Kuro activated his Sloth View ability, a skill that transformed the world into something more manageable. Time slowed, its normal rush now a gentle crawl. Every detail, every movement became exaggerated, easy to track. It was like seeing the world unfold in slow motion. He could feel the tingliion of the power building within him as the strands of fate seemed to unfurl before him. His Fht View kicked in, a plementary ability that fshed potential outes before his eyes like a series of choices in a game. Every trajectory that Orochimaru’s venomous tongue could take was id out in stark trast.

  Kuro barely o think as he seized the moment. His body was already moving, a fluid rea far beyond the speed of normal humans, guided by instind the fht he had. The moment the tongue reached him, his hand shot out like a blur, grabbing it mid-flight with enough force to halt its progress pletely. He could feel the dark energy surging through the tongue, crag against his palm, but Kuro’s grip was unyielding.

  The sensation was electrifying, like holding onto the edge of a storm. Kuro felt the power vibrating through him, but he didn’t flinch. Instead, he used the momentum of the strike to his advantage. With a swift motion, he redirected the energy. Using his enharength, he hurled Orochimaru’s entire form backward, sending him careening through the underbrush. The force of the toss surprised even Kuro, as if the power he’d just tapped into had a life of its own.

  Orochimaru flew through the air, his body twisting unnaturally as he crashed through the foliage, nding with a resounding thud amidst the tangled roots and shattered branches. For a moment, everything seemed to still—like the world had pressed pause on the chaos, giving Kuro a brief, strange moment of crity.

  He stood there, hand still outstretched, eyes focused, breathing steady. The energy in the air vibrated with a straension. Kuro wasn’t really thinking about the fight anymore—he was thinking about how easy that had been.

  What the hell was that?

  He g his hand, still feeling the strange pulse of Orochimaru’s venomous energy. It was stra felt like something from his old world, like he’d been handed a cheat code to existence. He smirked.

  Looking at Orochimaru, sprawled amidst the debris of his failed attack, Kuro allowed himself a moment to admire his handiwork. Orochimaru was a force, but right now, he looked more like a shat had been knocked bato its den. Kuro’s grin only deepened when he saw the sorcerer’s expression. There was a strange, almost relut respe those eyes.

  “You’re... different than I expected,” Orochimaru hissed from the ground, his voice a low, slithering whisper that made the hairs on Kuro’s neck stand up. The dark sorcerer slowly rose, pushing himself off the ground with a slow, deliberate motion. His eyes were still fixed on Kuro, not with the usual venomous fury, but with something else—something darker. “You’re not like the others.”

  “Yeah, I get that a lot,” Kuro muttered, not even b to take his eyes off Orochimaru as the snake-like figure started to rise. There was no fear, ation in his stance. Just boredom. "I don’t really have the time to sit around and admire your vilin speech. You’ve dohis a thousand times, right? Big dramatic pause, vilinous monologue, then we go at it again. How about we skip that part and just get to the round of this dance?”

  Orochimaru’s eyes narrowed as if weighing Kuro’s words, yet he didn’t seem angered. “You think this is a game?” he asked, his voice taking on a more measured tone.

  “No,” Kuro said, his tone almost casual. “I think this is a waste of my time. You’re not even worth the effort.”

  That seemed to hit a nerve. Orochimaru’s face twisted into an amused grin, though the malice behind it was still there. “You think I’m not worth the effort?” he repeated, clearly intrigued.

  He stretched his shoulders, preparing for whatever move Orochimaru might make . "Go ahead. Do your thing. Throw your sry to do the big reveal. I’ve seen it all before."

  Orochimaru’s grin faltered, but only slightly. His eyes flicked to the side, sidering something for a moment. Then, as if in respoo Kuro’s challenge, he lunged forward—this time, not with his tongue, but with a series of swift, precise strikes meant to overwhelm. Eaent was calcuted, the speed of his attacks a blur. It was impressive, but Kuro was ner to fast moves. His reflexes were already keyed into the rhythm.

  “Is that it?” Kuro asked zily, easily dodging the attacks with the same effortless grace that had defined his previous movements. Each step, each turn was made with precise calcution, avoiding Orochimaru’s strikes with barely a sed thought. “I mean, e on. I’ve fought worse things before breakfast. You’re like... a mid-tier vilin at best. Try harder.”

  With a sneer, Orochimaru stopped, his expression unreadable. For a moment, it seemed like the world had slowed down again. Kuro, still rexed, crossed his arms, sizing up his oppo. The enter had shifted from something teo something almost... amusing. It was clear now that this wasn’t a fight. Not yet. It was a test, a ce for Orochimaru to feel out the real extent of Kuro’s power.

  Orochimaru’s eyes never left Kuro’s as he calcuted his move, and Kuro was more than happy to wait, hands in his pockets. The frontation wasn’t over—but the oute seemed less and less in doubt with every passing sed.

  However, Kuro knows that, Orochimaru is strong, he was just pying with Kuro until now. But before the tensioween Kuro and Orochimaru could escate into an all-out battle, something shifted imosphere. A subtle, almost imperceptible disturbahat Kuro sensed immediately. The air around him crackled with a new presence—. Orochimaru, for the briefest moment, looked away, his attention momentarily diverted. Kuro’s gaze followed, but he didn’t see a wasn’t long before Orochimaru’s gaze snapped back to Kuro, his smirk flickering for a moment before it returo its usual predatory form.