The collapse of the Earth Golem did not surprise Ōnoki. He wasn't so naive as to think a mere stone giant could defeat Orochimaru.
However, what truly shocked him was that the Earth Golem hadn't achieved anything. It had been swiftly defeated by Orochimaru without even consuming much of the Konoha ninja's chakra. Furthermore, the sheer wealth of combat experience and skill displayed made Ōnoki feel utterly inadequate and deeply unsettled.
Orochimaru, of course, was unaware of Ōnoki's thoughts, but even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.
The massive Earth Golem crashed down, kicking up a huge cloud of dust across the arena.
Seizing this perfect opportunity, a brilliant flash appeared in Orochimaru's dark-golden eyes, and a surging chakra fluctuation erupted from his body.
With a wicked smile, Orochimaru licked his lips. He gently bit his right thumb, then smeared the fresh crimson blood across the strange, inky-black snake-like tattoo on his left forearm!
He quickly wove the esoteric hand signs for the Summoning Technique. He slammed his left hand—the one with the strange snake tattoo—heavily onto the ground. Tiny, ant-like black script lines immediately radiated outwards from his palm, rapidly forming a complex, sprawling Summoning Formula!
Summoning Technique: Manda Appears!
Large plumes of white smoke billowed from the summoning formula. Before the crowd could discern what was within the smoke, an astonishing killing aura, one that was savage, bloodthirsty, and almost palpable, instantly enveloped the entire arena. The sheer force of the released aura even caused every bird in Konoha to take terrified flight.
As a light breeze dispersed the smoke, a bloodcurdling, savage roar erupted—"Sss-roooarr—" The terrifying sound wave stirred the air, driving away the white smoke.
Manda, hundreds of meters long, whose coiled body occupied most of the arena, raised its massive, hill-sized snake head, supporting Orochimaru. Its long, thick, dark-purple tongue flickered in and out.
Compared to three years ago, Manda's body was even larger, its black-and-purple mixed markings more complex, and its entire aura deeper and more powerful.
Manda's lantern-sized, jade-green eyes, filled with bloodlust, glanced down at the diminutive Ōnoki on the ground, then looked up at Orochimaru on its head. Manda spoke in a low, raspy voice: "Orochimaru, you can't even handle a small fry like this? You need to call me out?"
Orochimaru smiled faintly on his pale, handsome face: "This match is important. I need a perfect victory. Go!"
Ōnoki and the Konoha audience gaped in shock at Manda, a creature even larger than the Earth Golem. The shock surging through their hearts was like a tidal wave.
Even the Kage on the high platform could no longer maintain their composure.
Ōnoki, though stunned for a moment by the terrifying Manda, did not intend to sit idle. He immediately began to prepare his defense!
His hands shifted hand signs, and chakra surged!
Earth Release: Earth Dragon Revolution!
Amidst the roar of the cracking earth, a magnificent Earth Dragon, made of hard rock and earth, with the girth of several men standing shoulder-to-shoulder, rolled up from beneath the ground. It, too, lifted the small Ōnoki, allowing him to barely confront Orochimaru.
Ōnoki's Earth Dragon Revolution Ninjutsu was vastly different from when Orochimaru used it.
Orochimaru's Earth Release techniques, mirroring his personality, focused on immense power and terrifying offense. The Earth Dragon he summoned was more overbearing and ferocious in momentum and attack power!
Ōnoki's Earth Dragon, like his fighting style, was sturdier, more stable, and focused on defense.
Seeing Ōnoki use the Earth Dragon Revolution, Orochimaru was somewhat surprised by the Tsuchikage's impressive chakra reserves. To be able to use this jutsu after the heavily taxing Earth Golem Technique meant Ōnoki's chakra level had reached the pinnacle of a Jōnin, lacking only the necessary understanding and mastery of certain advanced Ninjutsu.
The scene in the arena was unparalleled. Two massive giants, each carrying their master, filled the entire battleground. They confronted each other, clashing with thunderous roars and powerful auras that soared into the sky.
However, compared to Manda, the Earth Dragon summoned by Ōnoki was, at best, a very large earthworm. It was inferior in both size and momentum by severalfold. After a few collisions, Manda was completely unscathed, while Ōnoki's Earth Dragon developed numerous deep cracks and looked ready to collapse.
Ōnoki, feeling Manda's overwhelming presence, grimaced inwardly. This summoned beast was indeed overwhelmingly powerful.
Orochimaru, composedly standing on Manda's head, directed the attack. Seeing the situation, he said: "Alright, Manda, stop playing. End it."
Manda's jade-green snake eyes instantly sharpened at Orochimaru's command. Its colossal body, like a skyscraper, began to build up a monstrous pressure, like a flash flood or a tsunami.
The massive snake head, with its four purple, crown-like horns, roared skyward. Its thick, long tail moved in a blur, sweeping down with a fierce rush of wind to strike the Earth Dragon.
With a thunderous "Boom—Crash!," the entire hard, thick Earth Dragon was utterly shattered by Manda's tail. Large chunks of rock exploded outwards, slamming into the ground and gouging out numerous craters of various sizes, further ravaging the entire battleground.
Manda stood erect. Orochimaru, standing atop Manda's head, frowned. He looked solemnly at Ōnoki, who was floating in mid-air opposite him. Ōnoki was proving to be unexpectedly tenacious.
Ōnoki, floating in the air thanks to the Light-Weight Rock Technique, was panting heavily. He had reached his limit!
Struggling to control his breathing, Ōnoki gathered his final remnants of chakra into his hands!
Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!
A brilliant light suddenly erupted from Ōnoki's hands, glaring as intensely as a small sun.
Orochimaru, who had been scrutinizing Ōnoki, suddenly felt a massive surge of alarm.
Squinting, he clearly saw a four-sided, semi-transparent crystal—or rather, a Kekkei Tōta (Bloodline Limit/Element Selection)—suddenly appear in Ōnoki's hands. As it radiated brilliant light, it contained a terrifying power capable of reducing everything to empty nothingness. It seemed capable of annihilating all matter down to its most basic atoms, filling him with dread.
Gasping for breath, Ōnoki poured his last reserves of chakra into aiming the Detachment of the Primitive World Technique at Orochimaru!
With a terrifying sound of air being frictionally displaced and annihilated, a cylindrical beam of dazzling white light, the thickness of a man's thigh, shot out from Ōnoki's hands, hurtling toward Orochimaru.
Seeing the dreadful power of the Detachment of the Primitive World Technique, not just Orochimaru, but even Manda, felt an intense threat.
🗒️NOTE:
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