As Kakuzu shouted, the Chakra Cannon, formed by the combined power of his three masked beasts, roared towards Orochimaru, who had just stepped out of the black gate.
"Not bad."
Naruto remarked, nodding slightly as he observed from the air.
The power of the masked beasts, which are enhanced by Weapon Blessings, combined with Kakuzu's Courage Blessing, made this Final Shot emit power comparable to a Bijudama.
However, Naruto wasn't worried about Orochimaru in the slightest.
After all, no matter how immense the attack's theoretical power was, its true strength depended on whether it could hit Orochimaru.
But would Orochimaru foolishly take a direct hit? Of course not.
With a flash of crimson paper cranes, Orochimaru disappeared at the moment of impact, avoiding the attack entirely.
"Now things are getting interesting."
Naruto said with a faint smile. From the Servant Contract, he had already learned that this technique wasn't merely a teleportation technique. After vanishing, Orochimaru could reappear anywhere he wanted.
Sure enough, when Naruto shifted his gaze to Kakuzu, Orochimaru's figure materialized behind him.
Not only that, but Orochimaru held a black rod in his hand, swiftly plunging it into Kakuzu's body before he could react.
Thud, thud, thud!
Orochimaru pierced Kakuzu with over ten black rods in rapid succession.
The black rods disrupted Chakra Flow, and despite having five hearts, Kakuzu was rendered useless.
Watching Kakuzu collapse unconscious, just like Kisame and Hidan before him, Orochimaru finally withdrew with a satisfied expression.
"Who's next?"
Orochimaru asked, turning to the remaining challengers.
At this point, only Itachi and Blastoise, who evolved after receiving Weapon Bleassing, remained.
"I'm next!"
The one who spoke was none other than Itachi.
However, before Itachi could act, Blastoise protested loudly: "Blastoise, Blastoise!?"
Although Itachi didn't understand Blastoise's words, its exaggerated gestures made its intentions clear… it wanted to decide the turn through rock-paper-scissors.
Itachi's expression remained impassive, "There's no need for that. Let me go first. If I can't defeat him, there's no point in you fighting."
Itachi's words carried a clear message: Blastoise was no match for Itachi. So if Itachi lost, it's useless for Blastoise to fight against Orochimaru.
Furthermore, given Blastoise's importance to Naruto, Itachi would never allow it to take unnecessary risks.
Whoosh!
Before Blastoise could argue further, Itachi's form blurred as he darted toward Orochimaru.
"Itachi, I didn't expect to get another chance to fight you." Orochimaru said with a smirk, "But this time, you have no hope of victory."
Orochimaru's biggest reason for leaving the Akatsuki was his failure against Itachi's Genjutsu. But that was the old Orochimaru. The current Orochimaru was a completely different being.
He wasn't merely confident… he was certain. Failure was no longer an option for him.
"Hmm? Genjutsu doesn't work on you?"
Itachi's approach was deliberate. Physical combat, whether close or long range, had proven ineffective against Orochimaru in the previous fights. So, Itachi tried the method he had used to defeat Orochimaru before: Genjutsu!
Yet, to his astonishment, Orochimaru was completely unaffected by his Genjutsu.
Logically speaking, since Itachi possesses the Mangekyo Sharingan, anyone who wants to resist his Genjutsu would also need the Mangekyo Sharingan, or something even stronger.
'Could it be that Orochimaru possesses a more powerful Dojutsu than the Mangekyo?'
'But how is this possible?'
"Well then, any other tricks? Go ahead and show me." Orochimaru chuckled once more, his tone dripping with disdain.
"Hmph!"
Itachi snorted coldly, and his golden-red Mangekyo Sharingan, which was enhanced by the Weapon Blessing, looked straight into Orochimaru's eyes.
Tsukuyomi required direct eye contact to be effective. If Orochimaru was so confident, then Itachi had no reason to hold back.
"This is impossible!"
But the moment Itachi glimpsed Orochimaru's eyes, he froze in place.
Orochimaru's slit pupils had undergone an inexplicable transformation, now resembling spiraling concentric rings. Although they were blue in color, there was no mistaking it… they were Rinnegan!
From his conversations with Naruto, Itachi understood the progression: Mangekyo Sharingan could evolve into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and beyond that lay the ultimate Dojutsu, the Rinnegan.
Now that Orochimaru had acquired this supreme Dojutsu, it was no wonder his Genjutsu had no effect.
But Itachi was not discouraged. With a flicker of his Mangekyo, black flames erupted on Orochimaru's left arm… it was Amaterasu!
Once conjured, Amaterasu would inevitably incinerate its target.
Yet to Itachi's astonishment, Orochimaru simply severed his own left arm.
At the next moment, Orochimaru's body trembled slightly and a new arm sprouted in its place.
"This…"
Itachi was shocked beyond words.
Only then did he remember that the black stick that Orochimaru had taken out before was not summoned, but was created out of thin air. However, he learned that creating something out of thin air can only be done with Yin-Yang Release.
"Ah, this…"
Turning to Naruto, Itachi seemed poised to ask a question but stopped short upon seeing Naruto's amused expression, clearly unfazed by Orochimaru's feats.
'Of course… Naruto-kun had mentioned before that Orochimaru was also one of his servants.'
Only now did Itachi truly grasp why Naruto had chosen Orochimaru as the Demon King. With Rinnegan and Yin-Yang Release, Orochimaru was practically on par with the Sage of Six Paths, the founder of Ninjutsu itself.
Once, Orochimaru had been a fugitive, running from village to village. Now, he stood above all Shinobi, towering over the strongest.
"Itachi, have you given up?" Orochimaru chuckled.
Itachi ignored him, instead directing his gaze at Naruto. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "Naruto-kun, is this also your doing?"
Naruto nodded slightly, and noticing the faint smile tugging at Itachi's lips, he frowned, "No way, no way... You're not jealous, are you? Don't worry, what Orochimaru has, my other servants will gradually receive, including you."
Itachi shook his head slightly and said, "I'm not jealous. I'm just wondering… what have I done to deserve your favor, Naruto-kun? But one thing is clear, or rather, I am fortunate to know: as long as you are here, most problems will be solved with ease."
Though Itachi had always trusted Naruto, the abilities Naruto had demonstrated were largely his own. And Itachi had never assumed Naruto would share such powers. It wasn't out of mistrust, but simple logic. After all, most people, when given great power, would prioritize themselves.
Yet here was Naruto, who only has the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan himself, but granted Orochimaru the full set of Sage of Six Paths' capabilities. With such a vivid example before him, Itachi was deeply moved.
His only concern had always been Sasuke, who was also one of Naruto's servants. In Itachi's eyes, following Naruto wholeheartedly was a decision more valuable than anything else.
At this moment, rather than feeling dejected over his defeat, Itachi felt a profound sense of relief and liberation, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders.
'Strange... Did I say something?'
Naruto scratched his head. Through his Observation Haki, he could sense Itachi's emotions… a surge of excitement and joy, and most notably, an intense admiration for him.
But Naruto was clueless as to what he had said to elicit such a response.
Unbeknownst to Naruto, this was all Itachi's own self-imposed narrative.