Naruto: Blade of the Sharingan

Orochimaru fell. Heart, brain, and neck—a normal person struck in any one of these three areas would be dead for sure. Even Madara, when stabbed in the heart by Hashirama, died instantly.

However, Uchiha Nagi knew that while anyone else might die, Orochimaru was definitely not on that list. This was a man who could even toy with the Shinigami...

"Hmph, stop pretending, Orochimaru. You can't die," Uchiha Nagi sneered. Playing dead? Who are you trying to fool?

"Remarkable, Nagi-kun. Your growth, your caliber, they truly continue to astound me."

The words had barely faded when Orochimaru's corpse's mouth gaped open, wider and wider. Finally, a pair of hands emerged from within, followed by a head and body.

In less than three seconds, a completely unharmed Orochimaru, even his clothes perfectly restored, crawled out.

This was Orochimaru's unique Oral Rebirth technique, allowing him to heal from any fatal injury. Of course, it had its drawbacks: rapidly dividing a large number of cells shortened one's lifespan, as human cells have a finite number of divisions in a lifetime. Naturally, Orochimaru wasn't afraid of a shortened life...

Uchiha Nagi didn't seize the opportunity to attack. Firstly, even if he dismembered Orochimaru, he would simply revive elsewhere. Secondly, he still needed to make a deal with Orochimaru, to exchange for his Edo Tensei 2.0 version.

Of course, Orochimaru wasn't necessarily slow in performing this Oral Rebirth technique. When he fought against Tendo Pain, his Oral Rebirth was incredibly fast.

However, Orochimaru didn't know that his opponent was aware of this information. Seeing Uchiha Nagi make no move to attack him opportunistically, he couldn't help but admire Nagi's composure.

"Well then, let's consider the warm-up over. Show me your true strength." After speaking, Orochimaru looked at Nagi's body with a fervent expression.

"Ninja Art: Ten Thousand Snakes Formation!"

Orochimaru's hands formed seals, a series of them so fast they were a blur. Instantly, hundreds of snakes were unleashed, and these snakes were multiplying at a terrifying rate.

Uchiha Nagi quickly leaped back several times. Getting enveloped by this rapidly multiplying swarm of snakes would not be a pleasant experience.

In the original story, it was never explicitly stated whether Orochimaru's various signature snake ninjutsu were venomous. But in reality, as one of Konoha's "Three Great Disasters," how could Orochimaru not have poison?

In this Ten Thousand Snakes Formation, more than half were venomous snakes. Even if not bitten, just being surrounded and inhaling the toxic fumes would be disastrous. Therefore, Uchiha Nagi chose to retreat quickly.

"Come now, let me see your strength. Are you worthy of being my vessel?" After speaking, Orochimaru didn't forget to lick the corner of his mouth with his long tongue.

It wasn't just the Mangekyo; Orochimaru wanted Uchiha Nagi's body as well.

Within the Ten Thousand Snakes Formation, it wasn't just the venomous snakes that were scalp-numbing. Many of the snakes were also spewing swords from their mouths. This ninjutsu was one Orochimaru used for large-scale battlefields, on the same level as Jiraiya's combination ninjutsu, Toad Oil Flame Bullet.

However...

"Amaterasu—!"

The massive snake formation ninjutsu, originally unleashed by Orochimaru and expanding to tens of thousands of snakes, was effortlessly nullified by Uchiha Nagi's single technique.

The black flames, reputed to be unable to kill anyone and only barely managing to burn a White Zetsu at the very end of the story, were perfect for blocking the Ten Thousand Snakes Formation. A flame that, once ignited, was incredibly difficult to extinguish, pitted against an endlessly surging swarm of snakes—who would ultimately win?

"Is this the battle of the strong? They... they're so powerful." Kimimaro, hiding in the distance, watched the battle with a dazed expression. From the initial exchange of blows, which he couldn't follow clearly, he could now see the ninjutsu being unleashed.

The clash of two incredibly powerful ninjutsu directly shattered his worldview. This was the first time in his life he had witnessed such a large-scale battle that altered the terrain itself.

The flames shot into the sky, not only illuminating the surrounding forest but also making the massive fire visible to people several kilometers away. The smell of burning snake corpses, mixed with the scent of charred meat, began to diffuse through the air.

A battle of this magnitude naturally alerted the people of Kirigakure. After all, the manipulated Fourth Mizukage had sent people to monitor the Kaguya clan.

But neither Orochimaru nor Uchiha Nagi seemed to pay Kirigakure any mind; neither side showed any intention of stopping the fight.

The first round could be considered a draw. Then, for the second round, it was Uchiha Nagi's turn to take the offensive.

Uchiha Nagi crouched slightly, one hand on his sword. A formation resembling snowflake patterns appeared around him:

"Destructive Death: Annihilation Style—!"

Amidst the smoke, Uchiha Nagi used his own modified version of Akaza's martial art, launching air blades with his sword.

This technique was Akaza's final ultimate move before his death, unleashing hundreds of air fists forward, a martial arts technique similar to Morning Peacock. Akaza's version placed a tremendous burden on the body, and Uchiha Nagi could only manage to use it once.

Orochimaru, standing on a rock, narrowed his eyes. Unhurriedly, he bit his finger and pressed it downwards.

"Summoning: Triple Rashomon—!"

BOOM!!!

BOOM! BOOM!!!

Hundreds of blades struck the first Rashomon gate. It shattered, but the attack was firmly blocked by the second Rashomon gate.

Rashomon was the First Hokage's strongest defensive ninjutsu—the Quintuple Rashomon, each gate stronger than the last, and each requiring progressively more chakra to summon. One of the Sound Four, a Jonin-level ninja, could only summon the first gate, while Orochimaru could summon three.

As for why he only summoned two gates, Orochimaru judged that two would be sufficient to block this wave of attacks. He certainly wouldn't waste chakra summoning a third. The third gate could block a small Tailed Beast Bomb, and the chakra required was immense.

As for the fourth and fifth gates, apologies, it wasn't that Orochimaru didn't know how, but rather that his chakra reserves were insufficient. Those were for people with "Chakra Tons"; otherwise, he'd be drained dry before the gates even manifested.

After the dust settled and Uchiha Nagi's attack ceased, Orochimaru's Rashomon gates also began to slowly dissipate.

At this moment, several figures appeared in the surroundings. They were Kirigakure Anbu, here to eliminate the outsiders, but they stood at a distance, not daring to get too close.

"Outsider ninja, please remain where you are and state your names. Otherwise, we will attack," one of the ninja, wearing a dog mask, said after some thought, uttering words that even he felt were quite humiliating.

Because of the still-burning black flames at the scene, and the recent clash of blades and Rashomon gates, they all felt that if they got involved, they would likely become cannon fodder.

Uchiha Nagi ignored them, instead squinting his Mangekyo towards the front and muttering to himself, "It's finally here?"

Another ninja, wearing a cat mask, couldn't help but ask, "What's here?"

Uchiha Nagi didn't reply, looking ahead. Because in the smoke, a colossal figure had appeared, with eight long heads atop it...