034 True and False

Missing its mark did not discourage Killer B. The Eight-Tails Ox Demon opened its jaws again, gathering chakra of yin and yang nature.

“Damn it, do you take me for decoration?” The pupils of Manda narrowed to pinpricks, clearly enraged. The earlier sneak attack was one thing, but now this blatant move was an open insult, as if he was being utterly dismissed—did they really think he had no means of resistance?

The serpent’s body twisted around the Eight-Tails; with a sudden surge of strength, Manda slammed its head into the open jaws of the Ox Demon. The beast’s head jerked aside from the blow, the gathered chakra of yin and yang instantly spiraling out of control, erupting in a violent explosion before their heads.

A wave of force rippled outward, the smoke of the blast rising and dispersing quickly.

“Hiss… That’s what you get for underestimating me,” Manda hissed, its tongue flickering. The thick keratin on its head was cracked, making the giant purple serpent look even more menacing. Fortunately, the interruption came early; the amount of chakra the Eight-Tails had managed to gather was still small, so the explosion’s power was limited.

“That purple bastard!” Killer B cursed in his strange singsong, once again attempting the Tailed Beast Bomb. All eight tentacles writhed furiously, trying to hinder Manda’s movements.

“Jinchuriki, hiss…” Manda was not about to let him have his way. The serpent’s body coiled ever tighter and then looser around the Ox Demon, deftly countering each struggle of the tentacles. Its slitted eyes fixed on the Eight-Tails’ head, determined not to give Killer B the slightest chance to unleash the Tailed Beast Bomb.

After another failed attempt, Killer B realized that, with his skill, he could hardly hope to succeed while Manda interfered. This serpent had too much experience fighting giant beasts and moved with alarming speed.

“Damn nuisance!” A ruthless glint flashed in Killer B’s eyes. He gave up on perfectly forming the Tailed Beast Bomb and instead focused all his chakra into a sphere, intending to detonate it at close range.

Manda’s earlier retreat had made Killer B realize it would not fight to the death for Orochimaru. The Eight-Tails was tough and resilient—a few blasts would hardly matter. He wanted to see just how many explosions this serpent could withstand.

Killer B’s intent was clear in his actions: either mutual destruction, or the serpent would be forced to back off.

Manda glared furiously. “You dare look down on me, bastard?” Rage and arrogance overcame its instincts as a living creature. Again and again, its head crashed into the Ox Demon’s jaws, enduring each ensuing explosion.

The struggle between serpent and tailed beast settled into a deadlock, a contest of endurance to see which would give out first.

...

Explosions thundered across the sky. From the corner of his eye, the Fourth Raikage caught sight of the distant battlefield and realized the plan to have the Eight-Tails break the fortress was no longer feasible—not in the short term. Manda might fear death, but as Orochimaru’s most powerful summon, it could certainly hold out for a while. How many more would the village lose in that time?

“We can’t wait any longer.” The Fourth Raikage punched a massive hole through an attacking serpent head. As the snake recoiled in pain, he leapt onto Yamata-no-Orochi’s massive form, bounding over its mountainous coils toward the fortress.

As the leader of his village, the Raikage was no stranger to demolition. Yet his skills could hardly match a tailed beast for destruction, and entering an enemy stronghold as a human was dangerously reckless. This was not some hastily laid paper bomb trap—his strength alone would not see him through. Barrier techniques, sealing jutsu—even tailed beasts avoided such threats, which were far deadlier than flashy ninjutsu.

But the Raikage had no choice. If the battle dragged on, his village’s losses would be too great.

“Heh… Think again!” Orochimaru sneered. Snake heads thundered down like fists, careening toward the Raikage in relentless waves, heedless of the serpent’s own pain.

With a shout, the Fourth Raikage’s body became a flash of lightning. Like a parkour master, he darted through the hailstorm of blows, not touched even once. In the blink of an eye, he cleared the serpent’s body, then, with a powerful leap, hurled himself at the fortress. Lightning exploded around him, and a blaze of white light crashed into the structure like a shell.

Against the full force of his Lightning Release Armor, the building lasted less than a second before collapsing in a thunderous crash, leaving a gaping crater where it had stood.

How could it… be so easy?

Standing in the center of the pit, the Fourth Raikage gasped for breath, lightning flickering unsteadily around his hulking frame. His rugged features were frozen in disbelief.

Of course, the fortress should not have withstood his full strength—but to be destroyed so easily? There could be only one explanation.

The fortress… was a decoy!

A sense of foreboding gripped him. Ignoring his exhaustion—his strength spent and not yet recovered—he tensed his legs, preparing to leap from the crater.

But a whip-like blow struck him down, sending him crashing back into the pit.

He looked up to see a serpent’s head blotting out the moon, a wicked smile etched clearly upon its face.

A trap… The thought flashed through the Raikage’s mind, leaving no room for anger as Yamata-no-Orochi’s attack thundered down.

The process resembled a giant mortar and pestle, serpent heads pounding the pit in succession.

For a time, the deafening booms echoed through the forest, shaking even the warring shinobi on both sides.

“Will Lord Raikage really be okay?” a Cloud shinobi swallowed nervously.

Konoha’s ninja, too, watched with anxious attention. If the Fourth Raikage fell here, this war might end on the spot.

With all eyes on the crater, the serpent finally ceased its assault.

“Tsk, even such a perfect opportunity couldn't finish him off.” Orochimaru peered into the pit, golden slitted eyes narrowing in admiration. “If it were Jiraiya’s Sage Art, the Fourth Raikage would at least be gravely wounded, if not dead.”

Even expecting much, the Raikage’s resilience surpassed Orochimaru’s initial estimates. The serpent’s assaults, for all their spectacle, seemed to strike unyielding rock, doing no real harm—less attacks than acts of forging.

A sudden flash—before the dust in the pit could settle, a figure shot out like lightning through the dark forest. The speed left Orochimaru no chance to react. In a blink, the Fourth Raikage had reached the Eight-Tails’ battlefield.

Sensing disaster, Orochimaru tried to dispel Manda’s summoning, but the Raikage was faster. With a thunderous blow, he punched a massive hole through Manda’s body.

“Damn you, you—” Manda twisted, eyes burning with fury, ready to strike back. But with a ‘pop’, its body vanished—Orochimaru had sent it back to Ryuchi Cave.

With this single, decisive blow, the Fourth Raikage showed no triumph. His rough voice rang through the forest:

“Cloud ninja, retreat with me!”