Chapter 042: Don't Forget, My Real Job Is a Genie

“I’ll leave this to you.”

As soon as the words fell, a figure leapt out from the dense forest. The two Hidden Cloud Jinchuriki followed Orochimaru’s gaze and immediately recognized the newcomer.

“Uchiha Shisui?”

Yugito had just fought Shisui not long ago, and had been entangled by his tortoise shell technique for quite some time, so his face was not unfamiliar. Now, seeing him again, the feline mask twisted into a very human expression of anger, and a fireball shot out from her mouth.

Yet, inside Killer B, a sense of unease suddenly arose. For Orochimaru to entrust such an important task to Shisui, there had to be something special about him. Could it be...?

As a possibility flashed through his mind, Killer B’s heart skipped a beat, and eight tentacle-like appendages shot electrically towards Shisui.

The two Jinchuriki reacted in their own ways, but both revealed a deep malice the moment Shisui appeared.

In the face of their attacks, Shisui’s eyes sharpened; the three tomoe in his Sharingan quickly spun and intertwined, transforming into a pattern resembling a four-bladed shuriken. The power in his eyes increased exponentially, and with a low shout, he declared, “Susanoo!”

In the next moment, a towering, emerald-green giant manifested around him, clad in full-body armor and brandishing a spiral sword in its right hand. Its imposing presence was in no way inferior to that of a tailed beast.

With two thunderous slashes, the fireball and tentacles were cleaved apart. Without pause, Shisui drove his Susanoo to attack the Cloud Jinchuriki.

Killer B’s heart sank. “So it really is the Uchiha’s Forbidden Eye.”

Just witnessing the might of this giant, he could tell Yugito was no match for it, and even he himself would only be able to fight to a stalemate at best. Adding Orochimaru’s white serpent form to the mix, this battle was sure to be tough.

Thoughts raced through Killer B’s mind as he pressed the attack; the severed tentacles quickly regenerated, winding once more towards Susanoo. Yet after cutting them down, Shisui did not press the attack on him, instead focusing all his efforts on Yugito.

Susanoo weathered several fireballs, then swung its spiral sword in a relentless assault against Yugito.

Killer B, surprised and suspicious, discovered that as long as he didn’t interfere with Shisui’s offensive, Shisui seemed to treat him as if he didn’t exist. Even more puzzling, Orochimaru stood motionless atop a tree branch, with no intention of joining the fight.

“Strange, very strange—I can’t figure it out!” Killer B wanted to ponder further, but Yugito’s situation left him no time.

Susanoo’s overwhelming power meant that if he divided his focus to watch Orochimaru and didn’t intervene, Yugito would soon be gravely injured. So Killer B abandoned his speculations.

The Eight-Tails no longer hesitated to ignore Orochimaru; he hurled himself at Susanoo with full force, two tentacles lashing down like whips from the sky. Struck on the back, Susanoo staggered but, regaining its stance, continued its onslaught on Yugito, unphased by the Eight-Tails.

Astonished by its defense, Killer B quickly switched tactics, his tentacles slithering like serpents up Susanoo’s thigh. Forced to act, Shisui had to divert some blows to cut them away.

Yet, so long as his own attacks weren’t hindered, Shisui would risk injury to maintain his offense against Yugito.

This desperate stance gave Killer B a sudden realization. Glancing back to where Orochimaru had been, he found the spot already deserted.

“Big Brother must be in danger now.”

Having seen through the enemy’s strategy, Killer B was helpless. He couldn’t leave, or Yugito would soon fall. With Shisui fighting so recklessly, Yugito’s escape was nearly impossible.

Right now, the only consolation was that Shisui’s burst of power clearly couldn’t last long.

With this in mind, the Eight-Tails opened its jaws wide, and a mass of yin-yang chakra began to rapidly condense before it. The vast energy gathering behind Susanoo went ignored, as the armored giant focused solely on attacking the Two-Tails’ Jinchuriki.

...

“I didn’t expect Shisui to hold off both Cloud Jinchuriki alone.” Orochimaru sounded genuinely surprised, and couldn’t help but remark, “It seems that dose of genetic serum had an even greater effect on him than I thought.”

“It’s also because he’s recklessly burning his ocular power. The serum strengthened his body, perhaps raising his potential, but such an explosive increase in his eyes isn’t sustainable.”

The Lamp Genie emerged halfway from his vessel, smiling. “Still, saving Manda for the main battlefield will make things much easier for us.”

Orochimaru nodded slightly, but quickly asked, “Are you really able to stop the Raikage?”

In this battle, Shisui holding off the Cloud Jinchuriki was only part of the plan. If the Raikage couldn’t be delayed, accomplishing their strategic objective would be difficult.

“I can’t, but you can!”

The Lamp Genie blinked, a smile spreading across his lips. “Don’t forget, my true profession is a genie. My ability is to turn the impossible into possible. Of course, for that, I’ll need a tiny little price in return.”

A chill ran through Orochimaru’s heart, a sense of unease rising as he recalled the three kinds of genies the Lamp Genie had mentioned the first time they met.

...

Boom, boom, boom!

Blue light and crimson barriers clashed violently, the deafening roars drowning out even the chaos of the battlefield. In Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the Fourth Raikage wielded his full strength, and the Uchiha’s Wall of Fire wavered under his relentless blows, on the verge of collapse.

Suddenly, a slicing wind announced the arrival of a new figure near the barrier.

Seeing who it was, the four Uchiha elite jonin breathed a sigh of relief and ceased feeding chakra into the barrier. Without their support, the crimson wall shattered instantly under the Raikage’s assault.

Freed at last, the Fourth Raikage showed no hint of joy—his eyes quickly caught the new presence on the battlefield, and his expression changed dramatically.

With a thunderous shout, he bellowed, “All Hidden Cloud forces, fall back from this area immediately!”

He was afraid of Orochimaru recreating that horrific scene from before.

Hearing his order, the Cloud ninja paled, hurriedly breaking away from their opponents and scattering outward from Orochimaru’s location.

On the other side, the Leaf ninja made no move to pursue. Instead, they charged directly toward the Cloud fortress.

“Orochimaru! Where are Killer B and Yugito?” the Raikage roared. “What have you done to them?”

“Don’t worry, they’re still alive—you’ll see them soon enough.”

Orochimaru licked his lips, drew the Kusanagi Blade from the mouth of a summoned viper, and grinned. “Let’s get started. This is my first time using this form, and I can’t maintain it for long.”

“You want to fight me up close?” The Raikage’s rage twisted into a grin, his body turning into a bolt of lightning as he lunged straight at Orochimaru.

“Die, you wretched snake!”