Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 275 The Konoha Crush Plan Begins (Part 5)

As Orochimaru's aura erupted, the entire rooftop was enveloped by it, and cracks began to appear as if it couldn't withstand the immense pressure. Only then did Hiruzen Sarutobi, standing to the side, truly grasp Orochimaru's resolve and killing intent.

He had initially thought Orochimaru was just trying to show him his strength, but now it seemed that Orochimaru really intended to kill him! This feeling was not an illusion, but rather something he sensed from the aura emanating from Orochimaru—an undisguised killing intent, without any falsehood.

Realizing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi dared not be careless any longer, knowing the situation had become extremely critical. He swiftly removed the sacred robe symbolizing his Hokage status, revealing the armor hidden beneath. At the same time, he unleashed his aura without hesitation to confront Orochimaru.

The two auras clashed repeatedly, as if countless invisible forces were battling in the air. Each collision caused a slight tremor, making the surrounding air exceptionally heavy, as if time itself had frozen. However, as their auras intensified, this sense of gravity grew stronger, even allowing those outside the barrier to feel the overwhelming power of their presence. They stared wide-eyed, intently watching every move within the arena, afraid of missing a single detail.

Just then, Orochimaru's aura intensified again, emanating a powerful pressure. Hiruzen Sarutobi felt the pressure mounting, almost suffocating him. Despite his efforts, he ultimately succumbed to Orochimaru's overwhelming power. In this contest of auras, Hiruzen Sarutobi clearly realized he had lost. Continuing the fight might rob him of the will to fight, or he might be completely overwhelmed. Therefore, he decided to abandon any direct confrontation with Orochimaru and instead seek other methods to face the challenges ahead.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze turned serious, and his hands rapidly formed hand seals. Just then, he leaped backward, creating distance between himself and Orochimaru. At the same time, he chanted the incantation for a ninjutsu: "Earth Release: Yellow Earth Flowing River!" As his words fell, the ground beneath Orochimaru's feet suddenly changed. The once solid earth instantly transformed into flowing mud, like a river. Orochimaru's feet sank into it, unable to extricate themselves. This sudden change caused Orochimaru to lose his balance. His legs sank deeper and deeper into the mud, as if being held back by an invisible force. Meanwhile, his steadily building momentum was affected by his unstable body and gradually ceased.

However, it was impossible for Orochimaru to completely give up gathering his aura with this level of ninjutsu. Orochimaru only exerted a little force, and his body stood on the flowing mud, ready to continue to completely crush his opponent with his aura.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't give him that chance. He quickly formed hand seals and unleashed another ninjutsu: "Earth Release - Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!"

The previously flowing soil suddenly surged up, forming a gigantic earth dragon. The earth dragon opened its blood-red maw and spewed mud projectiles, like bullets, at Orochimaru. These mud projectiles were extremely fast, shooting towards Orochimaru with tremendous force.

Orochimaru's expression changed slightly, but he didn't panic. He lightly leaped away, dodging the Earth Dragon Bullet's attack. However, Hiruzen Sarutobi's attack was not over.

He formed hand seals again, spewing out a ball of blazing flame. This flame met the Earth Dragon Bullet, instantly igniting it and forming a combined ninjutsu. The burning Earth Dragon Bullet became even more ferocious, its power multiplied.

This was merely a simple combination ninjutsu; given Orochimaru's current strength, such an attack was utterly insignificant and incapable of causing him any real harm. However, Orochimaru deliberately feigned being struck by this combination ninjutsu, allowing himself to be absorbed by it. Of course, before the ninjutsu actually struck Orochimaru, he had already used Earth Release: Earth Clone Technique to replace his original body with an Earth Clone, concealing himself deep underground.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't an idiot; as a former Hokage, he possessed a wealth of combat experience. Based on his understanding of Orochimaru, he knew that a simple combination ninjutsu wouldn't have been able to inflict such severe injuries on Orochimaru.

He had already realized the problem and was cursing inwardly: "Damn Orochimaru, how dare he play tricks on me!" He couldn't help but shout angrily at the open space in front of him: "Orochimaru, stop pretending! This little trick won't fool me. Do you think I don't know this is just one of your clones?"

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was old, his mind remained sharp. He knew Orochimaru's cunning and treachery well, so he didn't easily believe what he saw. He stared intently at the empty space before him, trying to find a real flaw. However, at that moment, Orochimaru suddenly let out a strange laugh from beneath the ground, causing Hiruzen Sarutobi to shudder.

"Hahahaha..." A sinister laugh escaped Orochimaru's lips, as if mocking Hiruzen Sarutobi's foolishness. As the laughter echoed, Orochimaru's body gradually rose from the ground.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, seeing Orochimaru's disdainful gaze and words, felt his anger gradually flare up. He believed that although he was old and his strength had declined, he was not someone who could be easily humiliated. Therefore, he swiftly threw a shuriken and formed hand seals with incredible speed.

As the hand seals were completed, the incantation was uttered: "Ninja Art - Shadow Shuriken Technique!" The shuriken that had been flying rapidly towards Orochimaru suddenly split into countless smaller ones, raining down on him. These shuriken danced in the air, forming an impenetrable net of swords that completely sealed off the space around Orochimaru, leaving him nowhere to hide.

This Shadow Shuriken technique showcases Hiruzen Sarutobi's superb skill and rich combat experience. He cleverly utilized the properties of shuriken, multiplying their numbers through the Shadow Clone Technique to create a powerful attack. Such a technique requires not only a deep understanding of ninjutsu but also precise control and timing.

Orochimaru couldn't help but show a hint of surprise at such a fierce attack. However, he did not back down or show fear, but instead slammed his hands on the ground and shouted.

"The Impure World Reincarnation Technique!"

A powerful force suddenly surged from the ground, and in the blink of an eye, a massive coffin rose up, bearing a prominent character "初" (first). This coffin, seemingly alive, swiftly flew to him, blocking the incoming shuriken. However, Orochimaru didn't stop there. Another surge of power rose from the ground, followed by the rise of a second coffin inscribed with the character "二" (two). And this was only the beginning; as the third coffin was about to emerge from the earth, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

Upon witnessing this scene, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression instantly turned grave, a wave of fear washing over him. He was intimately familiar with this ninjutsu; although he hadn't mastered it, he was acutely aware of its power and effects. Seeing the third coffin about to emerge, Hiruzen knew he couldn't afford to stand idly by; he had to do everything in his power to stop it. Without hesitation, he unleashed all his chakra, attempting to disrupt the summoning jutsu and prevent the third coffin from appearing.

Seeing how hard Hiruzen Sarutobi was trying to interfere, Orochimaru abandoned his plan to summon a third coffin. The first two coffins were already sufficient to handle the current situation.

When Orochimaru used the Impure World Reincarnation technique, Hyuga Kanan, who was still some distance away, had already arrived. Facing the barrier before him, Kanan simply stretched out his hand and made a sweeping motion, creating a passage large enough for him to enter. Without any hesitation, he strode into the barrier. As soon as Kanan entered, the parts of the barrier he had damaged quickly regenerated.

Hyuga Kanan didn't want to miss the most crucial scene in Orochimaru's plan, and it would also be a good opportunity to witness Hiruzen Sarutobi's final, desperate struggle. He hadn't forgotten Hiruzen's previous scheming against him. He had only been patient until now to avoid interfering with Orochimaru's plans. Kanan was very eager to see Hiruzen's final struggle.

Once the barrier was broken, everyone, both those outside and inside, noticed Hyuga Kanan's appearance. Hiruzen Sarutobi was initially secretly pleased, thinking Kanan might come to help him deal with Orochimaru, the ninja who had betrayed Konoha. However, his expression quickly turned extremely grim, even revealing a look of despair.

When Orochimaru saw Hyuga Kanan enter, he showed no surprise or nervousness. On the contrary, as Kanan approached, Orochimaru took the initiative to greet him: "Kanan-kun, you've come!" Hyuga Kanan smiled and nodded slightly in greeting, then stood quietly to the side, continuing to watch Orochimaru's actions.

Orochimaru seemed unconcerned about Hyuga Kanan's presence, continuing to fix his gaze on his teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen. This scene left everyone present confused and perplexed, but they all knew this was not the time to ask questions and could only silently observe how the situation unfolded.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was gripped by despair. He never imagined that Kanan Hyuga was so familiar with Orochimaru. He also realized that Kanan had no intention of helping him and might even attack him. The Anbu guards outside were also puzzled. They recognized Kanan, but they never expected him to simply stand by and watch, showing no intention of helping the Hokage.