UCHIHA KING OF THE SOULS

Approval

After speaking, Gen Uchiha leaped back, forming a Tiger hand seal in mid-air. As his feet touched the ground, the seal was completed.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

His chest swelled as he took a deep breath, and a massive, golden-orange fireball erupted from his mouth. With a diameter of over three meters, the scorching sphere rolled forward, distorting the air with its intense heat.

Orochimaru, unfazed, drew the Kusanagi Sword from his throat. As the blade extended, it gleamed with a faint blue chakra, slicing downward in an instant.

The fireball split cleanly in two, its blazing form dispersing. The Kusanagi continued extending, forcing Gen Uchiha to dodge, cutting off his ability to sustain the technique. The dissipated flames licked past Orochimaru, but he stood motionless, retracting the sword back into his mouth with unsettling composure.

The gap between a Kage-level shinobi and a Jōnin was enormous. Even among the elite Uchiha, Gen's power was insignificant in Orochimaru's eyes.

"Hmm?"

Orochimaru's expression shifted as he sensed something. He leaped back swiftly—just as a pair of hands burst from the ground beneath him.

Gen Uchiha lunged from underground, sending three shuriken spinning toward Orochimaru mid-motion.

Orochimaru, airborne, had no foothold to evade traditionally. Yet his inhuman flexibility allowed him to twist his waist at an unnatural angle, dodging all three projectiles with eerie ease.

But those shuriken weren't meant to hit.

They were a distraction.

To ordinary shinobi, they appeared to be controlled by wires, but Orochimaru—whose senses were honed to near-perfection—immediately saw through the deception.

The two Gen Uchiha now stood side by side, both forming hand seals.

"Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku!"

"Fūton: Daitoppa!"

As wind chakra amplified the fire release, a colossal golden-orange blaze surged forward, forming a tsunami of flames. Though only a third the scale of Madara Uchiha's, Gen's version burned hotter.

Unlike most Uchiha who focused on size, Gen had refined his fire chakra to push its temperature to the extreme.

Flames of different colors had distinct heat levels:

Dark red flame – 600°C

Crimson flame – 700°C

Orange-red flame – 1000°C

Pure orange flame – 1100°C

Golden-orange flame – 1200°C

Golden flame – 1300°C

Golden-white flame – 1400°C

Pure white flame – 1500°C

The scorching wave roared toward Orochimaru, making even him hesitate.

Water Release wouldn't suffice. Wind or Lightning Release weren't viable counters either. Earth Release could provide resistance, but the sheer heat would still scorch through.

A Sannin couldn't afford to look overwhelmed.

Orochimaru crouched, bit his thumb, and slammed his hands into the ground. Black seals spread across the dirt.

"Kuchiyose: Rashōmon!"

The ground shook violently as a massive demonic-faced gate emerged, its towering form swallowing the flames.

When the inferno finally died down, Rashōmon crumbled into white smoke. The training ground was left charred and barren, once-green grass reduced to ash.

"Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu!"

A powerful wind net surged forward, clearing the smoke, but—Orochimaru was gone.

The net sliced through nearby trees, leaving deep, interwoven cuts on their trunks.

"If he's not in the open, then..."

Both Gen and his shadow clone immediately repositioned.

Beneath them, the ground quivered subtly. Something was coming.

Suddenly, the earth erupted, and dozens of giant serpents—some green, some black, some brown—burst forth, their massive bodies coiling and striking from all directions.

The distraction had worked.

Orochimaru had vanished underground, using the Hiding Like a Mole Jutsu to prepare another attack.

"Katon: Haisekishō!"

Simultaneously, Gen and his clone spewed a dense cloud of burning ash, the particles spreading across the battlefield like a rolling storm of embers.

Hissss!

The serpents screeched in agony, thrashing wildly as the superheated ash burned their scales. One by one, they burst into white smoke, dismissed from existence.

Hidden in the shadows, Orochimaru smirked.

"Even the Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning... impressive."

This technique wasn't just raw flames; it cloaked the battlefield in burning dust, masking Gen's body heat and chakra signature. Even with sensory perception via his snakes, Orochimaru couldn't pinpoint Gen's exact location.

A true counter to his sneak attacks.

Still, brute force had its uses.

"Fūton: Daitoppa!"

A torrent of wind chakra erupted from Orochimaru's mouth, sweeping across the battlefield. Even trained shinobi would struggle to remain upright in the hurricane-like force.

Sand, embers, and burning dust were instantly dispersed.

The field was empty.

Orochimaru stood tall, his golden eyes scanning the now-clear terrain.

"That's enough. Come out—I acknowledge you."

A moment of silence.

Then—two figures emerged.

One rose from the dirt. The other dropped from the trees at the battlefield's edge.

"Hoho... Camouflage Concealment Jutsu too? You've learned quite a bit."

Orochimaru's pale lips curved slightly, his voice smooth yet intrigued.

"Even without the Sharingan, your mastery of Fire, Wind, and Earth Release is remarkable. Among the Uchiha, you would still be considered a prodigy."

He studied Gen for a long moment. His potential was clear. Though not yet at the Kage-level threshold, his talent was undeniable.

He was still young. His skills—his flames—would only grow stronger.

A few more years, a bit of guidance, and…

A smirk curled on Orochimaru's lips.

A disciple like this... could be quite useful.

BOOM!

The Gen Uchiha standing on the battlefield vanished in a puff of white smoke—a shadow clone!

From the dissipating smoke, two paper slips fluttered down.

Explosive tags.

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.

Not bad.

A short distance away, the real Gen Uchiha sighed, a faint pallor to his face.

He wasn't injured, just drained.

"Compared to you, Orochimaru-sensei, my knowledge of jutsu is still far too lacking."

With a practiced motion, he retrieved the detonating tags, slipping them back into his pouch.

"These are expensive, after all."

Orochimaru chuckled softly, his pale fingers tapping against his sleeve.

"Hoho... You still have much to learn, indeed."

But perhaps, under my guidance... that can change."