Orochimaru’s Magic Lamp

Obito remained silent, mirroring Orochimaru's earlier calm. A crimson glow flickered in his Sharingan before he vanished into the swirling vortex once more.

A gust of wind surged as he reappeared a thousand meters away.

But unlike before, this time Obito didn't stop. He unleashed his ocular power without restraint, using Kamui purely as a tool for rapid traversal. In quick succession, he teleported again and again—ten times in total—covering several miles in the blink of an eye.

As he glanced back toward Konoha Village, his brows furrowed. Blood trickled from the corner of his eyes, a price paid for overexerting his Mangekyō.

Konoha's most powerful detection technique is the Byakugan. Average Hyuga clan members can perceive things up to a kilometer away; elite Jōnin can stretch that range to three to five kilometers. Orochimaru shouldn't have sensory capabilities stronger than them.

And yet, Obito had gone two to three times beyond even that range—just to be safe. If Orochimaru could still find him from there…

"Heh... You run fast."

Only a dozen seconds later, Orochimaru glided into view, that ever-present, unsettling smile tugging at his lips.

"How are you doing this?" Obito demanded, eyes narrowing. After a brief pause, he added with surprise, "Is this Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode?"

It was only now that Obito noticed the subtle signs—the vertical snake pupils, the markings near Orochimaru's eyes concealed beneath dark eye shadow. The transformation hadn't been obvious before.

Indeed, it was Sage Chakra that granted Orochimaru his speed and power. Without it, crossing that distance would have taken several times longer—and by then, Obito would've been out of the lamp Djinn's range of perception.

"…Who knows," Orochimaru replied, licking his lips.

Not giving Obito a chance to rest, he suddenly thrust out his hand, launching dozens of white snakes.

Empowered by Sage Chakra, the "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands" jutsu was faster and more ferocious than before, the snakes lunging to bite from every direction.

Obito's expression darkened. He saw clearly what Orochimaru was doing—trying to test the duration of his intangibility by wearing him down with endless attacks.

Without hesitation, Obito phased out into his pocket dimension again.

This time, he didn't flee any farther. He sat cross-legged on a stone platform within his void world, focusing on restoring his chakra and ocular strength.

He could no longer deny it—Orochimaru had locked onto his movements. Whether through Sage techniques or some other means, it didn't matter for now. If he didn't fight back, escape would never be possible.

---

"He's not running anymore?"

Receiving confirmation from the lamp Djinn, Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. He pulled a signal flare from a scroll and fired it into the night sky.

Fwoosh—Boom!

A red flare burst through the darkness.

Seeing the signal, nearly half of Orochimaru's shadow clones immediately converged, forming a wide perimeter around him.

Fifteen minutes passed.

When Obito finally returned from his dimension, fully recovered, he found Orochimaru calmly awaiting him. That last shred of hope—that perhaps he hadn't truly been tracked—vanished.

Orochimaru could follow his trace.

No more words were exchanged.

Orochimaru launched into action, stomping hard on the tree trunk beneath him and launching himself forward.

By now, he fully understood the advantage of taijutsu in this kind of battle. Against someone skilled in space-time jutsu, conventional ninjutsu was too slow and clunky. Only swift and relentless physical strikes had any chance of landing a hit.

Expecting this, Obito had already begun forming hand seals the moment he returned.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

A massive ball of flame surged toward Orochimaru mid-air.

But Orochimaru didn't flinch. He couldn't dodge in time, but a smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he drew a long sword from a scroll. With a sudden twist of his torso, he spun midair like a wheel, slashing through the fire with deadly precision.

Ferocious waves surged from the Kusanagi sword as Orochimaru's speed increased, not slowed, charging straight into the massive fireball.

Chi-chi-chi-chi...

The flames clashed with the surging chakra-infused water, releasing a cloud of white steam. But the blade's gleam split the fireball cleanly in two. With the remaining force, Orochimaru pressed forward, aiming straight for Obito.

Obito's expression shifted sharply. A red light flickered in his eyes.

He hadn't expected Orochimaru to break through the Great Fireball so directly—let alone channel chakra so precisely through a blade. A technique like this was entirely outside conventional understanding.

Shua—

With a sound like the air tearing open, Orochimaru surged past Obito, waves trailing behind him. His slash didn't connect with his opponent but instead carved through a massive tree behind him, cleaving it in two.

Boom. Boom. Boom...

The shattered trunk crashed to the forest floor, raising a cloud of dust.

Orochimaru calmly landed, wiping the Kusanagi blade clean with a gloved hand, eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

Swordsmanship was never his specialty. He had collected several Kusanagi blades over the years mostly as a curiosity. But now—with the infusion of natural energy and refined breathing techniques—he had applied the combat style taught by the Lantern God for the first time in real battle.

And it worked beautifully.

Still, the moment of indulgence passed quickly. Orochimaru suppressed his thrill.

He might continue to explore Taijutsu, but only to push the limits of his body. Like ninjutsu, it was just another tool in his pursuit of immortality. Raw power was never his true goal. Only sufficiency mattered.

Perched atop a tree, Obito narrowed his eyes at the felled trunk. The damage confirmed his suspicions—this was the very sword technique that had wounded the Fourth Raikage. His focus sharpened to a razor's edge.

But just as he braced for the next strike, Orochimaru calmly sheathed the Kusanagi.

Obito froze.

Then his eyes widened.

He's underestimating me.

Before rage could fully form, the next wave of attacks began.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Orochimaru raised his arm, unleashing a torrent of white snakes. They twisted through the branches like living whirlpools, striking toward their prey in deadly arcs.

At the same time, several shadow clones appeared—each using the same technique—flooding the forest with serpents.

Obito was driven to the brink, forced to dodge endlessly or risk taking a hit. Unless he slipped into his alternate dimension, even Kamui only bought him brief moments of escape.

Frustrated and enraged, Obito launched a surprise counterattack.

He phased into Orochimaru's range through his space-time jutsu—and unleashed a devastating technique.

"Wood Release: Dazzling Hell!"

With a roar, thick wooden thorns erupted from his body like vipers, lashing at Orochimaru with savage force.

Like spears and whips, the branches launched in all directions—aimed to impale the enemy at close range.

Orochimaru's expression darkened.

In response, the serpents under his control surged forward to clash with the thorn assault.

Snakes and thorns collided, white scales grinding against hardened wood, sparks flying.

Though the thorns couldn't pierce the snake scales directly, they extended thin branches that slipped into the tiny gaps between scales, tearing through flesh from the inside out. Several snakes were shredded on the spot.

But half of them pushed through the storm—and reached Obito.

____________________

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