Manda and Gamabunta

Turning back to the Land of Tea, once Orochimaru and Jiraiya led their troops to their destination, they immediately sent word to Hatake Sakumo's squad.

In order to launch surprise attacks against Sunagakure and Kirigakure simultaneously, the two sides agreed to begin their assaults together at the Yin Hour on the day after Jiraiya sent out the intelligence.

After sending the information, Jiraiya and Orochimaru both prepared to rest. After all, if they were attacking at the Yin Hour, they would have to set out around the Chou Hour.

Late at night.

Everyone had gathered and was waiting for Orochimaru and Jiraiya's orders before setting out to ambush Kirigakure.

"Move out."

With only two words, Orochimaru took the lead, stealthily heading toward Kirigakure's encampment in the Land of Tea.

Kirigakure had only stationed 2,500 troops in the Land of Tea. After all, the Land of Water was an island nation surrounded by the sea, and its population was not large to begin with.

"Orochimaru, how are you planning to ambush them? Are the two of us going in to assassinate them?"

After sneaking close to the Mist Ninja encampment, Jiraiya could not help asking.

"Jiraiya, are you an idiot?" Seeing Jiraiya suggest such a brainless tactic, Orochimaru dearly wanted to pry open his head and see what exactly was inside.

"Orochimaru, what did you say?" Whenever his companion Orochimaru brought up his intelligence, Jiraiya felt his fists harden.

Sure enough, he and Orochimaru were natural enemies. Whenever they were together, whether on missions or studying under the old man, they would inevitably end up trading barbs!

"Damn it, it would've been better if I were on a mission with Tsunade. Even being paired with Lord Sakumo would be better than being stuck with you, you poisonous snake," Jiraiya said indignantly.

"Heh, you have no right to say that, Jiraiya. I think the mission's chances of success would be higher if I came alone." Casting Jiraiya a sidelong glance, Orochimaru's voice was full of disdain.

Seeing the two commanders look ready to settle their differences before dealing with the enemy, the accompanying jonin hurriedly stepped in to separate them.

"Hmph. Then tell me, what method do you, you stinking poisonous snake, have to make this mission easier?" Although he and Orochimaru were both Kage-level, neither possessed White Fang's speed—the ability to eliminate an enemy atop a watchtower in a flash, then distract the enemy in another watchtower and allow their comrades to launch a successful surprise attack.

"That's why you're an idiot and can only be the 'deputy commander.' Don't we have Summoning Beasts?" Orochimaru mocked Jiraiya again.

"Uh."

Jiraiya froze. Right, he had somehow forgotten about that.

Still, when he learned that Orochimaru was the commander of this unit while he was merely the deputy commander, he had complained to the old man about it—only to be rebuked.

A single question—"Are you smarter than Orochimaru?"—had left Jiraiya speechless.

After all, to be fair, no matter how unwilling he was to admit it, he really did not seem to be as cunning or scheming as Orochimaru. Otherwise, why call him a poisonous snake?

"I'll use the Summoning Jutsu to summon two highly venomous snakes and kill the two shinobi in the watchtowers with a single strike. Then, all shinobi who can use Earth Style Ninjutsu will tunnel inside and eliminate a batch of them first. Finally, we'll launch a full assault."

Orochimaru laid out the operation concisely.

"As expected of Lord Orochimaru. Your strategy is flawless," one of Orochimaru's jonin subordinates immediately flattered him.

Though it was not exactly flattery. It really was a good plan. Not only would it effectively reduce the chances of being discovered by the enemy, but it would also let them catch the enemy off guard.

Orochimaru then moved a little farther away and used the Summoning Jutsu to summon two Ryūchi Cave venomous snakes. They were only as long as an adult's arm, yet their venom was lethal in a single bite.

"Hiss, hiss."

Very quickly, the two venomous snakes Orochimaru had summoned slithered up toward the tops of the watchtowers.

"Urgh—"

They only had time to make those two sounds before the two Mist Ninja on watch foamed at the mouth and died instantly.

"It worked. Earth Style shinobi, follow me and launch the surprise attack." Orochimaru licked the kunai in his hand with his long tongue again, his vertical snake pupils cold and ruthless.

It had to be said that Jiraiya felt quite reassured when carrying out missions with Orochimaru, even if it could be infuriating at times.

Next, roughly six hundred shinobi stepped out from the group and simultaneously used Earth Style Ninjutsu to burrow into the ground beneath their feet.

The Kirigakure shinobi had not noticed at all that the earth beneath them was now filled with murderous intent!

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

Blood sprayed through the tents. After each of Konoha's Earth Style shinobi had killed roughly two or three Kirigakure shinobi, they were finally discovered.

However, nearly 1,500 Kirigakure shinobi had already lost their lives.

They were mainly discovered because too many people had died, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

"There's no helping it. From here on, we can only force our way through." Once he was on the battlefield, Jiraiya would not indulge in misplaced mercy. That would only harm both others and himself.

"Ninja Art—Hidden Mist Technique ×n."

Unlike Sunagakure's puppet masters, who had no ability to fight back even if they reacted to an ambush or close-quarters combat.

The Mist Ninja, who specialized in assassination, could react at the fastest speed and launch a counterattack when faced with such an unfavorable situation.

And the Hidden Mist Technique was undoubtedly the best choice among counterattack techniques. It could conceal them while obstructing the enemy's vision, allowing them to devise the best strategy according to the situation.

After several Kirigakure leaders conferred, they decided to counterattack!

Yes, you read that right. Even with only around a thousand men remaining and facing a stronger enemy, the Kirigakure force was confident that it could defeat the powerful foe that had ambushed them!

Because shinobi raised under Kirigakure's "Blood Mist" policy knew only how to advance against their enemies. Retreat was not an option!

That was also why the Third Hokage and the others had hesitated so much when choosing to attack ninja villages other than Sunagakure.

Kirigakure's low- and mid-level combat strength was simply too fierce. Some shinobi would even bite a chunk of flesh off their opponents before dying.

"Wind Style—Pressure Damage."

Orochimaru, as the commander, had long anticipated the Hidden Mist Technique. Seeing the mist around them grow thicker, he immediately used Wind Style Ninjutsu to blow it away.

In an instant, the mist that had just shrouded everyone was scattered by a fierce gale.

Yet before long, the mist drifted toward the Konoha forces once more.

"Tch."

Orochimaru was dissatisfied with the situation, but this was the Hidden Mist Technique cast by nearly a thousand Kirigakure shinobi. It was not something he could break alone, even if Wind Style countered the Hidden Mist Technique.

With Orochimaru's current strength, even accounting for Wind Style's advantage over the Hidden Mist Technique, he could at most completely disperse the mist created by a little over a hundred Mist Ninja working together.

"Orochimaru, this can't go on. Not only will our comrades suffer casualties, but the advantage we worked so hard to establish may disappear completely," Jiraiya said anxiously.

"Hehe. In that case, we can only bring out our trump card." After using Wind Style—Pressure Damage again to disperse another wave of mist, Orochimaru gave a cruel smile.

"Hey, Jiraiya, now isn't the time to hesitate." Turning his head, Orochimaru stared at Jiraiya.

"I know. You don't need to tell me, you stinking poisonous snake." No matter how reluctant he was, Jiraiya knew that this was not the time to look back and forth in indecision.

"All Konoha shinobi, withdraw from the battlefield. Surround the area. Do not let a single Mist Ninja escape." After giving the order, Jiraiya exchanged a glance with Orochimaru. They nodded at each other.

They were preparing to summon the battlefield's ultimate weapons!

Forming hand seals, biting their left thumbs, then drawing blood across their right palms, Orochimaru and Jiraiya completed the movements in one fluid motion.

"Ninja Art—Summoning Jutsu ×2."

"Poof!" "Poof!"

With two soft bursts, clouds of white smoke rose in the mist-filled forest, making it even harder for everyone whose vision was already obstructed to tell which way was which. They could only run as far away from the center as possible.

As the white smoke dispersed, both sides saw two enormous creatures suddenly appear on the battlefield.

One was a purple Giant Snake flicking its tongue. The other was a red toad wearing clothes, carrying a blade, and smoking a pipe?

"Oh?" "Hm?"

One word came from the snake, and the other from the toad.

"Manda and Orochimaru? Hey, Jiraiya, you didn't summon me because you and Orochimaru had a falling-out and are about to fight to the death, did you?" Gamabunta wore an expression that said he had seen through everything as he teased Jiraiya atop his head.

"Bunta, this isn't the time to catch up. War has broken out. For Konoha, and for the people I want to protect, I hope you'll lend me your strength," Jiraiya said seriously instead of getting angry as usual at the boss toad's words.

"All right, I understand. I'll help you." Gamabunta put away his joking manner. Since Jiraiya had put it that way, he naturally would not refuse.

After all, ever since he was born, Jiraiya had been the Mount Myōboku contractor most to his liking.

"Orochimaru, did you summon me to kill Jiraiya and that damned toad? If so, a thousand sacrifices won't be enough." Manda looked at Gamabunta and Jiraiya beside him as he spoke to Orochimaru.

From the look of it, the moment Orochimaru agreed to his demand for a thousand sacrifices, he would immediately attack Jiraiya and Gamabunta.

"Lord Manda, although I would also like to get rid of that annoying Jiraiya, I currently have no intention of betraying Konoha. Besides, even if I did, it isn't something we could accomplish with our abilities, is it?" Unlike Jiraiya and Gamabunta, whose bond was one of mutual trust, Orochimaru and Manda were purely using each other.

Since Orochimaru's strength had not reached the point where he could suppress Manda, each time he summoned him was more like making a transaction.

Manda, Gamabunta, and the Katsuyu summoned by Tsunade were all Summoning Beasts from the Three Great Sage Regions. They possessed extremely high intelligence, and with their massive bodies and special abilities, calling them Kage-level Summoning Beasts would not be an exaggeration.

Thinking about it that way, if necessary, this Kirigakure battlefield could instantly deploy four Kage-level powerhouses, including the Summoning Beasts, just as it had now.

Such enormous Kage-level Summoning Beasts could inflict devastating damage on large-scale forces.

"Then why did you summon me? Let me make this clear: whatever it is, next time you'll need to prepare a hundred sacrifices for me." Manda stated his terms without the slightest politeness.

"Lord Manda, there's no need to wait until next time. Every Kirigakure shinobi here is your sacrifice. It's wartime, so you may wreak havoc to your heart's content." Making use of the circumstances, Orochimaru turned the trouble before him into his bargaining chip.

Looking around, Manda also spotted the Kirigakure shinobi hiding within the dense mist.

"Hmph, so you called me here to work for you. Fine. Since there are so many sacrifices this time, I'll forgive you. I hope there won't be a next time." Manda glared and immediately dragged his massive body forward, attacking every Mist Ninja around him.

Of course, if there really was a next time, Manda would be more than willing. He could come to the ninja world to wreak havoc and enjoy sacrifices at the same time—there was no downside to it. As for being a labor snake, Manda had automatically ignored that matter.

This was also one of the benefits of wartime. In peacetime, Manda's indiscriminate devouring of living beings in the ninja world would have long drawn suppression from the powerhouses of every village.

"Bunta, let's go too." Seeing Orochimaru and Manda move, Jiraiya could not help saying to Gamabunta beneath him.

"All right, let's do it." Drawing the long blade at his waist, Gamabunta leaped high into the air and charged at the Mist Ninja.