The wind howled.
Orochimaru took the lead, provoking the battle with a standard C-rank Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
Yami raised one hand to his mouth and blew out two sharp wind blades in succession, easily slicing through the incoming whirlwind.
The two of them formed the same hand seals at nearly the same moment.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
In an instant, two massive fireballs erupted from their mouths, colliding violently in mid-air. The scorching heat distorted the air, accompanied by crackling explosions.
Although the speed was the same, Orochimaru's proficiency in Fire Release was clearly inferior to Yami's. His fireball was continuously devoured, fueling Yami's Great Fireball and expanding its size.
Realizing he was at a disadvantage in the ninjutsu clash, Orochimaru snorted, and a clone formed from mud emerged from underground, launching another Wind Release attack in an attempt to suppress Yami using a combination technique.
Yami changed hand seals, his Great Fireball intensified, and he charged forward directly against the wind.
Forced to abandon his offense, Orochimaru dodged the massive fireball. At the spot where he landed, a special kunai flew out, and Yami instantly appeared, punching Orochimaru in the face.
Crack!
Orochimaru's body shattered into a clump of dirt, and his real body emerged from behind a large tree.
"What terrifying Fire Release, Yami-kun. I didn't expect you to have such mastery over the Five Elemental Releases."
Orochimaru's expression turned serious as he stared at the calm young man.
Before the fight, Orochimaru had already assessed Yami's abilities.
Sage Mode, Flying Thunder God, Dust Release, Scorch Release—maybe even more Kekkei Genkai.
These were all within his intelligence scope, and Orochimaru had prepared countermeasures for each.
For example, though he hadn't trained in Sage Mode himself, he knew it required time to activate and couldn't be maintained for long, so he only needed to prevent Yami from gathering chakra.
Dust Release was fast and powerful, but its trajectory was predictable. Unless Yami released it in an extremely wide area, Orochimaru believed he could dodge it.
The most troublesome was the Flying Thunder God Technique, and Orochimaru had no solid countermeasure.
Still, he chose to fight now to probe Yami's limits. Otherwise, fighting an enemy without understanding their depths would cause unnecessary mental strain.
Winning wasn't the priority—he trusted in his own survival skills.
But with just this brief exchange, Orochimaru realized he had underestimated Yami's strength.
Even with just basic elemental jutsu, his raw power was monstrous. He wasn't one of those ninjas who relied solely on Kekkei Genkai or secret techniques to dominate the ninja world.
Bang, bang, bang~~!
A cloud of smoke burst forth. Several large snakes were summoned to block the line of sight. The rustling sound of movement came from the ground, and small lion-head bombs shot out like sharp swords.
Yami remained calm. Lightning flashed, and he raised the Kusanagi Sword, slicing all the incoming projectiles in half.
Orochimaru dropped from the sky, spitting out a large python. From the snake's mouth, a sword extended infinitely, shooting toward Yami. At the same time, fireballs, wind blades, and shuriken from clones flew in from all directions.
"Scorch Release: Hot Wheels."
Several scorching fireballs spun rapidly around Yami, using offense as defense to eliminate the surrounding snakes and tools. At the same time, Orochimaru's sword attack was evaded with a simple sidestep.
Boom!
The ground shattered as another Orochimaru burst out from below, thrusting a kunai at Yami's throat.
Since ninjutsu was ineffective, close combat was the next option.
Among the Sannin, Orochimaru was perhaps the most versatile, capable of using almost any form of attack with ease.
Yami clenched his right fist and struck out.
Bang!
A powerful punch landed on Orochimaru's body. His body twisted unnaturally, absorbing the impact into the ground.
Boom!
The earth crumbled, but Orochimaru himself wasn't seriously harmed. Yami felt as though he'd punched into cotton, the force dissipating without impact.
Who knows how many times Orochimaru had modified his body? Whether against ninjutsu or brute strength, his endurance was far beyond that of a normal human.
The two launched into a fierce taijutsu battle. Yami used fists, feet, shoulders, knees, and elbows as weapons, exuding lethal intent. Orochimaru was even stranger, twisting his body at impossible angles to counterattack unpredictably.
They mixed in various ninjutsu without even forming hand seals, and their power was astonishing.
Boom, boom, boom!
Under the shockwaves of their clash, massive trees were felled, and the ground cracked with deep rifts.
Sasuke, Naruto, and the others had to retreat continuously to avoid the deadly fallout.
Sasuke had his Sharingan fully activated, yet he could only catch afterimages.
"This is what true strength looks like? I can't even follow their movements with my eyes, let alone with my body...?"
Watching his first real Kage-level battle, Sasuke felt a deep sense of helplessness.
They both used the Great Fireball, but what he cast was barely more than a flicker.
Determined to learn, Sasuke forced himself to stay focused and observe as much as possible.
Swish!
Blocking Orochimaru's palm strike from behind, Yami's right hand landed on the hilt. With a flash of light, he unsheathed his sword and slashed Orochimaru in half.
Countless thin snakes wriggled out from the split, trying to reassemble the body.
"That's enough, Orochimaru. I've figured out your capabilities."
As he spoke, Yami grabbed Orochimaru's head with his left hand, pulled him in, sheathed his sword, turned his waist, and threw a punch.
This punch was nothing like before. The force built up layer by layer, all converging into a single point, exploding precisely on impact. The power tunneled straight into Orochimaru's body.
The punch vanished after three segments—it couldn't even be seen.
Puff!
Orochimaru's face twisted in agony, blood spraying into the sky. His body was blown away like a cannonball, crashing into a large tree.
The force transferred into the trunk, and in the stunned eyes of everyone present, the massive tree crumbled into powder.
"Ugh!"
Coughing up more blood, Orochimaru's body finally dropped to the ground.
"Did we win?" Sasuke asked in shock. Hinata had her Byakugan activated, scanning closely.
"His chakra is still faintly there. He's not finished yet."
Yami didn't pursue. Instead, he focused on the punch he had just landed.
He had tried to use dark energy through Steel Fist before, but always felt the technique was imprecise and wasted power.
But this punch was instinctive.
His body had naturally moved into the most efficient form, building and releasing power smoothly.
Once back, he planned to further study and refine his taijutsu. He was certain it would lead to a new breakthrough.
Yami placed high importance on taijutsu. In the coming Ōtsutsuki era, where everyone could absorb chakra, only pure taijutsu wouldn't be affected.
After a pause, Orochimaru's upper body slowly lifted. Breathing heavily, he forced a smile.
"Yami-kun, I've lost ten rounds."
"You won't get another chance."
Yami threw several kunai, pinning Orochimaru to the ground again.
"Your ninjutsu isn't lethal enough to even itch. You're like an annoying fly."
Orochimaru's smile vanished.
The truth was a blade through the heart. Yami had pointed out his biggest weakness—his ninjutsu lacked decisive lethality.
It might've looked like a fierce, evenly matched battle, but Orochimaru had never posed a real threat. Yami had been neutralizing every move calmly.
The only reason the fight lasted so long was because of Orochimaru's bizarre body and vast battle experience.
But once Yami grasped how to use dark energy, Orochimaru's modified body became completely ineffective.
"There's a long road ahead, Yami-kun."
Orochimaru's body slowly dried and hardened.
"Eventually, I'll find a jutsu that can defeat you. Just wait."
As his voice faded, his body turned into an empty husk and collapsed with a thud.
Yami sneered, ignoring the threat. He jumped over to Hinata's side.
"Grab all the scrolls and head to the tower quickly. Elimination rounds are still coming."
"Sensei, what was Orochimaru trying to do to me?" Sasuke asked, puzzled.
"The Cursed Seal. It's a special ninjutsu that uses natural energy to amplify strength. It's effective, but the side effects are extreme. One wrong move, and you'll die."
Can it really make you stronger?
Sasuke ignored the warning and instead fixated on the potential of the Cursed Seal. The more he saw, the more he realized how weak he was.
Naruto, on the other hand, bounced back quickly. While insulting Orochimaru, he vowed to surpass him and teach him a lesson.
Glancing off into the distance, Yami didn't linger. He instructed the three to get to the tower, then moved northwest. After several kilometers, he suddenly punched a large stone into pieces.
A figure hiding inside was revealed, looking up in horror.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
"Oh? Isn't this the long-legged Iwa girl? Seems like fate brought us together again."
Though Yami was smiling, it looked demonic to Kurotsuchi. Her heart pounded with fear.
While Yami had been fighting Orochimaru, Kurotsuchi's team had been nearby. They'd come over upon hearing the commotion and had seen most of the battle.
They now understood Yami's terrifying strength. There was no way they could take him on.
Kurotsuchi forced herself to stay calm. "We're contestants, and you're the examiner. You're not allowed to attack us!"
"What are you thinking? Are you three even worth bullying?"
Yami shook his head. "I just came to say hi. The intruder has been dealt with. The exam will continue as scheduled."
Kurotsuchi still didn't lower her guard. "Okay, now that you've said your piece, can you leave?"
Yami glanced at her, then his body turned into a drifting leaf and disappeared.
Her teammates sighed in relief, not noticing that Kurotsuchi's face had turned bright red.
Bastard!
He touched me again before leaving!
That's it. I'm wearing stockings from tomorrow. No way I'll let this guy take advantage again.
After teasing Kurotsuchi, Yami intercepted Anko on his way back, who was still chasing Orochimaru.
Seeing him, Anko lit up with joy, like she'd found a lifeline.
"Yami! Orochimaru snuck into the forest. Did you find him?"
"I beat him off."
Yami recounted the events briefly, and Anko's emotions rollercoastered throughout.
"That bastard, what is he planning!"
Anko punched a tree in frustration, then smiled seductively as she wrapped herself around Yami like a beautiful serpent, whispering hot breath into his ear.
"Yami, help me. Please help me kill him."
The boy was like a meditating monk, completely unmoved. "What's the reward? Orochimaru's not someone I'll risk my life against for just a few words."
Anko stuck out her tongue, teasingly whispered in a sultry tone, "The reward is me. You can do to me what you do with Kurenai. Isn't that a good enough offer?"
Girls are much more open when chatting privately. As Kurenai's close friend, Anko had learned more techniques than most romance books dared write.
"You?"
Yami shoved her away disdainfully.
Anko froze for a moment, then bared her teeth and lunged at him.
"Yami! I'm going to kill you!"
(To be continued.)
***
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