Outside the mist, Uchiha Tonan's three flicker clones had completed making hand signs.
Senjutsu – Spiraling Pressure.
Senjutsu – Great Dragon Flame Technique.
Senjutsu – Flooding Dust Technique.
In the distance, Sarutobi Hiruzen led a group of Anbu members, carefully searching for Orochimaru's traces. Hiruzen was a little absent-minded when he asked, "Have you found Tonan?"
"Hokage-sama, nothing on this side."
"There is no trace on this side as well."
Several Anbu members, who had returned from searching in the distance, came to Hiruzen and reported their findings. Suddenly, an Anbu member pointed into the distance and exclaimed, "Hokage-sama, look over there."
Prompted by him, everyone raised their heads and looked in the direction where he had pointed. There was a momentary surprise in Hiruzen's eyes. He immediately jumped to the top of a tree and looked into the distance. He saw a red light blooming in the distance.
A huge fire dragon had flown out from the forest below, and it circled in the sky, lighting up everything. Not far from the fire dragon, yellow sand covered the sky, and also enveloped the ground, starting to rotate rapidly around a certain area.
After a few seconds, a yellow tornado was formed that violently swept everything on the ground. The trees nearby were uprooted, and even the surface of the ground was scraped off. The fire light shone on the yellow tornado, making it look like a doomsday scene.
Hiruzen looked at this and Tonan's image flashed through his mind. He whispered, "This is... compound ninjutsu..."
In the next moment, the fire dragon seemed to raise its head and roar. Then, it dived into the yellow tornado. Instantly, the world brightened. The shockwave from the explosion spread in all directions, flattening the surrounding forest.
A few seconds later...
Boom!
An earth-shaking explosion was followed by the roar of a powerful gust of wind. It was so fierce that everyone had to bend down and grab hold of a tree trunk. Despite this, some people were still suspended in midair because of the strong wind and were unable to keep holding on to the tree trunks.
Crack...
Crack...
The wind wreaked havoc like a ferocious tiger. Trees couldn't withstand its impact being either uprooted or breaking off. It took a while for the explosion's aftermath to dissipate. Many towering trees had collapsed. Barring Hiruzen, everyone else was in dire straits.
Hiruzen squinted his eyes and rushed toward the battlefield. At the center, there was a big crater with a diameter of several miles.
Outside the crater, there were fallen, burning trees, and the fire continued to spread outward. The flying sparks and the thick smoke were drifting toward the sky.
When Hiruzen had just arrived at the periphery, he saw Tonan walking out of the sea of fire with the Kusanagi Sword in his hand. The burning flames became his backdrop, making his face glow red.
"Tonan, what about Orochimaru?"
Tonan adjusted his glasses and gently said, "Orochimaru-sama would rather die than come back with me. So, I used my strongest trump card. This is the compound ninjutsu you taught me, sensei. Judging by the power, Orochimaru-sama should be dead."
Hiruzen remained silent for a while. He then sighed, "Tonan, you've worked hard. Everything was Orochimaru's fault in this case. Even if he dies, no one can blame you. You were just avenging the dead villagers."
Hiruzen lowered his head. Orochimaru, after all, had been his student for many years, but now that his ending was like this, he felt a little uncomfortable. Suddenly, Hiruzen noticed the battle spot. From the beginning to the end that Tonan fought with Orochimaru, he appeared to have restrained him in the middle.
In other words, even if Hiruzen hadn't intervened, Orochimaru was very likely to die in Tonan's hands. Moreover, the might of the compound ninjutsu was greater than what even he could display.
'Has my little student grown to a level comparable to a sannin? Isn't this talent a bit too scary?' Hiruzen knew that Tonan's talent was very high but he had never imagined him to be so strong when going all out. This progress was unbelievable.
He stared at Tonan and asked, "Tonan, I didn't expect you'd be able to defeat Orochimaru alone. How did you do it?"
Tonan made a sad face, "It's all thanks to the desperate help of the Uchiha clan members. They all were not only jonin with three tomoe Sharingan, but they were also a few who accepted the will of fire. But the result... they were all killed by Orochimaru trying to avenge the villagers."
"If it weren't for them, I might not be able to hold on until you arrived, sensei. Right now, thanks to your deterrence, Orochimaru didn't notice I was lying in ambush. That gave me a chance to launch a surprise attack and cut off his hand. Moreover, he was focused on running away and didn't dare use large-scale ninjutsu like the Eight-Headed Serpent."
After listening to Tonan's explanation, Hiruzen nodded in understanding.
That... made sense.
Although Orochimaru is one of the sannin, he is not invincible. After fighting against more than a dozen Uchihas with three tomoe Sharingan, he must have exhausted his cards. After all, when Hiruzen arrived, Orochimaru had already been forced to use a forbidden technique like the Eight-Headed Serpent.
Moreover, when he was running away, he was a bit careless, and Tonan's surprise attack cut off his arm. Tonan would be able to kill him with his strength greatly reduced.
However, did Orochimaru truly die?
Hiruzen didn't dare assume. After all, this student of his had the most life-saving means among all his disciples. Even he knew just a part of it.
Hiruzen sighed and stared at the Kusanagi Sword in Tonan's hand, "What had to happen has happened, Tonan. Don't be sad. The people from your clan sacrificed their lives for the village. I'll give pensions to their families according to the rule."
"Many thanks, sensei."
Tonan had his head lowered from beginning to end. He looked lost and never met Hiruzen's gaze. Hiruzen wanted to ask him to hand over the Kusanagi Sword but he felt it was a bit inappropriate to ask for it at this time.
Thinking about it, Tonan was his student, and the Kusanagi Sword was Tonan's war spoils. If he asked for it, it would affect his image in Tonan's heart. In the end, he hesitated for a bit but still sighed, "Let's return to the village. Leave the Anbu to deal with the matter here."