"Then come at me."
Orochimaru slapped his stomach and opened his mouth wide. A snake as thick as a man's wrist slithered halfway out of his throat.
The serpent's jaws opened, spitting out a gleaming sword. Orochimaru caught it in his hand. The blade shimmered in the sunlight, cold and merciless, as if it could cut through anything.
Gripping the Kusanagi Sword, Orochimaru said:
"Come then, my beloved disciple!"
"First off, don't call me that. Orochimaru, you need to be taught a lesson—and you'll thank me for it."
Kiyosuke stretched his body. Purple markings spread across his face like eyeshadow, and his pupils turned into golden serpent slits, the same as his teacher's.
"Oh? Opening with Sage Mode already? Every time I see that power, I can't help but feel envious. It's a strength I was never able to obtain."
Indeed, Orochimaru's envy of Sage Mode was deep. Unable to gain it himself, he had settled for the Curse Mark as a substitute. While it had granted him power, it still fell short compared to true Sage Mode.
"I owe this power to you, Orochimaru," Kiyosuke said, clenching his fist.
"And so, I'll use it to send you to your grave."
"Do you really think you can? There aren't many who can kill me."
"I can."
Kiyosuke knew better than anyone how difficult it was to kill Orochimaru. But he wasn't aiming to destroy him completely. No—he just wanted to deliver a punishment. A heavy one.
Right now, Orochimaru was standing in his way. That roadblock had to be removed.
Anyone who stood in the way of changing fate—of avoiding death—had to be cut down!
He wasn't about to let Mei end up pointing to a gravestone with a child in her arms, saying, "This was your father." Nor would he allow her to die alone in grief.
He hadn't even gotten married yet. He hadn't been to Naruto and Hinata's wedding. How could he possibly die now?
Kiyosuke gripped a pair of kunai, bending his knees slightly as his body tensed with power. Across from him, Orochimaru mirrored his stance. Their postures were nearly identical.
One breath in. One breath out. And then—explosion of movement!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their figures blurred. The eye couldn't follow, only the sparks flying as kunai clashed against the Kusanagi Sword again and again.
Both fought with pure taijutsu, pressing in at close quarters. Here, short weapons like kunai had an advantage. And in raw physique, Kiyosuke had already surpassed his master.
"Too slow!"
Dodging a slash, Kiyosuke whipped his kunai across Orochimaru's pale face, leaving a long, bloody gash.
But Orochimaru's counter struck true as well, cutting Kiyosuke's arm.
Kiyosuke frowned at the bleeding wound, while Orochimaru sneered.
"I've long sought to unravel your body's secret. Though I never cracked it, I did discover a way to deal with you. Your body can't resist natural energy. Flames are part of nature. Aside from water, anyone with natural energy can hurt you."
Indeed, Kiyosuke's elemental body could usually only be forced back into solid form by water. But Orochimaru had found another path: natural energy.
Flames were part of nature—so of course natural energy could pierce him. Anyone with Sage Mode could wound Kiyosuke.
Orochimaru couldn't use Sage Mode himself. But he had the Curse Mark.
Born from Jūgo, who naturally absorbed nature energy and transformed into a berserk state, the Curse Mark was Orochimaru's cheap imitation. It could also absorb natural energy, though far less perfectly.
As its creator, Orochimaru could use the Curse Mark to take in a small amount of nature energy. And that was enough to strike Kiyosuke.
"I see. Clever. My weakness isn't only water or Sage Jutsu—there are other ways to counter me. You just don't know them all yet."
If his guess was right, even Pain's black receivers could restrain him.
After all, his elementalization was still chakra. Those rods disrupted chakra flow and sealed tenketsu. Even creations of Yin–Yang Release would collapse if chakra was scrambled—forcing him back into physical form.
And the Otsutsuki's Kekkei Mōra…
Urashiki had already proven firsthand that such powers could restrain him.
And now there was one more weakness to add to the list.
Kiyosuke sighed. Fate really was cruel. All the more reason to tread carefully against Orochimaru.
"It seems," Kiyosuke said, "you've been planning this countermeasure for a long time."
"Just a byproduct of my research. But it's effective."
Words ended. Steel clashed once more.
Clang!
Orochimaru knocked one kunai from Kiyosuke's hand and seized the moment—thrusting the Kusanagi Sword toward his disciple's heart.
Got him!
The blade pierced Kiyosuke's chest. But his other kunai slashed across Orochimaru's throat.
Blood spilled freely. Orochimaru opened his mouth wide, and a hand emerged from within. Then another body crawled out entirely, leaving only a hollow skin behind. The real Orochimaru stood unharmed.
Just as he was about to reclaim the Kusanagi Sword, a fist crashed into his face with a sickening crack. Bone snapped audibly.
His body flew back, shedding another layer of skin before he stood again, staring at Kiyosuke.
Kiyosuke had pulled the Kusanagi Sword from his chest. Flames spread across the wound, knitting the flesh whole again.
"How…? I pierced your heart…" Orochimaru muttered.
He had used the Curse Mark's natural energy. By all rights, Kiyosuke should have died.
But Kiyosuke swung the sword lightly, testing its weight.
"As long as I sense your attack's trajectory, I can preemptively turn that part of my body into an element. It's not particularly difficult."
"Preemptive elementalization…" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "True, Sage Mode grants exceptional sensory ability. Anticipating an attack and reacting before it lands—that's possible for you, if not for anyone else. Impressive, Kiyosuke-kun. To have already figured out a countermeasure."
With a hiss of admiration, Orochimaru bit his finger, rolled up his sleeve, and slashed the contract seal on his arm.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Kiyosuke mirrored the movement.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Boom! Boom!
Two enormous snakes appeared—one black, one purple.
"Orochimaru, what do you want from me this time?" Manda's voice was dripping with irritation.
"Manda! Kill him. Do that, and I'll give you a hundred sacrifices afterward."
"…That works."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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