Ambushed

Orochimaru led his troops to depart on time, their current objective being to reach the border at the fastest possible speed, passing through the Land of Soup along the way. The Land of Soup is situated as a buffer zone between the Land of Fire and the Land of Thunder. Once war breaks out, the flames of conflict will instantly engulf the Land of Soup; this is the sorrow of a small nation.

By the time they reached the borders of the Land of Tang, six days had already passed. Due to the large troop movement slowing their pace, upon arriving in the Land of Tang, they discovered the environment and atmosphere felt somewhat off.

It was too quiet. Although in a state of war, it was still unusual for there to be not a single person on the streets.

"Reconnaissance squad, advance."

The staff ordered.

"Yes."

The reconnaissance unit was dispatched immediately. Members of the Aburame Clan released their insects, and the Hyuga Clan activated their Byakugan to gather intelligence.

"This is bad! The Hyuga Clan."

The Cloud Ninja who were lying in ambush saw the Hyuga Clan appear among the Leaf Village's ranks and knew their ambush might end in disappointment.

"Attack directly! The numbers are not that different, so it's hard to say who will emerge victorious."

The Cloud Ninja leader in charge of the battlefield had originally intended to launch an ambush to injure the Leaf Village's vanguard and gain the initiative in the war. With the appearance of the Byakugan, there was no longer any need for an ambush; they could only engage in a direct confrontation.

"Everyone, prepare."

"Go."

The leader waved his hand, and a barrage of Explosive Tags, shuriken, and kunai flew from the Cloud Ninja towards the Leaf Village troops.

"Damn it, we're surrounded."

The Leaf Village's reconnaissance unit bore the brunt of the attack, being the first to be assaulted. Taking out the reconnaissance unit was akin to blinding the Leaf Village.

In the sight of the other ninja, they also saw a large number of kunai bound with Explosive Tags flying towards them, their faces filled with terror.

"Summoning Technique."

Seeing this, Orochimaru bit his finger, sliced it across his palm, clasped his hands together, and then pressed his palms to the ground.

"Bang!" Three giant snakes suddenly appeared on the field, encircling the Leaf Village troops. All the Explosive Tags detonated on the bodies of the giant snakes, and flesh and blood flew everywhere, dyeing the earth with a touch of crimson.

"Lord Orochimaru has made his move."

The Leaf Village ninja who had narrowly escaped couldn't help but shout and vent their relief.

The Cloud Ninja would not give them a chance to relax. Seeing their plan fail, they immediately launched their attack, with hundreds of ninja charging towards the Leaf Village's position.

The Leaf Village ninja reacted to the initial onslaught and quickly engaged the Cloud Ninja, demonstrating the caliber of ninja from the Hidden Villages.

The Land of Soup became a scene of constant ninja battles, with ninjutsu raging and destroying surrounding buildings and forests.

Some ninja fell unwillingly, while others detonated Explosive Tags with their opponents, seeking mutual destruction. Death became the main theme, and the fragility of life was laid bare.

"Is this war?"

Many Genin, who had just graduated, couldn't help but ask as they stepped onto the battlefield. Living lives withered before their eyes, blood flowers bloomed continuously, signifying the end of one life after another. Unable to bear the stench of blood on the battlefield, they bent over and vomited.

As the commander of the ninja force, Orochimaru became the focus of the Cloud Ninja's attention. Four Cloud Village Jonin surrounded Orochimaru from all sides. It was not an exaggeration to give the Sannin, Orochimaru, the utmost importance. After all, this was an opportunity to make a name for oneself as a ninja. Fame and fortune were within reach in life, how could one not go mad?

"You Cloud Ninja have quite the plan, don't you?"

Orochimaru said in a cold tone. One-on-one, the Cloud Ninja were no match for Orochimaru. By using four Jonin to tie him down from all directions, they intended to let the Cloud Ninja deal with the remaining Leaf Village soldiers first, then combine their forces and use hundreds of ninja to wear Orochimaru down.

"You don't need to worry about that, Orochimaru. You'll just have to watch the Leaf Village ninja disappear!"

The Cloud Ninja, seeing their plan proceeding smoothly, couldn't help but say with some pride.

"Do you really think you can trap me, Orochimaru, by relying on them? You're overestimating yourselves."

Orochimaru sneered.

"Shadow Snake Hand."

Orochimaru's arms instantly transformed into countless snakes, which immediately coiled around the four Cloud Village Jonin.

Those who could become Jonin had survived countless battles and reacted instantly. They skillfully used their kunai to sever the snake heads. Just as the enemy thought they were out of danger. The snakes spat out swords, piercing the hearts of the Cloud Ninja.

"Underestimating me will come at a price."

The remaining three Cloud Village Jonin faced him as if confronting a great enemy.

Karot moved relentlessly across the battlefield, his body being his strongest weapon. No ninja could withstand Karot's onslaught.

A graze meant injury, contact meant death. Wherever the red figure passed, Cloud Ninja fell one after another.

"Sanada, what are you doing?"

This shout brought Sanada back from his daze. He asked with a confused look in his eyes.

"Karot, this, this, is this war?"

His voice trembled. Sanada wasn't someone who hadn't killed before; he had undertaken many assassination missions.

The lives on the battlefield being as insignificant as grass deeply affected him. His comrade, who was full of life one second, became a cold corpse the next.

He watched, he could only watch. He feared he would become one of them, and even more, he feared he would be consumed by the killing intent and become an emotionless executioner.

Because since the battle began, he had already killed too many people, his hands stained with blood, showing no respect for the loss of life.

"Snap out of it! This is war, a war where you live or die. I don't want to visit your grave, you bastard."

Karot grabbed Sanada by the collar and roared.

Leaf Village's education is too lenient. You can see it in the performance of Leaf Village ninja on the battlefield. They panicked and sought refuge with their teachers, and some were even killed because they couldn't move.

The battle, which was originally neck and neck, gradually tilted in favor of the Cloud Ninja.

"Stay close to me."

Karot commanded Sanada.

Karot searched the battlefield for Kazumi, fearing she might meet with misfortune. As Karot moved, the number of people gathering behind him also increased, forming a considerable force.

"Brat, you're too arrogant."

The Cloud Ninja Jonin saw Karot moving unhindered on the battlefield. The number of Cloud Ninja souls he claimed grew, and his anger burned.

He thrust a kunai towards Karot's blind spot, his back. He had been ambushing for a long time, waiting for this fatal blow. There was no reason for it to fail.

A cruel smile spread across his face. The death of a genius at his hands was nothing more gratifying.

"Karot, you..."

Hyuga Sanada behind him was about to warn Karot, but the words couldn't leave his mouth in time.

"Get lost."

Karot was already prepared. He spun and delivered a roundhouse kick, striking the Cloud Ninja squarely on the head. The skull shattered, and the entire body flew backward. Karot had been sensing the battlefield's situation the entire time; the Jonin's ambush was as conspicuous to him as a light bulb. He deliberately exposed a weakness.