How Many Times Did the Sannin Fight the Demigod?

Aburame Tetsumaru used steel wire to clamp his front teeth together, then secured it to the teeth on either side. He pushed at his front teeth with a finger, confirmed that neither of them was loose anymore, and finally relaxed.

Next, he found his two uneasy subordinates and carefully explained why he had chosen to proactively seek Orochimaru's protection.

Uchiha Kei asked, "Captain, you chose Orochimaru as your backer, so that's why you voluntarily accepted such a dangerous mission?"

"That's right. Without a backer, you'll be assigned more and more dangerous missions, and rewards will be distributed more slowly. I think you've both experienced that yourselves."

Kurama Yun said, "That's true, but Captain, you suddenly brought us on such a dangerous mission today. Shouldn't you have told us in advance?"

"First, I didn't know today would be the right opportunity, so I couldn't tell you beforehand. Second, although the missions I choose to undertake are dangerous, I believe the danger is generally controllable. It's far safer than being forced by the higher-ups to carry out a death mission after retreating early and getting caught."

After some effort, Aburame Tetsumaru successfully convinced his two subordinates. Although they were still somewhat dissatisfied, both said they could accept the current outcome.

Uchiha Kei made one final request. "Captain, can you stop calling me 'the cowardly Uchiha' from now on? You're obviously more afraid of death than I am."

"No."

"If you keep calling me that, I'll call you 'the cowardly captain.'"

"As long as you're not afraid of getting beaten up, go ahead and call me whatever you want. You can scream it until your throat gives out."

Uchiha Kei surrendered, muttering as he squatted in front of a large rock and started drawing circles.

"They're here. It's Lord Orochimaru." A Hyuga ninja at the front stood up and loudly relayed the information to the rear.

Orochimaru soon appeared at the position. After discussing matters with several Jonin, he ordered a full retreat to assemble directly at the fifth defensive line.

"Hanzo of the Salamander is here. We can't hold this place, and once the fighting starts, we won't be able to retreat at all. We need Tsunade's support."

"Then send more men to request aid from Lady Tsunade."

Orochimaru peeled off a patch of dead skin on his arm that had been killed by poison, applied medicine to it, and said coldly, "Tsunade alone won't be enough. We need Jiraiya as well. Send an urgent request for reinforcements."

"We can't abandon the position for nothing. Have every ninja set as many traps as possible, and have the Sealing Squad set up Explosive Tag arrays. Even if they can't inflict much damage, they must delay them. We don't have enough time."

"Understood. I'll make the arrangements now."

"Move quickly. I'll be the last to leave." Orochimaru wrapped his arm in bandages, concealed it beneath his sleeve, then stood and went to inspect the position.

The Jonin saw Orochimaru off with admiring, respectful gazes before going about their own tasks.

Orochimaru made a circuit around the position and found Aburame Tetsumaru. He stopped and asked, "Tetsumaru, was that your name?"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."

"What do you want?"

"Safety and knowledge."

Orochimaru nodded and continued inspecting the position.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Kurama Yun asked quietly, "Captain, what do I get out of this?"

"Is safety not enough?"

"Of course it isn't. You get knowledge too. We follow you and risk our lives, yet all we get is safety, and you can't guarantee absolute safety anyway."

"..." Aburame Tetsumaru looked disgusted. "That makes a lot of sense, but I have no intention of increasing the offer."

"How about it? Do you want to leave my squad? As long as you write an application, I'll immediately put in a good word for you and reluctantly approve your departure."

Kurama Yun thought, You're ruthless. Just wait.

She was no fool. Aburame Tetsumaru had a venomous tongue and was petty, but as a captain, he was truly one in a million: powerful, mature, resourceful, and beyond reproach.

Even Uchiha Kei, such a ruthless and vicious person, had been completely brought into line by Aburame Tetsumaru. He was willing to take on the most dangerous missions, and he took great care of Kurama Yun in action. This was the most comfortable squad she had been in over the past two years. She had no intention of leaving.

As the Konoha Ninja Army retreated, they set traps along the way. Aburame Tetsumaru followed Orochimaru at the very rear, covering the retreat. Ninjas who had broken out on their own and gotten separated the previous night continuously returned to the group, gradually swelling the force to over two thousand people.

Besides the returning Konoha Ninja, squads of Iwa Ninja and Rain Ninja kept catching up to harass them. Aburame Tetsumaru could only keep going out to drive them off. Whenever a few enemy ninjas reacted too slowly and got held back, a whole crowd of Konoha Ninja at the rear would swarm them and administer a righteous beating.

Rain Ninja died on the spot under such beatings, but Iwa Ninja were much harder to kill. They were especially skilled at dealing with group attacks. Three or four Iwa Ninja would huddle together and cast Earth Prison Dome. Their thick, massive turtle shells were truly impossible to break through in a short time.

By afternoon, they finally approached the fifth defensive line. The reinforcements that had arrived in advance greatly boosted the retreating Konoha Ninja's morale. Even Orochimaru's gloomy expression turned into a smile. The two leaders among the welcoming ninjas were Tsunade and Jiraiya.

Jiraiya laughed heartily and embraced Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, it's rare to see you in such a sorry state. Hanzo has gotten stronger and stronger, huh?"

Orochimaru answered with a smile, "He really is formidable, but I've improved quite a bit too. This time, we'll have a proper contest."

"That's right." Jiraiya said smugly, "This time, I've already summoned the two old bosses in advance. Just watch the power of my Senjutsu."

Orochimaru snorted disdainfully. This guy had been shouting about Senjutsu for ages and had never succeeded even once. There was no point counting on him. Tsunade's antidote was much more reliable. "Tsunade, how is the Salamander antidote coming along?"

"Don't worry. I updated it again. Its duration has been increased to twenty minutes, and there's enough to distribute."

"Excellent."

Whoooosh—

Just as the two Konoha Ninja forces joined up, a shrill alarm rang through the sky. The once-noisy fifth defensive position instantly fell silent, and everyone watched the Swift Hawk that had sounded the alarm fly overhead.

Decisive battle!! Counterattack!!

At that moment, the commander suddenly jumped out and brazenly began issuing orders. "Tsunade, immediately establish a field hospital and arrange the medical ninjas' duties."

"Jiraiya, lead fifteen ninja battalions and take charge of the right wing."

"Orochimaru, lead fifteen ninja battalions and take charge of the left wing."

"I will lead sixteen ninja battalions and take charge of the central battlefield."

No one knew what to do. The scene fell silent, and all eyes focused on Orochimaru, waiting for his decision.

Even deep down, the commander was extremely nervous, secretly swallowing several mouthfuls of saliva.

Orochimaru's snake-like eyes stared fixedly at the back of the commander's neck. The thumbnail of his right hand repeatedly dug hard into his index finger until it bled, droplets pattering onto the ground.

What perfect timing. He had truly taken advantage of a crisis to the utmost. Orochimaru now had the people's support. With a single word, he could make the commander get lost. But any resistance from him at this moment would inevitably throw the thoughts of the four thousand Konoha Ninja present into chaos and severely damage their morale.

With their thoughts in chaos and their morale shattered, the Konoha Ninja Army could only retreat to avoid even greater losses.

After Orochimaru had worked through an entire night and day, after more than a hundred Konoha Ninja had paid with their lives, the hard-won opportunity for battle would be lost for nothing.

Orochimaru made his decision swiftly. He stepped forward and loudly accepted the commander's appointment. "Yes!!"

Jiraiya sneered. He could not even be bothered to say yes, instead going off on his own to organize his men.

Tsunade held an even higher position. She spat on the ground without ceremony, snorted, and left.

Twenty-two-year-old Orochimaru was quite hot-blooded after all, willing to endure humiliation for Konoha's interests.

Aburame Tetsumaru made his judgment. This Orochimaru was far more charismatic than his later cold and ruthless self, and far more reassuring. It only strengthened Tetsumaru's resolve to follow Orochimaru for the time being.

However, Orochimaru's decision was not truly a failure. In the long run, he had already secured the final victory in advance.

Seizing power and claiming credit on the eve of battle had been commonplace during the Warring States Period. Ninjas had long grown used to it, and no one had yet realized that such crude tricks had already fallen behind the times.

During the Warring States Period, when clans fought in chaotic melees as separate units, petty tricks and small conspiracies were enough to determine a clan's survival. After seizing command, they would swiftly launch battle. Whether they won or lost, most of those who had witnessed the conspiracy would die.

Once nearly everyone was dead, the matter would be over. Those whose schemes succeeded would find it difficult to suffer any backlash.

But times had changed. This was already the age of great nations. Thousands of ninjas had witnessed this crude trick. In the coming battle, it was unlikely that even twenty percent of ninjas on this scale would die. There was no way this matter could simply end, and fierce backlash would soon follow.

More than four thousand Konoha Ninja lined up to receive gas masks and fresh antidotes, preparing for battle. At that moment, they were all holding in a fire that made them feel miserable, desperately wanting someone to vent it on.

The Iwa Ninja and Rain Ninja were truly unlucky. By a twist of fate, they were about to receive the Konoha Ninja's fury.

The battle began first on Konoha's left wing, with the right wing swiftly following. In one stroke, they split the Iwa Ninja and Rain Ninja forces into two.

Caught off guard and surrounded after being cut apart, the Iwa Ninja did exactly as Orochimaru had predicted. They instinctively assumed defensive formations and became turtles hiding in their shells.

Aburame Tetsumaru's mission was to attack the Iwa Ninja. He and fewer than a thousand Konoha Ninja were responsible for keeping three thousand Iwa Ninja suppressed, while the remaining main force wheeled around to carry out a second flanking maneuver against the Rain Ninja.

There were roughly over six hundred Rain Ninja trapped within the encirclement. The Konoha commander gathered three thousand ninjas for an annihilation operation, only to slam headfirst into poison mist that filled the sky. They were immediately at a loss, with no idea how to proceed.

It turned out they had enveloped Hanzo of the Salamander as well. The target instantly became a hard bone they could not chew through.

The battlefield now became unpredictable. Konoha held the initiative, having cut the enemy into three sections and surrounded two of them. But both the encircled Iwa Ninja and Rain Ninja had enough resilience, like two connected liberties on a Go board. They simply could not be captured, while the attackers risked being counter-killed instead.

At this critical moment, it was time for heroes to show their brilliance. Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade arrived at the front lines and summoned three gigantic Summoning Animals to besiege Hanzo and his Ibuse.

Taking advantage of this, the commander directed the Konoha Ninja into a second flanking maneuver, surrounding the final force of more than two thousand Rain Ninja. They attacked with everything they had, attempting to annihilate them in the shortest time possible.

Orochimaru, who was besieging Hanzo, found a moment to glance at the battle situation and could not help cursing, "Trash!"

There were only a little over two thousand Konoha Ninja carrying out the second flanking maneuver, roughly equal in number to the encircled Rain Ninja. Even if the Konoha Ninja were of higher quality and better organized, they could not possibly quickly annihilate an equal number of enemies.

At this point, four thousand Konoha Ninja had divided three thousand Iwa Ninja and twenty-six hundred Rain Ninja into three groups and surrounded all of them, yet every front had fallen into a stalemate.

The situation had become perilous to the extreme. More than nine thousand, nearly ten thousand ninjas were locked in a chaotic battle. It was difficult for any side to disengage alone. The victor's losses were impossible to predict, but the defeated side would certainly lose more than half its forces and might even face total annihilation.

Never before had the Shinobi World seen a ninja war on such a scale. No one knew what to do, and every commander was utterly bewildered.

The battle remained deadlocked as the top-tier ninjas began displaying their strength. Hanzo was the first to break through.

After half an hour of fighting, the antidotes on Konoha's side began to wear off, and their combat power rapidly declined. Hanzo seized the opportunity to break free from the increasingly disadvantaged Sannin. Leading more than six hundred Rain Ninja, he crashed into the third encirclement to the north and successfully joined the two thousand-plus Rain Ninja trapped there.

After the Rain Ninja joined together, their numbers exceeded those of the Konoha Ninja surrounding them, and they immediately launched a counterattack.

However, after half an hour of battle, the Rain Ninja's Chakra had been heavily depleted and their combat strength had fallen too severely. With their increased numbers, Hanzo could no longer protect the entire Rain Ninja force. Instead, they were beaten into disarray by the Konoha Ninja, who were in comparatively better condition.

Realizing he could not effectively protect all twenty-six hundred Rain Ninja, Hanzo simply abandoned defense and launched an all-out offensive. But he was once again entangled by the slightly recovered Konoha Sannin, and the battle fell into a stalemate once more.

At last, the Iwa Ninja realized they held an advantage. The disciplined Earth Release ninja corps endured Konoha's relentless barrage of ninjutsu and slowly but steadily formed counterattack formations, launching their counterattack methodically.

More than three thousand Iwa Ninja divided themselves into six groups. Some handled cover and defense, some handled counterattacks, and some were responsible for breaking formations. Once preparations were complete, waves of Rock Cannonballs rained down upon the Konoha positions like a violent storm.

When there were only a few Rock Cannonballs, they were nothing much. They were too slow and conspicuous, easy to dodge casually. But once their numbers rose to hundreds per volley, the nature of the attack changed completely. There was nowhere to dodge.

Once this Earth Release ninjutsu could not be avoided, its power was displayed to the fullest. A strike on the ground blasted out a huge crater, while a hit on a person left not even bones behind.

Aburame Tetsumaru was bitter beyond words. Konoha had turned a winning hand into a disaster. His originally safest feint mission had become the most dangerous survival mission.

Fortunately, Aburame Tetsumaru had dealt with the Iwa Ninja often and understood the power of Rock Cannonballs. His education from his previous life also taught him how to deal with large-scale bombardment: dig holes. Dig deep holes.

This battlefield had already left the Land of Rain. The ground was no longer hard stone, nor was it a soggy swamp. Aburame Tetsumaru quickly dug a foxhole and jumped inside.

Uchiha Kei followed his example, while Kurama Yun dug her own hole to take cover. Before long, this method spread throughout the first encirclement.

With this simple yet effective cover, more than eight hundred Konoha Ninja actually withstood the relentless bombardment of over three thousand Iwa Ninja. They fiercely counterattacked with ninjutsu and Explosive Tags, making the Iwa Ninja suspicious and preventing them from daring to launch an assault.

By late night, all three sides were finally exhausted. In mutual understanding, they disengaged and ended the long battle.

Aburame Tetsumaru was so exhausted that his whole body ached. He fell asleep directly inside the foxhole. Before losing consciousness, a thought flashed through his mind: Which time was this that the Sannin fought Hanzo?