discipline their disciple properly, I'll do it for them."
Boom!
Before Orochimaru could even finish speaking, Seiryū made the first move.
Light flared along the golden chains, and a pillar of lightning blasted straight toward Orochimaru.
Given Orochimaru's personality, if he said he wanted to take Yamato, then he would definitely try.
And since Tsunade had asked Seiryū to guard Yamato, he would do exactly that.
Yamato's strength might only be so-so, but he was excellent at landscaping.
A fine young man capable of easing the greenhouse effect should not be allowed to fall into the hands of these evil elements.
"Discipline me? You don't have the right."
Seiryū rolled his neck and looked toward Orochimaru, who had reappeared in another spot.
A smile tugged at his lips.
"You called him an experimental subject just now, didn't you?"
"That means you were involved in the First Hokage cell transplant experiments too."
"As a Konoha shinobi, you should know exactly what it means to conduct experiments like that."
"And yet you still dared to do it. That means you must have prepared countermeasures for the day it was exposed."
"You troublemakers are always doing things that harm Konoha's interests. Don't you understand? In the future, the Village will belong to bad woman and me. In other words, you're damaging my interests."
"That is downright unforgivable."
If Tsunade became the Fourth Hokage, then Konoha would belong to her and Seiryū.
These troublemakers were damaging the Village, which meant they were damaging his interests too.
That was intolerable.
"Dragon Vein Chakra truly is powerful, but..."
Orochimaru paid no attention to the accusations Seiryū was throwing at him. His excited gaze remained fixed on Seiryū, who was wrapped in a purple Chakra mantle.
He licked his lips.
"How much of that power can you actually use right now?"
Dragon Vein Chakra.
That was something Orochimaru had learned about by probing Hiruzen.
During the joint Chūnin Exams, Seiryū had unleashed it in front of countless people. Many knew there was a "Tailed Beast" sealed inside him.
Orochimaru had always been curious about Tailed Beasts as well. If an opportunity came, he would certainly research them.
After learning about the Dragon Vein from Hiruzen, he had investigated it himself. He was not unfamiliar with it.
As for how strong the Dragon Vein truly was, he had no clear answer.
He simply regarded it as a special kind of Tailed Beast.
The power of a Tailed Beast was indeed formidable, but at Seiryū's age, Orochimaru did not believe he could draw out much of the Dragon Vein's power.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Seiryū grinned.
The purple Chakra mantle around him pulsed faster, and the Chakra fluctuations became even more violent.
Clatter!
More golden chains spread from Seiryū's body. Under his control, they surged toward Orochimaru.
Every time the golden chains lashed out, they tore through the air with a piercing whistle. Like whips infused with monstrous strength, they were powerful enough to shatter stone.
Their force could not be underestimated.
Swish, swish, swish!
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, tracking the golden chains as they attacked from every direction. His figure flickered again and again, dodging each strike in succession.
"As fellow Sannin, your strength has already fallen behind Jiraiya and bad woman. Even bad woman might not be my match now. Against me, your only outcome is defeat."
Seiryū spoke calmly while forming seals with one hand.
"Hadō #63: Raikōhō!"
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Lightning bloomed across every golden chain, turning into pillars of thunder that blasted toward Orochimaru from all directions.
There was nowhere to dodge.
"Sage Art."
Orochimaru's sharp perception allowed him to recognize that the incoming lightning Ninjutsu was a form of Sage Art.
His pupils shrank slightly, and surprise flashed through his eyes.
This brat had mastered Sage Art?
How old was he?
But why were there no Sage Mode markings on his face?
No, that was not right.
This had to be because of the Dragon Vein Chakra.
The Dragon Vein Chakra contained vast natural energy.
Those thoughts flashed through Orochimaru's mind in an instant.
"Truly remarkable talent."
Facing what appeared to be Sage Art, Orochimaru did not dare act carelessly. He responded immediately.
He bit his thumb, formed seals with both hands, and slammed them onto the ground.
"Summoning Technique: Triple Rashōmon!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Black markings spread across the earth, and white smoke rose into the air.
Three grim, demonic gates appeared out of nowhere, shielding Orochimaru in a triangular formation.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!
The explosions continued without pause.
Under the barrage, the ghostly gates trembled violently. Finally, a sharp crack rang out, and fractures spread across them.
But that was all.
The Rashōmon did not break.
With their powerful defense, they blocked the entire wave of attacks. Then, as if their duty had been fulfilled, they vanished into white smoke.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Before Orochimaru could relax, a harsh buzzing reached his ears.
The dust and smoke blocking his vision began to swirl, as if pulled into a vortex.
"Hm?"
The buzzing grew louder.
In the next instant, the dust was violently blown away, and Orochimaru's view cleared.
A high-speed rotating purple shuriken was flying straight toward him.
Sage Art: Rasenshuriken!
By using Dragon Vein Chakra, which contained natural energy, the technique had essentially become a form of Sage Art.
"This technique again."
A sense of death washed over Orochimaru, and his expression shifted slightly.
He was not unfamiliar with this Ninjutsu. He had seen its power before.
If that thing hit him, he would be badly injured at best. At worst, he would die.
"Earth Release: Earth Shore Return!"
Without hesitation, Orochimaru formed hand seals.
The ground beneath his feet flowed like water, and the spot where he stood sank downward like an elevator.
Using that method, he avoided the Ninjutsu that could have killed him.
Boom!
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
Under Seiryū's control, the Rasenshuriken exploded.
A terrifying blast of wind pressure erupted with a roar, instantly swallowing the surrounding area and forming a circular cyclone.
Inside the cyclone, needle-like Chakra threads tore through everything with a piercing hiss.
Dozens of meters around the explosion were subjected to a brutal assault.
Even the ground was shredded away bit by bit, as if it were being erased piece by piece.
A circular crater dozens of meters wide and several meters deep appeared in the clearing.
At the bottom of the crater was a square depression that went even deeper.
However, Orochimaru was nowhere to be seen.
The Rasenshuriken has become much stronger when powered by Dragon Vein Chakra.
Using Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage, Orochimaru hid underground and moved like a venomous snake, rushing toward Seiryū's position.
During the joint Chūnin Exams, he had seen the Rasenshuriken before and had been shocked by its terrifying power.
He had not expected its power to increase this much when fueled by Dragon Vein Chakra.
Had this brat's strength grown so much purely because of the Dragon Vein Chakra?
"Ninja Art: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
After swimming beneath Seiryū's feet, Orochimaru formed a seal.
Several thick venomous snakes shot from his sleeves, lunging upward toward Seiryū. Their fangs gleamed menacingly, purple venom dripping from their mouths.
Boom!
Nothing could hide from Vollständig: Heavenly Eye, not even underground.
The moment Seiryū sensed Orochimaru's attack, he simply raised his right foot and stomped down.
Monstrous Strength erupted.
The ground collapsed, and cracks spread out from the point of impact.
Snap, snap!
The force blasted downward, tearing apart the venomous snakes before they could fully emerge. Flesh and blood splattered everywhere.
"Cough."
Even Orochimaru was struck by the force, and he could not stop himself from coughing up a large mouthful of blood.
Swallowing the blood in his mouth, a cold light flashed through Orochimaru's eyes.
His body surged upward and broke out from underground.
His hands formed seals rapidly, and his chest expanded.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Boom!
A raging gale erupted, blasting toward Seiryū from only a few meters away.
Countless grains of sand and broken stones were swept into the storm as it scoured everything in front of it.
Clatter!
Under Seiryū's control, the golden chains spread outward and pierced into the ground one after another, forming a translucent defense.
No matter how violently the storm hammered against it, the barrier did not budge.
"Is that all?"
Seiryū watched Orochimaru retreat and shook his head.
"If that's the limit of your strength, you won't be taking anyone from me."
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
The golden chains danced like tentacles.
At the tip of each chain, a purple Rasengan grew from a small sphere into something massive.
Over a dozen Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan, each more than ten meters wide, floated in the air.
The sight was overwhelmingly oppressive.
"It really is Sage Art, but a special kind. The Dragon Vein Chakra contains natural energy. Once you mastered it, you gained the effects of Sage Art. That truly exceeds my expectations, Seiryū-kun."
Orochimaru licked his lips, his eyes filled with seriousness and curiosity.
Before, he had treated Seiryū like a junior.
Now, he regarded him as a powerhouse no weaker than himself.
His attitude had changed accordingly.
"The Dragon Vein Chakra contains natural energy. Only by mastering Sage Art can someone avoid the backlash from using it. This form of Dragon Vein Chakra is both a partial Tailed Beast Transformation and a Sage Mode."
Seiryū's tone was casual.
"But I prefer to call it Hollowfication."
"Leave now, and I won't pursue this any further. Otherwise, even if you're Jiraiya's companion and someone bad woman knows, I won't hold back."
Compared with fighting Orochimaru here, Seiryū would rather go after Danzō.
Some things had to be handled in order of importance.
And bringing down Danzō was clearly the priority.
Although Orochimaru had tried to make a move on him before and had acted aggressively now, he had not shown any killing intent toward Seiryū.
Of course, if he insisted on being stubborn, then there was nothing more to say.
Whatever happened next would be his own fault.
"Leave? Hehehe."
Hearing that, Orochimaru licked his lips again.
His voice was soft and hoarse.
He was wary, but his curiosity was even stronger.
"I'm very curious about you now, Seiryū-kun."
"The Senju Clan produced only one First Hokage capable of using Wood Release. And among the Uzumaki Clan, you may be the most unique individual of all."
Orochimaru looked at the golden chains holding more than a dozen purple Chakra spheres.
A wicked smile curled across his lips.
"Those golden chains are not the Adamantine Sealing Chains, are they?"
"They require no hand signs, and you can even use them to cast Ninjutsu. This must be a Kekkei Genkai no one has ever seen before."
"No wonder you're confident enough to say that, given time, you will stand at the pinnacle of the Ninja World."
"With a Kekkei Genkai like that, you are just like the First Hokage, the only one to awaken Wood Release. You possess something completely unique."
When it came to Kekkei Genkai research, Orochimaru believed he was second to none.
He had his own standards for judging them.
Those golden chains required no hand signs, which gave them the traits of a special Kekkei Genkai.
And they could even perform Ninjutsu.
That was unheard of.
It had to be a unique Kekkei Genkai that Seiryū had awakened, just like the First Hokage's Wood Release.
That made Orochimaru far too curious.
At that moment, his curiosity and desire for Seiryū reached their peak.
He wanted to study him.
He wanted to study that Kekkei Genkai.
"Sigh. I was kind enough to let you go, but you still insist on looking at me like that."
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Seiryū could not help shaking his head.
"Then there's no helping it. If you die, don't blame me."
Orochimaru was indeed a danger.
If given the chance, Seiryū had no doubt that Orochimaru would attack him without hesitation.
That was the kind of person he was.
Mad scientists did not care about ordinary rules. They had their own logic.
To obtain what they wanted, they would do anything.
"Summoning Technique!"
Before Seiryū could attack, Orochimaru wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, formed seals, and pressed his hands to the ground.
With a bang, a huge cloud of white smoke rose.
A thick purple tail swept out, blowing the smoke away and revealing what stood inside.
A giant snake appeared, its body purple, its fangs sinister, its forked tongue flicking from its mouth.
Its size was comparable to a Tailed Beast.
This was one of the snake kings of Ryūchi Cave.
Orochimaru's summon, Manda.
"Orochimaru, you know the price for disturbing my rest."
The moment Manda appeared, its snake eyes locked onto Orochimaru, who stood atop its head.
Its voice was cold and mocking, without the slightest respect for its contractor.
"If you don't prepare one hundred humans as sacrifices, I'll swallow you instead."
"We'll discuss that later. First, deal with the boy in front of us."
Orochimaru did not care about Manda's attitude. He simply licked his lips and smiled faintly.
"If you help me defeat him, I'll give you ten times the sacrifices."
"Ten times? You had better not be lying to me. You know my temper."
Manda smiled coldly.
Then its snake eyes shifted toward Seiryū, who was cloaked in a purple Chakra mantle.
Its eyes narrowed slightly in surprise.
"Hm? A Tailed Beast? No, that's not right. Is that Chakra mixed with natural energy?"
"Hahaha. Such special Chakra actually exists. Orochimaru, I don't want your sacrifices anymore."
"I want to swallow him."
"That Chakra mixed with natural energy will be far more useful to me."
Chakra containing natural energy.
That was extremely rare.
At that moment, Manda also developed a craving for Seiryū.
No.
More accurately, it craved the Dragon Vein Chakra inside him.
It wanted to devour Seiryū.
It wanted to devour the Chakra within his body.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)