Chapter 29: Uncle Snake is Dazed: Did You Guys Turn on Map Hacks?
A crimson Chakra cloak enveloped Naruto's body, and the energy around him surged violently. Four tails made of energy danced behind him, each sweep through the air creating a sonic boom.
But this beast, which seemed to have lost all reason, did not pounce immediately.
Naruto half-crouched, his beast-like pupils staring fixedly at Orochimaru, while the corners of his mouth curled into a smirk.
[Is this the power of the Four-Tails? My body feels a bit hot.]
[Although I really want to slap this slippery snake to death, this is just an experience card with only one strike. I have to make it count.]
Naruto's gaze pierced through the dust, falling on Anko ahead. Though she was panting, her fighting spirit hadn't diminished in the slightest.
[Besides, Anko-sensei's anger meter is perfectly full right now. The rage brought by that shame is the best fuel. If I jump in to steal the kill now, wouldn't that make me look inconsiderate?]
[As a proper disciple, I should learn to appreciate my teacher's performance at a time like this. Especially that moment when she turns and strikes... the way the fishnet stockings are stretched by her muscles.]
Orochimaru had no idea what this little Nine-Tailedbrat was plotting. He only felt locked on by a terrifying aura; any slight movement would invite a fatal blow. This invisible deterrent made him hesitate to act for a moment.
"Aren't you going to move yet?"
Anko didn't care about any of that.
Although the voice of that little bastard in her head was vulgar, for some reason, the phrase "make it count" actually calmed her down a bit. She could feel Naruto holding the line, which gave her a sense of confidence she had never felt before.
"Orochimaru! Where are you looking!"
Anko shouted sharply. Her long legs, encased in black netting, suddenly exerted force as she lunged toward Orochimaru's left side.
At some point, the Kunai in her hand had been infused with pale purple snake venom Chakra.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Several giant pythons lunged from her sleeves, coordinating with her Taijutsu movements to seal off all of Orochimaru's escape routes.
Orochimaru snorted coldly, his body twisting weirdly to avoid the pythons' constriction. He formed hand seals, and just as he was about to counter with Wind Release, that lazy voice rang out again.
"Anko-sensei, ignore the snakes above, attack his lower body directly! If you disrupt his rhythm, this ill-fitting container will suffer rejection!"
Anko, who was preparing to tank the Wind Release, changed her movement almost instinctively upon hearing the voice.
She forcibly aborted her attack, her body sinking down in an unnatural posture as she delivered a vicious sweeping kick infused with Chakra, aimed straight for Orochimaru's seemingly flawless left ankle.
Bang!
For the first time, Orochimaru's expression froze.
Just as Naruto had said, that left foot was the key node for the Chakra flow in this temporary container. Being hit by Anko's absurdly precise kick caused the Chakra in half his body to stagnate for an instant.
Because of the Chakra disruption, the Wind Release Ninjutsu in his hand exploded directly in his palm.
"Ugh!"
Orochimaru groaned and stumbled back several steps. His golden vertical pupils were filled with disbelief.
How is this possible?
Is this a coincidence?
How could Anko, a disciple who was nothing but reckless, see through the weakness of his Living Corpse Reincarnation container at a glance?
However, this was only the beginning of the nightmare.
Hinata, hiding in the shadows of a distant tree canopy, was clutching her hem tightly, her heart racing. She listened to Naruto's inner thoughts; while his comments on Anko's figure made her feel a bit sour, the subsequent tactical analysis made her eyes light up.
[Oh, a great chance! Uncle Snake took that step back, and his rear defense is completely open!]
[If someone as gentle and strong as my Wife Hinata were here right now to give his third vertebrae a hard strike... that stinging pain would probably make him shed this snake skin entirely.]
[Too bad Wife Hinata is watching from the audience, otherwise this would be an MVP moment.]
Hearing the words "Wife Hinata," Hinata felt the blood rush to her head, her entire face turning bright red.
But the command "third vertebrae" was deeply etched into her instincts.
"Nar... Naruto-kun is watching... I can't let him down!"
The usually weak and shy girl's eyes suddenly became determined.
Gentle Fist Art: Vacuum Palm!
Using the leaves as cover, Hinata channeled her surging Chakra and struck out with an invisible palm pressure from a distance.
Orochimaru had just stabilized himself when the hair on his back suddenly stood up.
Danger!
But before he could even turn around, that fierce yet subtle force had already accurately slammed into the third vertebrae of his spine.
Crack.
Despite his body modification, the bones didn't break, but the penetrating force sent his internal organs churning. His vision went dark as he stumbled forward again.
"Who is it?!"
Orochimaru was completely shocked.
This kind of timing and precision in striking pressure points and weaknesses was not something a Genin could achieve! Even a genius of the Hyuga Clan couldn't do it!
Before he could catch his breath, pressure from the front hit him again.
Sakura, who had been roaming the edges looking for an opportunity, was trembling as she held her shuriken. She was truly terrified of Orochimaru's killing intent.
But Naruto's voice rang in her head once more.
[Oops, Anko-sensei's offensive is broken. Someone needs to harass him now.]
[If only Sakura were here, even if she just threw a shuriken. No need for perfect aim; this guy just got hit in the spine, so he'll habitually look up to protect his neck. If someone just threw a few shots toward his knees right now, he definitely wouldn't be able to react.]
[As long as his movements are sealed, Anko-sensei's next big move will make him question his life.]
Sakura looked at Orochimaru nearby, her teeth clenched.
Naruto is watching right there!
"I am... I am Sakura Haruno of Team 7! I'm not a useless person who can only cry!"
Summoning courage from somewhere, Sakuracharged out with her eyes closed. Ignoring her aim, she threw two Kunai with explosive tags toward the knees Naruto had mentioned.
"Such child's play..." Orochimaru instinctively moved to dodge.
But just as he was about to lift his leg, the sharp pain from his spine caused his movements to stiffen, leaving him in a posture with his head raised—just as Naruto had predicted.
And those two seemingly randomly thrown Kunailanded right in front of his immobilized knees.
Boom! Boom!
Two explosions. The damage wasn't great, but the kicked-up dirt and air currents sealed off Orochimaru's movement space.
"These brats... what on earth is going on!"
For the first time, a look of panic appeared on Orochimaru's pale face.
If it were just one person being lucky, that would be one thing.
But three people? Every attack connecting so smoothly? Was this still just a temporary assembly of Genin in an exam?
Crouched on a tree trunk, Naruto watched this dramatic scene, his heart filled with joy.
[Beautiful! Anko-sensei's left leg is so white... er, I mean, her kick was so accurate!]
[Whoa, who fired that air cannon just now? So powerful! Could it be some hidden master in the forest?]
[And those two shuriken just now; even though the technique looked like a total rookie like Sakura, the landing point was a stroke of genius! It directly predicted Uncle Snake's prediction! That luck is insane!]
[Since everyone is doing so well, I can't just sit around.]
[Orochimaru's center of gravity is entirely on the right now. The area around his left ribs is the core node of his technique! If that's broken, this body is half-ruined!]
Naruto's inner thoughts continued to broadcast.
In the center of the battlefield, Anko was now in a state of excitement. More of her fishnet outfit had snapped due to the intense movement, and large patches of her skin glistened under the sweat and firelight.
Hearing Naruto's words about the "left ribs," a fierce light flared in her eyes.
"Orochimaru! Here's a greeting gift for you!"
Anko didn't give Orochimaru any room to breathe, her hands forming seals so fast they were almost a blur.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
This time, she didn't breathe out a massive sea of fire. Instead, she compressed all the flames into a thin line, like a crimson laser, aimed straight at the opening at Orochimaru's left ribs.
That was a defensive blind spot that even Orochimaru himself hadn't realized existed after switching bodies.
Sizzle—!
The sound of fire piercing through flesh was enough to make one's skin crawl.
Orochimaru let out a shrill roar, clutching his left ribs as he was sent flying, crashing through two large trees before coming to a stop. Amidst the dust, his originally perfect disguise completely shattered, revealing another distorted face underneath.
The battlefield fell into a dead silence.
Anko maintained her casting posture, panting heavily as sweat dripped from her hair onto her collarbone.
In the nearby bushes, Hinata clenched her fists, her eyes full of admiration.
Sakura looked at her hands in disbelief.
And the culprit behind it all—Naruto—remained crouched on the branch, maintaining that cool Four-Tails pose, while the system notification sounds in his head rang incessantly.
[Ding!]
[Your inner roasting has caused an extremely shocking effect.]
[Obtained System Reward: Tactical Command Master LV1 (Passive).]
[Note: Even if you are just roasting blindly, in this battlefield, your words are divine oracles.]
The dust slowly settled.
Orochimaru stood up shakily from the ruins. Half of his clothes were charred, and his left ribs were dripping with blood.
He looked up, his eyes now bloodshot.
His gaze was pinned firmly on the Blonde Youthwho hadn't moved a finger from start to finish.
Naruto still maintained that posture as if he were about to attack, an inscrutable smile playing on his lips.
Orochimaru felt an inexplicable chill crawl up his spine.
Those attacks just now... although others had carried them out...
He had a strong intuition that all the strings were being pulled by this Nine-Tailed brat.
"You... what exactly did you see?"
Orochimaru's voice was hoarse, carrying a trace of... trembling that even he didn't want to admit.