Chapter 166:
Boom!
In a canyon over ten kilometers outside Konoha, a dense forest of towering trees shook violently as a massive explosion echoed through the night. The shockwave uprooted trees and tore the landscape apart, scattering debris in all directions.
As the dust settled, silence returned to the canyon, broken only by the sound of rustling leaves. Standing amidst the destruction was a towering spectral warrior, ghostly and menacing, like something out of a nightmare.
The warrior, made entirely of chakra, stood on two legs and was shrouded in eerie white armor. In its hand was an unconventional weapon, a chakra-formed rocket launcher. And in front of it, slumped and wounded, lay the massive, bruised form of a purple-striped python.
Though the ghostly warrior, Susanoo, was dwarfed by Manda's sheer size, the mighty snake's golden eyes held a flicker of fear as he gazed upon it. For the first time, Manda had been thoroughly overpowered in battle, and by his own summoner no less.
Staring at Orochimaru, who stood calmly with his hands in his pockets, Manda struggled to process what had just happened.
"You… boy… How can you wield such power?"
As one of the most formidable creatures of Ryuchi Cave, Manda prided himself on his strength. This was the first time he'd been brought to heel—and by a human, no less. Throughout the fight, Orochimaru had unleashed relentless attacks, blending powerful elemental ninjutsu with massive trees that seemed to spring to life, restricting Manda's movements. But worst of all was the white Susanoo warrior, whose chakra weapon had delivered blow after devastating blow.
Orochimaru's scarlet eyes gleamed with the twisted pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan. Looking up at his own white Susanoo, which was vastly different from the Uchiha Susanoo he remembered, he smiled slightly. "There's no need to worry about the details, Manda. All that matters is that I won, wouldn't you agree?"