The moon slipped out from behind the clouds, casting silver armor over the giant purple serpent as it charged the fortress, unstoppable and crushing everything in its path.
Neither towering trees nor man-made traps could slow it down in the slightest.
Taking in the scene, Uchiha Jinsuke drew a deep breath, forcing down the storm of emotions inside him.
He knew he was no match for Manda. If not for Orochimaru granting him the contract, he wouldn't even have been able to summon it.
The Uchiha, even their elite jonin, were not known for great chakra reserves. Giant summoning beasts were never a natural fit for them.
Reality was like this, but Uchiha Jinsuke refused to accept it. Deep inside, he swore that he would one day subdue a giant summoning beast of his own, and make it defeat Manda for him.
When that time came, he would make sure to humiliate Manda badly.
"All Konoha squads, don't get stuck in battle. Follow Manda's lead."
From the forest came Fugaku's command as acting commander. Uchiha Jinsuke put away his emotions and charged toward the Kumogakure fortress.
…
Boom…
In the forest, a flash of lightning shot forward. "Orochimaru" only had time to raise his sword across his chest before the fist slammed into him.
"Pfft…"
"Orochimaru" spat blood as his body was blown back, smashing through several giant trees that snapped in half.
Landing such a solid hit, the Fourth Raikage didn't look too proud. He stood there, breathing heavily, his gaze falling on Orochimaru—but then his brows furrowed.
With the damage he had dealt so far, any other Kage-level ninja would have died twice over. Yet this strange man was still full of life, even laughing.
"Orochimaru" twisted his left hand against his chest with a crack, snapping broken ribs back into place. His face twisted into a grin, the Demon Slayer Mark across it making him look even more savage.
Healing ninjutsu, solar energy, and maybe even Yamato's cells—together they worked in perfect balance, giving Orochimaru's already insane regeneration an unbelievable boost.
Even if his digestion of the host's battle experience wasn't as fast as the Raikage's mastery of his own power, there was no risk of defeat anytime soon.
"What a troublesome guy."
The Fourth Raikage clenched his fist but didn't lose heart.
He had already pinned Orochimaru down and held the upper hand. Taking him out was only a matter of time.
Thinking this, Raikage sneered and rushed at Orochimaru again.
For a moment, lightning and red flames clashed. The air rumbled with heavy blasts as countless trees were smashed apart, then quickly burned into charcoal.
"Raikage-sama, bad news! Konoha has summoned four giant beasts, they've broken through our defenses!"
A ninja shouted from the forest, "The fortress is under attack, it won't last much longer!"
In the middle of the battlefield, the Fourth Raikage's thick brows furrowed. He couldn't help but split his focus, and his movements lost the perfection they had before.
"Orochimaru" quickly spotted an opening. Taking a heavy punch head-on, he traded injury for injury. The Kusanagi sword swept in an arc, leaving a long cut across the Raikage's chest.
Solar energy clung to the wound. Even with the Raikage's powerful body, it wouldn't heal for the moment. Blood soaked half his body red.
"That bastard!"
The Raikage roared in rage and shock. But his anger wasn't aimed at Orochimaru—it was aimed at the ninja who had been shouting nonstop in the forest.
If not for that distraction, how could Orochimaru have landed such a strike?
The Raikage even suspected that fool wasn't from Kumogakure at all, but a Konoha ninja.
In fact, he really was from Konoha.
"Orochimaru" flicked his sword, scattering blood from the blade. His painted face twisted into a sly, sinister smile.
But the truth was, he wasn't really Orochimaru. He wasn't even a true warrior.
Even with Orochimaru's will giving him the battle instincts and skills of the previous host, he couldn't fully bring them out in such a short time.
At moments like this, of course he would use every dirty trick he had.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Raikage-sama, aren't you going to check? Your Kumogakure fortress is about to fall."
"Orochimaru" cackled, his mocking tone full of provocation.
Yes, he was doing it on purpose. He wanted to make the enemy furious.
"Orochimaru, you bastard!"
The Fourth Raikage's hair and beard bristled, his bull-like eyes glaring in rage.
But the next second, something unexpected happened. He slammed his fist into the ground, raising a cloud of dust, then turned and vanished from sight.
"This guy… doesn't he worry I'll use the Yamata no Jutsu in front of the fortress?"
"Orochimaru" muttered, then realized, "Well, the fortress is already about to fall. Worrying about that now doesn't matter.
Tsk tsk… For a musclehead, he can actually think straight."
With a slight smile, Orochimaru followed the Fourth Raikage in pursuit.
At this point, it no longer mattered where the battlefield was.
…
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Two giant snakes twisted their bodies, their tails rising high before slamming down.
An invisible barrier rippled like water, bouncing the tails back.
The giant snakes hissed angrily and struck again and again, but the barrier could barely hold.
"Let me finish you worms with one last strike."
Suddenly, a massive dark-purple snake lifted its head and let out a loud hiss, then coiled its body tightly before shooting forward like an arrow.
Its sharp horn crashed into the barrier like the last straw that broke the camel's back. Cracks spread quickly, covering the entire barrier.
In that instant, explosions erupted all along the barrier's edge, smoke and fire swallowing the three giant snakes.
"Did you think I'd fall for the same trick twice?"
Manda used a shed skin to escape the blast, but the other two snakes weren't so lucky. Their bodies were covered in wounds.
Still, compared to the one that died instantly when breaking the first barrier, they were far more fortunate.
With two puffs of smoke, they disappeared and returned to Ryuchi Cave.
On the battlefield, only the dark-purple snake remained. It flicked its tongue and looked down at the scene below with venomous delight.
Pain throbbed from the wound on its belly, but it wasn't enough to ease its anger. It raised its tail high.
Whoosh…
With a sharp sound cutting through the air, the Fourth Raikage finally reached the fortress. He arrived just in time to see Manda's tail come crashing down on it.
Without the protection of the barrier, the fortress—just a pile of stone and earth—was nothing more than a toy. It couldn't possibly withstand Manda's furious strike.
Along with the Kumogakure ninjas inside who had no time to escape, it was buried completely.
"Damn you bastards!!"
The Fourth Raikage's rage boiled over, blood vessels standing out in his eyes.
At this point, it was clear—the war against Konohagakure was already more than half lost.
Realizing this only made the Raikage's fury grow stronger. Lightning flared around his clenched fists as he prepared to strike Manda with everything he had.
Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Under the pale moonlight, three massive figures fought as they moved, heading toward the ruins of the fortress.
---
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