A New Snake In The Shinobi World-Chapter 350:

Orochimaru had not activated any special mode, yet nine Truth-Seeking Orbs hovered in a perfect arc behind him.

Clearly, he had replicated the technique of the Sage of Six Paths' two sons, forging his own Truth-Seeking Orbs through his personal power.

"These nine black spheres…"

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes.

Standing behind Orochimaru, he couldn't see the man's pupils.

But he could feel the overwhelming power radiating from those orbs.

Even without actively sensing them, the sheer pressure was undeniable.

"What the hell is this…?" Kakuzu murmured, unable to believe what he was sensing.

It was a power beyond comprehension.

Truth-Seeking Orbs were the ultimate manifestation of the complete power of the Six Paths.

They couldn't be obtained through sheer spiritual strength or raw physical might alone.

One needed both in balance and at an overwhelming level.

To generate them, a shinobi's body had to surpass even Hashirama Senju's Sage Body, and their spiritual power had to exceed that of an ordinary Rinnegan user.

Otherwise, at best, one could wield fragments of the Six Paths' power, like Nagato or Madara with the Rinnegan but never produce a single Truth-Seeking Orb.

Both Madara and Obito had created them, but only after obtaining the Ten-Tails' power.

Naruto had acquired them through the inheritance of the Nine Tailed Beasts and the Sage of Six Paths himself.

So then, what had Orochimaru done to achieve this?

There was no doubt, he had fully integrated the Rinnegan.

And yet, through his own power and technology, he had managed to conceal the ripple-patterned eyes of the Rinnegan.

A true sage body, combined with the Rinnegan, pushed him terrifyingly close to the level of the Sage of Six Paths.

And with his mastery of senjutsu and the meteor-derived energy from Hoshigakure, he had gained true Six Paths-level power.

While it wasn't on par with the Sage after he had sealed Kaguya, it was enough.

Seeing the nine black orbs manifest around Orochimaru, Yugito felt a deep unease.

"…Is he unbeatable?"

Boom!

Before she could finish her thought, a sudden force struck her like a sledgehammer, sending her flying.

Invisible attacks followed in rapid succession.

Blow after blow.

She couldn't even defend herself.

"This… what is this…?"

Boom!

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A massive surge of chakra erupted from her body.

She was preparing to unleash the Two-Tails' power to break free from Orochimaru's relentless assault—

But before she could react, her chakra abruptly vanished.

Orochimaru had already used the Flying Thunder God Technique, appearing before her in an instant.

A Truth-Seeking Orb, reshaped into a black rod, was driven straight into her abdomen.

Boom!

Yugito's eyes widened in shock.

Her chakra, both hers and the Two-Tails' was completely suppressed.

As if it had been erased from existence.

Her strength failed her.

She collapsed onto one knee, gasping for breath, clutching the ground for support.

"H-How…?"

"How can he be this fast?"

"The rumored Flying Thunder God…? But what about the invisible attacks before that?"

The surrounding Kumo shinobi were just as bewildered.

Kakuzu, too, was struggling to process what he had just witnessed.

Was this really Orochimaru's power?

Had the Jinchūriki already lost?

When did Orochimaru become this monstrous?

While Kakuzu was still piecing things together, Orochimaru crouched beside the fallen Yugito.

She tried to resist, but her body refused to move.

"Damn it…"

"I told you," Orochimaru whispered, his tone disturbingly calm, "you're no match for me."

He retracted the Truth-Seeking Orbs.

Before Yugito's strength could return, he placed a hand on her chest.

Fire Release: Heavenly Prison.

---

Kumogakure – Raikage's Office.

"What did you just say?"

The Fourth Raikage's fury was palpable.

"Yugito is missing?"

His subordinates flinched under his glare.

"S-Sir, the situation is—"

"Explain. Now."

With trembling voices, they recounted the events.

By the time they finished, the Raikage had slammed a hand onto his desk, rising to his feet.

"Bastards—all of you, with me!"

CRASH!

He shattered the office window and leaped out, dashing toward the scene at full speed.

The Jinchūriki were Kumogakure's ultimate weapons.

Normally, villages assigned elite shinobi to protect them in secret.

But Kumo was different.

The Jinchūriki had good relationships with their Tailed Beasts, and Kumogakure's warrior culture bred strength and resilience.

The Raikage had seen no reason to assign bodyguards.

But now…

He sped toward Yugito's usual training grounds, guided by several Kumo shinobi who had already begun their investigation.

"Raikage-sama!"

"What's the situation?"

"S-Sir… aside from signs of training, we've found no significant traces…"

"What?"

"Wait—there's more."

Another scout hurried over.

"Raikage-sama, we did find something unusual."

"Take me there. Now."

With a blur of movement, the Raikage and his men arrived at an open clearing.

There, next to two faint footprints, was a shallow groove in the dirt.

Inside the groove was a strange, viscous fluid.

"Raikage-sama," the scout reported, "according to our analysis… this is the secretion of a snake."

"…A snake?"

---

Land of Sound – Dense Jungle.

Two figures clad in Akatsuki's signature black cloaks moved leisurely through the forest.

Beside them slithered a massive python.

Not as large as Manda, but far larger than any normal snake.

By Ryuuchi Cave standards, it was of medium size.

Attached to the top of its head was a reinforced iron plate, with four thick chains securing Yugito to it.

Her limbs were bound at the corners, and her chakra remained completely sealed.

She could barely move.

But she was still alive.

After all, Orochimaru had only struck her abdomen.

And the power of the Truth-Seeking Orb had not detonated.

For a Jinchūriki, such injuries were far from fatal.

Kakuzu, who had remained silent for most of the journey, finally spoke.

"…I must admit, that was impressive, Orochimaru."

He glanced at the still-bound Yugito before adding, "One hit. That's all it took?"

"Hmph. Even the First Hokage couldn't have done that in my time."

Orochimaru didn't deny it.

"You're right," he said simply. "The First Hokage couldn't have done it."

Kakuzu frowned slightly.

He was an old relic.

He had fought Hashirama Senju personally.

And while the difference in power had been vast, his statement was no bluff.

Just like how a young Onoki had once faced Uchiha Madara in battle.

Even if Onoki had been terrified at the time, the fact remained, he had fought Madara.

"…With power like yours, even the leader's Rinnegan wouldn't guarantee victory against you," Kakuzu muttered.

"So tell me… why did you even join Akatsuki?"

***

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