War in Ryūchi Cave Hidden Village was, by nature, a cruel and grave matter.
Especially in a war where villages could be wiped out and entire bloodlines eradicated at any moment, the atmosphere across the battlefield was oppressive to the extreme.
Corpses lay everywhere on the ground. Blood slowly flowed across the earth without seeping into the soil, instead pooling together and turning the land into a muddy swamp.
For newcomers participating in a Ninja World War for the first time, such a sight could easily shatter their psychological defenses.
Yet at this moment, all the newcomers taking part in the Ninja World War stared around them in stunned silence. Even the rookie ninja vomiting desperately forced down the discomfort in their stomachs and looked up.
The two sides that had been fighting seemed to have had a pause button pressed. Everyone stood frozen in place, and the entire battlefield fell into dead silence.
Very soon.
No one knew who started it, but countless curses suddenly rang out across the battlefield.
Watching the ninja trembling with rage as they pointed at Orochimaru's nose and cursed him out, an Iwa ninja who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy could not help pinching his cheek as he questioned his life.
"Am I dreaming? Or did I get caught in a genjutsu? Is this how a Ninja World War is supposed to unfold?"
"Normally, a Ninja World War definitely would not see a scene like this. But the problem is, Orochimaru has already become a public enemy," another ninja explained.
"Akatsuki is everyone's common enemy on the surface, but even after yesterday's battle, the grudge between us and Akatsuki is not actually as deeply rooted as we imagined.
"Orochimaru, on the other hand..."
He looked up at the weathered rock, staring fixedly