118 The Situation

Bang!

A torso, with only one arm remaining, fell from the air and crashed onto the hard earth and stones below, shattering instantly with a crisp sound.

Having first been petrified by immortal magic and then pierced through by countless sharp iron spikes, this torso had long since reached its material limit.

At that moment, a pale hand brushed aside the iron shards and retrieved a metal sphere from the wreckage.

“Tsk... it actually managed to seal the chakra spirit of a dead person,” murmured the Snake Princess, toying with the metal sphere in her hand. “Human jutsu really are quite intriguing.”

“Pity the sealing technique cuts off all connections; otherwise, I might have had a chat with him.”

“Come to think of it, it’s been over ten years since we last met. Time truly flies.”

A rumbling shook the ground, the thunderous sound breaking the Snake Princess’s reverie. She turned her gaze toward Tsunade, who was fiercely hammering her opponent, then cast a wary glance at the enormous slug lurking in the jungle.

“Orochimaru still wants me to help watch over...” she murmured with some unease.

The Slug Sage was an existence no less formidable than the White Snake Sage, perhaps even surpassing her.

It was worth noting that while Ryuchi Cave still harbored nests of small snakes, the Shikkotsu Forest housed no other living creatures besides that unimaginably huge slug.

“With her here, there’s simply no chance for me to intervene,” the Snake Princess lamented, disappointed that she couldn’t make Orochimaru owe her more favors.

...

The bright moon set in the west, dark clouds swallowed the last traces of twilight, and darkness enveloped the dense forest.

Between the towering tree trunks, figures darted like rabbits and falcons, their footsteps relentless, as if pursued by a ravenous beast intent on choosing its prey.

“Strange, strange, truly strange...” Chirabi panted as he led the Hidden Cloud squad in a desperate sprint, his voice tinged with confusion. “It makes no sense. Orochimaru isn’t chasing those two rogue ninjas; instead, he’s after us. That’s just not right. After all, we saved Lady Tsunade’s life.”

Though he voiced these doubts, Chirabi knew the truth deep down—Orochimaru wasn’t merely interested in rescuing Lady Tsunade; he desired much more.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

With the sound of rushing wind, Orochimaru led the Hidden Mist squad in relentless pursuit, cold light flickering in his eyes.

— He was indeed unsatisfied with mere personal grudges.

The current turmoil in the shinobi world stemmed from the aftermath of the Nine-Tails Incident. The Hidden Cloud Village’s failed surprise attack on Konoha had left the Fourth Raikage severely wounded.

The Hidden Cloud temporarily lost one of its top-tier shadow-level warriors, their strength diminished. The Hidden Stone Village sought to exploit this weakness, aiming to erode the Cloud’s war potential.

This mirrored the actions the Hidden Cloud had taken after the Nine-Tails Incident.

Only, compared to the Hidden Cloud, the Hidden Stone’s approach was less decisive.

Partly because the Hidden Cloud’s losses were not as severe as Konoha’s, and partly because the news of the Raikage’s injury was harder to verify than the Hokage’s death.

But if something happened to the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Chirabi, at this tense moment of confrontation between the two villages, the whole standoff would be shattered.

Orochimaru intended to help confirm the Fourth Raikage’s injury and capture another shadow-level warrior as well.

In exchange, the Hidden Stone would bear the brunt of the front-line fighting, engaging in brutal bloodshed.

Compared to manipulating the political landscape of the shinobi world, the two rogue ninjas, Sasori and Kakuzu, were of little consequence—merely a show to frighten them away.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, towering flames ripped through the darkness in the forest, accompanied by a series of explosions that bathed both sides in a fiery red glow.

Faced with a wall of fire, Chirabi and the Hidden Cloud squad halted and turned their gaze toward Orochimaru’s group.

Amid a series of white puffs of smoke, every ninja beside Orochimaru vanished without a trace.

The pursuers they saw moments ago, aside from Orochimaru himself, were all shadow clones, their originals having already hidden in ambush along the path ahead.

Chirabi pondered briefly and grasped the reason.

They had deliberately distanced the battlefield from the two rogue ninjas, preventing any interference or uncertain variables between the sides.

Their hasty retreat had actually played into the enemy’s strategy.

Still, Chirabi felt no regret in his heart; should he face the situation again, he would make the same choice without hesitation.

The flames soon died down, and on the other side, Kisame led his ninja squad to encircle them.

Belatedly, he too understood the current state of the shinobi world and the significance of keeping the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki here.

Recalling his earlier unauthorized actions, Kisame was filled with shame.

Had Orochimaru not stopped him before, relying solely on the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki’s keen instinct to flee at the first sign of danger, their quarry would have escaped.

In the shinobi world, Kisame knew well that war was the eternal theme—each war’s end simply marked the beginning of another.

If the Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud villages failed to spark a war now, then those ninjas fated to die in this conflict would instead become a burden for Konoha.

When the next war erupted, whose shoulders would bear the blood of those comrades who gave their lives fighting them?

This was a tragedy that could have been avoided.

Opening his Sharingan, Kisame’s crimson eyes gleamed fiercely, the three tomoe spinning rapidly, reflecting his resolve.

Even if it cost him his life, this time he would ensure the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki remained in their grasp.

The Hidden Cloud squad shared the same determination. Exchanging glances, they charged at Orochimaru without hesitation, prepared to risk their lives.

If Konoha intended to keep the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, they would fight to the death to create Chirabi’s escape.

With the Fourth Raikage unable to fight for the time being, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki was the village’s greatest strength—a loss the Hidden Cloud could ill afford.

Having witnessed Orochimaru’s relentless stratagems in the Hidden Cloud battle, the squad did not doubt his ability to overcome Chirabi and sought to prevent any prolonged engagement between them.

With a thunderous roar, lightning flashed, slicing through the forest’s darkness.

The three remaining Hidden Cloud Jonin unleashed their full power, weaving a net of lightning aimed directly at Orochimaru.

Even before the thunder struck, Orochimaru’s skin prickled with pain. The combined desperate strike of the three Jonin posed a real threat, even to him.

Aside from the Raikage’s forces, no one dared to take such direct, physical hits.

Forming hand seals swiftly, a shadow appeared at the corner of his eyes, and four pointed fangs emerged from his mouth as he chanted, “Sage Art—Inorganic Rebirth!”

Natural energy surged into the trees beneath him, reshaping them into a makeshift wooden wall that immediately blocked the fierce blue lightning.

Wood does not conduct electricity, but it was not entirely impervious to Lightning Release—this was merely a slight advantage. The blazing heavenly thunder could still scorch even millennia-old timber to charcoal.

Ultimately, it was a contest of mastery.

The three Hidden Cloud Jonin’s Lightning Release attacks were clearly inferior to the wood-style infused with sage chakra, leaving only a charred layer on the wooden barrier.

The wooden wall bloomed like a flower, and the shadow in Orochimaru’s eyes faded as the natural energy within him was nearly exhausted. He raised an eyebrow.

This sage art could only be used once.

Yet, its effect was impressive—the three Hidden Cloud Jonin were visibly shocked, their fighting spirit drained.