"Don't ever pull something like that again. Sneaking into enemy lines alone—do you have a death wish?"
For some reason, when Orochimaru heard that Gekko Chizan had acted alone, his mind suddenly flashed to his former disciple, Nawaki.
That was a boy full of life and spirit...
Life is fragile. Even someone as cold as Orochimaru felt a flicker of tension in that moment.
Gekko Chizan—that brat. As irritating as he could be, his talent was undeniable. Orochimaru had taken a liking to him, and once again, he found himself worrying for another person.
"Heh heh, got it, got it. I just got itchy hands, that's all."
"That Jinchūriki looked so frail, I was thinking of taking his head with one swing."
As he spoke, Gekko Chizan made a throat-slitting gesture, prompting everyone nearby to shake their heads.
Everyone got to work—those preparing for battle took their positions, those in charge of logistics hurried off to their duties.
By the time Sunagakure's forces arrived at the foot of the mountain, Konoha had already set their formation.
Orochimaru stood at the front of the ranks, gazing at the thousands of Sunagakure shinobi without the slightest ripple in his eyes.
In terms of numbers, Sunagakure still held the advantage over Konoha.
After all, Konoha had always been surrounded on all sides; in any given battlefield, they could never commit more forces than their opponent.
Rasa had likewise moved to the very front of his forces. Looking at Konoha's defensive line backed against the forested mountain, he was deep in thought.
In his view, an open plain would have been the optimal location for battle, but Konoha's quick response had exceeded his expectations.
Now the two sides stood locked in a standoff, with no room to change the setting.
"Elder Chiyo, our earlier plan is no longer viable. Let's attack directly."
"The sooner we take this battlefield, the fewer losses we'll suffer."
Chiyo didn't speak—she simply pulled out her puppet scroll.
"Then what are we waiting for? Begin the battle."
"I'll lead the puppet brigade as the vanguard."
"You get the One-Tail into the fight—use the power of the tailed beast to crush them quickly!"
With that, Chiyo swung her arm high and shouted:
"Charge! Break them! For Sunagakure!"
With Chiyo taking the lead, the Sunagakure forces were likewise filled with battle spirit and surged forward in a charge.
"A long march with no rest, then a direct assault... Looks like they're aiming for a quick battle."
"Chizan-kun, shall we?"
Orochimaru calmly bit his finger, rolled up his sleeve, and drew a line of blood across his forearm.
Gekko Chizan grinned.
"Teacher and student striking together? This might just go down as a legendary tale."
"Come on, sensei—let's set the snakes to dance."
Hot-blooded and overdramatic—that was the impression Gekko Chizan gave others. But those who knew him understood one thing—he rarely fought personally.
"Summoning Technique!"
Both of them slammed their hands to the ground at the same time. Orochimaru's smile was calm; Chizan's smile was downright wretched.
Two massive shadows slowly emerged within clouds of white smoke.
When the smoke cleared, two giant snakes—one purple-black, one cyan—appeared before the defensive line.
The purple-black Manda roared the moment he emerged, his massive body exuding a suffocating pressure.
But his moment of dominance didn't last long. A teasing voice sounded beside him.
"Yo! Isn't this Manda? Whose side are you working for these days?"
The crisp female voice made Manda shudder. He quickly turned his head.
The coiled cyan serpent was staring right at him.
"Uh... Isn't this Urokohane? What are you doing here?"
Manda felt certain he should have stayed home today. Of all the beings to run into, it had to be this brute.
Back in the day, even with the advantage of Ryūchi Cave's terrain, he had been utterly beaten down when he crossed paths with Urokohane and her three sisters.
They'd taken over his lair, thrown him—along with all his belongings—straight out of the core territory.
Don't even bring it up—just thinking about it made him want to cry.
Orochimaru looked at the cyan serpent with surprise. In all this time, this was the first he'd seen something that could actually intimidate Manda—and it was another snake at that.
His curiosity piqued, he gave the cyan giant a careful once-over before speaking in a teasing tone:
"Chizan-kun, why aren't you summoning that golden python from last time?"
"I've never seen this one?"
Gekko Chizan chuckled. He'd summoned Urokohane for a reason.
"Sensei, summoning snakes takes skill. Manda... well, his defining trait is 'reckless.'"
"As for my snake, you'll see soon enough."
With that, Gekko Chizan used the Body Flicker Technique to land atop Urokohane's head.
"Urokohane, I'm counting on you this time."
"Heh, I can guess what you're scheming, kid. Fine—since I ate your snakeberries, I'll help you out."
Urokohane turned her gaze toward the rapidly approaching Sunagakure shinobi and flicked her tongue.
Her coiled body tightened further.
Though she wasn't the fastest, Chiyo was the first to make a move.
A kunai whistled through the air as her puppet strings snapped forward.
"Manipulated Assault Blades!"
The kunai's sharp flight marked the official start of the battle.
Orochimaru's hands moved like lightning—he countered with a Wind Cutter Technique, deflecting Chiyo's kunai.
"Counterattack!"
Both sides' shinobi launched into action.
In an instant, ninjutsu and ninja tools filled the battlefield.
"Urokohane, go!"
Blocking a kunai with one hand, Gekko Chizan shouted toward her.
She didn't reply—her actions spoke for her.
Her massive body suddenly sprang upward. In Chizan's sensory perception, invisible natural energy was radiating steadily from Urokohane.
Using the ripple of her ribs for propulsion, she launched into the air, soaring over the battlefield.
In truth, flying snakes couldn't really fly—they could only glide. But Urokohane was different: Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu allowed true flight.
Like the three Snake Princesses, her senjutsu training focused on aerial maneuvering. With senjutsu energy, she could float freely in the sky.
She was the perfect embodiment of a flying serpent.
"Heh heh heh... A snake that can fly, is it?"
Standing atop Manda's head, Orochimaru let the great serpent crash into the enemy line while he himself looked up at Gekko Chizan floating above.
"Hmph, Orochimaru—don't look away!"
"Your opponent is me!"
"Secret Technique: Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu!"
As ten white figures appeared, Orochimaru stepped off Manda's head and landed on the ground.
Looking at the ten puppets, he sneered.
"What, already repaired?"
"I have to admit, puppet masters are quite good at fixing things."
In their previous battle, Orochimaru had destroyed these ten puppets more than once. Even masterpieces of the puppet-master progenitor Monzaemon were still just puppets. Yet they still dared to target a Jinchūriki...