Aburame Tetsumaru used thin steel wire to clamp his front teeth together, anchoring them to the stable molars on either side. He gave them a gentle nudge with his finger; once he was satisfied that his incisors were no longer wobbling, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
With his immediate medical crisis averted, he sought out his two anxious subordinates to explain his reasoning for essentially pledging himself to Orochimaru.
"So, Captain," Uchiha Akira said, leaning in. "You chose Orochimaru as our patron, and that's why you're suddenly volunteering for these suicide missions?"
"Exactly. Without a backer, you just get assigned even more dangerous missions with slower reward payouts. I think you two have probably realized that by now."
Kurama Yun frowned. "That makes sense, but Captain, don't you think you should have given us a heads-up before dragging us into the jaws of death today?"
"First off, I didn't know today would be the right opportunity, so there was no way to plan it. Second," Tetsumaru countered, "I believe that while the tasks I choose are dangerous, the risks are controlled. It's infinitely safer than retreating early, getting branded by the high command, and being forced into an actual 'certain-death' mission as punishment."
After a fair bit of back-and-forth, Tetsumaru successfully talked them around. Though they were still slightly disgruntled, they accepted the logic of their new situation.
Akira had one final request: "Captain, can you stop calling me 'The Death-Fearing Uchiha'? You're clearly way more afraid of dying than I am."
"No."
"If you keep calling me that, I'm going to start calling you 'The Death-Fearing Captain.'"
"As long as you're not afraid of me bruising your ribs, call me whatever you want. You can scream it until your lungs burst for all I care."
Akira chickened out. Muttering under his breath, he squatted in front of a large boulder and started drawing circles in the dirt with a stick.
"He's here. Lord Orochimaru is approaching," a Hyuga ninja announced, standing up and signaling the rest of the line.
Orochimaru appeared on the ridge shortly after. After a brief consultation with a few Jonin, he issued the order for a full withdrawal to the fifth defensive line.
"Salamander Hanzo is on the move," Orochimaru explained, his voice cold. "We can't hold this position against him. If we get locked in combat here, we won't be able to retreat at all. We need Tsunade's support."
"Then we should send more messengers to request Lord Tsunade's aid immediately," a Jonin suggested.
Orochimaru peeled a piece of necrotic, poisoned skin from his arm and applied a fresh salve. "Tsunade alone won't be enough. We need Jiraiya as well. Send an urgent summons for both of them."
He looked back at the fortifications they were abandoning. "We can't just give this ground away for free. Have all ninjas set as many traps as possible. Have the Sealing Corps set up explosive tag arrays. Even if they don't kill anyone, we need to buy time. We're running out of it."
"Understood. I'll see to it."
"Move quickly. I'll be the last to leave," Orochimaru said, wrapping a bandage around his arm and hiding it beneath his sleeve before beginning his final inspection of the camp.
The surrounding Jonin watched him go with looks of deep respect before rushing off to their tasks.
As Orochimaru circled the perimeter, he stopped when he found Aburame Tetsumaru. "Tetsumaru. That's your name, correct?"
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
"What is it you want?"
"Safety and knowledge," Tetsumaru replied without hesitation.
Orochimaru nodded slowly, then continued his walk.
Kurama Yun couldn't suppress her curiosity. "Captain, what's in it for us?"
"Isn't safety enough?"
"Definitely not! You get knowledge and safety. We're out here risking our necks just to stay alive? And you can't even guarantee the 'safety' part!"
Tetsumaru looked at her with pure disdain. "You make a very valid point. However, I have no intention of raising my offer."
He paused, then added, "Tell you what. Want to leave the squad? Just write the application. I'll give you a glowing recommendation and 'reluctantly' approve your transfer immediately."
Kurama Yun glared. You jerk. Just you wait.
She wasn't stupid. Tetsumaru had a poisonous tongue and a petty streak a mile wide, but as a captain, he was one in a million: powerful, mentally stable, and tactically brilliant. He was flawless where it counted. He had even managed to tame a ruthless character like Uchiha Akira. Despite the danger, he looked after her during missions. This was the most "comfortable" squad she had been in for two years; she wasn't going anywhere.
The Konoha ninjas set traps as they moved, with Tetsumaru and Orochimaru bringing up the rear. Along the way, groups of ninjas who had been separated during the previous night's chaos rejoined the main force, which gradually swelled to over two thousand.
As they moved, small squads of Iwa and Ame scouts harassed their flanks. Tetsumaru was constantly darting out to drive them off. Occasionally, a scout would react too slowly and get pinned down; in those cases, the Konoha rearguard would swarm them in a display of "righteous ganging-up."
The Ame ninjas usually died on the spot, but the Iwa were harder to kill. They were experts at surviving being outnumbered; three or four of them would huddle together and cast Earth Style: Earth Dome Prison, creating a massive, thick "tortoise shell" that was nearly impossible to crack in a hurry.
By late afternoon, they finally reached the fifth defensive line. The sight of fresh reinforcements waiting for them sent a surge of morale through the retreating troops. Even the grim-faced Orochimaru managed a small smile as he greeted the two ninjas leading the welcoming party: Tsunade and Jiraiya.
Jiraiya laughed boisterously, slapping Orochimaru on the shoulder. "Orochimaru! It's rare to see you looking so ragged. Hanzo's really stepped up his game, hasn't he?"
Orochimaru smiled thinly. "He is formidable. But I've made progress of my own. I look forward to the rematch."
"That's the spirit!" Jiraiya said proudly. "I've already summoned the Two Great Sages in advance. Just you wait—you're finally going to see the true power of my Senjutsu!"
Orochimaru scoffed. Jiraiya had been shouting about "Senjutsu" for years without ever successfully pulling it off. He didn't have high hopes. Turning to Tsunade, he asked, "Tsunade, how is the production of the Salamander antidote coming along?"
"Don't worry," she replied. "I've updated the formula. The duration is up to twenty minutes now, and we have enough to distribute to the front line."
"Excellent."
SHREEE—!
Just as the two Konoha forces merged, a shrill, piercing alarm cut through the air. The bustling camp fell into a dead silence as every head turned to watch a messenger hawk streak overhead.
Total War. Counter-attack.
At that exact moment, the High Commander—the veteran from earlier—leaped onto a platform and began barking orders as if he had been leading the defense all along.
"Tsunade! Establish the field hospital immediately and organize the medical corps!"
"Jiraiya! You are in command of fifteen battalions. Take the right flank!"
"Orochimaru! You take fifteen battalions. Take the left flank!"
"I will lead the remaining sixteen battalions and command the center!"
The camp remained silent. No one moved. Every eye was fixed on Orochimaru, waiting for his lead.
Deep down, even the Commander was sweating, his pulse racing as he swallowed hard.
Orochimaru's serpentine eyes locked onto the back of the Commander's neck. His right thumb dug into his index finger, pressing harder and harder until the skin broke and blood began to drip onto the muddy ground.
The timing was perfect—and perfectly cruel. Orochimaru had the absolute loyalty of the men right now; with a single word, he could have the Commander ousted. But such a move would shatter the focus of the four thousand ninjas present. Morale would tank, and the resulting chaos would leave them vulnerable.
If the army collapsed, Konoha would have to retreat, losing all the ground they had bought with blood over the last twenty-four hours.
Orochimaru had worked through a night and a day. Over a hundred Konoha ninjas had died to create this opening. He wasn't going to let it go to waste.
He stepped forward and accepted the appointment with a loud, clear shout: "Understood!!"
Jiraiya let out a cold, mocking laugh, not even bothering to acknowledge the Commander as he turned to organize his men. Tsunade, whose status was even higher, simply spat on the ground and walked away with a sharp huff.
Twenty-two-year-old Orochimaru is actually quite hot-blooded, Tetsumaru noted internally. Enduring humiliation for the sake of the village...
This version of Orochimaru was far more charismatic than the cold, heartless monster he would eventually become. It made Tetsumaru feel much safer about his decision to follow him—at least for now.
However, Orochimaru's "submission" wasn't a defeat. In the long run, he had already won.
This kind of power-grab and credit-stealing was common in the Warring States period. Most ninjas were used to it. What the Commander didn't realize was that his low-level political tricks were outdated.
In the era of small clans, a petty scheme could decide a family's survival. You seize power, launch a battle, and by the time it's over, most of the people who witnessed your treachery are dead. When the witnesses are gone, the story belongs to the survivor.
But this was the era of Great Nations. This "low-level play" had been witnessed by four thousand ninjas. Statistically, it was unlikely that even twenty percent of them would die in the coming fight. This story wasn't going to die; the backlash was going to be swift and devastating.
The four thousand ninjas lined up to receive their gas masks and the new antidotes. They were simmering with a collective, suppressed rage—a frustration so thick it was palpable. They desperately needed a target to vent on.
The Iwa and Ame ninjas were about to have a very bad day.
The battle began on the left flank under Orochimaru, with the right flank following suit seconds later. They struck like a lightning bolt, shearing the combined Iwa-Ame force in two.
Just as Orochimaru predicted, the Iwa ninjas caught in the pincer movement instinctively went on the defensive, pulling back into their "tortoise shells."
Tetsumaru's mission was to keep the Iwa pinned down. He and fewer than a thousand Konoha ninjas were tasked with suppressing three thousand Iwa-nin, while the main force swung back around for a secondary pincer against the Ame.
The surrounded Ame force numbered about six hundred. The Konoha Commander concentrated three thousand ninjas for the annihilation phase—only to run headfirst into a sky full of toxic purple mist. The advance ground to a halt; the Konoha forces were paralyzed, unsure how to proceed without walking into a death trap.
They had accidentally trapped Salamander Hanzo in the pocket. The "easy" kill had suddenly become a bone-shattering wall of iron.
The battlefield became a chaotic mess. Konoha held the initiative, having sliced the enemy into three segments and surrounded two of them. However, both the Iwa and the Ame pockets were resilient. It was like a game of Go where the surrounded pieces had enough "liberties" to stay alive; the besiegers were now in danger of being counter-attacked and wiped out.
This was the moment for heroes. Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade charged the front line, summoning their three iconic Great Summons to engage Hanzo and his giant Salamander.
The Commander seized the opening to redirect the main force, surrounding the final group of two thousand Ame-nin. He ordered an all-out assault, desperate to secure a win as quickly as possible.
Orochimaru, trading blows with Hanzo, glanced back at the tactical map and cursed. "Useless trash!"
The forces the Commander had sent for the second pincer only numbered two thousand—roughly equal to the Ame they were trying to surround. Even with Konoha's superior training, you couldn't "quickly annihilate" an equal number of enemies.
By now, four thousand Konoha ninjas had split three thousand Iwa and two thousand six hundred Ame into three separate pockets. Every single front was in a dead stalemate.
The situation was incredibly perilous. Nearly ten thousand ninjas were locked in a chaotic melee where no one could easily disengage. The winner would suffer massive losses; the loser would likely be wiped out entirely.
The world had never seen a shinobi battle on this scale. No one knew what to do. The commanders on all sides were essentially flying blind.
Stalemate gripped the field until the top-tier combatants began to tip the scales. The first to break through was Hanzo.
After thirty minutes of intense combat, the effects of the Konoha antidotes began to wane. Combat effectiveness dropped sharply. Hanzo seized the opening, shaking off the flagging Sannin and leading his six hundred Ame-nin in a thunderous charge toward the northern pocket, successfully merging with the larger group of two thousand.
Once the Ame forces united, they outnumbered the Konoha ninjas surrounding them. They immediately launched a counter-offensive.
However, they soon realized that thirty minutes of high-intensity fighting had drained their chakra to near-empty levels. Their combat power had cratered. Furthermore, with the sudden increase in numbers, Hanzo could no longer shield everyone with his presence. The Ame forces began to fall apart under the pressure of the relatively fresh Konoha squads.
Hanzo realized he couldn't protect all 2,600 of his men. He abandoned the defensive posture and went on the offensive, only to be intercepted once again by the Sannin, who had taken a moment to recover. The battle drifted back into a grinding stalemate.
Meanwhile, the Iwa finally realized they had the advantage. Their highly disciplined Earth Style corps ignored the barrage of Konoha ninjutsu, slowly and firmly expanding their formation.
The three thousand Iwa-nin split into six groups: some for cover, some for counter-strikes, and some for breaking formations. Once ready, they unleashed a storm of Rock Cannonballs that rained down on the Konoha lines like a hurricane.
A single Rock Cannonball was nothing—it was slow, visible, and easy to dodge. But when hundreds of them were launched in a single wave, it became a statistical nightmare. There was nowhere to run.
Once dodging was no longer an option, the true power of the Earth Style was revealed. Each impact blasted a massive crater into the earth; anyone hit directly was reduced to a fine red mist.
Tetsumaru felt a surge of bitterness. Konoha had held a winning hand and played it into a disaster. He had been assigned the "safe" task of a feint, and now it had turned into a desperate mission for survival.
Fortunately, Tetsumaru had dealt with the Iwa long enough to respect their heavy artillery. His previous life's education had taught him exactly how to deal with a massive bombardment: dig. Dig deep.
This battlefield was no longer in the rocky heart of the Land of Rain. The soil here was soft. Tetsumaru rapidly excavated a foxhole and leaped inside.
Uchiha Akira followed suit, as did Kurama Yun, each digging their own individual slit trenches for cover. The method spread like wildfire through the first containment circle.
Using this simple but effective cover, eight hundred Konoha ninjas managed to withstand the relentless bombardment of three thousand Iwa. They retaliated with sharp bursts of ninjutsu and explosive tags, fighting with such ferocity that the Iwa grew paranoid, never daring to launch a full-scale infantry charge.
By late night, all three sides were utterly exhausted. By unspoken agreement, they disengaged and broke contact, ending the marathon battle.
Tetsumaru was so tired his bones felt like jelly. He collapsed right there in his foxhole and fell fast asleep. Just before he lost consciousness, a single thought drifted through his mind:
Is this the first, second, or third time the Sannin have fought Hanzo? I've lost count...
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