Chapter Sixty-Six: The Return of Orochimaru

... Meanwhile, the Sound Village army was beset on all sides, a predicament Shikamaru had anticipated, though he had no ideal solution. He could only do his best to avoid the Ten-Tails shell and the Jinchuriki. The Ten-Tails shell and the Jinchuriki were the targets of the Akatsuki, so steering clear of them also meant avoiding Akatsuki’s focused attacks.

Kabuto pushed up his glasses and said, “You’re hiding more from me than just this, aren’t you?” By now, Kabuto was no longer angry; there was no use in it. He kept his emotions to himself, intending to wait until Lord Orochimaru returned before saying anything.

Shikamaru replied, “Yeah,” with a casual demeanor, clearly unwilling to answer.

Kabuto went on, “The Konoha prisoners won’t fight to the death, will they? I suspect the orders you gave them were to abandon the command points and break out, fleeing as far as they could.” This was almost certainly the case. Even though Shikamaru saw that Orochimaru could win, he would never risk sacrificing everyone from Konoha just for that victory. He would do everything in his power to preserve his people without offending Orochimaru.

Kabuto looked again at the sand table, connecting the dots in his mind. “The position of the Sound Village army is quite delicate, right in between the Akatsuki and the Four Nations Ninja Alliance. Are you planning to sacrifice the Sound Village troops to buy Konoha some time?” Shikamaru offered no comment.

Kabuto smiled, a flash of light glinting on his glasses, his expression unreadable.

...

Within the Sound Village, at the Ten-Tails shell, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu gazed up at the enormous shell, delighted to have reclaimed it at last. Losing the shell had left Black Zetsu in a state of melancholy for some time.

However, Black Zetsu had no intention of transporting the shell away. He estimated that it would take at least ten or twenty thousand White Zetsu to move it, which would be a huge drain on their forces. More importantly, even with that many White Zetsu, the shell would not move quickly and could easily be overtaken. Besides, moving it was pointless; anyone with the Rinnegan could control the Ten-Tails shell. No matter where they moved it, if Orochimaru wanted it, he had ways to summon it.

It was better to leave it here.

Black Zetsu thought for a moment and said, “White, have one of your kind attach itself to the Ten-Tails shell.”

White Zetsu didn’t understand, but complied, nodding. A new White Zetsu emerged from underground and quickly melded into the shell.

“What’s that for?” White Zetsu asked.

Black Zetsu glanced around—the area was quiet, and with time to spare, he explained, “To prevent us from losing track of the Ten-Tails shell next time.”

With a new White Zetsu fused into the shell, if it was ever lost again, they would know its location without having to search.

White Zetsu looked around, puzzled. “So why did we come here? Just to leave a White Zetsu behind?”

If that was all, there was no need for both of them to come—just one would suffice.

Black Zetsu shook his head. “Wait and see, you’ll understand soon enough.”

White Zetsu pouted—Black Zetsu was keeping secrets, but he was willing to wait.

After a while, something did happen: two figures were rapidly approaching. White Zetsu watched as one wore a black cloak with red clouds, while the other had transformed into a giant tanuki, chasing after him—it was Deidara and a tailed beast-transformed Gaara!

“Why are they fighting over here?” White Zetsu wondered.

Soon after, two more arrived: Sasori and Naruto!

White Zetsu suddenly understood—this was a prearranged plan to lure the Jinchuriki here. If so, then the Eight-Tails must be close as well.

Black Zetsu said, “White, it’s our turn. One of us helps each side. Taking down a Jinchuriki one-on-one is no easy feat, but two against one...”

Deidara and Gaara’s battle had reached a stalemate, as had Sasori and Naruto. The key point was that Naruto hadn’t used the power of the tailed beast, only wood-style techniques, which were enough to keep Sasori at bay for a while—a troublesome opponent.

Black Zetsu and White Zetsu’s purpose here was to assist the Akatsuki members in capturing the tailed beasts, then seal them directly into the Ten-Tails shell.

...

The Sound Village was facing its greatest crisis. The One-Tail and Nine-Tails had been lured away and were under siege; the Ten-Tails shell had fallen into enemy hands. Everything Orochimaru had gained before was nearly lost again.

Moreover, the Sound Village army suffered heavy losses.

By chance, this stemmed from the capture of Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. When the Raikage and his brother Killer Bee were attacked by White Zetsu, they fought together against Hidan and Kakuzu.

But unfamiliar with Hidan’s abilities, the Raikage and Killer Bee soon fell victim, their blood taken. Hidan used his self-harming ritual to severely injure Killer Bee and abducted him.

Kakuzu held off the Raikage alone. Though the Raikage killed Kakuzu four times, he eventually departed, but the delay meant the Raikage had no chance of finding Hidan and his brother.

Enraged, the Raikage hurried back to the command room to cancel the retreat order and send troops to find his brother, only to encounter the Byakugan army.

The Byakugan troops were actually on a demolition mission, unaware of their real purpose. When they ran into the Raikage alone, they immediately attacked, aiming to kill the Kage.

Desperate to save his brother, the Raikage wanted to return to the command room and mobilize the Ninja Alliance, but the Byakugan users were formidable. They could discern the Raikage’s intentions and skillfully block him at the right moment.

The Raikage, furious and unable to escape, resolved to fight—a one-against-a-thousand bloodbath ensued.

Meanwhile, with the emergence of the Akatsuki’s White Zetsu army, the Mizukage, Tsuchikage, and acting Kazekage in the command room hastily revised their plans, canceling the “retreat” order.

They coordinated the Ninja Alliance with the silent assault of the White Zetsu army, encircling the main Sound Village forces.

Both sides were in tacit agreement, seemingly determined to devastate the Sound Village first.

The situation for the Sound Village was dire.

At this critical moment, in the pitch-black night, a huge beam of light came hurtling from afar, accompanied by a thunderous roar.

A moving fortress!

Orochimaru had returned!

The mobile fortress was domineering, ignoring the three warring sides and crashing directly into the battlefield, finally halting before the main Sound Village force.

Then, from both sides of the fortress walls, five gun barrels extended.

“Fire!”

Orochimaru showed no mercy. Five barrels targeted the White Zetsu army, while another five aimed at the Four Nations Ninja Alliance.

Thunderous explosions...

The battlefield was engulfed in fire, casualties mounting.

...

Inside the Sound Village, Black Zetsu was assisting Deidara against Gaara when the sound of cannon fire suddenly stunned him.

“What’s happening?”

He climbed to a high vantage point and looked toward the source of the noise, spotting a fortress at the heart of the battlefield, its cannons firing at the White Zetsu army and the Ninja Alliance.

“Orochimaru’s back!” Black Zetsu hadn’t expected Orochimaru to return at such a pivotal moment.

In the Four Nations Alliance command room, Mizukage, Tsuchikage, and Kazekage were astonished by the cannon fire. They went outside to higher ground and witnessed the fortress unleashing its barrage.

“What is this?!”

They had no idea what the fortress was, but seeing it bombard both the White Zetsu army and the Ninja Alliance—each blast as powerful as a full-strength blow from an elite jonin—they quickly realized: they must retreat.

The ninja war was lost.