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Before the Fushimi Inari Shrine, the battle turned white-hot.
This was the first time Orochimaru had entered the fray with his Shinigami Mode. So, we have to take a moment and pull back the curtain on this mysterious form.
This mode debuted at its peak.
All thanks to the four Hokage souls residing within the Shinigami's belly. Especially the soul of the First Hokage, hailed as the God of Shinobi.
But in this lifetime, the self-sacrificing Orochimaru separated Hashirama Senju's chakra from that soul… forging Sasuke's White Cursed Seal.
With one soul missing, the peak was gone. Even though Danzō, who later died on Azure Moon Island and became an earth-bound spirit, filled that vacancy… it was still a pale comparison.
Another point worth mentioning: the Yin Nine-Tails, tangled with the Fourth Hokage's soul inside the Shinigami.
The Yin Kurama… well, they weren't exactly on intimate terms. Orochimaru could use the Shinigami's dominance to forcibly enter a Yin Kurama Chakra Mode, but he couldn't merge that with the Shinigami Mode itself.
So, it was one or the other.
Which was superior? The fact that Orochimaru chose Shinigami Mode for the deciding moment spoke volumes.
Shinigami Mode was Orochimaru's trump card.
"This mode originally lasted only five minutes. After extracting Lord Hashirama's chakra, it increased to eight. A year of training doubled its duration again. Finally, sixteen minutes…"
"If this mode runs its course naturally… the side effect is that I'll be out cold for three days and nights. I cannot be forcibly awakened."
"Two days and nights from now is when Sasuke-kun's Ayakashi condition will activate. Therefore… I must end this farce and return to Sasuke-kun's side before this mode naturally expires!"
Under the cover of the golden Susano'o, Orochimaru in Shinigami Mode raised the bell in his hand.
The Soul-Shaking Bell. One of the Shinigami's three sacred tools.
Ding-ding dang-dang… The bell swayed, releasing silvery-white waves of sound.
The ringing wasn't exactly pleasant, nor was it grating… but it struck straight at the soul.
The Soul-Shaking Bell, true to its name, could shock and stun souls with its chime. The effect depended on the target's soul strength.
There's no dedicated training to strengthen a soul. Generally, a shinobi's soul strength correlated with their overall power.
Broadly speaking, the Soul-Shaking Bell could knock an elite Jōnin-level shinobi unconscious the instant they heard it. Anyone who could stand for ten seconds before falling had the right to challenge for the title of Kage.
Those lasting thirty seconds before falling were among the elite of the Kage.
Anyone remaining standing past sixty seconds could withstand the bell's continuous effect… Shinobi of this caliber were the true, undisputed "Beyond Kage" level.
But withstanding wasn't immunity. Below the Six Paths level, no one was completely immune. It was only a matter of degree.
Ding-ding dang-dang!
The chaotic ringing assailed his ears. Inari Kakashi immediately furrowed his brow.
K, the soul possessing the body, felt acute discomfort. The most direct feedback was—
Zzzt! Zzzt!
The three symmetrical whisker marks on Kakashi's cheeks… faded to two.
Compatibility weakened. K no longer felt the same fluid, effortless control over this body as before.
K inwardly cursed. Fuu… A soul attack! The Shinigami's trick… This isn't ninjutsu! Orochimaru, you're cheating! Our initial agreement was a battle of ninjutsu!
Orochimaru retorted with reason. "Then why don't you dispel the illusion barrier trapping me before you speak! Are you trying to say this barrier, which can trap me—a Shinigami Jinchūriki—for ten whole days, is also a masterpiece of your ninjutsu?! Cut the crap, you hypocritical fox!"
The sharp rebuttal landed.
Inari Kakashi, enduring the physical and mental discomfort, forced a laugh. "Fufufu, good comeback, great comeback, makes this fox fufufu with laughter! Fine. You're human, I'm a god. What's letting you have a slight advantage?!"
Under the Soul-Shaking Bell's assault, Inari Kakashi raised his trembling hands and formed a seal before his chest.
It was a simple, unadorned—Multiple Thunder Clone Jutsu!
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
Amidst the lightning, Thunder Clones descended one by one.
Inari Kakashi's Fox-Rinnegan swept over them. He clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. "Tch! With this damn bell interfering, I can only make eighteen Thunder Clones? Whatever. Should be more than enough to break that golden shell protecting him!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Lightning flashed. The eighteen Thunder Clones rapidly dispersed, surrounding Orochimaru, who was protected within his golden crow-tengu Susano'o.
They all dropped to all fours. Lightning erupted across their bodies.
Orochimaru's vertical pupils narrowed slightly.
"That stance… Inuzuka clan."
Inari Kakashi grinned. "What Inuzuka? It's—Fox-zuka!"
BOOM BOOM BOOM…!
All the crouching Thunder Clones transformed into fox-like shapes. Combined with the sharp lightning cloaking them, they spun madly, becoming streaks of electric drills crisscrossing through the air.
—Thunder Style Taijutsu: Fang Over Fang!
BOOOOM…!
Eighteen intersecting electric drills hammered the crow-tengu Susano'o from all directions.
CRACK! CRACK…!
With eighteen points of simultaneous impact, even the golden crow-tengu Susano'o manifested by the Mangekyō Sharingan groaned under the pressure and began to shatter.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM…!
The instant the Susano'o shattered completely, the eighteen Thunder Clones that launched the attack vanished at the same time.
Crackle!
Inari Kakashi's original body trembled as he formed a seal. Purple lightning erupted from his right palm.
It was the very technique Hatake Kakashi of the previous world, after losing his Sharingan, spent ten years painstakingly researching… the ultimate specialization of Lightning Release—Purple Electricity!
"Grrraaawwrr! Damn it, my body feels so wrong! All because you won't stop shaking that damn bell!"
Inari Kakashi snarled, ripping off the white coat he'd worn to impersonate Anko, revealing the tight fishnet bodysuit clinging to Kakashi's skin.
His furred legs, sheathed in black fishnet stockings, broke into a sprint. He charged at Orochimaru, now bereft of his Susano'o's protection, with everything he had.
"Wakaka! Gonna kill you!"
No fancy tricks. A sprint straight for the kill. As he charged, his right palm dragged a nearly ten-meter-long trail of purple lightning. In a flash, he was before Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's slitted eyes darkened.
No more showing off. A direct attack aimed at a vital point. Good. The Soul-Shaking Bell's effect had made K impatient.
"This is exactly what I wanted. You can't catch a fox without baiting the trap."
SHLICK! Orochimaru didn't dodge, didn't evade. He let the purple lightning pierce straight through his chest.
The next instant—his hand snapped out, clamping around Hatake Kakashi's wrist.
"You…!"
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