Konoha, reported by the Fourth Hokage at the start.

Chapter 280 Battle with Orochimaru

Boom!

In the distance, a deep rumble could be heard continuously.

Among the dense tree branches, a team of nine ninjas wearing green vests were advancing in the direction from which the booming sound came; they were the ninjas from Konoha who had come to their rescue.

The leader was Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha.

"I can hear it even from this far away..."

"Has the Sand Village sent out a Tailed Beast?"

A Konoha ninja behind Orochimaru spoke with a solemn expression.

The roar from such a distance, along with the shockwave coming from the ground, sounded like the commotion of some enormous creature wreaking havoc on the earth.

They were very familiar with this kind of commotion.

When the three legendary Sannin summoned their enormous summoning beasts to fight, they also felt this earthquake-like commotion from afar.

Since the Sand Village doesn't have any large summoning beasts, the only thing capable of causing such a commotion is a tailed beast.

"Sage Mode? Or what?"

As the branches moved, Orochimaru kept his head slightly raised, gazing at the sky. He sensed that natural energy was flowing forward like streams.

In this situation, either someone in front is condensing into Sage Mode, or something is absorbing natural energy.

Moreover, the amount absorbed is quite large; otherwise, the phenomenon of natural energy flow would not occur.

"interesting!"

Orochimaru stuck out his long tongue. As one of the few geniuses in the ninja world who could sense natural energy, and also the summoner of Ryuchi Cave, one of the three holy sites for summoning beasts, he was well aware of the power of natural energy.

However, being able to sense natural energy is one thing, and absorbing natural energy is another.

Natural energy possesses an extremely terrifying ability to assimilate nature; if absorbed rashly, it will be assimilated into nature and die.

Even though there was a way to activate Sage Mode in Ryuchi Cave, Orochimaru never dared to try it, which shows how terrifying the absorption of natural energy is.

Now that something has suddenly appeared that can absorb natural energy to fight, whether it's a person or other equipment, Orochimaru is very interested.

Immortal arts are also a power he has always longed to control.

Soon.

The roaring sound disappeared.

Orochimaru and his group also left the forest and saw the black Shukaku standing in the ruins below the cliff.

"Shukaku?"

"No, Shukaku isn't like that."

At first glance, Orochimaru thought it was Shukaku, but not only was the color wrong, but the feeling it gave him was also wrong; it wasn't the feeling he had when facing a tailed beast.

But none of that matters anymore.

Because he had already sensed that the endpoint of the surrounding natural energy flow was that black Shukaku monster.

Clearly, that black monster resembling Shukaku is the one that absorbs natural energy.

This was the first time Orochimaru had ever seen something that could absorb natural energy while fighting.

Is it a summoned beast?

Orochimaru wondered to himself.

Natural energy is too corrosive to the human body and cannot be controlled, so we can only absorb the required amount first and then stop, and then utilize natural energy.

Even the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, could only absorb a large amount of natural energy in an instant to condense it into Sage Chakra, and then immediately stop absorbing natural energy. He could not absorb natural energy while activating Sage Mode.

That monster was able to do things that the original couldn't.

Regardless of what that black monster is.

If he could catch it and study it carefully, perhaps he could master Sage Mode.

Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked it, his eyes fixed intently on the black Shukaku in the distance. He leaped forward, biting his thumb and pressing it down, causing black jutsu patterns to condense.

"Spiritualism!"

Bang!

In mid-air, a large cloud of white smoke suddenly exploded, and a huge, winding figure shot out from it—Orochimaru's summoning beast, Manda.

"Orochimaru... um... what the hell is that?"

When Manda appeared, he intended to reprimand Orochimaru, but he was immediately stunned when he saw the black monster that looked like Shukaku in the distance constantly absorbing natural energy.

Natural energy is not something that everyone can absorb.

Even the spirit beasts born in the three sacred sites of spirit beasts need to go through special methods to absorb natural energy, and they cannot absorb it continuously, otherwise they will be assimilated by the natural energy.

As it turns out, the black guy on the other side is actually absorbing the surrounding natural energy, and he's still fighting.

"How did you do that?"

A thought flashed through Manda's mind, and he twisted his body to dodge a wind bullet containing a huge amount of chakra.

"This snake is so big... It's Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin."

Shukaku's large eyes revealed a human-like gaze.

Sasori, hidden inside the stomach of the Iron Sand Shukaku, had a sudden thought: Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, should be able to test the strength of the Puppet Heart.

Bang bang... Sasori controlled the Iron Sand Shukaku and rushed over, while at the same time, he opened his big mouth and kept spitting out condensed air bullets.

Manda showed no fear as it watched the approaching Sand Iron Shukaku. It twisted its body and moved in a serpentine pattern to dodge the air-piercing bullets while charging towards Sand Iron Shukaku.

"It's neither magic nor natural energy."

"Strange... Orochimaru, what's wrong with that guy?"

The ninjutsu released by the guy who absorbed natural energy was neither Sage Mode chakra nor natural energy, which confused Manda, so he asked Orochimaru, who was standing on his head.

"I want to know too."

Orochimaru instinctively stuck out his long tongue again, his burning gaze fixed on the approaching Sand Iron Shukaku, his hands quickly forming hand seals.

"Earth Release - Swamp Land!"

The ground beneath Shukaku's feet instantly turned into a swamp, and its massive body sank into it due to its immense weight.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Manda quickly twisted its body and swam over, binding Shukaku Sand Iron like a giant python, and tightened its grip.

"Ouch...it's so hard!!!"

When Wanshe exerted its strength, it discovered that the iron lump was too hard. Instead of breaking the other's body, it was being strangled and hurt.

"This is...no good!"

Upon closer inspection of Manda's head, Orochimaru finally realized what this black Shukaku was. It was clearly Shukaku formed from condensed iron sand. His expression immediately changed as he thought of the Third Kazekage's iron sand manipulation ninjutsu.

Orochimaru quickly warned, "Get out of the way!"

Even without Orochimaru's reminder, Manda immediately released his opponent and prepared to dodge the moment he realized how incredibly tough the opponent was.

Zizizizi!

In an instant, countless sharp iron spikes protruded from the body of the Iron Sand Shukaku, and more than a dozen holes appeared in the body of Manda in a flash.

bump!

Freed from Manda's restraints, Sasori controlled the Sand Iron Shukaku and leaped to the edge of the swamp, staring at Manda and Orochimaru above his head.

Neither the snake nor the person was harmed.

"That was close!"

Wanshe breathed a sigh of relief. If it hadn't used its molting technique to escape at the crucial moment, it would have been pierced with more than a dozen holes and died, just like its own snakeskin in the swamp.

"Great, it's a person!"

Orochimaru stared at the Sand Iron Shukaku opposite him, his long tongue unconsciously sticking out again.

If someone can control the iron sand using the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release technique, then they must be human.

This person can absorb natural energy while using ninjutsu; he must have some secret technique. If we capture him, we can find that secret technique.

"But...where are they?"

"Could it be hidden inside?"

Orochimaru frowned. Sensing no one around Shukaku, he looked towards the chest of the massive creature opposite him, where natural energy converged and flowed.

It seems the other party is hiding there.

"Here comes Orochimaru!" Manda suddenly warned.

On the other side, the Sand Iron Shukaku controlled by Sasori suddenly crackled with lightning and opened its mouth wide.

Orochimaru's expression changed, and he immediately jumped off the top of Manda's head, biting his thumb again before landing and pressing it down.

"Spirit Summoning Technique, First Layer of Rashomon!"

Boom!

A massive, hellish gate burst forth from the ground in an instant.

Clang clang clang... As soon as Rashomon appeared, countless long iron needles shot out from the gaping mouth of Sand Iron Shukaku, flashing with lightning, like a huge black curtain of lightning falling on the area several hundred meters ahead.

With a hissing sound, the ground was shaving away a layer of soil half a person's height in just a few breaths under such a dense attack of iron needles.

Even Rashomon, known for its absolute defense, began to crack and creak under such an attack.

(End of this chapter)