Chapter 55: Severed Arm, Defeat, and Retreat!

In an instant, Ay charged toward Mirai. Without hesitation, Mirai tossed a kunai with a flick of his wrist.

For someone with his extreme reflexes and the power of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, time seemed to slow. He could even make out the twisted expression on Ay's face and the yellowed teeth bared in his mouth.

"Die!" A roared.

But just as Ay's fist was about to land on Mirai's head, the latter suddenly vanished without a trace.

"What?!" Ay's attack missed. He immediately scanned the surroundings and, to his shock, saw Mirai reappear behind him.

Seeing the long sword in Mirai's hand glowing with wind-natured chakra, Ay's heart skipped a beat.

At his high speed, Ay knew there was no way to avoid the attack now. With only a split second to react, he pushed his chakra to its limit, twisting his body to minimize the damage.

Thud!

The blade sliced through his Lightning Release Armor and severed his left arm clean off.

Boom!

Ay crashed into the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.

The onlookers were left in stunned silence, their mouths agape.

"W-what happened to Ay's arm?"

"I didn't see anything! What just happened?"

"He lost! Lord Ay actually lost!"

"Just two moves, and Ay's already in this state… What kind of monster did Konoha send out?!"

The Cloud ninjas were panicking, their faces full of fear.

When Ay charged toward Mirai, the dust storm had obscured everything. No one saw exactly what happened, but in the blink of an eye, Ay was missing an arm.

The Cloud Village's most powerful ninja, Ay, was now lying on the ground, heavily wounded, and had lost an arm.

A chill ran down the spines of the Cloud ninjas, who remembered how Mirai had killed without a second thought earlier.

After the Third Raikage's death, Ay had been the strongest ninja in the village. Yet now, he was beaten, battered, and disarmed, lying helplessly before them.

What was it that allowed this child—barely even an adult—to do something so monstrous?

From afar.

"Brother!"

Seeing Ay's tragic state, Killer Bee roared in fury, his mouth opening wide to the sky.

Tailed Beast Ball, full of destructive energy, began to form above his head.

"Not so fast!"

"Orochimaru's voice came coldly, as he formed hand seals.

In the next moment, his body began to change.

In an instant, he transformed into a colossal white serpent, its size comparable to the Eight-Tails.

The Eight Branches Technique rushed toward the Eight-Tails with great speed.

(T/N: This is Orochimaru's greatest and strongest snake-related technique. Using the "power of reincarnation" possessed by the White Snake as an intermediary, he can transform into a giant white serpent with eight heads and eight tails.)

Boom!

The two enormous beings collided, shaking the very earth beneath them.

Killer Bee's Beast Ball vanished into thin air, blocked by Orochimaru's interference.

"Eight-Tails, let me test my new forbidden jutsu on you."

Orochimaru's cold voice echoed, revealing his confidence. While he may not be able to defeat both Ay and Killer Bee together, he wasn't worried about facing Killer Bee alone.

A struggled to his feet, using chakra to stem the bleeding from his severed arm. He glanced around and saw the defeat in the eyes of the remaining Cloud ninjas.

With his current injuries, there was no reason to continue this battle.

Especially since…

Konoha now had a powerful, terrifying Uchiha on their side.

Suddenly, a kunai shot out of the dust ahead. Mirai's previous disappearance and reappearance flashed in Ay's mind, and an intense feeling of danger surged within him.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ay transformed into a streak of lightning, fleeing toward the Land of Lightning.

"Retreat, now!" Ay's voice rang out across the battlefield as his figure disappeared.

The Cloud ninjas, eager to escape, immediately followed his orders, throwing their shuriken and explosive tags behind them in a frenzy.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions erupted, blocking Konoha ninjas from pursuing. The Cloud ninjas successfully withdrew.

Killer Bee also managed to break free from Orochimaru's grip by severing his own tail, quickly disappearing from the scene.

"We won! We actually won!"

"Hahaha! Look at those guys from the Cloud Village running away! It's so satisfying to see them flee like that."

"Hmph! Let's see if those idiots dare to provoke us Konoha again."

Orochimaru undid the Eight Branches Technique, returning to his human form. Watching the retreating Cloud ninjas, he waved a hand.

"Chase them! Take out all their outposts!"

"Understood!"

Following Orochimaru's command, Konoha ninjas began pursuing the fleeing Cloud forces.

Once the last of them were gone, Orochimaru slowly approached Mirai's position. He studied Mirai's figure, his gaze full of complexity.

Orochimaru had known for some time that Mirai possessed terrifying power, but tonight's display had far surpassed his expectations.

Unlike other Konoha ninjas, Orochimaru had personally faced Ay. He knew just how powerful A truly was.

Speed, strength, defense…

Ay was nearly flawless. He was a true top-tier ninja, whose power could easily be considered the pinnacle of the entire shinobi world.

Yet, in just two clashes with Uchiha Mirai, A had been utterly crushed.

The first time, he had been sent flying a thousand meters with a single punch. The second time, he had his arm severed in an instant.

Even Orochimaru found it hard to process.

Mirai was too strong.

This strength was beyond anything Orochimaru could have imagined.

Suddenly, Orochimaru recalled the conversation he had with Mirai not long ago.

As someone who was usually confident in his own abilities, Orochimaru now felt a sense of unease.

Could it be that the future Mirai spoke of would really unfold like this?

After a long pause, Orochimaru finally collected himself and looked at Mirai.

"Mirai-kun, aren't you going to follow them?"

"No need. I'm a little tired."

Mirai shook his head calmly.

He wasn't yet at the level where he could ignore all attacks. If the remaining Cloud ninjas decided to retaliate, even he would be in trouble.

Besides, he had already gained enough from this battle.

Orochimaru watched as Mirai walked away, his eyes narrowed.

If things truly unfolded the way Mirai had predicted, perhaps he should consider the possibility of joining forces with him.

After all, the goals Orochimaru had been pursuing for so long might just be achievable with Mirai's help.

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