Dark clouds hid the moon, and the sky turned black again.
Across the battlefield, everyone had stopped fighting except for the Fourth Raikage and Orochimaru, who were still locked in battle.
On Konoha's side, the mission was complete—the enemy fortress had been completely destroyed. Now, under Fugaku's command, they were marching toward the Eight-Tails' location with Manda clearing the path ahead.
The Kumogakure shinobi, intimidated by Manda's overwhelming presence, didn't dare attack recklessly. They followed behind the Konoha force, ready to strike in an ambush the moment their Jinchuriki tied Manda down.
The fortress was gone, but the war wasn't lost yet for Kumogakure. Konoha's giant armored warrior had already been crushed by the Raikage. If they could kill Orochimaru now, victory would still belong to Kumogakure.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Eight massive tentacles whipped through the air, trying to crush the tiny figures darting across its surface, but each strike missed.
For ordinary shinobi, a tailed beast was an unstoppable weapon. But to those who reached a certain level of power, these beasts became little more than playthings.
With Orochimaru's current reflexes and speed, Gyuki's attacks looked almost childish. Still, to be safe, Orochimaru left the ground and took the fight onto Gyuki's back, trading blows with the Fourth Raikage.
"Raikage-sama, your time is running out."
Orochimaru licked the blood from his lips and smiled. "My precious summon will be here any moment. Do you really think you can still kill me then?"
The Fourth Raikage stood on Gyuki's spine, his face so dark it seemed like water could drip from it.
He could already sense Manda's movements and knew Orochimaru wasn't bluffing.
But after unleashing his aura, Orochimaru only dodged, building power within his blade without striking. His killing move was clearly ready, yet he held back, filling Raikage with a deep sense of danger, making him hesitate to attack recklessly.
If he kept waiting, though, the perfect chance would be gone.
He had already let a half-dead Uchiha Shisui escape—how could he let a weakened Orochimaru slip away too?
"Killer Bee!!"
Lightning burst from the Fourth Raikage's body as he leapt high into the air.
The Eight-Tails, Gyuki, stopped attacking Orochimaru and pressed its massive body against the ground. Its eight tentacle-like tails rose high, then slammed down hard at the Raikage.
"…!"
"Orochimaru" lifted his head and let out a low sound of surprise.
In the sky, lightning flashed again and again as the Raikage's body darted between the crashing tentacles. His speed grew faster and faster, leaving streaks of afterimages in the air.
Soon, even with Orochimaru's sharp vision, it became hard to track the Raikage's movements.
But thanks to the perfect teamwork of the brothers, the tentacles managed to keep up with the Raikage's movements, forcing his speed even higher.
"Such a simple but brutal method…"
"Orochimaru" gave a faint chuckle, lifting his sword and spreading his senses around him with the natural energy he was controlling.
"Boom!"
At one moment, lightning and a tentacle clashed, carving a deep mark in the ground. The Raikage knew he had reached his limit. Instead of gathering more power, he dove straight at Orochimaru.
"Lightning Release: Lariat!"
A blinding flash struck down with a thunderous roar. Orochimaru's eyes snapped open, his blade flashing to meet the Raikage's fist head-on.
The clash of lightning and flame didn't last long. With a sharp crack, the Kusanagi sword snapped under the Raikage's punch.
The fist's momentum didn't stop—it smashed downward, and though Orochimaru twisted his body in time, a chunk of flesh the size of a fist was torn from his side.
"Did I get him? No, not enough!"
The Raikage's eyes widened, but his body, driven by leftover momentum, was pulled away, unable to land a follow-up blow.
He turned in frustration—only to see a cruel grin spread across Orochimaru's face.
Before he could react, pain tore through his waist. The strike had cut into his guts, slicing through his intestines and even his kidney.
"Boom!"
The Fourth Raikage couldn't hold on any longer. His body was flung back, and even though a tentacle caught him, he still looked battered and beaten.
"How's that kidney-splitting strike?"
Orochimaru sneered, glancing at the blood-stained broken blade in his hand with disgust, then casually tossed it aside.
Swish—
A sudden gust cut through the air. Orochimaru, clutching his wounded side, forced his body upward to dodge a sneak attack from the tentacles.
With the Raikage no longer holding him back, Orochimaru didn't stay. He pulled himself out of Gyuki's reach and quickly rejoined the Konoha forces.
"Orochimaru, just look at you—what a mess!"
Even as he spoke, Manda coiled protectively around Orochimaru, shielding him from attacks on all sides.
No joke—he had already helped this guy twice and still hadn't been paid.
"Orochimaru-sama, are you alright?" Fugaku's eyes widened at the gaping wound on Orochimaru's side. He shouted, "Medical team! Where are the medical ninjas?"
After calling a few times, his voice trailed off—remembering that Orochimaru himself was one of the best medical ninjas.
"Heh… it's nothing. But I'll need to change forms."
Orochimaru smirked, releasing his Demon Slayer Mark. His aura shifted completely, as if he had become a different person.
"You really gave me a hard time."
Though his lips still curved into a smile, a cold air hung over his face. He glanced at the wound, formed seals with his hands, and his body melted into the shape of a pale, several-meter-long white snake.
Fugaku froze, instinctively stepping back a few paces.
The smaller white snake opened its mouth wide, and from within, a human arm stretched out. Slowly, Orochimaru crawled out of it, covered in sticky fluids but without a single wound—shedding his old body like a snake's skin.
Even though they already knew how strange Orochimaru was, the sight still made the Konoha ninjas shiver. Almost all of them swallowed nervously.
Orochimaru didn't care. He lightly leapt onto Manda's head and, under the slanting moonlight, looked off into the distance.
On the Kumogakure side, noticing his gaze, the Fourth Raikage forced himself up again, refusing to show weakness.
Beside him, Kumogakure's medical ninjas tried their best with healing jutsu, but the results were barely noticeable.
The Fourth Raikage's body was usually like steel, but once hurt, it wasn't easy to heal. What's worse, Genie's sword strike had sealed the wound so it couldn't recover.
"Raikage, how about we end the fight here?"
Orochimaru's voice was cold. "At this point, you've already lost."
The shinobi of Konoha turned their eyes on the Kumogakure forces, their fighting spirit blazing, morale sky-high. By comparison, Kumogakure's side looked drained and defeated. The difference was plain to see.
The Raikage's face darkened. He wanted to rage, but with that cut across his side, he could no longer stand as firm as before.
"What's wrong? Do you still want to keep fighting?"
Orochimaru stood on Manda's head, completely unscathed. His cold, oppressive face carried a crushing pressure. "If you want to fight, I'll stay with you until the end!"
For a moment, the battlefield fell silent. Then, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee, suddenly spoke up. "Orochimaru, we of Kumogakure agree to end this war."
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