Fukami Senran had to move because the time had come for him to act.
A massive purple giant snake roared as it crashed through the eastern defensive line of the Sand Hidden camp.
Standing atop the snake was a slender figure with fair skin, long hair, and purple eyeshadow.
Orochimaru!
Among Konoha's Sannin, Orochimaru was the most renowned.
While Konoha's Sannin hadn't yet reached their peak power from years later, once they earned the title "Sannin," they were already approaching their prime, each a bona fide Kage-level powerhouse.
Behind him were well-equipped Konoha ninja, armed with swords and kunai.
"Sayama, Tetsuya, hold them off with the Puppet Force! Sada, provide Ninjutsu support! Kurokawa, let's go!"
To stop Orochimaru, Sand Hidden had deployed almost all of its remaining high-level combat forces.
However, not many were qualified to contend with a powerhouse like Orochimaru.
Out of the twenty or so Jonin in Sand Hidden's expeditionary force to the Land of Rain, only a handful could be considered elite Jonin.
Sayama of the Sand and Tetsuya of the Three were the vice-captain of the Puppet Force's first squad and the captain of its second squad, respectively. Along with Sada, Kurokawa, and Fukami Senran, there were a total of five elite Jonin. With the support of the ninja army, they could barely hold their own against Orochimaru for a while.
As for winning, that was highly unlikely.
Qingshui and his two companions watched the battle with trepidation, maintaining their guard.
Fukami Senran and the Jonin named Tetsuya of the Three were surprisingly strong, noticeably stronger than the other three Jonin, and bore the brunt of the pressure.
If Qingshui were to evaluate them, he would say that even if they weren't as strong as Hatake Kakashi when he first appeared in the original story, they weren't much inferior to Sarutobi Asuma.
To be able to exchange blows with a Kage-level master already made them top-tier experts in the Ninja World.
Unfortunately, not long into the fight, the Jonin named Kurokawa was injured.
Manda also rampaged through Sand Hidden's formation, as if entering an empty realm.
Orochimaru was unhurried, merely using snake-based Ninjutsu to suppress Fukami Senran and the others.
In his opinion, victory would inevitably be his.
"Captain Senran and the others probably won't last much longer."
Qingshui clenched his fists, sweat beading in his palms.
He never would have imagined that he'd just arrived on the battlefield, assigned to the safest reserve unit, only to encounter such a dangerous situation.
If the camp was breached, he wondered if Chiyo could protect Sand Hidden's main force and retreat with them.
If not, Sand Hidden's forces would be scattered.
He had to find a way to escape and save himself now!
As Qingshui was assessing the situation, a sudden anomaly occurred on the distant horizon.
Two clouds were moving towards their location.
Two very different clouds: one was brownish-tan sand, and the other was glistening gold.
"Is that..."
A ninja stared at the distant clouds.
"That's Magnet Release! Not like Lord Second's or Lord Third's Magnet Release! The village has another ninja who's mastered Magnet Release!"
An old ninja couldn't help but cheer.
Everyone knew that Sand Village's powerful reinforcements had arrived.
"Rasa, it seems we arrived just in time."
A young woman with light golden, shoulder-length hair said to her lover beside her.
She looked seventeen or eighteen, entering the most beautiful stage of a woman's life.
"Hmm, Konoha's Sannin, they'll make perfect stepping stones for my fame, Rasa!"
The young man with reddish-brown hair appeared very arrogant.
"Let's go help first. Jonin Kurokawa and the others are about to collapse."
Karura smiled slightly and raised her hand.
"*Sand Waterfall Funeral!*"
Masses of sand coalesced, forming a waterfall that pressed down on Manda.
"You're right."
Rasa also raised his arm.
"*Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!*"
Glistening gold dust, accompanied by sand, swirled towards Orochimaru and Manda.
"Magnet Release?"
Orochimaru used a snake that shot out from his sleeve to force Fukami Senran back, frowning.
He knew the power of the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release.
The gold dust and sand of the two in front of him, while not as grand in scale as the Third Kazekage's iron sand, were still enough to pose a certain threat when combined.
Adding in several elite Jonin with considerable strength, even Orochimaru felt his chances of winning were slim at the moment.
"*Myriad Snake Net!*"
A dense swarm of snakes spewed from Orochimaru's sleeves and gaping maw, blocking the gold dust and sand.
In a hurry, Orochimaru glanced at other parts of the battlefield.
Chiyo and Hanzo were still in a standoff.
The average combat strength of Rain Hidden ninja was lower than that of Sand Hidden, and the number of Konoha ninja who came as reinforcements was slightly insufficient.
This battle would likely not yield many more results; continued fighting was pointless. It was better to retreat and plan slowly afterward.
"Retreat."
Orochimaru gave the order, using the swarm of snakes to cover the Konoha ninja's retreat and buy them time.
On another part of the battlefield.
Hanzo also noticed the commotion from Orochimaru's side, and his heart sank.
"Ibuse."
As soon as Hanzo spoke, Ibuse the Salamander, who was at his feet, immediately understood, opening its mouth and once again spewing a thick purple poisonous mist.
At this moment, the main purpose of this poisonous mist was not to kill enemies, but to act as a smoke screen, covering the retreat of the Rain Hidden ninja.
"Phew…"
Seeing Orochimaru and Hanzo retreat, Qingshui couldn't help but sigh in relief.
It was a good thing they had strong reinforcements.
During the battle, Qingshui, Pakura, and Baki, the three Chunin, couldn't directly participate, but after the battle ended, the three of them became busy.
Assisting with battlefield cleanup, tallying casualties, and salvaging scrapped ninja tools—after a thorough inventory, it was already evening.
"Thank you both again today. If not for you, this old body of mine might not have been able to withstand Orochimaru and Hanzo. Come, though it's not alcohol, this old woman must still raise a toast to you both."
Inside the tent, Chiyo raised her cup and addressed Rasa and Karura.
On the table in the middle, there were a few simple side dishes.
"Elder Chiyo, you're too kind."
"Thank you, Elder Chiyo."
Rasa and Karura also raised their cups and clinked them with Chiyo's.
"This is a new disciple Ebizo and I recently took in, Qingshui."
Chiyo gestured towards Qingshui, who was seated beside them.
"Senior Rasa, Sister Karura."
Qingshui smiled, raising his cup to the two of them.
The cups contained fruit juice.
The Three Ninja Prohibitions—no alcohol, no extravagance, no lust—were rules that many ninja often ignored in daily life. However, during important missions and wartime, to prevent enemies from extracting information through these means, the Three Ninja Prohibitions had to be strictly observed.
"Hello there, little brother Qingshui."
Karura said with a smile.
Rasa also nodded slightly, clinking his cup with Qingshui's.
He was arrogant, but not foolish.
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