In theory, Orochimaru and his crew were more than capable of taking on the ninja from the Land of Water without breaking a sweat. But Oto-nin Village wasn't just home to them—it was filled with ordinary civilians who'd come seeking refuge. These people were defenseless, and if a battle broke out, they'd be the first to die.
That's why Orochimaru and the others didn't dare make a move.
"Damn it! You dare defy the orders of the Land of Water's daimyō? Fine, you've brought this on yourselves!" barked a man who looked like the leader. With a wave of his hand, he signaled the massive army of ninja surrounding Oto-nin Village to attack.
"Those bastards!" Orochimaru and his group hadn't expected the Land of Water's ninja to be so brazen. Without even a chance to negotiate, they launched an all-out assault on the village.
As a storm of attacks rained down from every direction, Orochimaru's heart raced. Despite his immense power, he didn't have a jutsu capable of countering such a large-scale offensive.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Just then, a figure descended from the sky, landing at the heart of the attack. A massive repulsive force erupted, shattering the barrage of ninjutsu and sending the Land of Water's ninja sprawling across the ground.
"You! Who the hell are you?" the leader stammered, trembling like a leaf as he gaped at Kazama, who hovered in the sky like a god, having single-handedly crushed his entire ninja army.
"Vansei Ten'in!"
While the leader stood frozen in fear, Kazama raised a hand. The man's body was yanked toward Kazama, completely against his will.
"Big brother—no, grandfather, please spare me! I swear I didn't mean to attack Oto-nin Village! It was all the daimyō's orders!" The once-arrogant leader was now drenched in cold sweat, practically soiling himself mid-air.
"I've got family to—"
"Shut up!" Kazama snapped, cutting off his blabbering.
"Go back and tell your daimyō that Oto-nin Village isn't to be messed with. He wants my ten pagodas? Fine. Once I'm done with my current business, I'll pay him a personal visit and let him see the true power of those pagodas. Now get lost!"
"Y-Yes, sir!" The leader, released by Kazama, scrambled out of Oto-nin Village, tripping over himself in his haste.
"And leave all your heavy weapons behind as compensation for harassing our village!" Kazama added.
"No problem, no problem!" The leader hurriedly ordered his men to abandon their siege equipment before they all fled without a trace.
"Kazama-sama, letting them go like that might…" Orochimaru began, but his words faltered as he caught sight of Kazama's eyes—those Rinnegan. His jaw dropped, and he nearly collapsed.
Orochimaru had already been floored by Kazama's Mangekyō Sharingan in the past, but now the Rinnegan? Even after all this time serving Kazama, Orochimaru realized he still couldn't fathom the true depths of his power.
"These ninja are nothing to worry about," Kazama said. "Have our people repurpose their abandoned heavy weapons for village defense. Station lookouts around the perimeter so we'll know the moment anyone approaches. As for the Land of Water's daimyō, I'll deal with him personally once I've wrapped things up here."
"Understood!" Orochimaru quickly relayed Kazama's orders.
"Kazama-sama, those eyes of yours…?" Orochimaru ventured, still reeling.
"What's wrong? Something off about them?" Kazama replied with a knowing smirk, clearly enjoying Orochimaru's shock.