In the past, Kei had spent several hours in this very forest testing out his Wood Release techniques. He unleashed various large-scale Wood Release jutsu as if chakra was limitless.
After his experiments, the trees summoned by Nativity of a World of Trees and Advent of a World of Flowering Trees remained, their branches and blossoms only partially concealing the aftermath.
However, the wood human and wood dragon were much harder to deal with. To avoid unnecessary trouble, he simply let the wood dragon burrow underground while using Earth Release to bury the wood human.
Now that he had returned to this place, Kei didn't even need to clap his hands together.
With his Sage Body providing an immense amount of chakra, he could directly reinfuse energy into these creations and control them once more.
Orochimaru had just flooded the entire forest with his sea of snakes. His real goal was to clear out and investigate any possible traps that might have been set up. After all, Kei had deliberately brought him here. A cautious ninja would naturally consider whether this forest had been tampered with—perhaps some mechanisms favoring Kei had been set up.
Unfortunately for him, Wood Release was not something ordinary ninja would even think to prepare for.
Even if he racked his brain, he would never have considered that his opponent's technique would involve these seemingly ordinary, slightly larger-than-usual trees—trees that could be found anywhere within the Land of Fire!
"Wood Release? Wood Release! Hahaha—Hahahahaha—!" Orochimaru didn't spare a single glance at the disappearing Manda beneath his feet.
Instead, his golden snake-like pupils fixated on Kei, who sat atop the wood human's head, his legs casually dangling over the edge with a playful smile.
He burst into maniacal laughter. He had spent years researching the Wood Release! Yet because of the immense devouring and invasive properties of Hashirama's cells, his experiments had made almost no progress.
And now, Kei was freely using Wood Release! This guy must have some unique trait that he had yet to uncover!
Strong! Majestic! It was the same overwhelming, godlike power that the First Hokage wielded—a force capable of destroying everything in its path!
His hands trembled. His excitement surged so wildly that it clouded his reason. Even though the sheer display of Kei's power filled him with fear, even giving him the urge to flee...
A perfect test subject! A perfect Wood Release bloodline!
He had to try. He had to experiment!
If... just maybe... what if...?
Orochimaru bit his finger, formed hand seals, and slammed his palm onto the ground. His golden snake eyes gleamed with unprecedented excitement and desire. Chakra erupted from his body like a thick, overwhelming mist.
"Hissss—" One massive python after another emerged from the chakra smoke, their heads rising high.
Leading the charge were a three-headed snake and a two-headed snake. Even when faced with the colossal wood human—several times their size—their ferocious aura did not waver in the slightest.
The next moment, several gigantic pythons clashed violently with four towering wood dragons. The ground cracked, ancient trees fell, and the battlefield trembled for miles as both forces twisted and fought in a chaotic frenzy.
Dust and debris shot into the air, engulfing the entire battlefield.
The enormous trees summoned by Advent of a World of Flowering Trees extended their countless vines and branches, trying to ensnare the giant serpents.
But the pythons, unable to match the wood dragons in strength, were quickly overwhelmed. Two of them were heavily injured in an instant and disappeared into smoke, retreating back to Ryūchi Cave. The remaining pythons were helpless, being battered and toyed with by the wood dragons. At this rate, they wouldn't last even a minute before being completely wiped out.
As Orochimaru charged toward Kei, his gaze flickered to the tallest trees in the area. The flower buds atop those trees had begun to sway and bloom, releasing a mist of pollen into the air.
If he didn't act now, he might completely lose his chance.
Forming rapid hand seals, he unleashed one powerful large-scale jutsu after another.
A semi-spherical dome of rock, several meters high, crashed down toward the wood human. Sharp wind blades slashed at the incoming branches trying to restrain him. And a wave of scorching hot ash spread at an alarming speed, filling the battlefield and completely obscuring the surroundings in thick smoke.
"Was that really necessary? Wouldn't it have been easier to just surrender?" Despite the visual obstruction, Kei could sense everything within the cloud of ash.
He detected Orochimaru's movements clearly.
Using the cover of the smoke, the Sannin executed the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, creating eight clones. Four of them burrowed underground. Three advanced openly. The last one formed seals beside the true body.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru himself began forming an extremely complex sequence of hand signs. Even without seeing the entire sequence, Kei already knew—it was some kind of massive Forbidden Jutsu.
He wasn't an arrogant fool who would just sit and watch his opponent charge up a deadly attack. Clapping his hands together, he activated his jutsu.
The enormous trees, infused with his chakra, immediately formed multiple wood clones.
The wood human's eyes glowed with dazzling brilliance as it raised four massive arms, mimicking the Susanoo technique, and smashed down toward Orochimaru's location.
Orochimaru's shadow clones quickly slammed their hands onto the ground. Three enormous demonic-faced gates suddenly emerged, forming a towering defense just in time to intercept the wood human's devastating strike.
Before the gates and the wood human's fists could even make contact, behind the gates, Orochimaru's real body, still forming hand seals, was suddenly ambushed by the wood clones!
The dull thud of a hammering blow on flesh echoed, nearly reducing him to a pulp. That unknown forbidden jutsu was cut off before it could even begin!
BANG BANG BANG BANG—!
The Triple Rashomon shattered and crumbled under the relentless assault of the wood human.
Orochimaru, who had just been violently beaten by the three wood clones, was exposed in the swirling dust.
"Ugh… gag… aah…" Painful groans and retching sounds filled the air.
The shadow clones he had split off earlier had been swiftly eliminated by the wood clones.
Space–Time Technique Formula: Underworld Turnover, Soul–Body Separation Technique, Four Violet Flames Formation infused with natural-energy snake venom—what the fuck.. You really don't hold back, huh? Kei formed a single-handed seal, using the Mind Body Transmission Technique to link with Orochimaru's mind.
He had initially intended to persuade him to surrender.
However, as he performed the jutsu, a subconscious memory-reading technique kicked in, revealing Orochimaru's actual plan.
The Underworld Turnover was a technique used in the Fourth Great Ninja War by the reincarnated Sound Four to trap Neji, Kiba, Choji, and Shikamaru.
It forcibly separated the soul from the body, pulling the soul into a unique battlefield. Meanwhile, the body left behind would slowly deteriorate and approach death.
The Soul–Body Separation Technique was another forbidden technique related to soul manipulation. It used a special talisman inscribed with the enemy's name to seal their soul. If combined with the Underworld Turnover, the only way to counter it would be through overwhelming soul strength or other soul-related techniques—otherwise, it was inescapable.
As for the Four Violet Flames Formation, in the original story, it was used to trap Hiruzen, leaving even the ANBU helpless.
If Kei's soul had been pulled into Underworld Turnover while his body remained trapped in the barrier… With natural-energy-infused snake venom flooding the sealed space… Even if he resisted the Soul–Body Separation Technique using the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques, and forcefully broke free from Underworld Turnover using Spirit Transformation Technique to return to his body—
His body would still be poisoned.
Without mastery over natural energy or Sage Mode— The only possible solution would be… to beat himself up?
Just… punch himself repeatedly?
This technique was too insidious—it had to be crushed!
The wood human's four fists swung down wildly. Three wood clones turned into thick vines, tightly restraining Orochimaru in place. One wood clone continuously applied sealing techniques to his limbs.
The remaining two clones forcefully injected rampaging chakra into his body, disrupting his ability to perform jutsu.
The summoned giant serpents had already disappeared.
His shadow clones were completely wiped out. Orochimaru could only watch helplessly as massive fists rained down from the sky!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!
Half an hour later, Kei's right foot glowed with Mystical Palm Technique, pressing down on Orochimaru's battered, nearly unrecognizable body.
"Hey, hey—don't play dead. Breathe."
His entire skeleton was shattered almost completely, his limbs turned to mush long ago, and even his head was grotesquely misshapen. Yet, through sheer tenacity, he had survived the brutal beating. His mangled chest, punctured by countless broken bones, rose and fell slightly.
Under the effects of medical ninjutsu, Orochimaru's twisted eyes slowly opened, locking onto Kei, who looked down at him from above.
"Hahh… gasp… hahh… gasp… Healing with your foot? Is this… the mercy of the strong?"
"You sure you want me to use my hands? Just a heads-up—my hands are poisonous."
Kei met Orochimaru's gaze. After a moment of silence, he clicked his tongue and withdrew his foot, squatting down.
His hands glowed with a deep green light as he pressed them against Orochimaru's chest once more.
Orochimaru's mutilated chest convulsed violently. Despite his powerful life force and the effects of the medical jutsu, the newly healed wounds immediately burst open, spraying fresh blood.
He almost died on the spot.
"You… belong… in the Torture and Interrogation Force!"
"I did warn you beforehand. You asked for it."
"How about we switch back? Tch—what are you glaring at me for? I'll ask one last time: are we switching or not?"