Wanting to seize the initiative, Orochimaru struck first.
"Jahebi Arm Explosion!"
He summoned several giant snakes, their bodies twisting as they lunged rapidly toward Yosuke.
When the snakes reached Yosuke, Orochimaru hissed, "Explode!"
The snakes detonated on command, kicking up a violent cloud of dust and debris.
Before the dust could settle, Orochimaru launched another attack.
"Ten Thousand Serpents Formation!"
Countless venomous snakes poured from Orochimaru's mouth, writhing toward the dust cloud.
For a while, only the sound of slithering and hissing could be heard.
Just as Orochimaru tried to gauge Yosuke's reaction, Yosuke's voice echoed from within the dust.
"Blood Demon Art: Blood Castle!"
Instantly, the ground beneath both Yosuke and Orochimaru was soaked in blood.
The swarm of serpents Orochimaru unleashed fell silent.
As the haze gradually dispersed, Yosuke—who had taken Orochimaru's barrage head-on—floated unscathed above the ground, staring coldly at him.
Feeling the crushing pressure of Yosuke's killing intent and knowing he was outmatched, Orochimaru turned to flee.
But Yosuke's voice followed him like a death sentence:
"Breath of Blood—Third Form: Tempest Flame Blood Blades!"
Blood coiled around the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi in Yosuke's hand, flaring like crimson fire as he unleashed several flying arcs of blood-forged blades.
"Summoning: Double Rashomon!"
Orochimaru quickly spun around, forming hand seals and summoning two massive Rashomon gates carved with demonic faces.
The instant Yosuke's blood blades struck the first gate, it was obliterated.
The second gate warped grotesquely under the force, barely holding against the attack.
But before Orochimaru could even catch his breath, Yosuke's next strike was already upon him.
"Breath of Blood—Fifth Form: Blood Flash!"
Harnessing overwhelming speed, Yosuke shattered the already-crumbling second Rashomon and appeared before Orochimaru in an instant.
In Orochimaru's disbelieving eyes, Yosuke's blade fell without a moment's hesitation.
At the final split second, Orochimaru managed to shift his body back by a single step, narrowly avoiding being cleaved in two.
Even so, his body suffered catastrophic damage. His life force drained rapidly—then vanished altogether.
Orochimaru fell, unable to rise again.
Just as Yosuke prepared to rush toward the Nine-Tails' battlefield, he sensed something strange—Orochimaru, who should've been dead, suddenly regained vitality.
From Orochimaru's mouth emerged a pair of hands, wrenching his jaw open to its limits.
Then, like a snake shedding its skin, a slimy, newly-formed Orochimaru crawled out of his own mouth.
"That was truly dangerous… I nearly died."
Though his Living Corpse Reincarnation technique was incomplete, Orochimaru had already modified his body extensively.
But using the Orochi-style Body Replacement in his current state left him extremely weak. He had to escape Yosuke immediately.
Just as Orochimaru prepared to transform into the White-Scaled Great Serpent and split into countless white snakes to flee—
A pale figure burst out from the darkness and violently forced itself into Orochimaru's mouth.
It was the Priest Master, who had been lurking all along.
Though his appearance had become strangely warped, Yosuke could still recognize from his features that this white figure was the Priest Master.
What baffled Yosuke was that the Priest Master emitted no presence at all.
Every living thing had its own distinct aura—only the dead lacked one.
If Yosuke closed his eyes, he wouldn't even sense the Priest Master standing right before him.
The weakened Orochimaru was successfully parasitized.
Orochimaru clutched his head, rolling in agony.
"Who—who's inside my body?! Get out!!"
Inside his mind, the Priest Master's voice echoed:
"I am the Priest Master. Now you and I share life and death. Do not resist me. I will forcibly control your body for now—otherwise, you won't survive against Ubuyashiki Yosuke."
Yosuke reacted instantly. His entire purpose for coming to this world was the Priest Master—he would not let this opportunity slip by.
"Breath of Blood—Fifth Form: Blood Flash!"
Sword in hand, Yosuke dashed toward the possessed Orochimaru at blinding speed.
The Priest Master barely escaped, sacrificing an entire arm to create distance.
He glared hatefully at Yosuke.
"Ubuyashiki Yosuke… wait for me. I will tear you into a thousand pieces!"
Orochimaru's body transformed into a massive serpent made of countless white snakes—and then detonated.
The innumerable snakes scattered in all directions.
Yosuke expanded his Blood Domain, slaughtering the serpents one after another.
But their numbers were overwhelming, and with the Priest Master's ability to perfectly hide his presence, Yosuke had no way to know whether even one snake had slipped past him. All he could do was eliminate every serpent within sight.
Moments later, the ground was covered in serpent corpses.
Yosuke knew the truth:
The Priest Master had escaped.
As unwilling as he was, he had no choice but to abandon the chase.
The Nine-Tails had already entered Konoha—he had to go. He had to at least save Asuma, Hayate, and Itachi.
As Yosuke dispelled the Blood Domain and flew toward the Nine-Tails—
One of the "dead" white snake corpses twitched.
Its lifeless jaws opened mechanically, and another white snake crawled out from inside.
The new snake rapidly swelled in size. After becoming a giant serpent, "Orochimaru" cut open its abdomen and climbed out.
Black Zetsu—who had been secretly observing—finally emerged and approached "Orochimaru," chuckling darkly.
"Priest Master, you chose Orochimaru's body because of his impressive survival ability, didn't you?"
"That is only part of it. Most importantly… Orochimaru's abilities suit me well. Zetsu, from now on, I will remain hidden within Orochimaru's body. If you need me, speak to him—whatever he knows, I know."
Zetsu asked skeptically, "You're not going to destroy his soul and fully take over his body?"
"No. I understand now—one person's power is limited. Ubuyashiki Yosuke is strong not only because of his own power, but because of those he trained.
So I too will cultivate my own proxy. And Orochimaru… is the one I have chosen."
Zetsu snickered inwardly—so the Priest Master feared Yosuke and wanted a puppet.
But he still said with mock sincerity:
"Then congratulations… you've found a vessel that pleases you."
"For now, let's separate. Continue carrying out the plan exactly as arranged."
With those words, the Priest Master controlled Orochimaru's body and sank into the earth.
Please drop some power stones support me at my
PS: Access the complete/finished chapters/series at Patreon: NanamiTL