Manda

"Pass down the order, assemble! We depart in fifteen minutes! Attack Kikyo Mountain!" Souya waved his hand, his deep pupils flashing with light.

Although he didn't support provoking Konoha at this time, this was a direct order personally signed by the Third Kazekage, and he couldn't disobey it.

Besides, war was also the fastest way to accumulate prestige and merit!

"Yes!" The Sand Ninja kneeling before Souya flashed and disappeared from his spot.

Souya stood up and looked at a purple-blue rod leaning against the table. The rod was thick, about the size of a baby's fist.

Its surface was covered with raised granular objects, like tiny spikes or round bumps. The entire rod looked as if it had been submerged in lava and then coated with a thick layer of scabs.

Souya grabbed the rod. As he injected his Chakra, a deep purple-blue light bloomed from the center of the rod, as if a star in the deep cosmos had suddenly flashed, incredibly beautiful.

This was a Chakra Ninja Tool specially crafted by Sasori for Souya during his puppet-making. Souya named it—Starfall!

Souya rubbed it for a while, feeling its rough texture and warmth. The corners of his mouth turned up. With this powerful Ninja Tool, his temporary lack of Chakra could be resolved.

He secured the Starfall Rod with a black strap, slinging it across his back again, and then walked outside.

"The Kazekage has ordered us to be the vanguard! Our target: attack the Land of Fire! Take Kikyo Mountain!"

Souya stood on golden clouds, looking down at the Sand Ninja below, numbering at least five hundred.

"Yo!" The Sand Ninja roared in unison, filled with fervor.

Years of indoctrination within Sunagakure had instilled in these ninja the concept of obeying orders as their sacred duty. As for the reasons behind the war, most ninja wouldn't ponder them, or rather, they were unwilling to.

"Depart!" Souya shouted, and the golden clouds beneath his feet sped off towards the east.

Leading by example during wartime was the best way to boost morale. Seeing Souya charging ahead, the Sand Ninja also mustered their strength, chasing after him on the ground.

Farmers in the plains and fields watched the dark mass of ninja swarm past, most of them showing fearful expressions.

"Is there going to be another war?" a middle-aged farmer stopped swinging his hoe and said blankly.

"Looking at the direction, they're heading towards the Land of Fire, so we don't have to worry. Let's get back to work!" another bare-chested farmer chimed in.

"We don't have to worry about war?" The middle-aged farmer's brow remained furrowed.

"Under Sunagakure's rule, our lives have been pretty good. They not only haven't collected any taxes from us, but they've also given us food."

"I heard they're building a dam upstream to divert the river, which won't affect the irrigation of our own fields."

"Since Sunagakure can do such a good job, even if Sunagakure fails and Konoha takes over here, given their usual practices, our lives will only get better, not worse!" the bare-chested farmer expounded, speaking logically and with unusual insight.

"What you're saying does make some sense..." The middle-aged farmer's expression relaxed. For him, as long as the rice harvest wasn't affected this year, that was the most important thing.

"Don't worry! Let them fight! If Kirigakure were to attack, then we'd really have something to worry about. I hear their ninja are incredibly brutal..."

Bang!

An explosion sounded in the distance. Because of the great distance, the sound wasn't strong. The middle-aged farmer merely glanced at the rising smoke and then continued to bend over and hoe the ground.

Souya's expression was quite grim. This was because a man wearing a Konoha ninja vest had appeared ahead.

He had long black hair, golden vertical pupils, purple eyeshadow extending to his nostrils, pale skin, and blue-green comma-shaped earrings hanging from his earlobes.

"Orochimaru..." Souya, flying at a low altitude, whispered.

"Oh? I didn't expect you to recognize me..." Orochimaru's golden pupils narrowed slightly.

"This is Magnet Release, isn't it? To master Magnet Release at such a young age, your talent is not low!" He extended his long tongue and lightly licked his lips, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Boom!

Thick smoke erupted in the distance on both sides of Souya, and the faint sounds of screams and shouts could be heard.

It was likely that quite a few Sand Ninja had already perished by falling into traps, but this was also to be expected. After all, Konoha ninja had been stationed near the border of the Land of Fire for some time. It would be abnormal if Konoha had no defenses along the border.

What surprised Souya was that Orochimaru was stationed here.

"Heh... a bird caught in a net still has the leisure to worry about its companions?"

A sinister look flashed across Orochimaru's eyes, and then he suddenly flicked his right hand.

Shadow Snake Hand!

His right hand transformed into a venomous snake that shot straight towards Souya's face, opening its gaping maw. The chilling venomous fangs struck mercilessly towards Souya's neck.

Souya reacted swiftly, drawing the Starfall Rod with his left hand and thrusting it into the snake's mouth. He then violently twisted it. Under Souya's force, the snake was torn into several pieces, its foul-smelling blood and flesh scattering on the ground.

Souya didn't dare to be careless. He slammed the Starfall Rod onto the ground and rapidly formed hand seals with both hands.

Bang!

The ground suddenly shook, and a look of vigilance appeared in Orochimaru's eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the hard earth became fluid. The yellowish-brown soil was churned up and then sank into the ground.

What surged out again was glittering gold dust. In a short while, a river of gold dust appeared before Souya.

"Gold Dust Prison Flow!"

Souya clapped his hands together and uttered in a low voice.

Splash!

A crack opened up beneath Orochimaru's feet, swallowing him whole.

The Gold Dust on both sides rushed to fill the ground fissures upon seeing this, intending to completely bury Orochimaru.

Souya flipped his hands, his hand seals continuing, then he leaned down and slammed his palm onto the ground.

"Gold Dust Great Burial!"

The ground shook violently.

But Souya's expression showed no relief, as he had already sensed through the Gold Dust that the Gold Dust underground had not bound Orochimaru, let alone harmed him.

Bang!

As expected, the next moment, the Gold Dust underground exploded.

A massive figure appeared before Souya.

With purple stripes and a formidable snake head shaped like a spear, it was tens of meters tall just from its base on the ground, not to mention the long tail dragging behind it.

"Orochimaru... Do you really need me to come out just to deal with a little brat like this? Regardless, the offering must be sufficient!" the giant snake spoke human words, but with a sinister aura.

"Don't worry! This is war, Sand Ninja, eat as many as you can!" Orochimaru's lips curved slightly, his eyes devoid of any sympathy for life.