Chapter 10: Chapter 10: A Display of Power
"Rinnegan..."
Before Orochimaru joined the Akatsuki, he had a little-known encounter with Pain's Deva Path.
The moment he saw Pain's eyes, he immediately recognized them as the legendary, exalted eyes of the Sage of Six Paths!
Driven by his insatiable thirst for truth, Orochimaru made a rare reckless move. Without any feints or preparations, he directly lunged forward, attempting to gouge out Pain's eyes.
The result? He was sent flying hundreds of meters away, rolling to a stop amidst the shattered remains of trees. Covered in dust, he struggled to his feet, the vast distance between them a stark testament to the gap in their power.
For the first time in his life, Orochimaru was awed by sheer strength. This encounter also sparked his intense interest in the Akatsuki, prompting him to join with the intention of fishing in troubled waters.
Unfortunately, Pain's overwhelming power left him with no opportunity to act.
It was then that Orochimaru truly grasped the harshness of reality.
"That Pain... you actually defeated him. And not only that, you managed to seize those eyes before Tobi could. Hmph, I think I understand now why you dared to release me without fear of betrayal..."
Naruto asked, "So, will you submit to me willingly?"
Orochimaru replied, "Judging by your demeanor, it seems you've only just obtained those eyes. How much of their power can you actually wield?"
Naruto smiled. "Even if it's just ten percent, that should be enough to deal with you."
Orochimaru chuckled darkly. "Heh heh heh, then I suppose I'll have to see it for myself!"
BOOM!!!
The ground quaked as the Eight-Headed Serpent charged forward with overwhelming force. Without a colossal chakra construct like the *Susano'o*, it was nearly impossible to withstand such an assault!
Retreating would have been the wisest choice, but Naruto stood his ground.
It was simple—he intended to completely subdue Orochimaru with raw power.
As the Eight-Headed Serpent closed in, its massive snake heads struck down one after another, each blow carrying strength far surpassing that of the Giant Snake.
Naruto's left eye narrowed as he raised his palm, forming an invisible barrier that blocked the serpent's ferocious attacks!
The barrier was one of the Rinnegan's abilities, specifically categorized under the "Deva Path."
When Nagato, as a child, had yet to master the Rinnegan, he had unintentionally used this ability to protect Yahiko and Konan from an explosion. Later, Pain's Deva Path employed the barrier to easily block Naruto's six-tailed Beast Bomb attacks. The only drawback of this barrier was that it required the user to extend their hand beforehand.
"Not bad. But how about this..."
Seeing that brute force couldn't break through the barrier, Orochimaru commanded the seven other snake heads, excluding the one he inhabited, to each spew out a giant-sized Kusanagi Sword. After gathering power, the seven swords struck together at Naruto's position.
Naruto raised his hand.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The seven Kusanagi Swords came to an abrupt halt in mid-air!
Orochimaru's slit pupils narrowed. "Hmm? This isn't the barrier's range..."
Naruto's left eye glowed as he declared firmly, "*Shinra Tensei!*"
BOOM!!!
A powerful repulsive force erupted from Naruto, centered around him. The ground beneath him caved in, forming a basin!
"Urgh... this is the same technique Pain used on me back then!"
The massive body of the Eight-Headed Serpent was relentlessly pushed back under the overwhelming repulsive force...!!
In the sky, Konan, carrying an unconscious Anko, observed the battle with her white paper wings spread wide. "It's like watching Nagato fight. Naruto has already mastered this technique so quickly..."
BOOM!!!
The Eight-Headed Serpent retreated until it crashed into a distant mountain wall!
SWOOSH! Naruto swiftly launched a kunai into the air. As the kunai reached the serpent's level, he teleported to it using the *Flying Raijin Jutsu*.
Grasping the kunai in his left hand, his cloak billowing, Naruto performed a graceful mid-air spin. With his right hand extended towards the distant mountain, his left eye suddenly radiated light!
"*Banshō Ten'in!*"
RUMBLE!!!
The mountain collapsed, sending massive boulders crashing down onto the Eight-Headed Serpent.
CLANG!
The kunai landed, and Naruto returned to the ground, crouching to pick it up. Glancing at the serpent buried under the rubble, he muttered to himself, "I can't use *Chibaku Tensei* for now, so this will have to do as a substitute."
RUMBLE...!!
With a deafening roar, the eight snake heads burst out from beneath the rocks!
Naruto shrugged with a smile. "Looks like... it's not a good substitute after all."
"Naruto, you've successfully ignited my fighting spirit!"
As Orochimaru spoke, his body retracted, and the eight snake heads converged, channeling chakra to form a massive purple sphere!!
Naruto's eyes widened. "That technique..."
Konan warned, "Be careful. That chakra is extraordinary!"
Naruto muttered, "Yeah, it's almost on par with the Tailed Beast Bombs of Kurama and the others!"
Inside Naruto, the dormant Nine-Tails twitched its large ears at the mention of "Kurama."
BOOM!!! The Eight-Headed Serpent unleashed its condensed chakra sphere, firing it straight at Naruto!!
"*Yamata no Tama!*"
"This must be your strongest attack under the Eight-Headed Technique!"
Naruto stood firm. As the *Yamata no Tama* approached, he suddenly raised his palm, his left eye flashing with brilliance.
"*Preta Path!*"
WHOOSH!
A translucent barrier appeared, halting the *Yamata no Tama* in its tracks...
This was the sealing barrier of the Preta Path, capable of absorbing any jutsu activated with chakra!
Every technique has its limits, and the Preta Path is no exception.
However, among all known techniques, none have exceeded its absorption capacity—not even the Tailed Beast Bomb. The *Yamata no Tama* was no exception!
WHOOSH!
The *Yamata no Tama* rapidly shrank, reverting to pure chakra and being absorbed by the barrier.
"...!" Orochimaru, emerging from the central snake head, watched this scene with trembling eyes.
After fully absorbing the *Yamata no Tama*, the playful look in Naruto's eyes vanished entirely.
"It's over..."
Naruto launched another attack. Orochimaru's body retracted again...
"Not this time!"
In mid-air, Naruto thrust out his palm.
"*Banshō Ten'in!*"
WHOOSH!
A powerful gravitational force pulled Orochimaru's retreating body forward, forcibly separating him from the Eight-Headed Serpent.
Orochimaru resisted with all his might. "He's trying to separate my true body from the Eight-Headed Serpent... I can't let him succeed...!"
WHOOSH!!!
Naruto's palm intensified its gravitational pull... Orochimaru was finally dragged out!
Naruto slammed his palm down!
BOOM!!!
The gravitational force smashed Orochimaru heavily into the ground...
Thanks to his extensively modified, highly flexible body, Orochimaru was still able to move despite the severe impact.
"It's over!"
Naruto leaped into the air, releasing multiple black rods from his sleeve that precisely pierced Orochimaru's chakra points...
"Urgh...!!"
Naruto's immense chakra surged through the black rods of the Six Paths Technique, completely suppressing Orochimaru's own chakra!
After struggling in vain, Orochimaru sighed. "I can't move..."
POOF!
Behind him, the Eight-Headed Serpent vanished in a cloud of smoke, having lost its master's control.
SWOOSH!
Naruto reappeared with the *Flying Raijin Jutsu*, standing over Orochimaru. "Orochimaru-san, can I finally ask you to stop targeting Sasuke now?"