Thunder Shadow: This one’s in the bag.

Cloud Hidden Outpost, Conference Room.

“…So far, the Leaf Shinobi Army has already reached within ten miles of our outpost. They are currently adjusting their formation. Judging by their movements…” The Cloud Hidden intelligence operative raised his head, his tone tinged with disbelief, “It seems the Leaf Shinobi Army intends to launch an attack against us.”

Crack—

The cup in Fourth Raikage’s hand shattered with a sharp sound. He snorted coldly, inexplicably irked. “What’s the current status of the new fortress Leaf just established?”

“At midday today, Leaf received reinforcements in the fortress, no more than fifty shinobi in all.” The intelligence operative paused for a moment. “It appears that, after handing over the fortress to the reinforcements, their commander Orochimaru led all remaining forces directly toward us.”

The Fourth Raikage neither confirmed nor denied the report, glancing around the conference room with a steely gaze. His voice was deep and rough. “What do you all make of Orochimaru’s actions?”

A wave of noisy speculation stirred through the chamber, but nothing of substance emerged. The information on the table was too sparse to allow much conjecture.

—Orochimaru intended to attack the Cloud Hidden fortress head-on.

He was clearly confident that the Leaf Shinobi Army’s strength surpassed their own, but that was impossible; the reality was the opposite. Even if Orochimaru assumed that white serpent form from that night, Cloud Hidden could suppress him with the power of their two Jinchuriki. They would not even grant him the chance to destroy their fortress.

As for the other Leaf shinobi, without Orochimaru’s overwhelming presence, Cloud Hidden was confident they could rout and annihilate them.

Every shinobi present suspected Orochimaru had some hidden scheme, but they found nothing concrete. Even among the “Legendary Three,” Orochimaru was the most enigmatic.

“Big brother, why don’t you all defend while I go destroy their outpost?” The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee, gestured flamboyantly, his voice strange and lilting. “The fortress is wide open—I can strike now.”

The Fourth Raikage was tempted, but quickly shook his head. “It’s just an outpost. If we crush Orochimaru, we can topple it anytime.”

Orochimaru’s inexplicable behavior unsettled him. In such a state, he refused to split his forces, preferring to play it safe.

After a moment’s thought, the Fourth Raikage spoke slowly, “Have the reconnaissance team keep tracking Leaf’s movements. Everyone else, prepare for battle at any moment.”

Now that Orochimaru’s forces lacked the protection of their fortress, and Cloud Hidden had no other strategic targets, this was the perfect chance to annihilate them. Still, he wanted to confirm their strategic intent before making a move.

If his guess was right, the enemy would try to attack the fortress, granting Cloud Hidden the home field advantage.

And even if Leaf was merely scouting, they could be struck as they withdrew.

Whether to attack or defend, the initiative was firmly in their hands. With that thought, the Fourth Raikage grew supremely confident—this round, victory was in his grasp.

…

Time slipped into deep night. Black clouds choked the sky, and beneath the inky canopy stretched a shadowy forest.

Cloud Hidden’s reconnaissance squad lay concealed in the gloom, their senses interlinked with their summoning beasts, locking tightly onto a section of the woods.

In the darkness, the shinobi of the Leaf Army flickered like scattered starlight—clear as day in their perception.

They had been observing the Leaf Army for some time, yet the enemy seemed oblivious, making no unusual moves.

Perhaps the Hyuga clan hadn’t joined this march?

As this thought passed, a sudden radiance burst into their senses—vast as a mountain, it blotted out the starlight and filled their vision.

The squad captain’s face twisted in fear. Linked to his summoning beast, even his mind quaked under the pressure. Only against a Tailed Beast had he sensed such immense chakra before.

He bit his tongue, the pain snapping his mind clear. The team captain shouted into the communicator, “Leaf is coming! Orochimaru has transformed into the white serpent monster again!”

The communications unit wasted no time relaying the message back to the outpost.

The Fourth Raikage soon received the report, a look of confusion twisting his rugged features. “Orochimaru’s using that forbidden technique already?”

There was still ten miles to the outpost—far too soon, by any logic.

Putting himself in Orochimaru’s place, the Raikage guessed he meant to clear the way for the Leaf Army. But such a golden opportunity could not be ignored.

He issued his orders directly: “Killer Bee, Yugito—stop him. Do not let Orochimaru near the fortress. Everyone else, come with me!”

“Yes, sir!”

The shinobi under his command responded in unison, leaping from the fortress to join the battle.

…

Five miles from the Cloud Hidden fortress, the rampaging eight-headed serpent was intercepted.

A cat demon cloaked in blue flames and covered in black sigils, and an octopus-bull with a broken horn and eight tentacles—each unleashed their power, leaving the great serpent unable to advance a step. Instead, their battle raged ever farther from the fortress.

Seeing this, the Fourth Raikage felt a measure of relief. Though the eight-headed serpent held its own against both, it could no longer dominate as before.

With Orochimaru’s threat contained, the Raikage turned his attention to the Leaf Shinobi Army. His already fierce countenance became truly savage.

Boom!

With a leap, he plunged into the midst of the Leaf Army, lightning crackling about him as he displayed peerless taijutsu. The Leaf shinobi fell before him in a deadly dance; even the Uchiha with their Sharingan could not match him for more than two exchanges.

“Uchiha Blaze Formation!”

Suddenly, four Uchiha jonin took up positions at the cardinal points, encircling the Fourth Raikage. They pressed their palms to the ground, and a crimson barrier sprang up, sealing him off from the Leaf forces.

“A barrier technique?” The Raikage sneered. The four jonin, protected by the barrier, could only be dealt with by brute force from within or without.

But the Raikage cared little—apart from Orochimaru, none of the Leaf shinobi were worthy of his concern.

Boom!

With a single punch, the red barrier began to tremble. Glancing at his scorched fist, the Raikage raised a thick brow. “Interesting.”

“But how many of my punches can you withstand?”

The four Uchiha jonin remained silent, pouring their chakra into sustaining the barrier.

Their mission was clear: buy time, keep the Raikage occupied until Orochimaru could return.

…

Thunderous roars, howls, and earthshaking impacts shattered the darkness. Three colossal beasts tore into each other, uprooting trees and gouging massive craters in the earth as if returning to a primordial age, ancient titans battling for dominance.

The Eight-Tails fought to coil its tentacles around the serpent’s heads and tails, binding Orochimaru’s movements—perhaps to repay the humiliation of being restrained by a sea of snakes that night.

If it were a one-on-one, Killer Bee wouldn’t focus all his strength on constriction. But now, he was not alone.

The Two-Tails Yugito opened her jaws, a blazing fireball forming before her. Her aura was less feline than tiger-like.

Boom—

The Scorch Style fireball shot forth. Killer Bee felt his grip loosen, and before he could react, a fireball struck him squarely.

Even with the Eight-Tails’ formidable hide, he could not suppress a cry of pain.

Not far away, Orochimaru, having regained his human form, flashed aside to avoid the flames. He turned to a figure hidden in the forest shadows and said, “I leave this place to you.”