I, who just wanted to be lazy, was forced to become the Hokage.

Chapter 356 Shadow Susana, come on!

The moment Manda's heart was pierced by the Wood Release: Wood Spike Technique, its frantic writhing stopped abruptly.

But in the next instant, the struggle of the giant snake that originated from Ryuchi Cave suddenly became even more intense.

This is precisely a last gasp before death.

Or perhaps it's the snakes' physiological instincts at play.

A piercing heart and a severed head are usually fatal wounds for any creature, even the great serpent of the sacred land.

However, the unique physiological structure of snakes endows them with a very rich lower central nervous system.

Even if their heads are severed and their hearts are shattered, snakes can still maintain their physical activity for a period of time through their special nervous system.

The "last gasp" of the Manda (a type of monster) directly affects the closest wooden figure.

First, the [Wooden Dragon Technique] was broken. The section of the wooden dragon that had completed its mission was twisted off by the struggling Manda, and the front half of its body was forcibly left inside Manda's body.

Next comes the "Bone Fracture" from the [Wooden Dummy Technique].

The size and strength of Manda are beyond what a wooden doll of about ten meters tall can directly confront.

Especially since the opponent is currently in a "last gasp," the destructive power erupting from its massive body is a level higher than usual.

Under the frenzied writhing of the myriad snakes, the wooden figure's lower limbs, which had been entangled by them, were directly broken into several pieces.

But this is, after all, just a creation of chakra.

Nara Rinka showed no remorse, directly using the remains of the wooden dummy as a base to create a new type of wooden dummy, and took a few big steps forward, leaving the dying Manda behind.

Seeing this, Orochimaru immediately sensed something was wrong.

There are many ways to deal with large creatures, but finding another large creature to directly confront the opponent is undoubtedly the simplest and most direct method.

In past battles, Orochimaru also used Manda to eliminate many enormous creatures.

He originally thought that Manda could effectively kill the wooden figures made by Nara Rinkei.

Unexpectedly, the wooden dummy of Nara Rinkaku easily bypassed Manda's defenses.

That's not the key point.

The key is the frenzied state that Manda is displaying at this moment.

Orochimaru had fought Manda for so many years, and he had never seen Manda show such a crazy and violent side, as if it wanted to destroy everything around it.

The attack of 【Wood Release: Insertion Technique】occurs inside Manda's body.

Although Orochimaru's eyes are different from ordinary people, he does not have the X-ray vision of the Byakugan, so he naturally could not see the true nature of Nara Rinka's attack.

He tried to command the serpent with words to calm it down, but the serpent completely ignored his commands.

Did Nara Rinka use some special method?

A guess flashed through Orochimaru's mind; this seemed to be the most reasonable explanation...

The wooden figure crashed into us like a high-speed train.

With the example of Manda already in mind, Orochimaru didn't want to waste his chakra by summoning another giant snake from Ryuchi Cave—his contracted snakes were naturally more than just one.

Without a large creature to defend against, Orochimaru had no choice but to use another strategy to deal with a target the size of a wooden golem...

"Earth Release·Yellow Spring Marsh!"

Orochimaru swiftly unleashed an A-rank ninjutsu, his masterful Earth Release: Nature Transformation instantly softening the ground in front of him into a vast swamp.

The powerful wooden golem charged directly into the dark swamp formed by "Earth Release: Yellow Spring Swamp," with most of its body submerged in the swamp, and its attack abruptly stopped.

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

Using the vast swamp formed by the "Swamp of the Underworld," Orochimaru once again unleashed a B-rank Earth Release ninjutsu. Countless mud clumps transformed into heavy, powerful projectiles, which were fired at Nara Rin and Tsunade, who were standing atop the wooden dummy's head.

Just as the "Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet" attack was about to take shape, Orochimaru took a deep breath, refined the chakra within his body once more, and transformed it into a fire-style chakra.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

As Orochimaru exhaled, a blazing orange-red fire dragon soared out from the air in front of him and merged into the mud attack formed by "Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet".

The intense heat instantly coated the heavy mud with a fiery shell.

The combined attack of "Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet" and "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet" is actually a super-advanced composite ninjutsu developed by the Third Hokage.

"Composite Ninja Technique: Earth Dragon Fire Style!"

In less than a few seconds, Orochimaru unleashed several large-scale, wide-area ninjutsu.

"Netherworld Swamp" is used to restrict the movement ability of the "Wooden Man Technique".

The "Earth Dragon Flame Stream" was designed to attack Nara Rinka and Tsunade, while also disrupting the structure of the "Wooden Human Technique".

Nara Rinka's reaction speed was by no means slow—or rather, he had already reacted when Orochimaru used "Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld".

He originally intended to use the Shadow Transformation Technique to take himself and Tsunade out of this area, but considering his previous agreement with Tsunade, he chose to obediently form hand seals instead.

However, the technique of hand seals requires constant practice.

By the time Nara Rinka finished forming the hand seals "slowly," Orochimaru's combined ninjutsu attack had already reached him and Tsunade.

Good thing...

The hand seals have been completed.

[Wood Release: Ranking Technique]!

Under Nara Rinkazu's control, the wooden body of the [Wooden Man Technique] below instantly "shrank," with much of the wood being drawn to the vicinity of the head area, forming a huge wooden demon mask around it.

boom! boom! boom!

The meteor shower-like attacks caused by "Earth Dragon Flame Stream" fell on the [Ranking Technique], but only left muddy marks on the surface of the latter, without shaking the latter's defense in the slightest.

Orochimaru gazed at the wooden demon mask looming over Nara Rin and Tsunade, his eyelids twitching once more.

Orochimaru, who had a deep understanding of Wood Release, immediately recognized the name of the ninjutsu that Nara Rin was using.

but.

It's one thing that Nara Rinka has mastered the Wood Release technique.

[Wooden Dummy Technique], [Ranking Technique]...

Why can the opponent use these Wood Release ninjutsu, which are S-rank difficult to learn, so easily, as if it were as simple as eating and drinking?

This is completely unreasonable!

Even Orochimaru himself didn't find it this easy to learn ninjutsu.

This kid can't possibly be the kind of monster genius who can learn ninjutsu just by glancing at a ninjutsu scroll, right?

Orochimaru suppressed his agitation and began to consider what methods he could use to break the [Ranking Technique].

However, after thinking about it carefully for a while...

Orochimaru decided to wait for Nara Rinka and Tsunade to come out.

no way……

Based on Orochimaru's understanding of the "Ranking Technique," this level of Wood Release ninjutsu can even defend against attacks from tailed beasts.

At least that's how the "Ranking Technique" is described on the Wood Release ninjutsu scrolls preserved by Root.

This level of defense is practically like the [Spiritual Technique: Rashomon].

Orochimaru indeed lacked any offensive ninjutsu capable of breaking through the defenses of the [Ranking Technique]...

But to be honest...

How many ninjas in the ninja world possess this level of offensive ninjutsu?

The attack of "Earth Dragon Flame Stream" is about to end.

Orochimaru clasped his hands together, silently forming hand seals, intending to deliver a "Lightning Release: Thunderclap" spear to Nara Rin and Tsunade the moment they emerged.

However, at that moment...

The frantically struggling serpent finally calmed down.

Orochimaru, who has a contractual relationship with Manda, instantly determined the state of his summoned beast through some unseen connection.

The hand seals for Lightning Release stopped instantly.

Orochimaru looked incredulously at the manda behind the wooden doll, where it lay lifeless on the ravaged ground.

Was his snake killed?

Once a summoned beast dies, the effects of the summoning technique naturally cannot be maintained.

A plume of smoke rose.

The corpse of the dead Manda was sent directly to Ryuchi Cave, leaving only a hideous, terrifying wooden spiked dragon stained with a lot of blood in its original location.

Orochimaru's eyes turned completely cold, his gaze slicing through the defensive barrier formed by the [Ranking Technique] like a blade.

Just then, the wooden demon of the [Ranking Technique] opened its arms to both sides.

Orochimaru originally thought he could directly witness Nara Rinka and Tsunade, the "snake killers".

However, somewhat unexpectedly, what emerged from the [Ranking Technique] was not a human, but another tall, pitch-black humanoid monster.

Susanoo - Black Warrior!

(End of this chapter)