With a single order from the Raikage, the Kumogakure ninjas quickly shook off their opponents and retreated from Yamata no Orochi's attack range.
With no fortress left to destroy, they had no reason to keep fighting.
The Konohagakure ninjas didn't try to stop them too much either. In terms of numbers, Kumogakure still had the upper hand. Even in defeat, they weren't some helpless prey to be beaten down.
So, the victors stayed cautious and didn't give chase, letting the losing side leave in a hurry.
As the Fourth Raikage disappeared from the battlefield, Orochimaru released the "Eight Branches Technique," a mocking smile spreading across his face.
Fugaku appeared at Orochimaru's side and asked, "Lord, should we go support Shisui and the others?"
"No need. We'll stick to the plan and head for the fake fortress."
Orochimaru licked his lips and ordered the ninjas gathered around him, "Move out!"
"Yes!"
The Konohagakure ninjas answered in unison.
Fresh off a victory, their morale was high. Ignoring the fatigue from the battle, they quickly followed Orochimaru.
…
Unlike Konohagakure, the mood among the Kumogakure ninjas was heavy. They had the advantage in numbers, yet the battlefield worked against them, and the fight ended in a stalemate before tilting against them.
They suffered heavy losses and didn't even get what they wanted—the fortress turned out to be fake.
"Big bro, where do we go now? Yugito still hasn't come back."
Killer Bee panted, exhaustion in his eyes. "Maybe the stronghold she's targeting is real. We should go help her."
Fake fortresses weren't new tricks for Konohagakure. Kumogakure even knew about the design of one real fortress mixed with two fakes.
Now that one fake fortress was gone, two more remained.
"It doesn't matter anymore. We've already lost."
The Fourth Raikage shook his head. "In their current state, our ninjas can't handle two more big battles."
Killer Bee fell silent.
One more fight might still be possible if the Raikage used his authority to hold morale together, but a second? That would push things too far.
"Besides, we don't even know how many fake fortresses Konohagakure has built."
The Fourth Raikage glanced behind him, frowning.
What he said was only part of the reason. What truly bothered him was Orochimaru's attitude—so reckless, almost like he didn't care about his men.
When two major ninja forces clash, some things can't be hidden. As a commander himself, the Raikage could sense Orochimaru's indifference to casualties.
Then there was the intel: most of Orochimaru's troops came from the Police Force, and the relationship between the Uchiha and Konohagakure was complicated.
The Fourth Raikage let out a cold laugh. "Hmph, Konohagakure…"
Just then, a bright pillar of light shot up in the distance, piercing the dark night sky, exactly like before.
The Fourth Raikage became even more certain of his decision. He sent a team of jonin to support Yugito, then led the rest of the Kumogakure ninja back toward their stronghold.
Behind them, the Hyuga clan, who had been following far behind the Kumogakure group, didn't dare keep going and instead headed toward the meeting point.
After a while, when they returned to the main force, Hyuga Hizashi reported, "Orochimaru-sama, the Kumogakure ninja didn't turn back. They left."
Fugaku asked, "Orochimaru-sama, should we go help Shisui and the others?"
Shisui was a genius of the clan. Unless there was no other choice, Fugaku didn't want to see Shisui fall on the battlefield.
"No need."
Orochimaru was adjusting the barrier seals around the fake fortress. After hearing Fugaku's request, a strange smile appeared on his face.
"There's no time."
By now, Kakashi and Shisui should have split up and reached the real fortress. But so far, there was no news—success or failure.
Orochimaru wasn't curious about what went wrong. He only knew he couldn't keep placing all his hopes on them.
As for their lives, when he sent them out, he had already considered them dead.
On the battlefield, anything can happen. Even someone like Jiraiya had been close to death more than once.
Of course, if word came that Shisui was dead, Orochimaru would abandon the army to recover those eyes, which might be Mangekyou Sharingan.
...
"Hah…"
The eyes Orochimaru coveted belonged to Shisui, who had just slashed the throat of the last Kumogakure ninja. He scanned the battlefield, making sure no one from the enemy side survived, then finally let out a long breath.
"Without these scouts, Kumogakure won't be able to keep up with Kakashi-senpai anymore."
Just as Orochimaru had guessed, things hadn't gone smoothly for them. They didn't expect Kumogakure to value these two squads so much that they sent out the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.
If it weren't for the drills they had done before, where Uchiha jonin gained experience fighting giant enemies, and their training in the Uchiha Flame Formation…
Facing Yugito in her tailed-beast form, they might have been wiped out.
Even so, the barrier that was meant to hold back a few jonin squads was barely enough to withstand a tailed beast's attacks.
Worried about being taken out one by one, they failed to split their forces.
They kept stalling until just now, when Yugito could no longer maintain her tailed-beast form. Only then did Kakashi lead a barrier team away.
Meanwhile, Shisui and several Uchiha jonin stayed behind, using the fake fortress as bait to delay the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.
Shisui killed the scouting Kumogakure ninja who had been tailing them all this time, to cover Kakashi's retreat.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of loud crashes shook the air.
Shisui turned and his face darkened.
Not far away, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, who had just left tailed-beast form, returned to the fight.
She transformed into a massive blue-flamed cat, its claws tearing at the crimson barrier again and again, ignoring the scorching backlash of the seal as if it were nothing.
Shisui took a deep breath and rushed toward the fake fortress, quickly arriving at the battlefield.
By then, the red barrier was already shaking under the Two-Tails' assault, looking like it would collapse at any moment.
Seeing this, Shisui hesitated.
He could use Susanoo to block the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki, but it would cost him some of his eyesight.
If it was only that, it wouldn't matter much, but Shisui knew very well what would happen if he revealed this power.
This war had started because the Nine-Tails was controlled, which caused huge losses for the village. Kumogakure attacked only because Konoha was left weakened.
Under these circumstances, revealing that he had the Mangekyo Sharingan would only pile suspicion back on the Uchiha clan, far worse than letting a fake fortress be destroyed.
"I can't show my eye techniques, and I can't use Susanoo."
After deciding, Shisui leapt in front of the Two-Tails, pressed his palm to the ground, and raised another, stronger red barrier around the fortress and the crumbling smaller barrier.
"Take this chance to recover your chakra," Shisui ordered, glancing back. Even he didn't know how long he could hold on like this.
Meanwhile, Kakashi's squad had reached the real fortress. Just as the team began activating the defensive barrier, a hand reached out from nowhere and dragged one of the barrier ninjas inside.
---
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