Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 233 Orochimaru: Shut up! I've had enough of you!!
The Land of Demons, the last line of defense, when Orochimaru lost his composure.

The terrifying pain of the severed arm traveled back to Orochimaru's body along the nerves that had merged into the stone statue.

"Ugh!"

Orochimaru let out a hoarse scream he couldn't suppress, his vertical pupils shrinking to the size of pinpoints from the pain.

Instinct compelled him to maneuver the colossus's massive body slightly backward.

This stems from a fear of the unknown and an instinctive avoidance of the threat of death.

However, Orochimaru quickly remembered what Orochimaru had just said.

"This is the only portable device I have that can launch an attack," she said.

The only lethal weapon! This guy only has one!
This thought instantly extinguished the panic and fear in Orochimaru's heart caused by the excruciating pain.

Instead, there was an even colder, more chilling malice and murderous intent.

The light of surprise and uncertainty in his golden vertical pupils quickly disappeared, replaced by a venomous coldness and a hint of annoyance!
"Ho ho ho..."

A low, malicious laugh echoed through the billowing smoke, Orochimaru's hoarse, cold voice carrying undisguised sarcasm: "Looks like you're nothing special after all!"

He manipulated the broken rock colossus to stop retreating and instead took a sudden step forward, raising its remaining rock arm high and slamming it down on the barrier below once more.

Bang! Bang bang! !
"It seems I was right. You can modify your body at will, and even connect your nervous system to inanimate objects."

Orochi Hime shook her head and said, "But unfortunately, your understanding of the human body is still at a very primitive stage, otherwise this ability would be even more terrifying."

Having said that, she stopped looking at Orochimaru and instead turned her head slightly, looking with interest at the wakizashi tightly gripped in Kakashi Hatake's hand.

"What is the name of the weapon in your hand?" Orochi-hime asked.

Kakashi was taken aback, clearly not expecting the other party to ask this at this critical moment. He instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword and replied, "'Jealousy'."

"'Jealousy'?" Orochi's lips curled up noticeably, forming an intellectually stimulating arc. "I see. This name is truly astonishingly apt."

Then let's cooperate.

She slowly turned around, her deep golden vertical pupils falling once more on the chest of the giant rock statue, on Orochimaru's face, which was twisted with coldness and rage.

“I think the ability of this ‘jealousy’ is to construct a temporary projection that differs from the target individual in terms of their path of destiny.” Orochi’s voice was rational and clear.

“No wonder…” she gently stroked the badge with the intertwined tree and snake on her chest, “No wonder I had an instinctive aversion to you from the very beginning.”

"Looking back now, it was a kind of lingering fear and dread about almost going astray and becoming a substandard product in the past."

bang...

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru paused in his action of controlling the stone statue to strike the barrier.

"Inferior products?"

Looking at the woman below who spoke such words as if it were perfectly natural, Orochimaru laughed in exasperation, his voice trembling with rage as he said, "You bastard..."

"Let me give you a comparative analysis." Orochi interrupted him mercilessly, her voice chillingly calm.

"Since you possess this ability, I imagine you have also pursued 'immortality' and the unknown. So, let me think, when did you embark on a path different from mine?"

She lowered her head, lost in thought, as she lingered in front of Kakashi, like a professor in a classroom, her posture elegant and composed.

Finally, she stopped and looked intently at Orochimaru: "I think the difference lies in the deaths of Nawaki, Dan Kato, and others during the Second Shinobi World War."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru's pupils contracted. Seeing the change in his expression, Orochimaru nodded and said, "It seems I guessed right."

"The death of your companion makes you realize the fragility of your own life, and coupled with your desire for unknown power, you choose a shortcut driven by fear."

"You choose to take other people's lives, invade their bodies, and conduct forbidden experiments. You treat life as a material that can be dismantled, replaced, and consumed indefinitely."

"To understand the meaning of 'life' as simply physical immortality or the transfer of consciousness, and to indulge in breaking the boundaries of ethics, rules, and nature."

At this point, Orochi Hime couldn't help but smile, a smile that seemed both self-deprecating and pitying.

“It’s really interesting,” she said to herself. “Having experienced pain and death as well, I’ve come to appreciate the value of life.”

“I did not try to put life above my fear, but instead developed a sense of awe and appreciation for it. I understand the meaning of life as breadth rather than length.”

As she spoke, she looked up at Orochimaru, whose face was gradually darkening, and asked herself, "What did you gain by doing that?"

"An unstable life form, relying on ugly methods to avoid the risk of rejection, a polluted soul, and... eternal loneliness and contempt?"

"but me."

She pointed to herself and continued, "I choose to understand and respect life. I regard difficulties as an opportunity to promote theoretical revolution, rather than an excuse to cross the line."

"Without human experimentation or human sacrifice, I used my wisdom to solve those problems that required sacrificing lives."

“I stand here, young, healthy, and stable, in the most perfect state of life, without any cost or side effects. All I have is knowledge, and knowledge is power.”

Orochi Hime's gaze swept over Orochimaru's body, which was forcibly fused with the rock, as if she were examining a failed experiment. She shook her head and said, "Look at the way you are now."

"I suspect you betrayed your teacher, abandoned your companions, and forsaken your disciples."

"And I, based on ethics and universal values, have eradicated war through medical ninjutsu, conquering battlefield trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, and significantly reducing the mortality rate of ninjas."

"I have improved and popularized the methods of chakra extraction, so that ordinary people can safely and effectively master chakra, greatly improving productivity and living standards."

"I developed a weapon that would make any major power wary, and I guided the final signing of the Shinobi World Peace Treaty."

"I am recognized as the greatest scientist in the history of the ninja world. All my research is transparent, open, ethical, and serves the people's livelihood and peace."

"I am the Dean of the Konoha Academy of Sciences, a recipient of the highest scientific award in the ninja world for lifetime achievement, and a 'saint who changed the times' who is remembered by history. I am the ninja world's reformer who is widely respected."

"My teacher regarded me as a treasure of Konoha, Jiraiya wrote a book calling me a guiding light for the ninja world, Tsunade is my most reliable comrade-in-arms, and my disciples have inherited my ideals."

Having said that, Orochi Hime stepped forward, looking at Orochimaru, whose face was ashen, within the giant rock statue, her gentle demeanor containing undeniable power: "So, do you understand now?"

"You've spent half your life, bearing blood and infamy, willing to abandon and betray everything you sought—immortality, power, achievement, knowledge…"

"I achieved it."

She said, word by word, "And what I have achieved is more perfect, more magnificent, more pure, more memorable to history, and more beloved by everyone than what you have achieved."

“My very existence, and everything I possess today, proves how foolish, short-sighted, and incompetent you are.”

"You have embarked on a completely wrong path."

"..."

Orochimaru's face twitched uncontrollably, and his breathing became heavy and hoarse. The reason he once pursued immortality was that he believed his finite life was insufficient to grasp more of the truth.

However, the existence of this woman in front of him was simply a complete denial of everything he had!
He couldn't comprehend the power this woman was displaying, yet she could see right through him...

"Do you think this will make me 'jealous'?" Orochimaru said coldly, suppressing his emotions.

"Is that so?" Orochi-hime smiled slightly and asked, "Can you still distinguish whether you are afraid of death or thirsting for the truth?"

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru involuntarily began to ponder the answer to the question.

The answer that came to mind first made his face gradually stiffen.

"Stop deceiving yourself." Orochi Hime couldn't help but laugh. "What pursuit of truth, what exploration of the unknown."

"You want immortality, you want power, but you're just afraid of dying."

Orochi's voice was like a cold scalpel, precisely slicing through Orochimaru's deepest fears.

"You're afraid of dying suddenly like the rope tree, you're afraid that all you'll get in return for losing everything, you're afraid that you'll be scorned after you die..."

"You were terrified. Like a drowning person grasping at a straw, you tried everything to survive, grabbing whatever you could..."

"You want to prove to everyone, especially to your teachers, that your blood-stained, anti-light choice was not wrong."

"you……"

"enough!"

Orochimaru finally interrupted her with a roar.

"I've had enough!"

Orochimaru's breathing became heavy, his golden vertical pupils bloodshot as he stared intently at the insanely calm figure, his voice hoarse and distorted with humiliation and rage:
"You're just an illusion, a twisted illusion summoned by that damned knife. You know nothing! Why should I listen to your nonsense?!"

He turned his head sharply, his golden vertical pupils like venomous snakes ready to devour their prey, locking onto the Fourth Raikage and Huang Tu, who were locked in combat with Uchiha Obito among the stone statue soldiers in the distance!
Click!Click!
He manipulated the broken rock colossus, and the last remaining rock arm rose high once more!
This time, the target is no longer Orochi, but the distant yellow earth and the Fourth Raikage!

boom! !

The giant arm, burning with furious fury, slammed down on the area where Obito and the Fourth Raikage were located! This forced the two to temporarily abandon Obito and retreat in a sorry state.

With a hint of surprise in his eyes, Obito Uchiha turned towards the barrier and locked onto the female face that was extremely similar to Orochimaru's, yet had a completely different aura.

"Change her!" Orochimaru's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, filled with suppressed frustration. "I've had enough of that woman! You deal with her!"

"No." Obito Uchiha's refusal was crisp and decisive.

He glanced at Orochimaru's ashen and twisted face, and added, "At least your 'mirror image' doesn't seem to have much combat ability."

After saying that, his gaze swept over the wakizashi in Kakashi Hatake's hand, and a trace of apprehension flashed across his eyes.

Kamui might be able to penetrate that woman's defenses, but if Kakashi used that damned sword to summon his "mirror image" as well...

He never wants to see that damned "Uchiha Obito" again!

"Damn it!"

Orochimaru instantly understood Obito's concerns. A surge of suppressed anger welled up inside him, and he abruptly turned to look at Kakashi, snarling, "What a disgusting guy!!"

"You..." Orochi opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something.

"Shut up!!"

Enraged, Orochimaru, like a venomous snake whose tail had been stepped on, hissed and interrupted her.

He manipulated the rock colossus's last remaining giant arm, gathering even more ferocious power than before, and smashed it down on the damned barrier below with all his might!
Boom! !
This impact was more violent than ever before.

On the surface of the barrier, the ripples that were originally as gentle as water ripples spread violently, the waves became extremely clear, and even faintly emitted a hum of being overwhelmed!
Kakashi's expression changed drastically in an instant. He abruptly raised his head, his anxious gaze instinctively falling on the still calm Orochi Princess in front of him.

"Don't look at me." Orochi Hime shook her head gently. "I've already said, I'm just a researcher. My power depends on my creations."

"This protective barrier is expected to be operational for another five minutes. Please be prepared."

Upon hearing this, Yugito and Yagura, who had relaxed, immediately tensed up and looked up at the half-body stone statue that was waving its fists in anger.

Orochimaru was seen controlling the broken giant statue, its massive rock arm relentlessly pounding the violently trembling barrier with each punch, like a pile driver!
boom! boom! boom!
The dull thud sounded like a death knell, tolling incessantly.

The ripples on the barrier's surface grew more and more intense, now visibly spreading and undulating!

Boom! !
With Orochimaru's final, all-out punch, the barrier caved inward, and the light dimmed instantly to its lowest point!
Immediately afterwards, a soft sound, like a bubble bursting, was heard.

The incredibly tough, semi-transparent barrier that withstood countless powerful attacks finally burst open like a soap bubble under Orochimaru's hysterical barrage!
"It's done!"

Orochimaru's golden vertical pupils burned with an almost manic excitement!
The shattered rock colossus, with its remaining massive arm, brimming with all its resentment, murderous intent, and twisted pleasure, viciously slammed down on the tiny, defenseless figure below.

What kind of Orochi-hime is this?! Die!

This punch concentrated all his power, tearing the air apart and emitting a piercing shriek!
Just as the destructive giant fist was about to crush Orochi Hime and Kakashi behind her, Yugito and Yagura, who had fully transformed into their tailed beast forms, hardened their hearts and stood in front of her!

But at this critical moment...

Swish swish!
The wind swept through like a sudden downpour, creating ripples in the air!

Orochimaru only heard the whistling wind above become ear-piercing. The next moment, several huge wind blades that shrieked and cut through the dust and mist left marks as they shot down from the sky!

The wind blade was a deep blue color, with its edges flashing with a chilling light. It was so fast that it could not be captured by sight, and it sliced ​​through the body and arms of the rock giant without any hindrance!
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

The next moment, the colossal rock statue’s massive arm was severed at the root and slowly slid down.

boom! !

The severed arm, carrying immense momentum, crashed heavily to the ground, causing the earth to tremble and kicking up clouds of dust.

"what!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream erupted from Orochimaru's mouth.

Orochimaru merged with the statue's nerve perception, clearly transmitting the severed arm and the statue's excruciating pain back to his body. The pain that penetrated to the bone almost made him faint!
He gritted his teeth and raised his head, his golden vertical pupils, bloodshot from the pain, staring at the sky with resentment and horror!

Beneath the smoke-filled, fire-lit night sky, a figure with white wings floated.

Pure white wings fluttered gently in the night breeze, scattering dappled light that illuminated the face and the pure white of the eyes.

"Hyuga Kumikawa!!"

Orochimaru's voice was filled with pain and hatred, and his face beneath the bones instantly became ferocious and distorted.

(End of this chapter)