"Such 'toug' camaraderie."

  Orochimaru chuckled as he observed Link burrowing into the ground while Nara Ensui and the two genin charged at him. It was almost ughable that his enemies weren’t trying to flee but were attempting a terattack.

  Amused, a plex emotion flickered in his heart. Even after all these years away, Konohagakure was still the same.

  But having reached this point in his journey, her the vilge nor old bonds could sway him anymore.

  "Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

  Shadow es, shuriken, kunai…

  Iris led the charge, throwing ons with unremarkable precision. Then, using an excessive amount of chakra, he created seven ht shadow es, his real body moving among them as if trying to fuse Orochimaru's perception.

  Orochimaru didn’t so much as flinch, sidestepping the projectiles effortlessly. Too slow.

  [Still, this is a bit childish...] His sharp eyes caught a glimpse of Ami hiding within the es, taking a deep breath.

  "Whoosh!"

  A massive fireball shot out, timed perfectly with Iris's release of Fire Release: Great Fireball Teique, followed by Wind Release: Great Breakthrough. The binatioiculously coordihrough training, produced a quick, fiery assault that appeared almost polished.

  Orochimaru was just about to form a seal when his body suddenly froze.

  [Using the fireball’s shadow to trap mine, huh?]

  His gaze flicked to Nara Ensui, who was binding him ih Shadow Imitation Teique.

  "Boom!"

  A e exploded.

  The enhanced fireball collided with the tree branch beh Orochimaru, shattering it into fiery debris.

  Even as splinters rained down, Orochimaru’s voice came from behind:

  "I should’ve dealt with you first..."

  Nara Ensui froze, his chest pierced effortlessly by the Kusanagi Sword.

  [We’ve caught you now… Without that sword, it’s all up to you, Link!]

  Despite the injury, Ensui shifted his hand seals. Shadows beh him morphed into Shadow Sewing Teique, ing around the Kusanagi Sword and log it in pce.

  The groued as Link surged upward, aiming for Orochimaru’s legs usih Release: Subterranean Voyage, mimig the Earth Release: Headhueique.

  But Orochimaru, as if reading their iions, gracefully disengaged. Letting go of the sword, he dodged the shadows a into the air, his timing perfect.

  Ami, quick to assess the situation, tracked Orochimaru’s trajectory and instinctively threw three shuriken into the air where she predicted he would nd.

  [Impressive coordination...]

  Orochimaru’s lips curved into a smirk. This wasn’t about clever tactics but proof that the team exhibited solid synergy and tactical a.

  For a moment, Orochimaru was more impressed by the two genin than his target, Link.

  Their resilience, psychological fortitude, and above-average foundational skills were hy. He almost wao give them each a Cursed Seal, just to see what they might bee.

  "Whoosh!"

  Link jumped into the air, his hand glowing with the Five Elements Seal.

  Though faster than Ami's projectiles, the hand wasn’t ideal for throwing. Even so, Orochimaru’s ability to tort his body allowed him to evade—but irely.

  His shadot forward, catg the glowing hand mid-air. Moving in near-perfect synization, the shadow wielded the hand like a sword and thrust it toward Orochimaru.

  Before Orochimaru could react, the glowing hand ected with his arm.

  [It worked…]

  Link exhaled as the st of his chakra ran out, his body reverting to its small, untransformed state with a faint "pop."

  The shadow was kicked away, dissipating, but Orochimaru’s face darkened. He g his arm, where the unfamiliar seal burned brightly.

  He attempted to form seals, his hands moving quickly—only for excruciating pain to explode through his fingers.

  "AAAAHHHH!"

  Orochimaru screamed as his fingers began to transfrotesquely. His thumbs turned metallic, his index fiuro wood, his middle fingers shriveled, his ring fingers charred, and his pinky fingers cracked and crumbled into ash.

  The seal’s energy fred on his arm, radiating multi-colored light. Threads of energy coiled around his wrists, spreading to his palms and backs of his hands, before vanishiirely.

  "This... is the Five Elements Seal."

  Link swallowed a Soldier Pill to replenish his strength. He grinned despite his exhaustion.

  "As the name suggests, it seals your ability to form seals. Each attempt only damages you further."

  The seal was a trump card he had been saving. Against a ninjutsu-focused enemy, it was a decisive move. Losing the ability to form hand seals severely crippled most shinobi, and Orochimaru was no exception.

  In his desperation, Orochimaru had only worsened his dition.

  "Now you ’t evesu…"

  Link’s voice dripped with satisfa as he watched the legendary Sannin’s face twist in terror and rage.

  [Who said my jutsu weren’t effective?]