Zzzzzz!!
A sharp, ear-splitting slicing sound suddenly ripped through the air.
The massive stone pillar charging at the forefront was cleanly sliced in two the instant it made contact with the pale-green Wind Blade, offering no resistance whatsoever! The cut was smooth as a mirror, without a single ragged edge!
The two severed halves of the pillar, carrying immense momentum, whistled past Hinata Kawa's sides and slammed into the stone pillar prison behind him, shattering with a crash!
"Was that Wind Release?"
Orochi-Hime stared at the Wind Blade, her eyes stinging slightly. She instinctively adjusted her glasses. "And from a member of the Hyūga Clan, no less?"
Even she had never seen a ninja capable of such a degree of nature and form transformation in Wind Release Chakra. Normal Wind Release couldn't possibly penetrate the Golem's defense. The Wind Release Ninjutsu this Hyūga was exhibiting was nearly beyond the realm of human capability.
"That guy..."
Yugito Nii's cat-like pupils narrowed, and the fur on her neck bristled. That guy got even stronger.
Hyuga Kawa's figure, having sliced the first stone pillar, did not pause. He instantly plunged into the deadly forest of subsequent stone pillars.
Zing! Zing! Zing!
A continuous, ear-piercing chorus of slicing sounds rang out. Wherever the pale-green Wind Blade passed, no matter how thick or hard the stone pillar, it was effortlessly cut in two, the cuts smooth and clean!
Countless severed, massive stone pillars fell from mid-air, crashing into the ground or other pillars with deafening roars and shattering sounds!
Stone fragments flew, and smoke filled the air!
Only a white shadow could be seen moving swiftly within the dust. With every swing of his ring-pommel katana, he precisely cleaved a fatal stone pillar!
Orochimaru, deep within the stone Golem, instantly saw his pupils contract to slits.
Too fast!
I can't track that speed!
He couldn't capture the slightest trace of Hyuga Kawa's movements!
Boom!!
Without hesitation, Orochimaru controlled the giant Golem. Countless sharp stone spikes violently protruded from its massive body like mushrooms after rain, launching out towards the dust cloud!
This saturated attack covered every visible inch of space, unleashing an inescapable rain to force Hyuga Kawa to show himself! Facing Hyuga Kawa's overwhelming speed, this was the only tactic he could employ.
Sure enough, a few spectacularly colorful sparks burst out in mid-air! They were the fiery sparks of metal striking metal as the katana deflected or shattered the deadly stone spikes!
"Die!!"
Orochimaru instantly captured the faintly flickering white shadow. The massive body swung its enormous arm with world-destroying force, smashing down at the fleeting phantom!
The giant fist whipped up a violent hurricane, descending with a high-pitched shriek that tore through the air!
Boom!!
Two Tailed Beast Balls slammed into Orochimaru's leg, causing the giant Golem to stumble before forcing itself to stand steady.
The giant fist swung again but only cut a futile gust of wind in the air, landing on empty space. Hyuga Kawa's speed had increased yet again, leaving only a blurred afterimage!
"Will you only run away?" Orochimaru and the stone Golem roared in unison.
With that, the Golem raised its leg and stomped down hard. The ground cracked, sending up large layers of rock. Countless earthen spears jutted out from underground, binding the two troublesome Tailed Beasts.
"Get out here!" Orochimaru said coldly. "Or I'll kill them first!"
"Heh."
A laugh suddenly came from behind, and Orochimaru controlled the Golem to spin around.
But just as he swung his arm to strike!
Vwoom!
Countless Moon Blades abruptly sliced across the Golem's colossal body, followed by a dense series of cutting sounds! The Golem's hard body instantly bloomed with countless dense cracks.
The most powerful Moon Blade once again slashed across the Golem's left shoulder. Stone shards flew, and blue nerve tendrils spewed out like blood!
Hyuga Kawa's figure appeared silently behind the Golem. With a flick of his katana, he shook off the blue viscous fluid clinging to the blade.
Boom!!
Behind him, the Golem's newly regenerated left arm was severed at the shoulder again, crashing heavily onto the ground and raising a cloud of dust!
"Ugh!!" The Golem let out a grunt of suppressed pain and alarm. In a single exchange, it had lost its left arm again.
This was an absolute speed superiority. Hyuga Kawa's Wind Release Chakra nature and form transformation had long reached its limit, but the appearance of the 'Hōgyoku' had once again pushed his Wind Release mastery beyond that limit.
If Orochimaru were facing anyone other than Hyuga Kawa, if he weren't facing a Hyuga Kawa whose physique and bloodline had broken through once more, his abilities would never have failed him so miserably.
"The strength is good, but the speed is too slow."
Hyuga Kawa looked at the Golem and shook his head. The veins around his pure white eyes bulged and crawled beneath his skin. Everything in his sight—energy flow, structural weaknesses—was now fully revealed!
No, more than that. In his eyes, everything seemed to slow down.
The Golem's body and the swirling dust seemed momentarily frozen, forming a still-life painting.
In the next moment, Hyuga Kawa's figure seemed to merge with the wind, instantly vanishing from his spot. A Wind Blade, condensed with Chakra, slashed out and instantly sank into the Stone Golem's heart area!
Clang!!
A dull, ear-splitting impact sound rang out. The Wind Blade struck an unusually hard piece of black rock that shimmered with a metallic sheen! This was the final line of defense protecting Orochimaru's body, the hardest core part of the entire Golem!
He's faster!
"How is this possible?!"
The intense shock and icy scent of death clearly passed through the rock to Orochimaru's perception. Hidden inside, Orochimaru felt his heart suddenly jump.
Why?
I already possess such immense power!
Why, why can't I do anything to that brat?
Is it just like that woman said? Am I not using the 'Orochi-Hime' power in the correct way?!
Fear and self-doubt coiled around Orochimaru's heart like venomous snakes.
No, no, no, that's wrong!
"It shouldn't be like this!" Orochimaru roared, wildly swinging the Golem's right arm without pattern, constantly using Earth Release Ninjutsu to shoot earthen spears, attempting to strike the invisible enemy.
Yet, he couldn't even touch the hem of Hyuga Kawa's clothes!
In the next instant, the ring-pommel katana slashed at his 'heart'!
The Golem shrieked, but its attack missed again. The katana reappeared, striking the exact same spot once more!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions continuously erupted. Hyuga Kawa darted through the air like a white streak of cloud. The dust, white mist, and the wildly flailing Golem formed a brutal and grotesque picture!
The katana scraped against the Golem, producing grating sounds, hacking at the final defense protecting Orochimaru's body. Large amounts of white dust and shattered stone splashed everywhere like snow!
This went on repeatedly, like a parasite clinging to bone!
Once, twice, thrice...
The Wind Blades swung by Hyuga Kawa concentrated on one spot, rapidly cross-cutting. The crescent-moon-shaped blades slashed at the final defense.
If the interval between each strike were longer than a second, Orochimaru's defense might have withstood this burst of power. Unfortunately, all these slashes were completed in less than a second.
Crack! Snap!
The cracks on the incredibly hard black rock defense spread like a spiderweb, pushing it to its limit!
Finally...
CRACK!!
A shattering sound, like breaking glass!
Under Hyuga Kawa's persistent, precise, and despair-inducing barrage of strikes, the rock protecting Orochimaru's body was forcefully cracked open!
In the depths of the hole, in the gloomy core space, Orochimaru's eyes widened in horror. Through the shattered crack, he clearly saw the Byakugan staring back at him!
Hyuga Kawa swung his blade, delivering death right to Orochimaru's face.
Zzzzz!!
In that split second, all Orochimaru saw was the silvery crescent of the blade.
Driven by instinct, he violently opened his mouth, forcibly tearing it wide! Several small, thumb-sized, pitch-black, hard objects, covered in viscous saliva and a foul odor, were vomited from his stomach!
They were his Cyborg Experiments!
They were forcefully kneaded together by an unseen force, their bodies violently twisting, deforming, and melting. The sound of disjointing bones and merging flesh was sickeningly viscous!
In an instant, the pitch-black figures merged into a single, colossal, grotesque, terrifying Giant Mouth that seemed to have crawled out of a nightmare! The monstrous maw was lined with jagged, pitch-black fangs. The moment it formed, it rushed towards Hyuga Kawa, who was swinging his blade, its gaping jaws aimed to devour him with a nauseating stench!
Hyuga Kawa's figure was instantly swallowed by the terrifying open mouth!
In that moment, Orochimaru finally understood. It wasn't that he had used the 'Orochi-Hime' power incorrectly.
It was because he wasn't "wrong" enough!
Connecting and mixing his nerves and senses with inanimate objects was the most foolish approach! The focus shouldn't be on external objects; it should be on his own flesh! He should use this ability to modify the human body, to transform his own body. Plundering every possible life, taking all of their essence, including their genes and cells, until he became the most perfect individual...
Thwack!!
In just an instant, a dull, bone-jarring tearing sound violently erupted from inside the grotesque Giant Mouth!
Immediately after, the horrific maw, forcefully merged from countless pieces of flesh, exploded from the inside! Viscous flesh and shattered fangs splattered everywhere!
In the center of the explosion, Hyuga Kawa emerged unscathed, cutting through the flying filth, and instantly appeared before Orochimaru.
The icy blade, without hindrance, sliced clean through his waist!
Scalding hot blood instantly gushed from the smooth, mirror-like cut!
"Puh!!"
Orochimaru spat out a large mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs. The ejected flesh instantly morphed into countless sharp spikes that shot towards Hyuga Kawa, interrupting his attack.
"I can't die! I can't die! I understand the true power of 'Orochi-Hime' now!"
Without even registering the heart-wrenching pain, the instinct for survival drove Orochimaru to use his last ounce of strength, letting out a frantic, high-pitched scream:
"Obito!!"
On the other side of the battlefield, Obito Uchiha knelt on one knee, breathing heavily. He had deactivated the Chakra-intensive Susano'o. His left Mangekyō Sharingan was growing increasingly dim and blurry.
In front of him, Kitsuchi's face was pale. A hole was pierced through his lower abdomen, and he lay unconscious in a pool of blood—the bloody wound clearly a result of the "Kamui" spatial tearing.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Raikage was covered in blood, his Raikage robe already in tatters.
"Hah... Hah..." He stood firm in the distance, enduring the pain. He was breathing heavily; every breath tugged at his fractured bones and torn internal organs, and blood continuously spilled from the corners of his mouth.
He stared intently at Obito, who felt a similar grimness. This Fourth Raikage was monstrously fast, truly worthy of having been able to challenge Minato Namikaze in a speed contest. Even after being heavily injured by Orochimaru earlier, his terrifying battle instincts and beyond-limit reaction speed still allowed him to evade several of Obito's fatal Kamui attacks!
Both the Third and Fourth Raikage specialized in the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. However, unlike the Third Raikage, who focused on attack and defense, earning him the titles of the "Strongest Spear" and "Strongest Shield," the Fourth Raikage focused relentlessly on speed. In the original story, he was even able to dodge the Amaterasu flames unleashed by Sasuke Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan's enhanced dynamic vision. Excluding spatial Ninjutsu users like Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Raikage was arguably the fastest ninja in the entire world.
But he was, after all, at the end of his rope. Obito Uchiha could clearly sense that with every dodge, the Raikage's body was severely trembling, and blood continuously poured from his ruptured wounds. He clearly wouldn't last much longer!
A cold light flashed in Obito Uchiha's eye. His remaining ocular power rapidly condensed, locking onto the Fourth Raikage's head.
However, in this critical moment!
Orochimaru's high-pitched scream, filled with terror and despair, suddenly reached Obito's ears!
"Obito!!"
Obito's body stiffened. He instinctively looked up, his Mangekyō Sharingan instantly locking onto the direction of the stone Golem! He saw Hyuga Kawa's blade slicing down towards Orochimaru, who had been cut in half at the waist!
The blade was mere inches from Orochimaru's head!
"Damn it!" Obito cursed inwardly. Orochimaru cannot die! He had far too few operatives he could use right now!
Without hesitation, Obito focused his ocular power on Hyuga Kawa.
Vwoom!
A powerful spatial distortion instantly crossed the distance, precisely locking onto Hyuga Kawa!
Kamui!
"Look out!" Kakashi Hatake's roar came simultaneously.
In mid-air, Hyuga Kawa's eyes flickered. A look of measured grimness appeared perfectly on his face, and the katana, which was slashing at Orochimaru's head, violently paused! He barely managed to shift his body and retreat backward, dodging the Kamui's distortion.
What no one present saw was that the shadow behind Hyuga Kawa was distorted by the Kamui and entered the dimension under the cover of the darkness.
The Wind Blade narrowly grazed Orochimaru's neck, leaving a minute bloody scratch on his skin!
In the next moment, Obito Uchiha appeared in front of Orochimaru. Before he could do anything, Orochimaru blurted out, "Kill him! Kill Hyuga Kawa!"
Who?Who kills whom? Obito Uchiha's face under the mask darkened. He grabbed Orochimaru's shoulder and, without hesitation, sent him into the Kamui dimension.
"Obito Uchiha!"
Hyuga Kawa's gaze was piercing. He formed a hand seal and swung his blade.
Slice!
The Wind Blade, which arrived in an instant, cut across Obito's chest, drawing blood.
Obito Uchiha's expression under the mask changed. The vortex engulfed his figure, making him completely vanish into the air before the blade could sever him.
Seeing this, Hyuga Kawa frowned and flapped the wings behind him, landing on the ground.
"Kakashi." He looked at Kakashi Hatake and quickly asked, "What happened? How did Orochimaru and Obito Uchiha show up here? Where are the Third Hokage and the others?"
"Hah!" Kakashi Hatake wiped the sweat from his face, his voice hoarse. "Orochimaru and the other guy suddenly appeared. They must be working with Mōryō."
"Lord Third and the others have already gone to find Mōryō!"
He looked at the powerful aura emanating from Hyuga Kawa and asked expectantly, "Well, did the Miko give you her power?" He and Hiruzen Sarutobi had both heard from Miroku's projection that without the Miko's power, Mōryō could not be killed.
Hyuga Kawa nodded, saying grimly, "We need to hurry over as well. If we're too late..."
If they were too late, he might not be able to retrieve Mōryō's portion of the power.
Yes.
He didn't just want the Miko's power; he also wanted Mōryō's power. Hyuga Kawa's two bodies and identities—the main body and the 'Kage' shadow clone—would each acquire the two portions of power: "Light" and "Darkness."
The main body would be responsible for absorbing the pure Spiritual Energy, while the 'Kage' would absorb the negative Spiritual Energy, much like the relationship between the Miko and Mōryō.
When these two powers merge, the 'Hōgyoku' will be complete, and Ōtsutsuki Unshiki will appear.
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