At this moment, Uchiha Yamakaze revealed the full might of his eyes: the three‑tomoe Sharingan in his sockets was evolving into the—

Mangekyō Sharingan!

Ever since the trap years ago—when he watched his comrade Uchiha Aoki nearly die after being framed—Yamakaze's ocular power had soared. Having since grafted Hashirama's cells into his body, awakening the Mangekyō had become almost effortless.

Yamakaze and Aoki now stood as paragons of the Uchiha clan—indeed of the entire new generation of the shinobi world. They had sworn to follow Chiyu to the death, inheriting not only his will but also his strength, tactics and methods.

"Orochimaru, you've committed countless crimes. This time we will not let you escape!"

After a brief flash of surprise, Orochimaru's lips curled in delight.

"Excellent… even better than I imagined. If I devour and fuse with a body as gifted as yours, my power will reach its peak."

Yamakaze had no intention of wasting words. He struck first and fast.

"Amaterasu!"

From his left Mangekyō shot the inextinguishable black flames said to be the strongest physical attack—Amaterasu. In an instant the black fire ignited on Orochimaru's body.

"That's the captain's… Mangekyō ability! The black flames of Amaterasu—flames that never die!"

Catching fire, Orochimaru was startled—but then he gave a cold, hunting smile.

"Amaterasu, hmm? Impressive—yet useless against me…"

Orochimaru's body writhed like an insect, his flesh liquefying. He sloughed off the sections engulfed in black fire, letting them drop to the ground.

"H‑huh? What is—"

"By merging the Hōzuki clan's bloodline, I gained liquefaction," Orochimaru boasted. "By adding the Sakon and Ukon clan's bloodline I can fuse, shed, move or twist any organ, bone or cell at will. No physical attack can harm me. And with Hashirama's cells, my vitality and healing are immense—so your Amaterasu means nothing."

Yamakaze frowned. "As I thought—Orochimaru's no longer human. He's a monster made from countless bloodlines."

"Captain, what now?"

"If physical attacks are useless, I must use that jutsu," Yamakaze said gravely. "But the moment I do I'll be drained. You all must seize the opening and seal him for good."

"Understood!"

Yet before he could act, Orochimaru sneered. "Planning to use the right‑eye Mangekyō? I can read the chakra flow—it's some powerful genjutsu, isn't it? A natural choice when physical force fails…but I've already seen through it."

Yamakaze was stunned. "How do you—"

"Because I merged the Hyūga bloodline and the Uchiha bloodline," Orochimaru replied, his eyes combining Byakugan insight with Sharingan perception. "I can see every flow of chakra and every technique you intend to unleash. And thanks to Lord Chiyu opening the Sages' arts, I also obtained Senjutsu from Ryūchi Cave, reinforcing every ability. Otherwise my body would have collapsed under so many bloodlines."

In a heartbeat Orochimaru had displayed powers of the Hōzuki, Sakon‑Ukon, Senju, Hyūga, Uchiha—and even Ryūchi‐style Sage Mode. He had woven nearly all famous bloodlines of the shinobi world into himself; he was a living encyclopaedia, a fossil of shinobi genetics.

Yamakaze realized he alone could not defeat such an opponent—the man's power skirted the very limits of what a ninja could reach.

Just then Orochimaru's face twitched. He looked to the distance.

"I sense a very familiar chakra… Could it be—?"

Several figures raced in. Yamakaze, peering with his Mangekyō, relaxed. Orochimaru, too, smiled gleefully.

"So that's why the chakra felt so familiar. My old classmate… Tsunade."

Tsunade arrived at the head of a special medical‑ninja squad: Shizune, Yakushi Nonō, and—Yakushi Kabuto.

"Kabuto, you traitor, you came too? How nostalgic," Orochimaru purred.

Kabuto snorted. "I was a spy from the start, Orochimaru. Surely you never thought I was truly loyal?"

Ignoring him, Tsunade eyed Orochimaru's current form and frowned. "You've turned yourself into an even worse monster."

"Monster? You're mistaken, Tsunade," Orochimaru hissed. "I am the most perfect work of art the shinobi world has ever produced—my body blends every clan's blood, reaching back to the origin of all power. I now possess strength comparable to the Sage of Six Paths!"

"Stop deceiving yourself," Tsunade retorted. "You're still a beaten dog, forced into hiding by Lord Chiyu."

Orochimaru's smile faltered, then returned. "True, Uchiha Chiyu's power is unimaginable—even the Sage himself fell to him. But I will keep evolving. Today I'll devour you Uchiha brats and you, Tsunade—then my strength will transcend all limits."

"You've been in hiding too long," Tsunade snapped. "This isn't the old shinobi world!"

She slammed her hands together—using ninjutsu in a rare display.

Orochimaru's pupils shrank. He knew her better than anyone: her arsenal had always been taijutsu and medical ninjutsu, never offensive jutsu. Yet now—

"That's… Hashirama's secret Wood Release?!"

Hands sealed, Tsunade shouted, "Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!"

With a rumble, gigantic trees burst from the ground, transforming the barren wasteland into a towering primeval forest. The flood of chakra swallowed Orochimaru, vines binding to seal, crush and devour him.

"How… Tsunade's obtained Wood Release like Hashirama?!"

Indeed, the Hashirama Cell Program promoted by Chiyu had long raised the world's power ceiling. Who could fuse it better than Hashirama's own granddaughter? Her chakra surged, her vitality and healing soared, and she naturally awakened the Wood Release. Her command over it far outstripped outsiders like Yamato or Danzo.

Now the forest trapped Orochimaru. "Damn you, Tsunade— hiding such strength!"

"Now!" she barked.

Yamakaze, Kabuto, Shizune and Nonō attacked at once.

"Amaterasu!"

"Wood Release: Water Dragon!"

"Secret Art: Poison Mist!"

"Chakra Scalpel!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"

With the rest of the Uchiha squad, a storm of jutsu engulfed Orochimaru.

"Did we get him?" Shizune asked.

Tsunade frowned. "Damn—his personal substitution trick…"

From within the serpentine husk, Orochimaru shed his skin and slipped free—Orochimaru‑style Body Replacement—evading every attack at the cost of massive chakra.

Reappearing, he wove hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"

"Wind Release: Vacuum Giant Sphere!"

Combining the Sarutobi clan's secret fire with the Shimura clan's wind, he blasted the forest apart and escaped the Wood‑Release prison.

"I underestimated you, Tsunade," he hissed. "You gained wondrous power under Chiyu—but still far less than mine!"

Yamakaze's Mangekyō saw countless chakras inside Orochimaru converge into strange harmony.

"What is that? All his bloodlines are merging—!"

Orochimaru grinned. "My trump card: when all bloodlines fuse, they awaken an ancestral power—the blood of the Ōtsutsuki!"

"The Ōtsutsuki bloodline? In other words—"

"Yes! True Six Paths power!"

Chakra erupted; Orochimaru's black hair turned white, horns sprouted, his eyes became Ōtsutsuki Byakugan. Terrifying chakra cowed everyone.

"His power is unstable," Yamakaze noted. "He can't maintain it long; once drained he'll be spent. But until then…"

"Do you think you can survive it?" Orochimaru laughed. Hand seals flashed.

"Eight‑Headed Serpent Technique!"

From his body burst an enormous white eight‑headed serpent—now more a brood of white dragons—each of seven mouths spewing a different elemental torrent: wind, lightning, water, fire, earth, yin, yang. The eighth head held Orochimaru's true body.

The combined Ōtsutsuki blood and Ryūchi Sage Mode magnified the jutsu tenfold. The onslaught rivaled—or surpassed—a Tailed Beast. Tsunade raised an absolute defense.

"Wood Release: Nativity of Trees—Great Rampart!"

The elemental storm shattered the earlier forest and scorched the ground, but her barrier shielded the team—barely. Yet Orochimaru's raw power clearly exceeded hers.

Gasping, Tsunade muttered, "We can't handle him alone… We need reinforcement. If only Clan‑leader‑sama or Kakashi were here…"

Orochimaru's laughter boomed. "Your new powers are nothing to me! I'll devour you all and make your strength my own. Become part of me—Tsunade!"

The eight‑headed serpent lunged. But in that instant—

"Sage Art: Five Fire Gods' Fan of Flames!"

A white‑haired figure dropped from the sky, unleashing a tidal wave of scorching fire that forced the serpent back.

Orochimaru and Tsunade stared, stunned.

"Y‑you're… Jiraiya?!"

Yamakaze and the others were equally astonished: hadn't Jiraiya died years ago at Lord Chiyu's hand? Then who—or what—was the legendary Sannin now standing before them?

~~~

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