After a full day and a half of travel, Uchiha Hikaru was finally nearing the eastern border.
He was now only a few dozen miles away from the battlefield.
At that moment, on the front lines, Orochimaru and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, were leading 5,000 Konoha reinforcements in a fierce clash against Kirigakure's forces.
Despite Fuguki Suikazan commanding only 3,000 Mist shinobi, their sheer ferocity made them deadly.
Facing them from the front were Orochimaru and Hiruzen, bolstered by the terrifying summoned beast—Manda the Great Snake. From behind came the Konoha reinforcements.
Outnumbered and surrounded, the Mist shinobi didn't hesitate.
Forget the monster in front—we can't beat him. But the troops behind? Softer targets.
We're probably going to die anyway. Might as well drag some bastards down with us!
With that mindset, the Mist shinobi launched a desperate assault on the reinforcements. And somehow, it worked.
At the very least, they could trade one life for one life.
Three kilometers away in the dense jungle, though Mei Terumi had yet to give the order to attack, the 7,000-strong Kirigakure force had reached its breaking point.
A Jonin in Kirigakure combat gear drew the sword slung across his back, his eyes wild.
"That cowardly bitch, Mei Terumi! Why hasn't she ordered us to attack yet?!"
Enraged, he stormed into Yagura's command tent, several Chunin trailing behind him. They all knelt halfway before the Mizukage.
"Mizukage-sama!"
"Mei Terumi is still stalling! Do we attack or not?!"
The stench of blood and burning chakra from the battlefield had reached the shoreline, stirring their bloodlust.
Yagura, blank-faced and ice-cold, spoke only two words.
"Attack."
"Yes, sir!"
The Jonin's face contorted into a savage grin.
He turned and stormed out of the tent, waving his sword above his head and shouting to the troops.
"The Mizukage orders us to attack!"
"Kill them all!"
The moment those words rang out, the camp exploded into chaos.
More than half the shinobi immediately drew their blades and strange, cruel-looking tools.
These were the products of the Blood Mist era.
They had killed their own classmates just to graduate from the academy.
Murder had seeped into their bones from a young age.
Bloodlust burned in their eyes—bloodshot, twisted, addicted.
The scent of death only intensified their frenzy, and Yagura's order hit their ears like a devil's whisper.
More than half of the 7,000 Mist shinobi surged forward, charging through the forest toward the rear of Orochimaru and Hiruzen's forces.
Back at the main camp, Mei Terumi and Ao's expressions changed the instant they sensed the movement.
"Damn it!"
"They went ahead and gave the order!"
"Ao! Go! We still have time!"
The remaining 3,000 or so shinobi were loyal to Mei Terumi. They believed in her leadership and held out hope that she would soon become the Fifth Mizukage.
As for Yagura—between the bloodline purges and the brutality of the Blood Mist years—he had lost their trust long ago.
They had no faith in him anymore.
Some had only joined the war effort to avoid being branded traitors.
On the battlefield, three miles was a matter of mere minutes.
As the overwhelming chakra signatures surged from behind, Orochimaru's expression darkened.
"They're deploying another wave so soon…"
"Is there someone in Kirigakure who understands my tactics this well?"
He pondered whether a new military genius had emerged in the Mist Village—but there was no time for analysis.
The battlefield had fractured into four clear segments:
Nearly 4,000 Kirigakure shinobi;
Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and just over 200 Konoha ninja;
Fuguki Suikazan and about 3,000 more Mist-nin;
And the 5,000-strong Konoha reinforcements.
Orochimaru's unit was caught in the most perilous position—between the jaws of a pincer attack.
Without hesitation, Orochimaru summoned four additional giant snakes.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a hiss, the serpents emerged, towering and fierce.
"Everyone, mount the snakes immediately!" he commanded.
Though confused, the Konoha shinobi didn't hesitate.
Orochimaru's battlefield reputation from the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars spoke for itself.
The troops climbed aboard the serpents, whose thick, light-gray scales coiled and shifted beneath them.
"Sensei Sarutobi. Shinnosuke. Behind me," Orochimaru said.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, his son Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Maruboshi Kosuke quickly gathered at the head of the lead serpent.
"Orochimaru, what's happening?" Hiruzen asked, grim.
"The enemy is flanking us. Reinforcements from behind. Too many," Orochimaru replied calmly. "We have to move, now."
"If we stay, we'll be attacked from both sides."
"We'll be finished."
Even with Orochimaru's power, surviving a siege from 7,000 shinobi was impossible.
Remember—Third Raikage, a man whose chakra rivaled the tailed beasts and whose body was nearly indestructible, fought 10,000 Iwa shinobi for three days and nights.
He only managed to kill 3,000 before he collapsed and was finally slain.
And although Orochimaru had grown stronger, he wasn't deluded enough to think he was on that level—at least, not yet.
The four giant snakes began to surge forward, pushing through the ocean of Mist shinobi.
Ninjutsu bombarded them from all directions.
Explosions tore into their bodies. Scales scattered. Blood splashed onto the battlefield.
Their pace slowed.
The Kirigakure shinobi quickly noticed something.
These gray serpents weren't as tough as Manda.
Even basic C-rank jutsu and standard ninja tools could wound them.
Realizing this, the Mist shinobi intensified their assault, launching wave after wave of attacks.
But the Konoha shinobi weren't sitting ducks either.
From the serpents' backs, they rained down kunai, shuriken, and jutsu into the sea of enemies.
No need to aim—there were enemies in every direction.
Finally, the four massive serpents, now riddled with wounds and bleeding heavily, reached the front lines.
Only a few hundred meters remained between them and the zone where the Konoha reinforcements were holding off Fuguki's forces.
Then—
Orochimaru sensed it.
A terrifying chakra surge to his left.
"Wind Style: Suppress Harm! Fire Style: Headhard!"
"Combined Ninjutsu—Flame Wind Wave!"
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