NOVEL WEB Chapter 46: CHAPTER 46
"Orochimaru, is the sacrifice ready for me this time?" roared Manda, the massive purple-scaled serpent summoned by Orochimaru, his tone filled with impatience.
"One hundred living humans will be your reward," Orochimaru promised solemnly.
But Manda didn't immediately act on Orochimaru's summoning orders.
Shisui's emerald-green Susanoo launched a spiral-arm drill attack toward Manda, while Itachi's red Susanoo swung its Totsuka Blade at Orochimaru.
Manda slithered and twisted nimbly through their assault, then coiled around Shisui's Susanoo with constricting force.
"Shisui!" Itachi shouted.
Seeing his comrade caught, Itachi quickly raised the Totsuka Blade and stabbed at Manda.
Bound by the ethereal blade, Manda felt its massive body being drawn toward the Sakegari Longsword's sealing gourd.
"Damn it! What is this cursed weapon?!" Manda gritted out, his body beginning to phase. Though the snake didn't know what the sword was, it instinctively knew being sealed by it would not end well. Still, it refused to let go of Shisui, knowing it would be sealed the moment it did.
Then, Shisui's green Susanoo suddenly dissipated.
Manda, which had been wrapped around the ethereal being, now found itself entangled with empty air—exposed.
At that instant, the suction force from the Totsuka Blade intensified.
Manda: "???"
The great snake tried to cancel the summoning contract and return to the Ryuchi Cave—but was shocked to find it couldn't break free from the summoning!
"Orochimaru! You bastard, don't play dead now!" Manda roared in panic.
Thrashing his tail, Manda struck at Itachi's Susanoo, but the Yata Mirror in its left hand blocked the blow. Even so, the massive force sent Itachi skidding backwards.
A portion of Manda's body was now inside the Totsuka Blade's gourd.
Though Orochimaru often disdained Manda's arrogant behavior, he wasn't about to let his prized summon be sealed away.
Orochimaru's body suddenly expanded into a monstrous white Yamata no Orochi—the eight-headed serpent form, his ultimate transformation.
All eight serpent heads lunged simultaneously at Itachi's Susanoo.
Shisui, having just released his Susanoo, felt the drain on his Mangekyō Sharingan. He had wanted to leave Manda's sealing to Itachi, but the recoil from using the Mangekyō left him briefly powerless.
What now? Should I use Kotoamatsukami? But would it even work on Orochimaru in that form… and the cooldown—
Shisui clutched his eye in pain, caught in a dilemma.
Then, a fiery red figure descended from the sky. One of Yamata no Orochi's heads was suddenly cleaved open, a deep gash forming across its scaly hide, blood spraying out in a hot burst.
Hovering in mid-air was Sasuke Uchiha, wearing a demonic Hannya-style mask. His Zanpakutō, the transformed Ryūjin Jakka, blazed with living fire.
Flames of Ryūjin Jakka—Scorching Stroke.
Sasuke's full-power slash left a deep wound, but it was still only one head injured. Though powerful, Sasuke realized his strength was not yet enough to kill Orochimaru in this form.
"Nii-san, forget Manda for now. Let's focus on Orochimaru together!" Sasuke shouted, suppressing the itch for battle in favor of coordination.
Itachi nodded, dismissing the Totsuka Blade's seal on Manda and lunged at the Yamata no Orochi.
"Orochimaru! You threw me at that monster for your summoning, and now you expect me to die here?! Next time we meet, I'll make you pay!"
Unexpectedly, once Itachi released his grip, Manda succeeded in dispelling the summoning and vanished in a puff of smoke.
Orochimaru's expression twitched. He had just been ditched by his own summon.
Sasuke, Itachi, and Shisui were momentarily stunned. Typically, the bond between summon beasts and their contractors is based on mutual respect or earned dominance. But Manda had just unilaterally betrayed Orochimaru.
A first.
Still, Itachi didn't slow down. With pinpoint precision, the Totsuka Blade struck the previous wound on Yamata no Orochi and lopped off a serpent head in one fluid motion.
"Carriage of thunder, rotating wheel crack—split the heavens! Bakudō #61: Six Rods Light Prison!"
Six beams of golden light erupted from Sasuke's hands, attempting to pin the Orochi's massive form—but it shattered the Bakudō instantly.
Unrelenting, Sasuke chanted again:
"Bakudō #62: Hundred-Stepped Rail Bind! Bakudō #63: Chain Lock!"
Dozens of spectral rods and a heavy spiritual chain materialized, slamming into the serpentine mass, coiling tightly.
But Sasuke wasn't done.
"Bakudō #79: Nine Obsidian Rings!"
Nine dark restraints formed a grid around Yamata no Orochi, halting several of its heads mid-motion.
Then came the finisher.
"Bakudō #75: Five Iron Pillars!"
Five immense metallic spikes appeared overhead, crashing down onto five of the serpent's eight heads.
Though Yamata no Orochi broke many of the restraints, the iron pillars connected solidly.
Taking the opening, Itachi severed a second head.
Sensing the battle turning against him, Orochimaru decided to flee. He canceled the Yamata form, reverting into a smaller, white snake.
Slithering across the battlefield with incredible speed, he shot toward the forest.
Itachi tried to stab the fleeing snake with the Totsuka Blade, but Orochimaru's form was too fast, too slippery.
"Let it go, Nii-san. He's too fast, and you won't last much longer," Sasuke said, removing the Hannya mask. The battle had drained him, and the mask offered little benefit this time. He was frustrated.
Itachi, too, was nearing his limit. His Susanoo had been active for too long. Continuing to push would mean dangerous backlash.
"You're right, Itachi. Rest now. I'll take over the pursuit," Shisui said after recovering, and darted into the direction Orochimaru had fled.
As Itachi deactivated Susanoo, a wave of pain swept through his body. He collapsed instantly, unconscious.
After all, this was still his living body—not the undead form granted by Edo Tensei.
Sasuke rushed to catch him, wiping blood from Itachi's face with his sleeve.
Nearby, Uchiha Setsuna lay charred and unrecognizable—reduced to blackened ash by Amaterasu, becoming the first to die under its black flames.
The Sound Four had long since escaped with Orochimaru.
After leaving a tracking mark for Shisui, Sasuke hoisted Itachi onto his back and began heading toward the small village they had left earlier.
---
An hour later, Sasuke returned to the house of the couple who had entrusted them with the rescue mission. Sai was there waiting, and among the children rescued was the couple's own child.
The couple fell to their knees the moment they saw Sasuke arrive, Itachi unconscious on his back.
"Thank you… thank you, so much, shinobi-sama… for saving our child…"
Tears streamed down their cheeks as they kowtowed in gratitude.
Sai stood silently at the side, visibly moved. Some long-forgotten emotion flickered in his eyes. Lowering his head, he turned away and stepped outside—quietly, solemnly.
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