A single surge sweeps everything away.

“Die, you damned bastard!”
The Fourth Raikage’s roar thundered as he stamped his feet, instantly appearing before Orochimaru.
His arm crackled with lightning, swinging down like a battle axe.

Boom!
The axe cleaved through Orochimaru’s figure, gouging a massive crater in the earth, the fissure stretching toward a towering tree that collapsed with a crash.

“Shadow Clone? No… this is a residual mirage!”
The Fourth Raikage’s heart raced. As one of the rare taijutsu masters in the shinobi world, he understood acutely the terrifying speed required to leave behind an afterimage.
Orochimaru specialized in ninjutsu—how could he possibly possess such speed? How could his physical form endure it?

“Hah…”
Not far away, “Orochimaru” exhaled long and deep, as if emptying every breath from his lungs and abdomen.
As he inhaled, pale lines crept across his features, and the blade of the Kusanagi Sword ignited with a golden glow.

Witnessing this, the Fourth Raikage’s pupils contracted and he exclaimed, “Senjutsu?”
His doubts were instantly answered.
With the augmentation of natural energy, physical prowess did indeed rise remarkably.
But when had Orochimaru learned senjutsu? In Konoha, as far as he knew, only Jiraiya could wield it, and the late Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze had barely scratched the surface.

“Senjutsu? You could call it that, but more precisely, it’s solar energy.”
“Orochimaru” smiled, warm yellow lines weaving across his face like war paint, lending a hint of masculinity to his usually delicate features.

“Solar energy?”
The Fourth Raikage scowled, eyeing Orochimaru beneath the deep night, convinced the other was spouting nonsense—unaware that Orochimaru spoke the truth.
Solar energy isn’t simply sunlight; otherwise, the Breath of the Sun could only be used in daylight—how then would it combat demons that prowl by night?
In reality, after daylight’s exposure, some solar energy is absorbed by the earth. Now, Orochimaru entered his patterned mode, drawing upon this stored energy.
Precisely because it was nighttime, he needn’t fear being overwhelmed by the gathered solar force.

The Fourth Raikage didn’t know these details, but he understood one thing: a ninja using senjutsu could no longer be measured by common sense.
Moreover, Orochimaru’s earlier display of speed had made him wary, determined to proceed with caution.

“Not attacking? You should know, your time is running out.”
“Orochimaru” curled his lips in a sinister grin, and flames suddenly ignited along the Kusanagi Sword. “Enough waiting—how can a test of the blade depend on others coming to you? Treading the path yourself is the true way.”
As the final syllable left his lips, “Orochimaru” vanished from sight. The Fourth Raikage’s heart tightened, his arm raised to block to the right.

Clang!
A wave of heat rushed at him, a black mark gouged across his golden arm ring.
The Fourth Raikage countered instantly, swinging a thunderous fist cloaked in lightning, exuding unstoppable power.
Yet, as his fist struck “Orochimaru,” the mirage shattered like foam.

“Tsk, tsk… With that physique, you should be wearing nothing but underpants, yet you’ve got gear as well.”
“Orochimaru” darted onto a tree trunk, surprise flickering across his face as he laughed. “But relying on that alone, how many more blows can you deflect?”

The Fourth Raikage rasped in his gravelly voice, retorting, “How long can you last?”
His gaze fell to Orochimaru’s legs, where his ninja garb was stained deep red; even with senjutsu, an untrained body could scarcely bear such extreme speed.
Orochimaru’s words were half-truths, but he hadn’t lied about one thing: this was his first time using senjutsu.

“First time, so it’s a bit forced, but I can easily keep it up all day.”
“Orochimaru” wore a strange smile. “But you won’t have time to experience that—your subordinates won’t give you the chance.”
His words hinted at the possible fall of the Hidden Cloud fortress, a psychological blow.

The Fourth Raikage’s beard bristled with fury, his fierce face unchanged, but the lightning around him intensified.
“Orochimaru” paid no heed to whether his words struck home, leaping from the treetop, sword blazing, slashing at the Raikage with all his might.
In an instant, lightning and crimson fire intertwined, explosions ringing through the air as their battle reached a fever pitch.

…

Meanwhile, Konoha’s shinobi and the Cloud ninja raced toward the fortress, drawing near.
Three Uchiha jonin exchanged glances and, seizing the opening, swiftly formed hand seals, shouting, “Summoning Technique!”

Boom!
With a burst of white smoke, three brown pythons, each dozens of meters long, appeared, crushing countless trees beneath their coils.
One Uchiha jonin took a breath, suppressing his excitement, and pointed toward the fortress. “Forward—destroy that stronghold.”

“Hissss…”
The three pythons hissed, not obeying the command but opening their jaws toward the Uchiha jonin, transparent drool dripping from their mouths.
Under the threat of the snake summons, the Uchiha jonin stepped forward, waving his arm and commanding, “You dare defy Lord Orochimaru’s orders?”

Sensing the binding force of the temporary contract, the pythons let out disgruntled hisses and charged at the fortress, venting their resentment and wild instincts upon the Cloud shinobi.
The Uchiha jonin breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to the squad leader. “Should we summon Manda as well? He’s even more unruly than these pythons.”

“We must summon him—with Manda, our chances of breaking the Hidden Cloud fortress rise greatly.”
Uchiha Shinsuke gritted his teeth. “Have the others clear out of this area.”

The other Uchiha jonin didn’t hesitate; in a blink, they vanished from sight.
Clashing blades echoed through the dense woods as they held off the Hidden Cloud ninja, leaving only Uchiha Shinsuke in the clearing.
He bit his fingertip, blood soaking the hastily drawn contract on his palm, and shouted, “Summoning Technique!”

“Orochimaru… No, you’re not Orochimaru. That bastard dares disturb my rest?”
A cold voice rang from the white smoke as Manda’s head emerged, fixing Uchiha Shinsuke with lantern-bright, oppressive eyes.
“Hmph! Orochimaru gave you the contract, and you dare summon me? Do you take me lightly?”

Such arrogance made Shinsuke’s forehead veins bulge. He forced down his anger, pulling a stiff expression onto his face. “Manda, that’s the Hidden Cloud fortress over there. Lord Orochimaru ordered me to tell you to destroy it.”

“You dare command me?”
Manda lashed his tail, gouging a massive crater in the earth.
Having vented his rage, he ignored Shinsuke and stared at the distant fortress, his snake eyes blazing with hatred.
Though much recovered, scars left by the Raikage still marred his belly.
Now was the time for revenge.

On the other side, Shinsuke watched Manda charge the fortress, his Sharingan burning with anger, vowing that one day this serpent would pay dearly.