Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile as his hands flew through seals under Manda's cover.
"Ninja Art: Summoning of the Great Serpent!"
As the seals completed, he slowly raised his head and opened his mouth wide. A black shadow shot out, and his original body shrank bit by bit before collapsing to the ground.
In its place appeared a massive white serpent—Orochimaru's Serpent Rebirth Technique, shedding his human shell to transform into a giant snake.
"Hmph! Disgusting snake! You've completely abandoned being human, haven't you?
Even better. I love killing snakes!"
Sasori of the Red Sand's pupils shrank at the sight. His fear and loathing for snakes burned into fury, which he immediately poured into his attacks.
But the white serpent only gave a strange, eerie laugh.
"You don't actually think this is my final trump card, do you?
Hehehe… you've underestimated me!
My ninjutsu research is flawless! Witness the ultimate form of the white serpent's body!"
Orochimaru's voice rose higher and higher, drawing the attention of Kazuyama Gekkō, Nagato, and Black Zetsu alike.
The white snake coiled in on itself, trembling violently, then began to swell larger and larger.
"Roooar!"
The roar that ripped out was nothing like a serpent's cry.
"Boom!"
White smoke erupted around the form, and Manda instantly slithered back in retreat, muttering, "This Orochimaru just keeps getting more twisted…"
"Hm? A white serpent?"
"Heh… so Orochimaru really did find himself a different path."
"Kazuyama, your sensei does have some skill. A bit unorthodox, but still."
Even Tagitsuhime, in her red serpent form, turned to look. For the Snake Princess to praise Orochimaru at all was rare, but the ability he'd displayed was indeed formidable.
"Hmph, of course. He's my sensei.
The moment he stopped being human, his power soared. And this isn't even his peak yet."
Kazuyama knew Orochimaru even better than Orochimaru knew himself. For now, he was just a man who became a snake. But once Living Corpse Reincarnation was perfected, he'd be neither man nor snake—something entirely new.
Snake Auntie.
Not just a title, but a species name. And Orochimaru alone had the right to it—an entire family line of one.
The white smoke hadn't even cleared when a massive serpent head burst through it.
"Tch. All that just to become a bigger white snake?"
"Hm?!"
Sasori was about to sneer but froze mid-sentence.
Because what emerged wasn't a single head.
One, two, three… eight serpent heads, eight tails.
"The Eight-Headed Technique!"
Orochimaru had become the colossal Yamata no Orochi.
"Damn it! An eight-headed snake?! Does such a species even exist?!
Bastard! Disgusting bastard!"
Sasori was nearly unhinged. One snake head was already intolerable—eight was beyond reason. His disgust and hatred for snakes spiked to new heights.
"Hehehehe… this is my ultimate art.
Kazuyama, not only you can turn into a snake. I can as well!
Come, Sasori, face my Eight-Headed Technique!"
From one of the serpent maws, Orochimaru's half-naked body leaned forward, his face wearing a smug, satisfied expression, brimming with self-pride.
The massive Yamata began to advance, bearing down on Sasori.
"Ahahaha! As expected of my sensei!
This Yamata no Orochi really is impressive!"
Kazuyama laughed. Disgusting or not, he had to admit—the Eight-Headed Technique was powerful.
A colossal body, eight heads, overwhelming chakra… for most shinobi, encountering this form meant fleeing or dying.
Unfortunately, no ordinary people were here.
"Hmph! Just another monster serpent.
Die—crushed under infinite pressure!
Chibaku Tensei!"
As Orochimaru reveled in his display, Nagato finally unleashed the technique he had been preparing.
A black sphere shot into the sky, and a horrifying gravitational force erupted.
"Tch, as expected. That technique.
Tagitsuhime, return!"
Kazuyama had seen it coming, but he didn't care. To others, this jutsu was terrifying—inescapable gravity, crushing pressure.
But to him, it might as well be nothing.
"What's happening?"
"What is that?"
"My Iron Sand?!"
Sasori was the first to feel it. The Iron Sand he controlled through the Third Kazekage's puppet suddenly tore from his command and streamed upward toward the black sphere.
In an instant, all the sand was gone. And worse—the shattered puppets littering the ground, as well as those still under his control, were also being dragged away. No matter how he forced the puppet strings, they were slipping free.
Even Orochimaru realized something was wrong as his Yamata form slowly lurched toward the pull.
"That technique… is it trying to drag us all up?"
His analytical eye quickly caught the essence of it.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"
Without hesitation, he unleashed blades of wind at the black sphere. But as soon as they neared, they twisted into harmless gusts and dissipated.
Orochimaru's brow twitched.
"Hahaha! Sensei, forget it. That core isn't so easy to destroy.
The Rinnegan embodies the Six Paths. Anything created from its power won't break that easily."
Mocked by his own disciple, Orochimaru's lips twitched. He wanted nothing more than to thrash Kazuyama right then and there.
But there was no time. The pull only grew stronger, tearing up the ground itself.
A heartbeat later, everyone was ripped into the air.
"Nagato, are you alright?"
Nagato, panting heavily, nodded. The jutsu consumed a terrifying amount of chakra.
"Hmph. I'm fine. As long as Kazuyama Gekkō is destroyed, it doesn't matter!
Zetsu—save that puppeteer.
Forget Orochimaru, he's just a stinking snake. But that puppeteer still has value."