Uchiha's Taijutsu Supreme

Land of Hot Springs~

Orochimaru's face was cold and stern, his eyes radiating a chilling killing intent.

These past few days had been exceptionally frustrating for him.

After nearly a year of painstaking effort, he had established a stronghold akin to a small city. Yet, all of it was annihilated in a devastating aerial bombardment.

Now, Orochimaru and his band of rogue Mist shinobi were forced to huddle in a hastily constructed underground bunker just to catch a fleeting breath of respite.

For someone who prided himself as a pioneer of science within the shinobi world, this was the first time Orochimaru had truly experienced the combined might of science and ninjutsu—a fusion that had utterly thrashed him.

The shinobi attacking them wielded tools that enabled unrestricted flight through the skies and even boasted an immense airborne fortress.

The attackers displayed a level of industrial sophistication that seemed almost surreal.

With unparalleled air supremacy, they relied on chakra-enhanced firearms to suppress Orochimaru, leaving him struggling to retaliate.

But Orochimaru was at a loss. With the current ninjutsu at his disposal, he had no effective countermeasures against these aerial threats, and his attempts at resistance remained pitifully passive.

"Lord Orochimaru," a female shinobi with a cold, striking appearance knelt on one knee and reported, "the morale among our comrades has been low recently. Should we take action to address it?"

Orochimaru shook his head, stepped forward to help her up, and replied, "No need to kneel every time. This isn't the Mist Village; we don't do that here. Focus on completing the tasks I've assigned you. Leave the rest to me."

The female shinobi pressed her lips together, stubbornly meeting Orochimaru's gaze.

Her voice was resolute, "Lord Orochimaru, I have the ability to ambush these damned invaders.Please allow me to do something to help!"

"If I channel all my strength into creating a sufficiently large barrier, I might be able to disrupt their formations and give us a chance to counterattack."

This kunoichi, named Guren, was a former rogue shinobi of the Mist recruited by Orochimaru. She possessed the rare Crystal Release kekkei genkai.

In another timeline, she had already been absorbed into Orochimaru's forces in Otogakure, even becoming one of his potential vessels for reincarnation.

Orochimaru considered her proposal briefly before waving it off.

"With your current barriers, you won't be able to contain enemies who can move freely in the air. It would drain your chakra unnecessarily and only exhaust your potential."

"I already have a solution. If all goes well, reinforcements will arrive tonight. That will be our true trump card."

Guren hesitated momentarily, then nodded and left the room after bowing deeply.

As she exited, Nawaki entered, smiling as he addressed Orochimaru, "Sensei, is my brother-in-law coming? I haven't seen him in ages…"

Orochimaru sighed in exasperation at Nawaki's enthusiasm.

"If I had another choice, I wouldn't bother Fuma-kun. But given our current situation, we need his intervention."

"Even without these infuriating flying shinobi, the situation with the Kaguya clan isn't promising. Those battle-crazed bone-wielders seem intent on wiping us out…"

"To fully infiltrate and destabilize the Mist Village, we'll need to ignite the flames with brute force—and that's Fuma-kun's specialty. I'm merely a researcher. Let the professionals handle the fighting."

Nawaki sneered, his words uncharacteristically cold.

"Whether it's those brainless Kaguya or this rotten Mist Village, both disgust me. If you and Fuma were in charge, this place would be far better off than under that Third Mizukage. It's time to liberate them."

Orochimaru chuckled, patting Nawaki's head in approval. His student's transformation was deeply gratifying.

When Nawaki first arrived, his naive kindness had nearly cost him his leg in an enemy ambush and dragged Orochimaru into danger as well.

But after witnessing the Mist Village's internal purges, Nawaki had come face-to-face with the darkness of human nature.

Shinobi of the same village betrayed and assassinated one another over trivial mission rewards. Rare kekkei genkai users were relentlessly hunted by the Third Mizukage's Anbu for the slightest deviation in behavior.

Many rogue Mist shinobi, desperate to survive, sought refuge under Orochimaru—not because he wasn't suspicious, but because he offered a semblance of stability.

As the proud heir of the Senju, Nawaki had grown up in the prosperous and idealistic Leaf Village. However, his experiences in the Mist had hardened him, instilling the cold pragmatism of a mature shinobi.

Seeing this shift, Orochimaru decided to share his plans to seize control of the Mist Village with Nawaki, earning his student's full support.

Nawaki understood the gravity of this plan—toppling one of the Five Great Villages wasn't something the Third Hokage would condone.

But his time in the Mist had taught him that survival demanded loyalty to the strongest, not abstract ideals like the Will of Fire.

Just as Orochimaru and Nawaki were discussing their plans, Fuma and his team finally arrived.

"Thanks for all your hard work, old friend!" Fuma greeted Orochimaru with a hearty hug.

After all, Orochimaru had left behind his roots in the Leaf to help Fuma establish a foothold in the Mist. He was the perfect partner in crime.

Orochimaru visibly relaxed at the sight of Fuma.

"Fuma-kun, now that you're here, we can finally launch a counterattack. These invaders have been giving me quite the headache…"

Nawaki, meanwhile, glanced enviously at Minato and Kushina. His emotions were mixed.

During the last war, he had already experienced the overwhelming power of the Flying Thunder God Technique and Minato's sensory abilities. But now, as he stood in this new shelter—equipped with barriers designed to block detection—he couldn't help but feel inadequate.

Orochimaru had only recently planned to inform Fuma about the location of their new base. Yet here they were, as if the barriers hadn't existed at all.

"Sigh… As a Senju, I've failed to awaken Wood Release. At this rate, the gap between Minato, Kushina, and me will only grow wider…"

Nawaki sighed inwardly, recalling something Orochimaru had mentioned about an experiment.

"If I transplant Grandfather's cells, I might awaken Wood Release. Sensei mentioned that he already succeeded with one child…"

Before he could dwell further, a sudden explosion shook the ground, interrupting his thoughts.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The violent bombardment continued, and Orochimaru turned to Fuma with a grave expression.

"Fuma-kun, you're about to witness a brand-new shinobi combat system. Stay vigilant!"

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