Shimizu had never imagined that one day he would fight one of the Legendary Sannin—Orochimaru.
Even when Orochimaru had repeatedly demanded his blood before, Shimizu had believed he wouldn't go so far as to cross certain lines.
But this man wasn't like Danzo with his cautious, calculating style…
He had meticulously plotted against him and ultimately set this trap.
Clearly determined not to stop until he achieved his goal.
Facing this unavoidable battle, Shimizu was far less calm inside than he appeared.
Among the Sannin, Orochimaru didn't share Jiraiya's relative weakness in genjutsu, nor Tsunade's lack of speed advantage. He was an exceptionally well-rounded genius ninja.
And having no weaknesses meant having no obvious flaws.
An enemy like that was the most troublesome of all…
Fortunately, Shimizu wasn't entirely unprepared. The three-pronged kunai tucked against his chest was his final trump card.
Though deep down, he didn't want Minato dragged into this.
Then let it begin.
Orochimaru of the Sannin!
Body Flicker Technique!
In the blink of an eye, Shimizu retreated more than ten meters, easily dodging Orochimaru's sudden strike.
Orochimaru's snake-like pupils contracted slightly, surprised by Shimizu's speed.
Faster than expected.
"Shunshin no Shimizu," is it? Let's see just how fast you are.
Hidden Shadow Multiple Snake Hands!
A B-rank technique—far more snakes and far stronger than Hidden Shadow Snake Hands.
Dozens of massive snakes were summoned instantly, each taking on roles of intimidation, restraint, or capture. Acting in coordination, they created layered, continuous assaults.
Stronger and faster than before, these snakes often bound their target before the opponent could even react.
For an ordinary jōnin, this speed would be extremely troublesome.
But for Shimizu…
Body Flicker Technique!
He chose to widen the distance as much as possible. Against such a powerful enemy, any carelessness was fatal.
He didn't even have enough time to form hand seals.
Just as Shimizu once again avoided the encirclement, Orochimaru followed with another technique—
Striking Shadow Snake!
Two colossal snakes over twenty meters long materialized, coordinating seamlessly as they launched a relentless barrage at him.
"Uzuki-kun, endless evasion will never bring victory."
Shimizu repeatedly used Body Flicker to dodge their savage assaults.
Whipping tails.
Massive jaws snapping down.
Titanic bodies crashing forward.
Every strike was lethal.
Their enormous size, ability to burrow underground, and coordinated attacks—combined with the relentless harassment of the previous snakes—were already putting immense pressure on him.
Binding Snake Glare Spell!
Orochimaru completed yet another technique.
Even more giant snakes appeared, varying in size.
The entire area was now flooded with venomous snakes.
The largest blocked most of the space, medium-sized ones filled the gaps between them, and smaller, slender snakes darted in lightning-fast ambushes.
The division of labor was precise. The coordination nearly perfect.
These were highly intelligent summoned creatures—with formidable combat strength.
And those smaller snakes were terrifyingly fast.
Even Shimizu struggled to defend against them. He had to unleash his hand-seal-less Lightning Blade Slash several times just to cut down the lightning-quick snakes.
"So this is the hand-seal-less Lightning Release technique mentioned in the reports… But now, where can you run, Uzuki-kun?" Orochimaru analyzed the battlefield while forming hand seals, his pale face masking a bloodthirsty killing intent.
Amid the struggle, the giant snakes tightened their formation from multiple directions, gradually forming a complete encirclement.
His escape routes were sealed.
A slightly slower ninja would already have been devoured.
Even with Shimizu's speed, he could not escape being hunted and boxed in.
Now—
There was nowhere left to run.
During the time Shimizu had been desperately evading, Orochimaru had prepared yet another technique.
Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!
From Orochimaru's mouth poured an overwhelming mass of snakes, forming a towering snake tornado dozens of meters high, sweeping toward Shimizu like an apocalyptic storm…
It turned out that all of Orochimaru's previous techniques had merely been preparation for this final strike. The various snakes he had summoned were meant to completely trap Shimizu and restrict his extraordinary speed.
In the blink of an eye… Shimizu was utterly swallowed by the swarm of snakes.
"Explode!" Orochimaru completed his final hand seal and detonated the entire mass.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
A continuous chain of deafening explosions roared through the air. The violent blasts lasted nearly ten seconds.
Thousands upon thousands of venomous snakes became sacrifices in this terrifying detonation.
The surrounding terrain looked as though it had been bombarded by concentrated artillery fire—devastated and riddled with destruction.
Suddenly, Orochimaru looked up. A figure was suspended in the air. "Unscathed?"
With his sharp eyesight, he could clearly see Shimizu high in midair, forming hand seals.
"In that final instant, he used a Water Release defensive technique to block all the explosions. Then he rode the shockwave of the snakes' self-destruction to escape my attack range… and formed seals in midair…"
It wasn't that Orochimaru didn't want to stop him, but he couldn't. He had no technique that could strike at that specific height and angle fast enough.
"Uzuki-kun… you truly surprise me."
As Shimizu reached the apex of his jump, his seals were complete.
Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!
From his mouth burst a massive torrent of water. The enormous flow crashed toward the ground like a roaring waterfall.
In an instant, the once lush green forest transformed into a vast blue lake. At the center of that lake, a gigantic ellipsoidal water prison formed—and in the blink of an eye, it enveloped Orochimaru.
Ordinarily, Shimizu would have used the moment of paralysis to rush in and finish the fight with Lightning Blade Slash.
But he hadn't forgotten the original story—Orochimaru's escape abilities were first-rate, and his vitality was astonishing. Ordinary techniques could hardly injure him at all.
Rushing in recklessly would likely leave him vulnerable to one of Orochimaru's unpredictable snake-based secret techniques.
So, using the brief seconds of free fall, Shimizu rapidly formed hand seals again.
Water Release: Water Dragon Biting Explosion!
Orochimaru broke free from the water prison just as Shimizu landed on the water's surface. At that exact moment, the seals were finished. The vast waters rose again, surging with murderous intent.
Several massive pillars of water erupted directly beneath Orochimaru. The attack was so wide that he couldn't escape in time, forced to take the full blunt force of the impact.
Blasted into the air, Orochimaru frowned slightly.
These water pillars didn't feel like they were designed for pure impact damage...
Sure enough, the water surface below had formed a massive whirlpool that began to expand, suddenly launching dozens of high-speed water dragons.
This was the killing blow.
Orochimaru quickly formed hand seals. Wind Release: Great Breakthrough generated a powerful gale that deflected the first few water dragons. Using the violent wind it created, he shifted direction midair and barely avoided the remaining strikes.
"This technique…"
In Orochimaru's memory, this was a unique S-rank Water Release technique belonging to the Second Hokage—executed in two stages.
Suspended midair, soaked by the chaotic waters and looking unusually disheveled, he had not yet fully regained his defensive posture when the second wave arrived.
In an instant—
The water dragons that had missed in the first assault curved back from the air toward the lake and launched another high-speed charge.
His snake-like pupils shrank sharply.
This time, dozens of water dragons swallowed Orochimaru whole.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!"
The explosive aftermath sent violent sprays of water slicing through the area, severing every nearby tree.
Terrifying destructive power.
But Shimizu knew—
Such a spectacular attack would not end Orochimaru.
Through his sensory perception, he could still feel that powerful ninja beneath the waters.
Since he had seized the opportunity—
He would unleash his fiercest attack.
The new technique was ready!
Shimizu immediately pressed both palms against the water's surface. Massive amounts of chakra surged into his hands.
Lightning Release: Earth Flash!
Brilliant blue lightning erupted from his palms. Using the water as a conductor, the electric current instantly surged toward the venomous snake in the depths—the one radiating powerful chakra.
The intense current continued for several seconds.
Then—
Orochimaru's chakra abruptly vanished.
He escaped?!