Chapter 37: Pupil Technique

In the reflection of Kaze's eyes, the three bizarre tomoe spun faster and faster, seemingly forming a complete circle of spiraling patterns. Eventually, the arc's rotation became so swift that it appeared to stop turning altogether. However, anyone who gazed into those eyes would feel their attention and spirit being drawn in, as if caught in the rotating threads!

"What kind of pupil technique is this? Why does my mental power feel like it's being sucked in?!" Orochimaru was taken aback, feeling an indescribable fear from the powerful Sharingan in front of him. His immense spiritual force seemed to be gradually absorbed by the vortex within that eye, and even his very will was being drawn towards that dark abyss!

"I mustn't be sucked in!" Orochimaru desperately tried to resist the pull. Mental power was derived from the soul and could recover and regenerate when damaged. However, if one's will and soul were sucked in, they'd become mere puppets, devoid of their own consciousness!

"This technique is far from a simple illusion! I've never seen anything like this before. It's as if it directly attacks the spiritual will, akin to soul absorption in the human world. But this method of activation targets the spirit. It's impossible to defend against it when he and I lock eyes!" Fortunately, Orochimaru possessed an immense mental power, so he wasn't completely absorbed for the time being. But if he exhausted his mental energy, he knew that his will and soul would be lost. Thus, despite his anxiety, Orochimaru needed to find a solution immediately.

It felt like a game where one had to spot identical patterns within a limited time. As time passed, anxiety often set in, and people's minds seemed to blank out, with even surrounding sounds fading away.

"Huh? The surrounding sounds have indeed disappeared!" Orochimaru's eyes were already fixated, but his potent mental power still sensed the world around him and within himself.

He found himself in the same stance, with Yuta and two elite corpses still locked in combat. One of the corpses had its head severed and was suspended mid-air, its black blood splattering everywhere. Yuta's kunai was all wrapped up, unable to penetrate the corpse's hard iron body.

But now, everything stood still.The ghastly head of the corpse remained suspended, its empty eyes seemingly fixated on its prey, giving off a chilling sensation.

It seemed that time was at a standstill while this technique was active, and only mental perception played a role.

Despite the situation, Orochimaru still couldn't take action. His mental power was being pulled, and he could only perceive a limited distance around him.

Orochimaru even tried to control the Kusanagi sword to strike Kaze, but it was futile. He lacked the mental power to mobilize the sword, and as his body was still, he couldn't call forth his chakra either.

"I swear never to gaze upon the Sharingan without understanding it again!" Orochimaru regretted his actions too late. After all, the Third Elder was no fool; knowing that ordinary illusions might not work, he had surely prepared a formidable weapon to deal with Orochimaru.

However, Kaze's state at this time was even worse than Orochimaru's, for he felt that he couldn't hold on any longer!

How could this kid possess such a vast spiritual power? How powerful must his soul be!

Kaze could still think within this time standstill, but he was in such a terrible state that he felt his brain was about to explode!

The spiritual power that Orochimaru was losing didn't simply vanish; it was being absorbed into Kaze's body. Just like absorbing too much chakra from others could lead to an explosion, absorbing too much mental power could make one's brain explode!

His vision grew increasingly blurred, Kaze felt his eyeballs bulging, blood flowing from his eyes and nose. The whole world seemed to be spinning slowly!

He couldn't hold on any longer. Orochimaru was ecstatic. His mental power was still half intact, but Kaze couldn't absorb twice the mental power—he didn't have the brain capacity for it.

Since when Kaze wanted to harm him, Orochimaru decided to give him a taste of his own medicine!

Sensing that the restraint force was diminishing, Orochimaru followed the spiritual power connection generated by the Sharingan and sent a mental shock back to Kaze.

It was akin to suddenly releasing a large volume of water into a clogged drainpipe, causing Kaze to spew out a blood from the corner f his mouth.

Because of the mental shock, the previously frozen time and space seemed to crack slightly, and the surroundings appeared to move faster.

With a "slap" sound, the severed head of the corpse slowly fell to the ground, and Kaze's neck twisted slowly like a rusted bearing, emitting eerie laughter. Meanwhile, his gaze at Orochimaru gradually turned panicked, as if he had discovered something.

Time shifted from complete stillness to a slow-motion sequence, frame by frame.

"Bring it on, I'll finish you!" Seeing victory on the horizon, Orochimaru initiated another soul shock!

He couldn't wait any longer. Kaze's face turned as pale as paper, and his head seemed to expand in a bizarre manner, blood covering his face, resembling a ghastly specter.

The spiritual power that Orochimaru lost earlier was now being forcefully unleashed, and his demonic nature was nearly at its peak. His wickedness was bordering on madness, and he wanted to use the flame of his soul to burn away everything, including his own spiritual power!

This soul flame was initially meant for refining Horcruxes, dealing little damage to physical entities and unable to burn through the air to harm others. But now, it presented an opportunity!

Orochimaru struggled to form a hand seal, igniting the white flame mentally, causing him excruciating pain and breaking into a cold sweat, with his gums biting blood!

It was mental agony!

However, this was temporary. The soul flame severed the spiritual connection before the Kaze's spiritual power could resist, burning its way back towards Kaze!

The black energy could erode one's consciousness, but this time it encountered a natural nemesis. It was akin to gasoline meeting a spark and instantly igniting!

"Boom!"

The white flames of Orochimaru directly ignited Kaze's mental power, engulfing Kaze's head head in white fire. He screamed in agony, rolling desperately on the ground.

He had never imagined he would be defeated, that Uchiha's invincible power could fail against a mere child!

It's over! We've failed! The Third Elder is doomed as well!

Kaze's ability to think was rapidly diminished as he lay motionless on the ground, and time quickly returned to its normal flow.

"Die!" Orochimaru gritted his teeth, suppressing his discomfort. He summoned the Kusanagi Sword and controlled it to strike the last surviving opponent, Yuta.

"It's impossible!" Yuta shouted loudly, witnessing a reality that shattered his understanding. His eyes were filled with despair—they had failed!

Orochimaru's youthful figure, now seemingly demonic, approached slowly.

"Don't be nervous. Your turn is next!"

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