At this very moment, in the Land of Lightning, thousands of miles away from the battlefield of Hell Valley:
Kumogakure.
The architecture of this hidden village was built largely atop towering mountain peaks that pierced the clouds. Mist swirled through the streets, and the constant, rhythmic rumble of thunder echoed off the stone.
The Raikage Office, situated at the heart of the village, sat nestled between peaks like a massive... well, plug.
Inside the core Raikage Office:
Orochimaru sat upon the throne that rightfully belonged to the Raikage as if he owned the place. He was currently flipping through documents that were considered absolute top-secret even within Kumo.
Scrolls containing the secret techniques of the Lightning Release Armor, papers documenting wartime council meetings, the top-secret mobile route of Turtle Island for creating perfect Jinchuriki, various border defense maps, and even a daring, borderline insane surprise attack plan...
Looking at the priceless intelligence in his hands, Orochimaru felt a wave of excitement mixed with a touch of irony.
Jiraiya had spent years digging through corners of the shinobi world—taverns, brothels, and small-village ninja outposts—to piece together intel, yet it didn't even amount to a tenth of the detail contained in these files.
Honestly, what has that man been doing? Still chasing after that so-called "Child of Prophecy"?
Shaking his head, Orochimaru packed the copied documents and tossed them into the mouth of a summoning snake waiting nearby. Just as he was satisfied and prepared to leave, he noticed an open sealing scroll sitting on the corner of the Raikage's desk.
"This is... the scroll for Kumo's sacred artifacts? The Amber Purifying Pot was taken?"
Orochimaru frowned slightly. He picked up the scroll and saw a familiar headshot pinned to a stack of non-classified intelligence reports beneath it.
"Ren Uchiha?"
"And this... is the combat plan for Hell Valley?"
It detailed Tailed Beast movements, the alliance with the Chinoike clan, the upcoming maneuvers of Kumo's forces, and the coordinated annihilation plan for the two Jinchuriki in Hell Valley.
Flipping to the end of the file, he found two lines of text summarized and written in the Third Raikage's own hand:
'Against an Uchiha with such a complex combat system, if necessary, aim directly for the core!'
'Abandon the plan to recapture the Two-Tails; use the artifact: Amber Purifying Pot to forcibly extract the Tailed Beast from his body, thereby stripping him of his undying trait...'
Seeing this, Orochimaru's expression darkened. If the plan was as described, then...
He stood up abruptly from the Raikage's seat and turned around. His cold, golden snake pupils looked down through the floor-to-ceiling window at the Village Hidden in the Clouds.
He saw the peaceful city below, illuminated by the lights of ten thousand homes.
He saw a group of carefree children chasing each other from the street to the alleyways.
He saw women returning home together under the night sky after a day's work.
He saw ninja still dripping with sweat, swinging their swords in training amidst the steep cliffs.
He looked at this territory that was, for him, completely undefended!
Orochimaru took a deep breath. In that moment, his expression shifted entirely into a mask of cold, indifferent calculation.
"Raikage, don't blame me for being dishonorable..." he hissed hoarsely, watching the tranquil village below. Then, he raised his palm, his gaze sharpening into a lethal beam of light.
"After all... this is war!"
As Orochimaru raised his hand, several fully-armed figures leaped out from the shadows behind him.
"Now then..."
Orochimaru's eyes were ice-cold. His hands moved into the final Ram seal of the Summoning Jutsu. He slammed his palm against the glass of the Raikage Office window!
A summoning formula unrolled across the glass, extending further than the eye could see.
"The Kumogakure Crushing Plan—"
"Begins now!"
In the next instant—
—BOOM!!!
Accompanied by a rising gale and a roar that shook the entirety of Kumogakure, the villagers looked up. They witnessed a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
A massive white snake with eight heads smashed through the Raikage Building. It coiled around the structure that all Kumo ninja regarded as sacred ground, all eight heads letting out a simultaneous, sky-piercing roar!
It was a scream of suppressed, bottomless fury!
—ROAR!!
Hell Valley.
The dancing wind whipped everything into the air.
Standing beneath the terrifying, world-shaking beast, the Third Raikage, A, felt a sudden premonition. He turned his head and looked toward the direction of his village. For some reason, his heart began to throb violently.
He shook his head, dismissing it as a momentary lapse caused by the strain of the chest wound from his own One-Finger Nukite.
He quickly focused his expression, staring back at Ren Uchiha. His thick palm gripped the tan jar at his feet as he narrowed his eyes dangerously.
This jar was a treasure passed down through the Kumogakure line, an artifact forged by the Sage of the Six Paths—the Amber Purifying Pot!
Though it was called a pot, it looked more like a massive, cumbersome jar. However, its effect was incredibly potent. Once activated, if the target responded after their name was called, they would be forcibly sealed within the pot.
Compared to other Six Paths tools with more complex or underhanded requirements, this artifact was relatively "straightforward." Theoretically, if one knew the intel, they could avoid the seal simply by remaining silent.
However, the Third Raikage had a unique, 100% successful sealing tactic!
As long as one's physical prowess was great enough to carry this heavy artifact into battle, one could call out the enemy's name while beating them so severely that they were forced to scream in agony.
And screams of pain... counted as a response to the attacker!
A stared coldly at Ren Uchiha. Seeing the boy stop his retreat and immediately charge back with a face full of desperation after the Eight-Tails began its charge, a cold smirk played on A's lips.
"Soft-heartedness on the battlefield only leads to the loss of one's own life. It seems you've made your choice!"
A took a deep breath and raised his fists, his legs slightly coiled.
"Unfortunately, you've chosen—"
"A dead end!"
With that, A lunged forward, charging at full speed! Killer B (behind A), A himself, and Ren Uchiha now formed a single straight line. The distance between the two fighters vanished in an instant.
Ren stared fixedly at the Tailed Beast Bomb gathering in the Eight-Tails' mouth. Suppressed rage threatened to burst through his chest.
Facing the charging Third Raikage, Ren abandoned any thought of saving chakra. He flooded the Kusanagi Sword with a massive surge of energy. Within his palm, the chakra of four elements—Wind, Fire, Lightning, and Water—converged into a single blade!
Everything focused into a single point.
Then, Ren Uchiha simply closed his eyes, moving entirely on instinct.
Because next, he was about to attempt an act that was nearly impossible—
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