Orochimaru felt no psychological pressure about infiltrating behind Cloud ninja lines.
Kumogakure's defenses were tight enough, yet he'd still managed to infiltrate and kill the Eight-Tails jinchūriki Killer B, then escape unscathed.
This time, choosing to bring Minato was merely for backup—not because he'd grown timid.
As for Feng Bai...
He brought the boy purely out of curiosity.
With Orochimaru and Minato's two genius minds, plus Feng Bai's ordinary brain, the trio needed only three days of observation to deduce Kumogakure's temporary supply base location from the transport teams' frequency, speed, and personnel numbers. They approached the perimeter, stepping over the corpses of both hidden and visible sentries.
During the approach, Minato and Feng Bai had no opportunities to act. Orochimaru casually summoned several white serpents that killed the concealed enemies with venomous fangs, never alerting a single foe throughout the entire process.
Moreover, Orochimaru learned exactly what was stored inside the fortress and in what quantities through his serpents' reconnaissance.
Now that was an impressive skill.
Watching Orochimaru communicate seamlessly with snakes, Feng Bai thought this ability was incredibly practical during wartime.
"Excellent, this is the place. Minato, once the explosions begin, the enemies rushing to provide support are yours—both of you."
Glancing at Feng Bai, who dared not speak, Orochimaru expressionlessly shifted his gaze away, then gradually faded from sight under their watchful eyes.
"Minato, do you think Lord Orochimaru might fail?"
Gripping his kunai, Feng Bai curiously watched Orochimaru's departure direction and asked Minato.
Minato: "..."
Unable to fathom how Feng Bai could ask such a question, Minato cleared his throat and replied confidently: "Don't worry. Lord Orochimaru is one of the legendary Sannin and specializes in infiltration missions. Like Jiraiya-sensei, he's an expert at behind-enemy-lines reconnaissance."
"Besides, even if he fails, you and I are still here, aren't we?"
Flashing Feng Bai a brilliant smile, Minato was about to say more when a series of explosions erupted from the Cloud ninja position.
"Here we go!"
The smiling Minato instantly turned serious, pulling numerous Flying Thunder God kunai from his pouch and hurling them in all directions before vanishing from Feng Bai's sight.
"Damn, truly the fastest man in the ninja world!"
Watching Minato disappear before his eyes, Feng Bai quickly emerged from his hiding spot, randomly selected a decent-looking position, and used Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors to relocate there.
"What the hell is happening?!"
Hearing the explosions, transport unit commander Teimu rushed from his tent, staring at the continuously rising flames. Instinctively, he grabbed a running Cloud ninja to demand answers.
But before his hand reached the man, he saw a flash of white light sever his entire arm at the root—the attacker was the very comrade before him.
"You bastard..."
Realizing this was an infiltrator disguised as an ally, Teimu had no time to shout before the Cloud ninja-disguised Orochimaru decapitated him with a single slash.
Amid the chaos, many Cloud ninja witnessed this scene and quickly realized the figure before them was an enemy masquerading as a comrade. Abandoning firefighting efforts, they charged forward with battle cries, intent on killing Orochimaru.
"Damn."
Orochimaru, who had hoped to escape during the confusion, cursed silently. He hadn't expected Teimu to grab him for questioning at such an inopportune moment. Now his originally smooth infiltration plan was only half-complete. Fortunately, he'd brought Minato on this mission—sometimes caution truly paid dividends.
Unwilling to become entangled with the Cloud ninja, Orochimaru fled, leading them straight toward Minato and Feng Bai's ambush position.
That's way too many.
Crouched in a tree, Feng Bai watched the horde of dark-skinned warriors pursuing Orochimaru, his mouth twitching as unsavory thoughts crossed his mind.
When the first Cloud ninja entered Minato's Flying Thunder God kunai range, a yellow flash streaked past. The ninja's neck spurted a long line of blood as he collapsed, clutching his throat in unwilling defeat.
Then came the second, the third...
As more Cloud ninja fell, those arriving afterward instinctively halted. Minato hadn't yet earned his "Yellow Flash" reputation, so they couldn't understand what was happening—only seeing a yellow blur flickering constantly through the crowd.
After eliminating numerous Cloud ninja in one breath and forcing the remaining enemies to stop, Minato returned to his original position and signaled Feng Bai perched in the treetops.
"Understood! Ice Release: Ice Age!"
A glacial sea with razor-sharp edges surged toward the Cloud ninja, overwhelming those who hesitated. Massive amounts of blood sprayed across the ice crystals amid screams and wails. Only a few alert Cloud ninja avoided the technique, their faces grim as they stood on the ice surface, staring at their comrades' mangled remains beneath the frozen layer.
"If I were you, I definitely wouldn't choose to stand on the ice."
Watching the weapon-wielding Cloud ninja confronting him from atop the ice layer, Feng Bai "kindly" warned them while beginning hand seals: "Ice Release: Ice Explosion!"
The sudden detonation of ice crystals sent the remaining Cloud ninja skyward, along with some enemies from the Ice Age who were merely wounded and hadn't completely expired.
Ice mist mixed with blood fog dispersed throughout the sky, creating an eerie resonance with the still-exploding camp in the distance—a scene possessing a certain twisted beauty.
"Let's go."
Having personally witnessed Feng Bai's strength, Orochimaru approached his junior disciple and reminded him in a hoarse voice.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
Nodding to Orochimaru, Feng Bai couldn't bear to look at the carnage. After jumping down from the tree, he left explosive tag traps at positions where enemies might pursue before departing.
As the trio withdrew, human tissue fragments mixed with unidentifiable debris scattered across the ground, producing ominous, viscous sounds.
...
By the time young A received word and led reinforcements to the scene, the camp was mostly destroyed. The surviving Cloud ninja clustered around a patch of red earth, their eyes filled with terror.
When he drew closer, A—renowned for his fearless courage—felt a chill from the depths of his heart.
That wasn't red earth at all—it was hell constructed from corpses and blood.
"Damn it, who did this?!"
Suppressing his inner discomfort, young A glared furiously at the nearby survivors.
These were Cloud ninja who had remained at camp to salvage supplies rather than joining the pursuit. Only a few had witnessed the battle from across the camp: "We only saw massive ice emerge from the forest, followed by violent explosions..."
"Damn it, that Shimura clan Ice Release brat again!"
Hearing mention of ice, young A immediately identified the attacker. Torrential lightning began crackling across his entire body.
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