Chapter 50: Surviving Will Depend on Your Own Skill

Late at night, Mirai made his way back toward the Konoha encampment, looking somewhat disappointed. Despite a full day of searching, he hadn't found a single Kumogakure team suitable to strike.

It seemed the militants had all pulled back into their camp.

"Have I been too aggressive lately?" he reflected silently.

Over the past few days, the number of Kumo shinobi that had fallen by his hand was substantial. It was likely Kumogakure had decided to hold off on sending out any more teams until they came up with a counter-strategy. After all… losing dozens of shinobi every day, including several Jonin, wasn't sustainable for any village.

As Mirai pondered this, dozens of snakes darted toward him, coiling tightly around his body and sinking their fangs into him.

Caw! Caw! Caw!

Mirai's body dissolved into a murder of crows, scattering in all directions. At the same time, a massive fireball descended from above, consuming every last snake in its flames. As the smell of charred flesh wafted through the air, Mirai's gaze shifted to the dense forest nearby.

"Orochimaru, come out."

"Impressive as always, Mirai-kun. Your senses are razor-sharp."

Orochimaru emerged from the shadows, a sinister smile illuminating his pale face in the moonlight. His eyes gleamed with barely concealed malice.

"What do you want?" Mirai asked calmly, watching Orochimaru.

"Oh, I only have a question for you, Mirai-kun." Orochimaru's hostility faded as he spoke, though his voice retained a sly edge. "According to my sources, Kumogakure's been suffering heavy losses lately. They've even begun to hunker down. However, from what I've gathered, none of the other assault squads have achieved such results. Together, they've barely managed to take down a hundred Kumo shinobi."

"A loss that small wouldn't be enough to make someone like A back down so easily," Orochimaru continued, analyzing the situation piece by piece. "Which means… it could only be because of you, Mirai-kun."

Mirai raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"And?" Orochimaru's vertical pupils flashed with intrigue. "So, let's see exactly how you've been pulling this off, shall we?"

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Orochimaru's arm transformed into a nest of writhing snakes, each mouth open wide as they lunged at Mirai.

"Wind Style: Wind Cutter!"

Sharp blades of wind sliced through the snakes with ease. Mirai immediately began forming hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

A roaring wave of fire surged forward, consuming everything in its path as Mirai quickly retreated. Orochimaru burst from the ground at Mirai's former position, his mouth gripping the Kusanagi blade.

Clang!

Mirai drew his own sword and blocked the attack, and soon the two were locked in close combat.

"Mirai-kun, you continue to surprise me," Orochimaru remarked, his eyes fixated on the sharingan's three tomoe spinning in Mirai's crimson gaze. There was an undeniable curiosity on his face.

Whether it was ninjutsu or taijutsu, this young shinobi demonstrated remarkable skill, matching Orochimaru without faltering. Could a mere Academy graduate really achieve this level of power in just a single year?

Recalling his first encounter with Mirai, Orochimaru couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia. Back then, though Mirai had defeated Kakashi, he had still seemed quite raw. And now, in such a short span, he had reached this astonishing level.

"Orochimaru, let's end this for tonight," Mirai said, pushing Orochimaru back with a swing of his sword. "Fighting further won't accomplish anything."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as he licked his lips. "So, Mirai-kun, are you saying my skills don't even warrant you using your full strength?"

"Underestimating me… how arrogant…"

As one of the Third Hokage's students, Orochimaru hadn't been spoken to like this in a long time.

"Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"

Dropping to the ground, Orochimaru unleashed thousands of venomous snakes from his mouth. They swarmed Mirai, encircling him within a vast radius.

"Mirai-kun, each of these snakes carries deadly venom. One bite could mean death. Whether you survive depends on your own skill."

As Orochimaru finished speaking, the horde of snakes lunged at Mirai all at once.

Mirai scoffed, realizing that, with Orochimaru's personality, a decisive lesson would be necessary to make him back off.

With a low hum, Mirai threw his long sword straight at Orochimaru.

"This all you've got?" Orochimaru dodged the oncoming blade with ease, expecting a hidden technique from Mirai. But, disappointed, he shook his head and released the snake formation.

Yet in that instant, his pupils shrank.

The bloodied, defeated Mirai he'd expected to find lying on the ground… had vanished.

A massive sense of danger surged from the depths of Orochimaru's being.

His instincts—honed over years of life-and-death encounters—warned him of imminent danger.

"Rasengan!"

Boom!

Orochimaru was hurled backward, crashing through several trees before hitting the ground hard.

"That was close… I nearly died…"

A new body crawled out of Orochimaru's mouth as he fixed his gaze on Mirai, who stood before him, his heart still racing. If he hadn't used his Snake Substitution Technique at the last moment, he might have actually died from that blow.

But…

How did Mirai, who should have been overwhelmed by the snake swarm, reappear so silently behind him?

Orochimaru's gaze drifted to the long sword embedded in a nearby tree, and a look of realization began to dawn on his face.

"Could it be…?"

"Chidori!"

Shlkk!

Blood spurted as Orochimaru stared, stunned, at the hand that had pierced his heart.

As the Third Hokage's disciple, he recognized nearly every forbidden technique in Konoha. There was no mistaking it—Mirai had used the Flying Thunder God technique.

Only such spatial movement could bypass his senses and allow Mirai to appear right at his side without warning.

But…

Orochimaru wasn't pondering how Mirai had managed to learn a technique like the Flying Thunder God, sealed away in the Scroll of Seals. No, his mind was consumed by another mystery.

If Mirai's first teleport was anchored by his long sword, then how had he appeared beside him this second time?

"Orochimaru, you've seen my trump card. Now, whether you survive depends on your own skill."

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