Orochimaru noticed that Hozuki Izumo had secretly gathered a large amount of chakra, seemingly preparing to do something.
At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared to be somewhat distracted.
Orochimaru hadn't expected someone with Sarutobi Hiruzen's experience and temperament to make such a mistake.
"Could it be that he's ultimately getting old?"
"If I wait until the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu is perfected, kill Sarutobi-sensei first, and then reincarnate him using the Impure World Reincarnation, would Sarutobi-sensei have even greater power than he does now?"
Orochimaru quickly shouted a reminder.
Sarutobi Hiruzen snapped back to attention.
"Boom!"
But to Orochimaru's surprise, the chakra Hozuki Izumo had gathered wasn't aimed at attacking Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Instead, it was directed toward the sky.
A beam of intense white light exploded high in the air.
"It wasn't an attack—it was a call for reinforcements!"
A squad of Kirigakure ninjas rapidly arrived to provide support.
When Orochimaru saw who had come, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Because none of the ninjas in this Kirigakure squad were familiar to Orochimaru.
In other words, they were just ordinary ninjas with limited strength.
Sarutobi Hiruzen reached into his tool pouch and pulled out a shuriken.
In the next moment:
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
He applied the Shadow Clone Jutsu to the shuriken.
With the enhancement of the Shadow Clone Jutsu, one shuriken could turn into hundreds, even thousands.
Compared to humans, the structure of a shuriken is much simpler.
As a result, it consumes much less chakra.
In an instant, the sky was filled with shurikens.
The Kirigakure ninja squad that had just arrived for support didn't even have time to act before they were faced with this overwhelming attack.
Even Hozuki Izumo was caught in the barrage.
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
Several Kirigakure ninjas fell immediately.
In a two-on-two situation, Yagura and Hozuki Izumo were still slightly outmatched.
Orochimaru's strength was undeniable.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was also a genuine Kage-level ninja.
Since Yagura hadn't become a jinchuriki, he couldn't recklessly deplete chakra like he did in the original storyline.
The Water Mirror Jutsu is indeed formidable, but it requires chakra to sustain.
Without the Thunder God's Rage, Hozuki Izumo's strength is somewhere between a regular Jonin and an elite Jonin.
With the Thunder God's Rage, his strength has significantly increased.
The Thunder God's Rage is powerful.
But Hozuki Izumo is not strong enough.
When facing a top-tier ninja like Sarutobi Hiruzen, the weakness of Hozuki Izumo's own lack of strength became apparent.
In a short time, both Hozuki Izumo and Yagura found themselves at a disadvantage.
Hozuki Izumo panted heavily.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen..."
"This guy is really troublesome, his experience is too deep. He's probably much stronger than Shimura Danzo."
"Even if Raiga-san were here, he might not be able to take him down."
"In the end, it's just that I'm too weak."
"Even wielding a Zanpakuto like the Thunder God's Rage, I still can't bring out its full potential."
"I've held back the Thunder God's Rage."
"I've let Uehara-san down."
After obtaining the Thunder God's Rage, Hozuki Izumo had felt a bit proud.
Especially after proving himself to the Hozuki Clan.
But now, his pride and self-satisfaction were completely shattered.
"If I can survive this, I must train harder, much harder."
"With all my strength."
Yagura glanced back and gritted his teeth.
"We're still far from where we need to be."
"We're still far from the Kirigakure forces."
"This Konoha is too fast, too decisive."
"It's as if Konoha has become a completely different village from before."
"Is it because of the differences in how Orochimaru and Sarutobi Hiruzen handle things?"
"Also, there's the issue of the intelligence leak."
"Hidden Cloud Village handled things too sloppily."
"That's what gave Konoha this opportunity."
Suddenly, Yagura seemed to realize something and narrowed his eyes.
"Could Hidden Cloud Village have done this on purpose?"
"Deliberately involving Hidden Mist Village and Hidden Rock Village to share the pressure on Hidden Cloud Village?"
"The location was arranged by Hidden Cloud Village."
"Our Hidden Mist Village ninjas checked the surroundings, and everything seemed fine."
"But further out, there could be Hidden Cloud ninja reinforcements."
"If Raikage is doing this, he's putting himself in danger as well."
"But by entering the game personally, he can gain more trust."
"However, that doesn't matter anymore."
"The current issue is how to escape from Orochimaru and Sarutobi Hiruzen's pursuit."
"At the very least, one of us needs to leave here alive."
Yagura looked in Hozuki Izumo's direction and made a decision in his heart.
Given the current situation, it would be very difficult for both of them to escape.
Orochimaru and Sarutobi Hiruzen were undeniably powerful, and they were still far from the Kirigakure forces.
But if one person stayed behind to hold them off and the other fled, the chances of success would be much higher.
Yagura's first thought was himself.
After all, as the Mizukage of Hidden Mist Village, his importance to the village was immense.
However, as Yagura glanced at Hozuki Izumo, another thought crossed his mind.
As Mizukage, he could still be replaced by someone else in Hidden Mist Village if necessary.
But the Zanpakuto in Hozuki Izumo's possession could not fall into Konoha's hands.
In terms of strength, Hozuki Izumo wasn't strong enough yet.
But in terms of potential, he still had a lot of room for growth.
But if Hozuki Izumo were to abandon the Zanpakuto to stay behind, it wouldn't work.
Even if he stayed behind while holding the Zanpakuto, the chances of success wouldn't be very high.
Yagura quickly calculated in his mind, weighing the pros and cons:
If Hozuki Izumo stays behind with the Thunder God's Rage—
Konoha gets the Zanpakuto, Hozuki Izumo dies, and there's a slim chance that Yagura survives.
If Hozuki Izumo stays behind without the Thunder God's Rage—
Hozuki Izumo dies, Yagura dies, and Konoha still gets the Zanpakuto.
If Yagura stays behind—
Yagura dies, Hozuki Izumo most likely survives, and Konoha most likely doesn't get the Zanpakuto.
Yagura came to a conclusion.
"Izumo, you go first. I'll stay behind!"
As Yagura moved closer to Hozuki Izumo, he spoke.
Hozuki Izumo was momentarily stunned.
"Mizukage-sama, what did you say?"
"I'll stay behind and buy you time and a chance to escape. Hurry up and send word of what's happening here back to the village. Go quickly."
As Yagura spoke, he began forming hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Formation Pillar Jutsu!"
While defending against Orochimaru's attack, Yagura used Water Release to launch an offensive against Sarutobi Hiruzen.
One person holding off two opponents.
Hozuki Izumo's pupils contracted.
"Mizukage-sama..."
Hozuki Izumo hadn't expected Yagura to volunteer to stay behind and give him the chance to escape.
Before this, Hozuki Izumo hadn't known much about Yagura.
All he knew was that Yagura had quickly risen to power after the sudden disappearance of the Third Mizukage.
But compared to the situation with Rasa of Hidden Sand Village, Yagura's succession was smoother and more recognized.
However, after the Hozuki Clan massacre, Hozuki Izumo learned that Yagura had been placed under Genjutsu, controlled like a puppet. The entire Hidden Mist Village Elders knew about this.
Everyone was playing along with the act.
Hozuki Izumo hadn't placed much importance on Yagura.
Not only did Yagura not measure up to Uehara Soma, but in Hozuki Izumo's mind, even Genji was more important.
But now, Hozuki Izumo felt a bit moved.
"Without being controlled by Genjutsu, Yagura-sama can truly be considered a real Mizukage."
"But the village Elders had no choice."
"The person who controlled Yagura-sama with Genjutsu is truly despicable."
Seeing that Hozuki Izumo hadn't reacted quickly enough, Yagura shouted sternly.
"Go now!"
Hozuki Izumo gave Yagura a deep look.
Lightning flashed around his body.
"Mizukage-sama, I will avenge you!"
Already at a disadvantage, with one less person, Yagura faced two enemies alone and immediately found himself in an even worse position.
No, it was no longer just a disadvantage—it was overwhelming.
It was a perilous situation.
Orochimaru frowned as he watched Hozuki Izumo flee.
To Orochimaru, this was an excellent opportunity to obtain the Zanpakuto.
But he hadn't expected Yagura to voluntarily stay behind to create an escape opportunity for Hozuki Izumo.
"It's just like the choice that Tobirama-sama made back in the day."
"Does Hidden Mist Village also possess the will of fire?"
"But just because you want something doesn't mean it will happen."
"Hozuki Izumo might not be able to escape!"
Orochimaru intensified his attacks, and Sarutobi Hiruzen did the same.
Yagura had already prepared for sacrifice.
What the three didn't know was that not far away, a figure was watching them.
Uchiha Obito felt very conflicted.
The full-force assault on the Mist army by Konoha was guided by Uchiha Obito.
The massacre of the Hozuki Clan in Hidden Mist Village was also instigated by Uchiha Obito.
The Nine-Tails Incident in Konoha was orchestrated by Uchiha Obito.
However, the developments did not unfold as Uchiha Obito had expected.
He could accept the massacre of the Hozuki Clan, as he failed to kill Uehara Soma.
But he had thought that Konoha's strength would collapse directly after the Nine-Tails Incident.
To his surprise, after Orochimaru became Hokage, his use of Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu revitalized Konoha.
Not only did they withstand the assaults from the three major Ninja villages, but now they could even counterattack.
One village's top Ninja was pursuing the Kages of three Ninja villages.
Uchiha Obito hoped the war in the ninja world could continue, but not in this way.
What Uchiha Obito envisioned was that the major Ninja villages would grow weaker the more they fought, not stronger.
"Yagura must not die, at least not now."
A Kage's puppet is not easy to obtain.
Uchiha Obito did not think that after Yagura's death, he could easily control the next Mizukage.
Yagura was an important piece on his chessboard.
"But I need to be cautious when I act."
"I can't let them develop any extra suspicions."
Uchiha Obito's gaze flickered.
He then looked toward Manda on the other side.
Two enormous snakes were colliding, biting, and entangling each other.
"Kamui!"
A force of spatial distortion suddenly appeared, landing on Manda.
"Crack!"
At that moment, Manda was fiercely battling its own clone, completely preoccupied and unaware that someone would attempt a sneak attack from outside.
Moreover, Uchiha Obito's Kamui came swiftly and silently.
By the time Manda realized what was happening, it was already too late.
The upper half of the head, under the effect of spatial distortion, directly deformed.
The clone seized the opportunity and bit down hard.
"Plop!"
In an instant, half of Manda's head was inside the clone's mouth.
A large amount of blood gushed out.
The surrounding trees and ground were all stained red.
Suddenly receiving a fatal attack sent Manda into a frenzied state.
The entire snake thrashed wildly,
like an eel just thrown into boiling water,
but thousands of times larger.
The ground shook.
All the surrounding trees collapsed under Manda's twisting.
The ground was dented,
and trenches appeared from the impact of Manda's body.
Uchiha Obito's surprise attack hit its mark perfectly, dealing a fatal blow to Manda which couldn't even cancel the Summoning Jutsu to return to Ryuchi Cave.
Orochimaru quickly turned to look.
Yagura's eyes lit up.
"My clone won?"
This surprised Yagura.
He was very familiar with the Water Mirror Jutsu.
It was essentially a binding technique.
Using the Water Mirror, it created clones.
The clones had comparable strength and abilities to the original,
making it impossible to determine a clear winner, but they could effectively hold the opponent in place.
But now, Manda was dead.
"When did my Water Mirror Jutsu become this powerful?"
Until now, Yagura, Orochimaru, and Sarutobi Hiruzen had not noticed Uchiha Obito's presence.
But Yagura didn't dwell on it.
At the moment Orochimaru turned around, Yagura seized the opportunity without hesitation and swiftly retreated.
In one move, he created a significant distance.
At this point, Yagura couldn't say he could escape from Orochimaru and Sarutobi Hiruzen,
but at least he was in a much better situation than before.
The opportunity had increased a bit.
"Chase!"
Orochimaru and Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly snapped back to reality.
If Yagura managed to escape, then both of them would have gained nothing.
What face would they have to meet Senju Tobirama?
"Absolutely cannot let Yagura get away!"
The two of them continuously closed the distance between themselves and Yagura.
Yagura watched helplessly as he was about to fall back into the same situation as before, yet could do nothing.
After all, the gap in strength was indeed there.
Uchiha Obito's eyes flickered as he prepared to strike again.
Suddenly, Uchiha Obito sensed a strange presence.
He saw a bolt of lightning approaching at high speed.
"Hozuki Izumo?"
"Back again?"
Orochimaru and Sarutobi Hiruzen were momentarily stunned.
Having already escaped a considerable distance, why was he coming back?
What did this mean?
Yagura's expression turned cold.
"Izumo, why?"
He had made sacrifices to ensure Hozuki Izumo could live and escape, preventing Konoha from obtaining the Zanpakuto.
Now Hozuki Izumo was back.
In that instant, Yagura felt that everything he had done before was in vain.
"Mizukage-sama, don't be afraid; our ally has arrived."
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