Chapter 56: The Tip of Oda Nobunaga's Iceberg
"Nobunaga-dono!"
On one side, Orochimaru and Sasori were locked in a ferocious battle.
Seeing that Orochimaru hadn't immediately slipped away as usual—but was instead stubbornly holding his ground—Sasori was overjoyed. Convinced that this was his chance to finally turn Orochimaru into snake stew, he unleashed one of his ultimate techniques: the Hundred Puppet Performance.
Orochimaru, for his part, seemed lost in thought. Yet he, too, had summoned the notoriously uncooperative Manda, clearly intending to trick and exploit the summoned beast—while also having a little "fun" with Sasori, whom he disliked just as much as Sasori despised him.
It was obvious that the battle at Sound Mountain Fortress had placed a certain amount of pressure on Orochimaru.
Perhaps this clash was also his way of displaying his strength to Oda Nobunaga—to maintain his position as a dominant partner rather than a disposable collaborator.
Meanwhile, Deidara and Kakuzu had also come to blows.
Kakuzu, unwilling to let his precious patron be harmed, had originally hoped to rely on reputation alone—to use the so-called Face-Face no Mi and force Sasori and Orochimaru to stand down.
Unfortunately, Deidara—excitable as a rabid husky—did the exact opposite, gleefully fanning the flames and entangling Kakuzu instead.
Thus, only moments after driving back the Cloud Village forces—at a time when morale should have been soaring—
the Sound ninja were given a front-row seat to the clash of Kage-level and near–Kage-level monsters.
Any arrogance that had quietly crept into their hearts vanished instantly.
Before such overwhelming power, the Sound ninja were reminded of their former humility.
After all, during the battle with the Cloud ninja, no one like Orochimaru had appeared on the battlefield.
And no Sound ninja was foolish enough to believe that the Cloud Village lacked monsters of the same caliber.
Witnessing a battle beyond imagination, most people were awed—or frightened.
But Zōmajirō, whose loyalty to Oda Nobunaga was absolute, reacted immediately.
"Nobunaga-dono," he called softly, stepping close.
"This place is far too dangerous. Please withdraw back into the fortress."
"I will find a way to stop these four," he continued in a low voice.
"Please trust in my resolve. Even if it costs me my life, I will not allow harm to come to you—or disgrace to the Land of Rice Fields."
Kinoshita Jirō was thinking far beyond the present chaos.
He was already considering the next inevitable Cloud Village counterattack.
If the enemy deployed forces of this level next time, he knew full well that explosives and a handful of elite Sound ninja would no longer suffice.
And more than that—
His gaze flickered, briefly and subtly, toward Kimimaro, who was holding Uzumaki Shion back.
The White Demon who had earned his name on the battlefield was unquestionably loyal to his former master—a trait worthy of respect.
Yet Kinoshita wished, from the bottom of his heart, to see Kimimaro sever all ties with Orochimaru—
and pledge absolute loyalty to Oda Nobunaga alone.
Taking a deep breath, Kinoshita purged these thoughts from his mind.
Staring at the earth-shaking battlefield, he treated it as a rehearsal for wars yet to come.
He summoned several Sound elite, silently counting the explosive tags on his person.
If worst came to worst—
then flesh and blood would have to become the final line of defense.
Even if it meant dying, he would stop Orochimaru and others like him now—
and any such enemies that might appear in the future.
"Stay calm."
At that critical moment, Oda Nobunaga gently reached out and stopped Kinoshita, who was on the verge of charging forward.
At the same time, his gaze shifted—quietly, meaningfully—
toward Uzumaki Shion
and Kimimaro.
"..."
Kimimaro was not a fool.
Standing in front of Uzumaki Shion, he naturally noticed the gaze Oda Nobunaga cast his way.
His lips parted, as if he wanted to say something—something wholly uncharacteristic of him—but then his eyes flicked toward Lord Orochimaru, who was still locked in battle.
He turned his head away.
Was it speechless guilt, or simply an inability to choose?
Kimimaro avoided Nobunaga's eyes.
"Heh."
Nobunaga let out a soft chuckle. Far from being angered by Kimimaro's choice, he found it revealing—rich with unspoken meaning.
"Bring Director Mukade and Director Dōtō up here," he said calmly.
"Oh—and have them bring a few of their results as well. Let's put on a little display."
As he spoke, Oda Nobunaga removed his ornate daimyō robes, revealing beneath them a custom-made chakra armor, sleek and unmistakably functional.
While issuing orders to Kinoshita, Nobunaga stepped forward, strolling along the edge of the battlefield with unhurried confidence.
He looked as though he were merely surveying the terrain—
yet at the same time, it felt as if he were preparing to step directly into the fight.
"My lord!"
Kinoshita was stunned.
He had never imagined that his lord would personally intervene in a battle of this scale.
In an instant, a mix of shame and anger surged within him.
When the lord is humiliated, the retainer must die.
To allow his master to fight personally—this was an unforgivable disgrace for a subordinate.
And yet—
Kinoshita knew better than anyone that once Nobunaga made a decision, no one could sway him.
Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted back into the fortress, heading deeper inside.
Because his lord's command was absolute.
---
Meanwhile, the four combatants at the center of the battlefield also noticed Nobunaga's slow, deliberate pacing along the perimeter.
Sasori, now having brought out the Third Kazekage Puppet, regarded the daimyō with curiosity from within Hiruko.
What was that noble planning to do?
Surely a pampered daimyō—soft with excess and indulgence—didn't intend to interfere in their battle?
"Orochimaru," Sasori sneered,
"That is the lord you chose to serve?"
Unaware of the true nature of the relationship between Orochimaru and Nobunaga, Sasori's words dripped with mockery.
Orochimaru, who had likewise summoned the enhanced Edo Tensei Third Kazekage, merely rolled his eyes.
He ignored the provocation.
Instead, curiosity flickered through him.
He wanted to see whether this Nobunaga—who had already surprised him so many times—would produce yet another shock.
---
Battlefield analysis complete.
Coordinate mapping established.
Three-dimensional combat model constructed.
As Nobunaga walked the edge of the battlefield, a faint glint shone in his eyes.
Within his mind, a fully realized three-dimensional battlefield unfolded—every angle, every vector, every possible outcome rendered with chilling clarity.
Did Orochimaru remember the question he had once asked in that conjured library?
Were there any ninjutsu scrolls inside?
Back then, Nobunaga had sidestepped the question.
But the truth was—
Of course there were.
---
"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!"
A dense barrage of piercing air-splitting sounds erupted without warning.
Both Orochimaru and Sasori had unconsciously slowed their fighting, secretly observing Nobunaga's movements.
Thus, they both saw it clearly—
Nobunaga suddenly hurled a storm of kunai into the battlefield.
"…That's it?"
Sasori was genuinely disappointed.
Was that all?
Just throwing kunai from afar?
That was no different from how he used to mock Kakuzu—
Every time Kakuzu bragged about once fighting the "God of Shinobi," Senju Hashirama, Sasori would casually retort by saying he'd thrown a shuriken from eight hundred meters away.
"Tch… expecting something special from a daimyō,"
Sasori muttered to himself.
"That really doesn't sound like me."
With a dismissive thought, he split off a dozen puppets from the Hundred Puppet Performance and sent them toward Nobunaga.
After all, that man was someone Pain had explicitly ordered them to keep an eye on.
No need to kill him, Sasori reasoned.
Crippling him should be fine.
He was already considering how to make excuses later to that madman who constantly called himself a god.
---
But unlike Sasori's carelessness—
The moment those kunai embedded themselves across the battlefield—
Orochimaru's pupils contracted violently.
Someone who had once lost the Hokage position to a certain blond idiot—and remembered it vividly—could never be so blasé.
Even his control over the Edo Tensei Third Kazekage faltered for a split second.
Orochimaru blurted out in shock:
"No—don't tell me it's that technique?!
Where did he learn it… and how could he possibly have mastered it?!"