In the Land of Demons, at the final line of defense, as Orochimaru's mind momentarily faltered...
The terrifying, agonizing pain of the severed arm, transmitted through the neural connection to the stone statue, ripped back into Orochimaru's body.
"Erggh!"
Orochimaru let out an uncontrollable, hoarse scream. His golden vertical pupils contracted to pinpricks from the sheer agony.
Instinct drove him to move the massive body of the rock giant back slightly.
This was a primal avoidance of the threat of death, a wariness toward an unknown power.
However, Orochimaru quickly recalled the words Princess Orochi had just spoken.
"This is the only portable device on me with an active offensive function," she had said.
The only offensive weapon! This woman only has one!
That thought instantly quenched the panic and wariness caused by the intense pain.
In its place was a colder, bone-chilling malevolence and killing intent.
The flickering disbelief in his golden vertical pupils quickly receded, replaced entirely by a venomous chill and a touch of sheer rage!
"Hah... hah... hah..."
A low, malicious snicker echoed through the swirling dust. Orochimaru's voice was hoarse and cold, carrying unconcealed mockery. "It seems you are nothing special!"
He commanded the shattered rock giant to stop retreating. Instead, it stomped forward violently. Its remaining massive stone arm was raised high, ready to smash down viciously onto the barrier once again.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
"It seems I was right. You can freely modify your body and even connect your nervous system to inanimate objects."
Princess Orochi shook her head. "But unfortunately, your understanding of the human body is still at a very primitive stage. Otherwise, this ability would be far more terrifying."
With that, she stopped looking at Orochimaru. She turned slightly, looking with intellectual curiosity at the wakizashi tightly gripped in Kakashi Hatake's hand.
"The weapon in your hand," Princess Orochi asked, "What is its name?"
Kakashi was momentarily stunned. He clearly hadn't expected such a question in this life-or-death moment. He instinctively tightened his grip on the hilt and replied, "Envy."
"'Envy'?" Princess Orochi's lips clearly curved up, sketching an arc of intellectual amusement. "I see. That name is surprisingly apt."
Well then, let's cooperate.
She slowly turned around. Her deep, golden vertical pupils landed once more on the distorted face of Orochimaru, contorted by cold malice and fury, inside the rock giant's chest.
"I believe the ability of this sword, 'Envy,' is to construct a temporary projection of the target individual, one whose fate diverged from the original's path," Princess Orochi's voice was logical and clear.
"No wonder..." She gently stroked the emblem of a tree and snake intertwined on her chest. "No wonder from the very beginning, I felt an instinctive repulsion toward you."
"Now that I think about it, it was a fear and dread of the self that almost strayed down the wrong path and became a defective product."
Thump...
Hearing this, Orochimaru paused his action of controlling the stone statue to hammer the barrier.
"Defective product?"
Looking at the woman below who stated this as a matter of fact, Orochimaru laughed in anger. His voice trembled with fury. "You bastard..."
"Allow me to perform a comparative analysis for you," Princess Orochi interrupted him mercilessly, her voice chillingly calm.
"Since you possess this ability, I assume you also pursued 'immortality' and the unknown. So, let me consider when your path diverged from mine."
She lowered her head in thought, pacing before Kakashi like a professor in a classroom, her posture elegant and composed.
Finally, she stopped, gazing intently at Orochimaru. "I think the divergence occurred during the Second Great Shinobi War, facing the deaths of Nawaki, Dan Katō, and others."
Orochimaru's pupils contracted. Seeing the change in his eyes, Princess Orochi nodded. "It seems I guessed correctly."
"The deaths of your comrades made you realize the fragility of your own life. Coupled with your desire for the unknown, you chose a shortcut driven by fear."
"You chose to plunder the lives of others, occupy their bodies, and conduct forbidden experiments. You treated life as a material that could be infinitely disassembled, replaced, and consumed."
"You misinterpreted the meaning of 'life' as simple physical immortality or consciousness transfer, becoming obsessed with breaking the boundaries of ethics, rules, and nature."
At this, Princess Orochi couldn't help but smile, a look that was part self-mockery, part pity.
"How interesting," she murmured to herself. "Having experienced pain and death, I, however, came to appreciate the value of life."
"I did not try to rise above life out of fear. Instead, I developed a reverence and appreciation for it. I interpreted the meaning of life as width, not length."
As she spoke, she looked up at the increasingly grim-faced Orochimaru, answering her own rhetorical question: "And what did you gain?"
"An unstable life form, the need to avoid rejection risks through ugly methods, a corrupted soul, and... eternal loneliness and scorn?"
"And I,"
She pointed to herself and continued, "I chose to understand life and revere it. I saw difficulties as an opportunity to drive theoretical revolution, not an excuse to cross ethical lines."
"No human experimentation, no live sacrifices. I used wisdom to solve problems that required the sacrifice of life for you."
"I stand here, young, healthy, and stable. Life is in its most perfect state. No cost, no side effects. All I possess is knowledge, and knowledge is power."
Princess Orochi's gaze swept over Orochimaru's body, which was forcefully merged with the stone, as if examining a failed experiment. She shook her head. "Look at you now."
"I hypothesize that you betrayed your master, abandoned your comrades, and discarded your disciples."
"And I? I developed medical ninjutsu based on ethics and universal values to cure the roots of war. I overcame battlefield trauma and PTSD, significantly lowering the shinobi mortality rate."
"I improved and popularized the method of chakra refinement, allowing ordinary people to safely and effectively master chakra, greatly improving productivity and living standards."
"I developed weapons potent enough to make any great nation wary, leading to the final signing of the peace treaty in the shinobi world."
"I am recognized by the history of the shinobi world as the greatest scientist. All my research is transparent, public, ethically sound, and serves the populace and peace."
"I am the Director of the Hidden Leaf Science Academy, the recipient of the shinobi world's highest lifetime achievement award in science, remembered by history as the 'Saint who Changed the Era,' and the widely acclaimed reformer of the shinobi world."
"My master sees me as the gem of the Hidden Leaf. Jiraiya writes that I am the light that guides the ninja world. Tsunade is my most reliable comrade in arms, and my disciples inherit my philosophy."
With that, Princess Orochi stepped forward, looking at the stone giant where Orochimaru's face was pale and twisted. Her voice was gentle, yet contained an undeniable power. "So, do you understand?"
"The immortality, the power, the achievements, the knowledge that you spent half a lifetime pursuing, burdened by blood and infamy, betraying and casting aside everything..."
"I achieved it."
She spoke every word distinctly. "And what I achieved is more perfect, more magnificent, cleaner, more historically revered, and more beloved by all people than yours."
"My very existence, and everything I possess now, proves just how foolish, shortsighted, and incompetent you are."
"The path you chose was a complete and utter fallacy."
"..."
Orochimaru's face twitched uncontrollably. His breathing became heavy and ragged.
The fundamental reason he once pursued immortality was the belief that his finite life was insufficient to grasp greater truths.
But the existence of this woman before him was a complete negation of everything he stood for!
He couldn't comprehend the power this woman displayed, yet this woman could see straight through him...
"Do you think this is enough to make me 'envy'?" Orochimaru suppressed his surging emotions and said coldly.
"Is that so?" Princess Orochi smiled faintly and asked, "Can you still distinguish, at this moment, whether you are truly seeking truth or simply fearing death?"
Hearing this, Orochimaru's mind involuntarily began to search for the answer.
The answer that surfaced immediately caused his face to gradually stiffen.
"Stop deceiving yourself," Princess Orochi couldn't help but laugh. "All that talk about seeking truth and exploring the unknown."
"You want immortality and power because you are afraid of dying."
Princess Orochi's voice was like a cold scalpel, precisely cutting open Orochimaru's deepest fear.
"You are afraid of dying suddenly like Nawaki. You are afraid that all your sacrifices will only lead to death. You are afraid that you will be scorned even after you die..."
"You are terrified. Like a drowning person grasping at a straw, you desperately try everything to survive, seizing everything you can..."
"You want to prove to everyone, especially your master, that your blood-soaked, light-forsaking choices were not a mistake."
"You..."
"ENOUGH!"
Orochimaru finally roared, interrupting her words.
"I've had enough!"
Orochimaru's breathing turned ragged. His golden vertical pupils were bloodshot, staring intensely at the maddeningly calm figure. His voice was raw and distorted with humiliation and fury:
"You are nothing but an illusion, a twisted phantasm summoned by that damn sword! You know nothing! Why should I listen to your incessant noise?!"
He snapped his head around. His golden vertical pupils, like venomous snakes ready to strike, locked onto the Fourth Raikage and Yellow Earth who were entangled with Obito Uchiha among the stone soldiers in the distance!
Crack! Crack!
He commanded the damaged rock giant. The single remaining massive stone arm was raised high once more!
This time, the target was no longer Princess Orochi, but the distant Yellow Earth and the Fourth Raikage!
BOOM!!
The giant arm, driven by furious rage, violently slammed down onto the area where Yellow Earth and the Fourth Raikage were, forcing the two to momentarily abandon Obito and retreat rapidly in disarray.
Obito Uchiha's eyes flashed with surprise. He turned toward the barrier, zeroing in on the feminine face that was strikingly similar to, yet vastly different in demeanor from, Orochimaru's.
"Switch targets!" Orochimaru's voice sounded like it was squeezed through his teeth, filled with uncontrollable irritation. "I've had enough of that woman! You deal with her!"
"No." Obito Uchiha's refusal was sharp and clean.
He glanced at Orochimaru's ashen, distorted face and added, "At least your 'mirror image' doesn't seem to have any combat ability."
With that, his gaze swept over the wakizashi in Kakashi Hatake's hand. A flicker of wariness crossed his eyes.
Kamui might be able to penetrate that woman's defense, but if Kakashi used that damn sword to summon his "mirror image"...
He absolutely refused to see that detestable "Obito Uchiha" again!
"Damn you!"
Orochimaru instantly understood Obito's concern. A wave of frustrated fury rushed to his head. He spun violently to face Kakashi, his voice dripping with hatred. "What a disgusting creature!!"
"You..." Princess Orochi opened her mouth, seemingly about to say more.
"SHUT UP!!"
The enraged Orochimaru hissed like a snake whose tail had been stepped on, roaring to cut her off.
He controlled the rock giant's remaining massive arm, condensing even more savage power than before, and recklessly slammed it down onto that damned barrier below!
RUMBLE!!
The impact this time was unprecedentedly fierce.
The ripples on the barrier's surface, which had been as gentle as water, wildly propagated. The waves became incredibly distinct and even emitted a buzzing sound of distress!
Kakashi's expression instantly changed drastically. He looked up abruptly, his anxious gaze instinctively falling upon Princess Orochi, who remained calm before him.
"Don't look at me," Princess Orochi gently shook her head. "I told you, I am merely a scientific researcher. My strength depends on my creation."
"This defensive barrier is projected to have five minutes of stable operation remaining. Please prepare yourselves."
Hearing this, Yugito Nii and Yagura Karatachi, who had relaxed somewhat, instantly tensed up. They looked up at the half-body stone statue that was relentlessly venting its rage with flailing fists.
They saw Orochimaru controlling the broken giant. The massive stone arm hammered the wildly fluctuating barrier, pound after pound, like an tireless piledriver!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The dull impacts sounded like the continuous tolling of a death knell.
The ripples on the barrier's surface grew increasingly violent, now visible as they spread and propagated!
RUMBLE!!
Accompanying Orochimaru's final, all-out heavy punch, the barrier concave inward. The light instantly dimmed to the extreme!
Then, a soft sound, like a soap bubble popping.
The incredibly resilient, translucent barrier, which had withstood countless heavy bombardments, finally exploded like a soap bubble under Orochimaru's hysterical frenzy!
"It's done!"
Orochimaru's golden vertical pupils burned with a near-mad gleam of excitement!
The broken rock giant's single remaining arm, carrying all his resentment, killing intent, and twisted pleasure, viciously smashed down toward the tiny, unprotected figure below.
Princess Orochi? Die!
This punch condensed all his power. The air was torn apart, emitting an ear-splitting shriek!
Seeing the colossal, destructive fist about to crush Princess Orochi and Kakashi behind her, the fully Tailed Beast Transformed Yugito Nii and Yagura Karatachi steeled themselves to intercept!
But, in this split second...
Shu-Shu-Shu!
A rain-like sweep of wind rushed through, rippling the air!
Orochimaru only heard the wind shriek above. The next moment, several immense Wind Blades, emitting piercing screams, tore through the dust, leaving trails as they shot down from high in the sky!
The Wind Blades were a deep, profound blue-green. Their edges gleamed with bone-chilling cold light. Their speed surpassed visual perception, cutting through the rock giant's body and arm without resistance!
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
The next moment, the rock giant's immensely thick arm was severed at the shoulder, slowly sliding down.
BOOM!!
The severed arm, carrying its immense momentum, smashed heavily onto the ground, shaking the earth and kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Aah!!!"
A scream of utter agony erupted from Orochimaru's mouth.
The neural connection integrated into the statue transmitted the bone-deep pain of the severed arm and the statue's injury clearly back to his body, nearly causing him to pass out!
He tightly gritted his teeth and looked up. His golden vertical pupils, bloodshot from the excruciating pain, stared malevolently and fearfully at the high sky!
Below the pervasive smoke and fire-tinged night sky, a figure with white wings hovered.
The pure white wings fluttered gently in the night wind, scattering points of light. The soft glow illuminated the figure's face and the pair of pure Byakugan.
"Hinata Kawa!!"
Orochimaru's voice was filled with pain and hatred. His face beneath the bone mask instantly became hideous and distorted.
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