Having transformed into the Yamata no Orochi, Orochimaru lunged forward. His massive body slithered toward Uchiha Fugaku.
The ground was torn into channels like a dried riverbed by the serpent's tremendous movements.
"What an overwhelming presence!"
A trace of gravity appeared on Fugaku's face.
A suffocating aura radiated from the Yamata no Orochi, as if a mountain of flesh were bearing down.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
All eight of the serpent's heads moved simultaneously, diving down with incredible force, aiming to strike Fugaku.
The earth trembled. Each head slammed into the ground like a cataclysmic quake.
The impacted area caved in, forming a dry, crater-like basin.
But Uchiha Fugaku was nowhere to be seen in the basin.
Before the eight heads could land, he had teleported away.
Fugaku reappeared above the Yamata no Orochi through spatial teleportation.
With a swing of his fist, the compressed air formed a white giant tiger that surged toward the serpent.
The white tiger was blocked. The eight massive tails of the Yamata no Orochi whipped out simultaneously, striking the tiger.
The immense force of the tails shattered the air-formed tiger instantly.
The Yamata no Orochi—one of Orochimaru's most powerful forbidden techniques—possessed terrifying might, enough to even contend with a Tailed Beast for a short time.
With this strength, it managed to withstand Uchiha Fugaku, who had opened the Seventh Gate of the Eight Gates Released Formation.
"So this is the Yamata Technique?"
After launching the white tiger, Fugaku was blasted backward several dozen meters by the recoil and landed on the ground.
He gazed solemnly at Orochimaru's serpent form. Even after opening the Seventh Gate, he couldn't break through Orochimaru's power.
He understood the problem lay partly in his physical limits.
The Eight Gates technique amplified strength and speed exponentially, but the stronger the user's base physical attributes, the more powerful the results.
Even with the strengthening effects of True Illusion, his body still fell short of Might Guy at his peak.
Had it been peak Might Guy who opened the Seventh Gate, even the Yamata no Orochi might not have been able to block him.
"The Eighth Gate—Gate of Death: Open!"
Fugaku made the decision immediately, unlocking the final gate.
His blood began to evaporate, and a crimson steam enveloped his body. Even his hair and eyebrows turned blood-red.
Muscles and tendons tore within him, his bones cracking with fine fractures.
Unimaginable pain surged through him, his life force burning away rapidly.
Clenching his teeth through the agony, Fugaku launched a flurry of punches toward the serpent's direction.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The air compressed into cannon-like blasts, each one firing in a straight line toward the Yamata no Orochi.
With each punch, bones in Fugaku's hands splintered rapidly.
Seeing Fugaku unlock the Eighth Gate, Orochimaru's voice carried a rare tinge of fear and panic.
He never expected his opponent to go this far.
To open the Gate of Death without hesitation—he was prepared to die in battle.
Orochimaru had thought the Kaguya Clan were the true madmen, but now, this rogue ninja made them seem tame by comparison.
Against the onslaught of someone burning his very life away, even the immense and durable body of the Yamata no Orochi couldn't withstand it.
Its surface exploded as if riddled with buried bombs—fast and dense detonations.
Flesh flew, the body rapidly collapsing.
In mere moments, the serpent was reduced to a pile of mangled meat.
Under the violent impact, the land became a massive crater, filling with a lake of blood and flesh.
Fugaku collapsed, his life force depleted after opening the Gate of Death. His body was covered in ghastly, cracked wounds.
Under normal circumstances, he would slowly die. Even a medical expert like Tsunade would struggle to save him.
But this was not a normal space—it was one created by True Illusion.
His wounds began healing visibly. Even his tattered clothes restored themselves.
In the end, he stood up again, completely unscathed.
It was as if time had rewound and everything had reverted.
Fugaku looked at the lake of blood and meat where the Yamata no Orochi had fallen.
His situation was special—even opening the Eighth Gate wouldn't kill him.
Orochimaru's condition, however, was no less unique—he couldn't be judged by common standards.
Though the Yamata no Orochi had been reduced to pulp, Fugaku wasn't certain Orochimaru was truly dead.
Just as he thought that—
From one of the larger chunks of meat, a crack opened.
A pair of pale hands emerged.
Soon, Orochimaru climbed out, completely unharmed.
"You opened the Gate of Death and lived?!"
Orochimaru panted, alive through various secret arts—but the effort had taken a great toll.
"Compared to me, you're the real monster!"
He looked at Fugaku as if facing something inhuman.
According to everything he knew, opening the Eighth Gate was a certain death. Might Duy was the textbook example.
But this rogue ninja had defied that certainty.
People called Orochimaru a monster because of his strange techniques, but in his eyes, the man before him was the true monster.
After all, he was someone who could survive the Gate of Death.
"I don't want to be called a monster by you."
Fugaku's voice was cold.
As he spoke, crimson mist began to rise from his body once again.
He opened the Eighth Gate a second time.
"White Phosphorus Serpent—"
Orochimaru's expression changed drastically, a chill running down his spine.
He already regretted provoking this opponent. Who could've guessed he would be this terrifying?
He hastily activated another secret technique. His body swelled, transforming into a colossal white snake.
This one rivaled the Yamata no Orochi in size, its body covered in countless scales—each scale a tiny white snake.
The terrifying battle resumed. Destructive power surged forth again, flattening the highland where they stood.
Half an hour later, Fugaku had destroyed Orochimaru's body multiple times.
Each time, Orochimaru resurrected, unscathed.
Fugaku tried using Fire Style to incinerate him to ashes.
But lacking ocular jutsu like Amaterasu, even his strongest fire techniques couldn't reduce Orochimaru's massive form to ashes.
As long as some part remained, Orochimaru could return.
Once again, Fugaku shattered the giant serpent's body—once again, Orochimaru revived in perfect form.
A sound like shattering glass echoed.
In the vision of both Fugaku and Orochimaru, strange cracks appeared everywhere.
The world before them began to break apart and collapse.