Makiya stomped lightly on the ground. A golden line of fire extended across the earth, forming a circular barrier that enveloped him. Any venomous snake that drew near was incinerated into ash.
Golden flames converged in his hand, forming a half-foot-long flying sword of fire. Under Makiya's control, it pierced the air and shot straight toward Orochimaru.
*Pffft!*
Orochimaru seemed to have no time to react. He was pierced through the heart by the flying sword. Blood sprayed several meters behind him, turning darker and darker until it finally became mud.
The Earth Clone Jutsu.
Orochimaru's entire body turned into mud and slowly melted away as his true self vanished.
Makiya turned his head toward a certain spot and clapped his hands. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
A dragon-shaped flame erupted from Makiya's mouth. The golden fire heightened the jutsu's power by more than a level. The air distorted and warped from the intense heat, crackling and popping. The scorching breath spread out like a surging tide, threatening to incinerate everything. Wherever it passed, trees carbonized instantly, and stubborn stones melted into lava, leaving a crimson path of molten rock on the ground.
"Summoning: Rashomon!"
A massive summoning formula spread across the ground. An ancient and sinister ghost gate rose from the earth. The pitch-black doors were covered in eerie runes and patterns, and the fangs of the ghost face glinted coldly.
The golden fire dragon, carrying endless fury and power, slammed violently into the Rashomon. Fire soared into the sky as the golden radiance intertwined with the shadow of the gate. A deafening roar erupted. Under the immense impact, the closed doors slowly creaked open. The scorching temperature licked at the dark metal, sending up clouds of white smoke.
*Boom!*
Rashomon finally reached its limit. The two doors were blown open by the sheer force. The golden flames pierced through the gate and burned toward the rear, completely enveloping a small hilltop and turning everything to ash.
Needless to say, the speed of a Kage-level powerhouse was incredible. In the brief moment Rashomon blocked the flames, Orochimaru had already vanished, disappearing into the dense forest.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Makiya's feet split open. A giant python launched a surprise attack from below. Its massive head broke through the soil and rock, lunging toward the surface. Its maw emitted a foul stench, intent on swallowing Makiya whole.
The snake's jaws snapped shut. A look of human-like confusion appeared in the giant snake's eyes. Its oral muscles twitched twice, but it didn't feel the sensation of prey being crushed or blood spraying.
Makiya had stepped onto his flying sword and leaped into the sky. He pressed his fingers together in front of him, and another flying sword slowly began to take shape.
"Go!"
With a *whoosh*, the golden flying sword pierced the air and shot straight down toward the giant snake's head.
The snake's mouth opened, and another, slightly smaller python crawled out from its throat. Then that python's mouth split open, and an even smaller giant snake emerged. Finally, that snake opened its mouth, and Orochimaru crawled out from within.
At the critical moment, Orochimaru opened his mouth and spat out a cold, glinting blade: the Kusanagi Sword.
This sword had no special functions or magical abilities; its only extraordinary trait was its extreme sharpness and durability. Even Enma, who possessed a diamond-hard body, would feel pain if struck by it.
The Kusanagi Sword clashed with Makiya's flying sword. A massive impact erupted in front of Orochimaru. The heat carried by the golden flames instantly dried the mucus on his skin.
A Kage-level ninja's reactions were extraordinary. Orochimaru already knew Makiya's flames were unusually hot and had prepared a countermeasure. Chakra continuously coated the area beneath his skin, and his body secreted a large amount of pale purple mucus. Once dried by the flames, it turned into a rising pale purple mist that drifted into the air, carried by the wind.
Makiya smelled a sweet, fishy scent wafting around him. The circulation of chakra in his body immediately slowed, and his muscles began to twitch slightly.
With his snake-like demeanor, Orochimaru was naturally a master of poisons. Makiya had been studying toxicology under Tsunade during this time and was equally proficient. A quick analysis revealed that this was a meticulously blended hybrid toxin with a complex mechanism of action. It was far from something a generic antidote pill could alleviate.
But it didn't matter. He had a simpler and more brutal solution. Before the poison could take deep root, Makiya circulated his chakra to envelop the blood and cellular tissues invaded by the toxin. He precisely released high heat to neutralize them entirely while simultaneously stimulating his cells to accelerate division. Within seconds, he was restored to normal.
He spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with tissue fragments. Golden flames flared, incinerating the tainted blood and flesh before they even hit the ground.
Makiya surrounded himself with golden flames, filtering everything that came near him, including the air.
With a burst of chakra, the strength of the flying sword more than doubled. It forcibly pressed down against the Kusanagi Sword in Orochimaru's mouth, driving the hilt back into his throat inch by inch.
"To be able to crack my poison instantly... such insight is top-tier even among medical ninja. Suddenly, I'm reluctant to kill you." Orochimaru chuckled, his snake-like pupils burning with excitement as he looked at Makiya.
As someone who frequently hid things in his stomach and pulled them out of his gullet, Orochimaru had long since mastered the ability to speak clearly even when large objects were moving in and out of his throat.
"It remains to be seen who will kill whom. Where did you get this confidence? From Danzo?" Makiya's eyes glowed with a crimson light. Three tomoe spun rapidly, and his ocular power surged into Orochimaru's mind through their gaze.
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes!"
"Genjutsu? Makiya, you underestimate me too much!" Orochimaru gave a disdainful smile. "A clone might be controlled by you, but I am here in person. Do not underestimate the Sannin!"
After having thoroughly studied the Uchiha's Sharingan, a mere three-tomoe eye was no longer enough to impress Orochimaru. Only the Mangekyo was worthy of his attention.
Ocular power flooded in. Orochimaru's distorted expression instantly froze as he fell into the illusion.
In his eyes, the surrounding scenery began to twist and warp violently, as if the entire world were being crumpled by an invisible giant hand. Darkness spread rapidly like a tide, drowning everything. In the depths of the darkness, a faint dark-red glow pulsed, appearing like fires from a distant hell.
"Is this... an illusion space?" The scenery before Orochimaru gradually stabilized. He looked around this strange world in surprise. He remembered clearly that in the intelligence he had read, Makiya was evaluated as having massive chakra reserves and being skilled in Fire Style, but his genjutsu skills were only average.
'You call this level of genjutsu average? Are the Root ninja who gathered this intel playing with snakes? They should all be dragged out and fed to the serpents.'
Orochimaru channeled his chakra to surge through his body, attempting to break the illusion by disrupting his chakra flow. However, it was useless. The dark-red space before him wasn't affected in the slightest. He couldn't even sense his own body, as if the connection between his mind and flesh had been severed.
Ordinary genjutsu only restricted an enemy's movements by influencing chakra flow—for example, making an enemy believe they were entangled by branches, thereby deceiving the brain so the limbs couldn't move.
The illusion before him was undoubtedly high-level. It directly pulled the spirit into a complete illusion space, causing the controlled ninja to lose all contact with their body. Unless a companion was present to help, one could not break free through their own strength.
Orochimaru was certain his physical body was still in the snake's mouth. The giant snake he raised would surely inject chakra to help him break the illusion. The fact that there had been no movement until now meant the control effect of this illusion was incredibly powerful. Makiya's ocular power was definitely not at the level of an ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan.
Kokuo, Gyuki, Matatabi: 'You're absolutely right!'
Orochimaru's thoughts raced through a hundred possibilities in a single second. In the next instant, shimmering, eerie stakes appeared out of thin air.
These stakes resembled giant wedges, their surfaces covered in mysterious runes. Most notably, they were caked in rust, as if they intended to make the enemy die of a tetanus infection.
The tips of the stakes were incredibly sharp. Under Orochimaru's gaze, they slammed into him. Powerful pressure bore down from all directions, as if an invisible mountain were crushing him. Orochimaru couldn't move, forced to watch as the stakes pierced his four... five limbs!
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
A scream echoed through the crimson space. It was a miserable howl that seemed to pierce the soul, filled with agony and despair. It was mixed with unwilling resentment and rage, yet saturated with the sorrow of helplessness. Every syllable contained a pain that only men could truly understand.
Because he constantly toyed with his own soul, illusions were particularly effective against Orochimaru, dealing 200% damage.
In the outside world, Makiya slowly approached Orochimaru's body.
Orochimaru, with half his body hidden inside the snake's mouth, had an exceptionally contorted expression. His body was stiff as a board in the air, with the Kusanagi Sword still stuck in his throat.
"This sword is quite nice." Makiya released golden flames to burn off the disgusting mucus attached to the Kusanagi Sword, then summoned a stream of water to wash it once before finally taking the hilt in his hand.
Flying swords forged from condensed fire always felt a bit ethereal. The feeling of holding a physical object was different.
Of course, fire swords had their own advantages. They could be summoned infinitely just by consuming chakra, making them essentially zero-cost and more flexible to use.
Makiya channeled his chakra into the Kusanagi Sword. The silver-white blade gradually turned scarlet, its exterior coated in a layer of golden flames. The cloak of fire burned fiercely, making the Kusanagi Sword look truly extraordinary.
Makiya swung the sword casually. His immense strength and speed allowed him to move his arm countless times in an instant. A dense web of fiery sword qi poured down, enveloping both Orochimaru and the giant snake beneath him.
Wherever the sword qi passed, the space seemed to warp from the high temperature. The air let out a sharp whistle. The flames pierced through Orochimaru's body without resistance, slicing both him and the giant snake into thin strips of meat.
At the brink of death, Orochimaru broke free from the illusion space, only to watch Makiya use his own sword to unleash sword qi and hack him to pieces. His feelings were complicated, to say the least.
The flames heartlessly consumed the mountain-like pile of shredded meat. A charred stench rose into the sky.
Makiya stood in the air holding the Kusanagi Sword, the flames on the blade still burning brightly. He didn't let down his guard just because Orochimaru was dead.
He could sense a wave of soul energy burrowing into the ground from Orochimaru's remains, converging into the ubiquitous swarm of snakes. Then, the scope of the fluctuations grew wider and wider, as if every snake in the forest carried a part of Orochimaru within it.
[Support the story with Reviews, Power Stones, and Comments—they mean a lot and keep me going! 30+ chapters waiting on patreon.com/elite_reads]