Chapter 169: The Fateful Battle (Part 2)
Boom! A dull, oppressive explosion erupted from the center of the clash between Orochimaru and Hiruzen's auras, radiating invisibly outwards and spreading an invisible, icy killing intent.
Birds that hadn't managed to escape within the dozens of miles surrounding the clash suddenly dropped like stones, flopping a few times on the ground before bleeding from all seven orifices and dying.
Large wild beasts, also roused from their sleep, frantically fled toward the deeper parts of the forest in the distance.
The clash of auras lasted only a moment. The next instant, Orochimaru surged his Chakra and lunged forward.
His figure, shifting with ghostly speed, constantly darted across the treetops, approaching Hiruzen like an illusion.
Hiruzen's gaze narrowed. He suddenly wove several hand signs, took a deep breath, and shouted: "Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Dozens of high-temperature compressed fireballs, each the size of a basketball and burning with brilliant golden-crimson flames, whistled as they engulfed Orochimaru from all directions.
Orochimaru narrowed his dark-golden snake eyes, watching the dozens of streaks of golden fire rapidly approaching.
His long, sturdy body shook. Chakra rapidly converged into his arms. His rushing steps became even swifter, slicing through the dark night sky like a moon-white streak of cold light, yet simultaneously resembling a moth rushing relentlessly toward a burning candle flame.
He slammed directly into the downpour of golden Phoenix Sage Fire.
Closer, even closer. Orochimaru's powerful mental strength had predicted the flight paths of all dozens of Phoenix Sage Fire balls. His Chakra-coated hands, utilizing the principles of the Mystical Palm Technique (Enhanced Strength), clenched into fists and unleashed a continuous barrage of blows.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The wild power in his punches produced dozens of fierce shockwaves that slammed directly into the golden, high-temperature compressed fireballs, knocking every single one away. The fireballs exploded deep within the forest, creating brilliant, sky-high sparks.
After repelling the dozens of Phoenix Sage Fire balls, Orochimaru did not slow down or stop his movement.
His savage, sweeping punches and the surging shockwaves they created engulfed Hiruzen in the blink of an eye.
Hiruzen's gaze was as calm as still water. He advanced to meet the attack head-on.
In contrast to his aura, Hiruzen's style of boxing was like a nimble monkey leaping and dodging in the jungle: light, agile, and subtly rigid within its softness.
With every parry and deflection of his arms, Orochimaru's wild punches grazed past Hiruzen's clothes, achieving nothing more than raising the fabric.
Orochimaru offered a faint smile. His style of boxing instantly changed. The savage, swift, and wide-open punches suddenly became tricky, insidious, and deadly, like a large python coiling and prowling in the forest, waiting for the prey's most relaxed moment to deliver its fatal strike.
Orochimaru's right fist shot out, emitting a sharp, soft whistle. During its thrust, it changed its direction and angle of attack three times in rapid succession,诡(oddly) drilling into the space half a meter in front of Hiruzen's chest, aiming straight for his heart.
Hiruzen's figure was like a nimble monkey, and his arm movements were exceptionally quick.
His left elbow bent outwards, and his palm immediately swung back, accurately catching Orochimaru's wrist and suddenly applying force.
Orochimaru's right hand, which had been rushing toward Hiruzen's heart, was instantly clamped down by a massive, surging force and caught in Hiruzen's left palm.
With his right hand restrained, Orochimaru's eyes instead lit up. His left fist, which had been secretly charging power and was now fully prepared, immediately slammed into Hiruzen's abdomen like a power drill.
Thump! Orochimaru felt as if he had punched a leather pad, encountering an incredibly tough resistance.
Hiruzen's eyelids twitched slightly. His extensive combat experience and powerful physical strength immediately suppressed the sharp pain. Seizing the moment before Orochimaru could withdraw his left hand, Hiruzen's right hand also clamped down instantly. He shouted loudly: "Hah!"
Using both hands to apply simultaneous force, he swung Orochimaru high into the air. After one rotation, he furiously hurled him toward a towering tree.
The sudden burst of strength from Hiruzen threw Orochimaru over a hundred meters away. Amidst the continuous booming explosions, he broke through four or five massive trees.
Buzz, buzz, buzz. Hiruzen's ears twitched. He suddenly caught wisps of barely audible air-breaking sounds.
His eyes widened abruptly.
From the smoke and dust still lingering in the forest, ten deep-blue, scythe-like, elongated Wind Blades shot out.
In the emergency, Hiruzen planted his feet, exerted force in his waist, and straightened his arms, leaning his upper body sharply backward. He stood atop the treetop, looking like a stool missing two legs.
At this moment, Orochimaru, having torn off his shredded moon-white kimono jacket to reveal his inky-black combat gear, suddenly shot up like a black meteor streaking across the night sky.
His long figure suddenly crouched low. A powerful, heavy sweeping kick, tracing a forceful, fan-shaped arc in the air, instantly swept out.
Crack! Crack! The powerful, heavy sweeping kick instantly knocked away Hiruzen's supporting feet.
Suddenly losing his balance, Hiruzen could no longer control his center of gravity, revealing a slight opening.
Orochimaru immediately seized the opportunity. His body vaulted, spinning 360 degrees in the air like a horizontal top. His right foot, which had condensed his entire body's strength and powerful rotational force, descended heavily like an axe falling from the sky.
The terrifying force of the kick landing on Hiruzen's body produced a muffled thud, like striking a large leather drum.
Hiruzen felt an unstoppable force instantly surge through his entire body.
He shot out like a cannonball, immediately shattering the tree beneath him. His descending figure did not stop, slamming directly into the ground and gouging out a half-meter deep crater.
In the rolling smoke and dust, Orochimaru landed on the ravaged ground. He stood facing Hiruzen, who slowly walked out of the dirt crater, having discarded his bulky Hokage robe.
Orochimaru licked his lips and smiled wickedly: "Sensei, I think the warm-up should be enough now, shouldn't it?"
Without waiting for Hiruzen's reply, a fierce Chakra fluctuation suddenly erupted from Orochimaru's body like a volcanic eruption. Complex hand signs fluttered in the air like butterflies dancing, leaving streaks of after-image shadows.
In just two breaths, three sets of enigmatic hand signs were completed. The Chakra fluctuation from Orochimaru's body surged ceaselessly, like boiling lava.
This dense, boiling, and frantic Chakra fluctuation caused all of Hiruzen's muscles to tighten. His wary gaze scanned constantly, trying to identify the hand signs Orochimaru held.
Hiruzen's face, which had been calm as still water since the start of the battle, suddenly changed drastically.
"This Jutsu... is it? No, it can't be..."
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