Chapter 617: Hitting Yourself

    At this moment, within the shimmering white barrier, a bizarre scene unfolded.

    Aoba held a chakra-hardened Orochimaru, swinging him toward a nearby snake that stared in astonishment.

    Whoosh!

    Aoba''s grip on Orochimaru cut through the air, creating a sonic boom, and with a terrifying force, he slapped it directly toward the snake.

    The power Aoba exhibited was no less formidable than Tsunade''s superhuman strength, and the chakra-infused body of Orochimaru functioned like a massive hammer, emanating immense force.

    Now in snake form, Orochimaru watched this scene with his snake eyes sharply contracting. He could feel the power behind the blow, so much so that the shock left him speechless.

    Dodge!

    He must dodge!

    If he were to be hit by this thing.

    He might turn into mush!

    Orochimaru never expected such a terrifying force behind this strike, and only now did he realize that the Uchiha before him was not an ordinary member of his clan, different from the typical Uchiha he knew.

    Orochimaru knew the Uchiha clan very well!

    The Uchiha were typically characterized by weaker physical bodies and strong mental capabilities, so the clan rarely had members who excelled in physical combat.

    But.

    This person.

    This member of the Uchiha clan.

    Not only had his dojutsu evolved to the terrifying Rinnegan level, but he also possessed such fearsome strength, which was quite extraordinary.

    If it were merely about the prowess in dojutsu, Orochimaru could have chalked up these abilities to the Rinnegan''s power, not the Uchiha''s inherent strength, but relying on the Rinnegan to achieve these effects.

    Now, the situation has changed.

    This was no longer just about the Rinnegan; this was raw, terrifying power.

    Being able to wield such power indicated an extremely strong physical constitution, which was inconsistent with the Uchiha clan in history, making it clear that this was no ordinary Uchiha.

    Swoosh!

    In his snake form, Orochimaru quickly flicked his tail, flashing out of position to dodge the hardened Orochimaru''s strike.

    Boom!

    In the next moment.

    The harden Orochimaru in Aoba''s hand hit the ground heavily, causing a muffled sound like an explosion.

    However.

    This sound did not cause any destruction.

    The ground was not the actual floor of the Root base but the floor of the barrier created by Aoba; within this barrier, all noises and movements were completely contained, unable to escape.

    However...

    Just as Orochimaru thought he could dodge it, a shadow suddenly obscures his view.

    "Hmm?"

    Orochimaru''s mind was marked with a big question mark; he knew the barrier was illuminated from all sides.

    This meant...

    Even if an object were airborne, it would be fully lit and not cast any shadow.

    However...

    This had a prerequisite.

    Those two objects would not be too close.

    Otherwise, they would partially block each other''s light, casting shadows between them.

    Not good!

    Danger!

    Orochimaru tensed up, suddenly realizing that the situation he feared was about to happen—his infused-chakra substitute body was about to slam into him.

    There was no dodging it.

    His speed was already at its limit.

    And the shadow seemed to be chasing him.

    It was an unavoidable situation now.

    Suddenly.

    The snake that Orochimaru had transformed into opened its mouth wide, the gaping maw like a bottomless pit.

    What followed that...

    A figure rapidly shot out.

    It was Orochimaru.

    Bang!

    Just as Orochimaru flew out from the mouth of the snake, the chakra-hardened Orochimaru held by Aoba heavily struck the seemingly lifeless snake.

    Splat!

    The snake that had just spat out Orochimaru instantly turned into a puddle of mush; its mouth was utterly useless now, no matter how wide it could open.

    "..."

    Orochimaru watched as "he" struck "himself," feeling extraordinarily conflicted. He had never imagined that one day he would face such a battle, and what surprised him even more was how troublesome this battle turned out to be.