"Whoa..."
The Sunagakure ninja stood dumbstruck, their eyes wide as they stared at the drastic transformation of the landscape before them.
The once lush, verdant forest had vanished entirely, replaced by an expanse of golden desert. Only faint traces of green could be seen, buried beneath the sand.
In times of war, the large-scale destructive power of Magnet Release techniques always left a profound impact.
"Lord Sōmi is truly remarkable..." murmured a young Sunagakure ninja, swallowing hard.
"The power of Lord Sōmi's Magnet Release might even surpass that of Lord Rasa!"
"And his Chakra reserves are immense..."
The Sunagakure ninja couldn't help but voice their awe and admiration.
However, Sōmi's expression remained tense. His sensory perception told him that only about ten Konoha ninja had perished in the golden sand cascade.
About fifty meters ahead of Sōmi, the golden sand suddenly burst apart, and Orochimaru emerged from beneath the surface.
His clothes were spotless, save for a few traces of some viscous, unidentified liquid. He scanned his surroundings briefly before turning to Sōmi.
"Impressive..." Orochimaru remarked with a faint smile.
Sōmi, however, didn't bother responding. He knew that with someone like Orochimaru, words were meaningless unless he could first demonstrate his strength and unique value.
"Charge!"
Raising his arm, Sōmi shouted the command and then led the charge himself, gripping the Starfall Rod tightly as he rushed toward Orochimaru.
The Sunagakure ninja, inspired by the sheer destructive power of Sōmi's technique, roared with renewed morale and surged toward the Kikyō Mountain defensive line.
Of course, they deliberately avoided Orochimaru's position. His fearsome reputation was well-known, and none of them dared to confront him directly.
Seeing that Sōmi could hold his own against Orochimaru, they finally set aside their concerns and focused on the battle ahead.
Sōmi spun his body mid-air, gripping the Starfall Rod with both hands. Leaping high, he brought the rod down toward Orochimaru like a mountain crashing from the heavens.
Clang!
Orochimaru raised his Kusanagi Sword to block, producing a crisp metallic clang.
But with a subtle flick of his wrist, Orochimaru angled the blade slightly to the right, redirecting the force of the Starfall Rod while chipping away a small fragment of its surface.
Sōmi's expression remained unchanged, showing no sign of distress over the damage to his weapon. He had no intention of engaging Orochimaru in a drawn-out battle. After all, aside from himself, no other Sunagakure ninja could last more than a few exchanges against Orochimaru.
Encountering Orochimaru here wasn't entirely a bad thing. It gave Sōmi the chance to showcase his power and potentially discuss future collaboration.
As for capturing Orochimaru and coercing him into cooperation—Sōmi didn't even entertain the thought.
While Orochimaru's strength might not be at the pinnacle, his ability to escape death was second to none. After all, he was the only one bold enough to exploit loopholes in the Reaper Death Seal...
The two clashed repeatedly, the sound of their weapons ringing out like a relentless symphony.
With each strike, tiny fragments of metal scattered to the ground. A closer look revealed that the Starfall Rod in Sōmi's hands had accumulated several noticeable dents.
Seizing an opening, Sōmi released his left hand from the rod and formed a gripping motion in the air.
Suddenly, several golden sand arms shot up from the ground beneath Orochimaru, catching him off guard and binding his legs tightly.
Gripping the Starfall Rod with both hands, Sōmi swung it forward with all his might.
Boom!
Accompanied by a whistling sound as it cut through the air, the rod struck Orochimaru, sending him flying.
But Sōmi didn't stop there. Planting the Starfall Rod into the ground beside him, he clasped his hands together in a seal.
Crash!
Two massive, intricately refined golden sand arms rose from the ground. Crossing at the wrists, they clamped down on Orochimaru, trapping him within their gleaming grasp.
The golden arms sparkled brilliantly under the sunlight, as if they were forged from pure gold—a display of opulence and overwhelming power.
Sōmi's hands continued to move, forming new seals.
Beneath the golden arms, a massive vortex of golden sand began to swirl rapidly, forming a funnel shape.
The golden arms, still holding Orochimaru tightly, slowly descended into the vortex.
The swirling sands formed a deep funnel, and Sōmi pulled the Starfall Rod from the ground, hurling it into the center of the vortex.
The rod landed precisely at the vortex's core, standing upright like a stabilizing pillar.
Sōmi changed his hand seals again. Black runic markings began to appear on the surface of the Starfall Rod, spreading rapidly.
The runes detached from the rod, some climbing across the ground, others sinking into the earth.
In an instant, the surface of the vortex became covered with dense, interwoven runic patterns, forming a seamless web.
"Sealing Technique: Rebellion's Funeral!"
Sōmi exhaled heavily after completing the technique, his forehead glistening with sweat.
This was the most powerful attack he could currently muster—a combination of Magnet Release and sealing techniques.
Sōmi was confident that even Orochimaru would find it difficult to endure such an assault. As for eliminating Orochimaru entirely... Sōmi had never entertained such a notion.
Taking advantage of the brief respite, Sōmi turned his gaze toward the battlefield ahead.
The Sunagakure ninja had already reached Konohagakure's defensive line, and a myriad of ninjutsu techniques lit up the battlefield like fireworks.
After observing for a moment, Sōmi noticed that Sunagakure seemed to have the upper hand, pushing back the Konoha ninja.
However, this was enemy territory, and it was possible that Konoha had a strategy to lure them deeper into a trap.
Of course, this was also because Konoha's main forces weren't stationed in this direction. If Minato Namikaze were here, Sōmi wouldn't dare launch an attack, no matter what.
After all, having been given a second chance at life, Sōmi wasn't about to throw it away recklessly.
The Wind Shadow must have received reliable intelligence before sending Sōmi to attack this direction.
Crack!
Just as Sōmi's thoughts began to wander, a sound came from the wide sand vortex ahead.
The sealing runes at the vortex's center suddenly shattered, followed by a loud bang as the Starfall Rod at the sealing node exploded from the force beneath it.
The rod was sent flying through the air, spinning as it soared. With a single gesture, Sōmi controlled a thin stream of golden sand to catch the rod and bring it back to his hand.
Sōmi frowned slightly. He hadn't expected the sealing technique to be broken so quickly. Even at this stage, Orochimaru's mastery of sealing techniques surpassed his own.
He ran his fingers over the Starfall Rod, sensing that its remaining Chakra reserves were less than thirty percent.
But now was no time to conserve Chakra. If Orochimaru managed to recover, the tables would turn against him.
Determined, Sōmi's eyes glinted with resolve. He had no habit of waiting idly for his enemies to regain their strength.
Holding the Starfall Rod horizontally with both thumbs and index fingers, Sōmi used the rod's remaining Chakra as a guide to prepare for another ninjutsu.
After all, the primary function of a ninja tool was to help conserve Chakra while amplifying the power of techniques.
Weapons like the Thunder Swords "Kiba" allowed users to perform ninjutsu without hand seals. When combined with seals, the jutsu's power would increase even further.
This was the significance of hand seals. Otherwise, someone like Kisame, who preferred to follow proper procedures, wouldn't be so fond of using them.
As for someone like Hashirama, who could clap his hands and summon whatever he desired, that was purely an exception—his mastery had surpassed the need for additional seals to enhance his techniques.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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