Looking at the suddenly appearing Uchiha Itachi before him, Orochimaru's expression darkened.
He was very aware that he had fallen under a genjutsu.
Being directly pinned down by Uchiha Itachi's eyes in the past, rendering him almost completely powerless, was the greatest shame of Orochimaru's life.
However, that didn't mean Orochimaru's skill in genjutsu was low; in fact, he was one of the few ninja in the ninja world with a Genjutsu stat of 10.
But unfortunately, like Sarutobi Hiruzen and Yūhi Kurenai, Orochimaru represented the limit of what a mortal could achieve in genjutsu.
The reason Uchiha Itachi was rated a 10 was simply because that was the highest score possible.
So, looking at the Uchiha Itachi before him, watching his spinning Sharingan, Orochimaru felt not fear, only anger.
He realized that the mysterious person from before had returned, attacking him again with this low-level genjutsu, and yet, he had fallen for it again.
What did this mean?
It meant that a ninja with genjutsu skill not inferior to Uchiha Itachi's, at least on par with his own, was deliberately toying with him, a Sanin! When had he, Orochimaru, ever been treated like this?
Anyone who faced him had to go all out; that was the treatment a strong shinobi deserved.
Therefore, Orochimaru no longer concealed the chakra within him, releasing a surge of killing intent, forcibly disrupting Ryun's genjutsu with the flow of his chakra.
The next moment, he would attack Ryun without holding back; as for the Konoha Crush Plan, he could let Rasa take the lead afterward.
However, after he tore apart the Uchiha Itachi before him with his chakra, Itachi did not disappear but instead reappeared right in front of him.
His attack just now was like striking the water's surface; Itachi was merely the moon's reflection in the water, not vanishing because of it.
Orochimaru was slightly stunned. This wasn't the Demonic Illusion · Hell Viewing Technique?
He immediately raised his guard, and while using his chakra to assault the genjutsu again, he began attempting to form hand seals to counter the illusion before him.
What relieved him was that this time he could move; the opponent hadn't pinned him down like Uchiha Itachi had, preventing him from even forming seals.
But what Orochimaru couldn't understand was that after he formed seals and shattered the illusion before him with his chakra, the illusion reappeared even faster than before.
This time, Uchiha Itachi even moved.
"Foolish Orochimaru, still don't understand the situation? You've lost?"
Impossible!
This was absolutely impossible!
The snake-like pupils in Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with a fierce light. He directly bit the tip of his tongue, trying to dispel the genjutsu with pain.
This tactic worked; Itachi disappeared.
But then, densely packed countless Itachis appeared all around Orochimaru, dozens of Sharingan eyes fixed on him, spinning and spinning without stop.
By now, Orochimaru realized something was wrong.
This genjutsu before him did indeed resemble the Demonic Illusion · Hell Viewing Technique, but it was relentless—an upgraded and modified version of it, capable of ignoring the target's attempts to dispel the genjutsu.
So that's it!
A glint of excitement flashed in Orochimaru's pupils.
He had once aspired to learn every jutsu in the ninja world. Although achieving immortality was now his top priority, encountering a new technique still excited him.
Alright then, let's test the quality of this technique.
For now, he could form seals and try to counter this mysterious person.
Counter-genjutsu, large-scale attacks, the Substitution Technique, Summoning Jutsu—he still had many means at his disposal. He wondered how many the opponent could handle.
Just as Orochimaru was attempting to use the Demonic Illusion · Mirror Heaven and Earth Change to counter Ryun's genjutsu, Mitarashi Anko made her move.
"Anko, what are you waiting for? Move!"
Ryun's voice reached Anko's ears. Anko watched as Orochimaru shook uncontrollably, his hands forming seals but achieving nothing. Only then did she realize that Orochimaru had been completely controlled by Ryun.
Although she still didn't know how Ryun had done it, Anko knew this was indeed a good chance to kill Orochimaru.
She lunged at Orochimaru, the kunai in her hand piercing directly through his heart.
That wasn't enough. She pulled out a fragmenting kunai, jammed it into Orochimaru's mouth, drove it straight through to the back of his head, and detonated it.
Then, she backflipped away, enduring the searing pain in her palm as she performed a jutsu: Fire Release · Dragon Fire Jutsu!
A scorching stream of fire shot directly at Orochimaru, igniting his entire body. With a thunderous explosive roar and explosion, the fragmenting kunai blew Orochimaru's head to pieces.
Even so, Anko didn't stop her assault. She kept going until Orochimaru's corpse was burned down to a skeleton. Only then did she stop, pale-faced, swaying unsteadily as if she might fall from the tree.
Ryun quickly rushed over and caught her. The moment Orochimaru's head was blown apart, Ryun had already ceased his output.
He had just tested the quality of the Formless Wave, and the result lived up to its reputation as the S+ rank genjutsu he had developed himself—it could actually suppress even someone like Orochimaru.
And this was without Ryun going all out. In theory, the Formless Wave could cast not just D-rank genjutsu, but any genjutsu Ryun could understand and perform, he could release continuously.
However, Ryun also noticed a small problem: when facing an opponent like Orochimaru, who had strong genjutsu resistance and could instantly dispel low to mid-level illusions, Ryun had to maintain the Formless Wave continuously without interruption.
This was akin to the Yamanaka Clan using their mind to control an opponent, with both sides entering a phase of spiritual clash.
But this was only a minor issue.
There were many ways to solve it, such as using the Mind's Eye Mirror or Shadow Clones.
With this experimental result, Ryun felt even more confident in his own strength.
Having acquired the Yin Seal in the past, Ryun could ensure it was very difficult for him to be killed.
Later, with the Flying Thunder God Technique, Ryun could guarantee he had an escape route and wouldn't be captured.
Now, with the Formless Wave, Ryun could hold his own against any opponent.
But at this moment, Ryun also realized his own problem: his offensive power seemed a bit lacking.
Originally, this wasn't an issue, as the vast majority of people, once controlled by Ryun's genjutsu, would have only one way out: death.
Unfortunately, Ryun's future targets were all on the level of Orochimaru or even higher, like the gods. Offensive ninjutsu would have to be put on the agenda as well.
Which to start first: Untraced Release or Sage Art?
"Is he dead?"
Anko lay in Ryun's arms, her hands tightly gripping his wrist, a mix of surprise and unease in her eyes.
Ryun didn't answer directly but used the Mystical Palm Technique to heal Anko's injuries.
Only after Anko had recovered somewhat did he say, "Is a Sanin like Orochimaru so easy to kill?"
Anko bit her lip lightly and didn't reply. Instead, she jumped down from the tree and approached the location of Orochimaru's corpse from a distance.
She summoned a snake and had it turn the corpse over. Sure enough, beneath Orochimaru's body was a snake hole, clearly indicating he had shed his skin and escaped in serpent form.
This outcome was within Ryun's expectations. This guy was truly a shedding snake!
Not just in a situation like this where his head was blown off, even if his entire physical body were completely destroyed and sealed, this fellow could resurrect from the Curse Mark of Heaven on Anko.
This level of resurrection was actually similar in level to the constant reincarnation and transmigration of Asura and Indra's chakra.
Moreover, Orochimaru could even retain his own will, which showed that he had inserted himself into the operating system of the ninja world, becoming a Bug.
Unless someone on the level of the Six Paths sealed him in the future, he could probably truly live forever, immortal.
Anko stared at the snake hole, silent for a long time. Suddenly, she laughed out loud.
Ryun came to Anko's side, took her hand, and watched as she laughed, then subsequently cried. Finally, she threw herself into Ryun's arms.
"Little brother, take me home... love me."
"Okay."
Ryun smiled slightly, picked up Anko, and brought her to the large bathhouse at his home. Without even taking off their clothes, they jumped in.
Anko was passionate as fire, as if she wanted to vent all the pent-up emotions of her past, then fill herself with Ryun's love.
After the sun had set, Anko floated on the water's surface, saying contentedly, "Ah, that feels good, that feels so good. Thank you, darling."
Ryun glanced at the Curse Mark of Heaven on Anko's shoulder and asked, "What do you plan to do next? Report this matter to the Hokage?"
"What do you think?"
In the past, Anko wouldn't have discussed something like this with Ryun. She felt his strength was insufficient, and moreover, he only wanted to live as a civilian.
But now, given that Ryun could briefly suppress Orochimaru and possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique, Anko felt she was no longer a match for him.
Add to that the fact that Ryun had conquered her both physically and mentally, Anko naturally entrusted the decision on such a major matter to Ryun.
"Tell the truth. Tell the Third Hokage that you discovered traces of Orochimaru, but couldn't defeat him and he got away. As for what happens after that, it's not really something we can manage, is it?"
Anko nodded, swam over to Ryun, leaned her shoulder towards him, and said, "You must have been curious about what's on my shoulder, right? It's time I told you now."
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