Chapter 17: Eight Branches Serpent

The muddy mist gradually dispersed, and the view cleared once more. However, as Kizaru looked around, he suddenly found the scene before him somewhat off.

"Hmm?" Kizaru raised his brow slightly, his gaze sweeping across the sea before him.

Countless figures of Orochimaru appeared around them, rushing madly toward the Gate of Justice like waves, covering the sky and earth.

"Shadow clones?" Kizaru muttered, his expression turning serious. He quickly distinguished the figures, trying to find the real Orochimaru.

Yet no matter how carefully he observed, he found every clone identical to the real body, impossible to tell apart.

"Interesting, truly troublesome," Kizaru chuckled, but no trace of anxiety could be heard in his tone.

"Since you like playing hide-and-seek, let me meet you," Kizaru said coldly, his gaze sweeping over the layers of figures below.

"Eight Shaku Magatama!"

As the words fell, the light sphere in his palm suddenly burst, turning into countless light bullets that howled down toward the below! "Hiss hiss hiss!" The light bullets tore through the sky, instantly covering the entire sea area, and wherever they passed, huge splashes erupted on the sea surface.

Those Orochimaru clones had no time to react before being swallowed by the light bullets. "Bang bang bang!" A series of explosion sounds echoed across the sea, countless figures scattered in the light bullets, turning into wisps of white smoke and dissipating.

At this moment, a figure suddenly turned his head from the smoke and dust, only to see his right hand shake, actually transforming into a giant python that blocked the incoming light bullets head-on! "Thud!" The python collided with the light bullet, emitting a dull sound, the huge impact raising towering tsunamis, seawater exploding in mid-air, turning into sky-filling water mist.

"Found you," Kizaru chuckled, his figure once again turning into a golden light, rushing toward Orochimaru at a speed difficult for the naked eye to capture.

Facing Kizaru's surprise attack, Orochimaru quickly adjusted his posture, formed hand seals with one hand, and spat out a huge fireball toward Kizaru's direction.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Hiss!" The fireball drew a dazzling flash of fire in the air, heat waves surging, the air twisting and deforming in the high temperature. The scorching temperature instantly enveloped Kizaru's figure.

However, just as the fireball was about to touch Kizaru, a light sword suddenly condensed in his right hand.

"Hum!" The light sword tore through the air, emitting a sharp whistle. Kizaru shook his wrist, the light sword slashing onto the fireball! "Boom!"

The fireball exploded in mid-air, scorching flames splashing everywhere, drawing countless flashes of fire in the air, illuminating the sea surface.

Kizaru's figure flashed past like electric light and flint, and in the blink of an eye he had arrived beside Orochimaru. The light sword in his hand mercilessly slashed toward Orochimaru's body.

"Thud!"

The light sword heavily struck Orochimaru's body, but at the moment of impact, Orochimaru's body actually turned into a cloud of smoke in the sword light, leaving only a piece of charred wood in place.

Kizaru suddenly turned his head, a figure suddenly appearing at the other end of the battlefield. It was Orochimaru who had escaped using the Substitution Technique! However, just as Orochimaru appeared, Kizaru instantly changed direction, rushing straight toward Orochimaru's new location, at a speed almost unbelievable! "Impossible?!" Orochimaru's pupils suddenly shrank, watching in shock as Kizaru approached him at an unimaginable speed. Kizaru could actually predict his actions so accurately! Seeing Kizaru had rushed to the front, the light blade in his hand already viciously slashing down at him! Orochimaru had no time to react, only able to slightly move his body, avoiding the vital point of his head.

"Pfft!"

The light blade directly cut open Orochimaru's shoulder, blood splashing. Orochimaru only felt a sharp pain, his whole body almost being sliced in two! "Ah!" Orochimaru let out a miserable scream, his body heavily smashing onto the sea surface, splashing huge water. Blood instantly dyed the surrounding sea water red, spreading in the waves. "It's over," Kizaru said calmly, slowly landing on the sea surface not far from Orochimaru.

"Cough cough." Orochimaru floated on the water surface with difficulty, blood flowing out. He panted heavily, his face pale, but a trace of madness and determination flashed in his eyes.

"Not... over yet."

Orochimaru's remaining right hand formed hand seals with one hand, and the next second his body swelled at a visible speed, muscles swelling violently as if pumped with air, strange purple patterns appearing on his skin surface.

"Ugh." He let out a painful scream, every cell of his body shouting, his meridians seeming about to burst at any moment.

"Crack crack crack" The sounds of bones dislocating rose and fell, chilling to the bone.

Kizaru stared at Orochimaru's constantly swelling body, his brow tightly furrowed, a trace of sharp killing intent flashing in his eyes. He slowly raised his right hand, a dazzling light condensing at his fingertip, aimed at Orochimaru's constantly changing body.

"It seems it's time to end this farce," Kizaru said coldly, determination in his tone.

"Boom!" Just as Kizaru was about to act, a huge sound suddenly came from the distant battlefield! A huge sandstorm howled over, instantly sweeping toward the direction where Kizaru was.

Kizaru suddenly turned his head, only to see Crocodile had somehow climbed up from the sea, now raising his right hand, controlling the violent sandstorm rushing toward him.

"Tsk, truly troublesome," Kizaru frowned, his figure flashing, instantly turning into a beam of light, leaping into the air at the moment the sandstorm was about to swallow him, solidifying into a physical form in mid-air.

However, just as he had just dodged the sandstorm's attack range, the center of the sandstorm suddenly exploded, turning into sky-filling wind and sand, instantly completely obscuring his vision! "This" Kizaru narrowed his eyes, his expression becoming serious. He realized this was probably Crocodile's intention, to obstruct him and buy time for Orochimaru! He pressed his palms together, dazzling light bursting from his palm, the next second, a powerful shockwave burst from his hand, like a solid substance, instantly shaking away all the wind and sand around him, reopening his vision.

Through the gradually dissipating sand and dust, Kizaru saw Orochimaru's figure still constantly swelling and growing larger.

The next second, a piercing laser shot from his fingertip, tearing through the air with irresistible speed, straight toward Orochimaru's swelling body! "Thud!"

The beam struck Orochimaru's back, exploding into a cloud of smoke. However, the next second, a huge snake head suddenly appeared in the smoke, actually blocking this blow directly! And the next moment, eight giant pythons as thick as water barrels slowly poked their heads out from the smoke, each tens of meters long, covered in white scales, emitting a cold glint.

They opened their bloody mouths, revealing fangs over a foot long, dripping with foul saliva.

At this moment, Orochimaru had completely transformed into a huge Eight Branches Serpent! It stood on the sea surface, its body huge as a mountain, tens of meters tall. Eight ferocious snake heads surrounded its body, each the size of a house, with a terrifying aura.

"Roar roar roar" Eight huge mouths simultaneously emitted earth-shaking roars, like eight claps of thunder, echoing between heaven and earth.

Accompanied by this deafening roar, a chakra fluctuation powerful beyond imagination burst out from within the Eight Branches Serpent, causing the sea surface to constantly surge.

Eight Branches Technique, at this moment merely in the theoretical stage of conception, was a forbidden jutsu Orochimaru had never performed before, with almost fatal side effects, but he couldn't care about that at this moment.

(Chapter End)