"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
The middle-aged Sunagakure Ninja had only just finished forming the Hand Seals, but the surface of the rolling ball of flesh was already smeared with blood, leaving a crimson trail in its wake.
The middle-aged Sunagakure Ninja spat out a slanted, elongated blade of wind that slashed viciously toward the ball of flesh in front of him.
Bang!
The ball of flesh collided with the wind blade, but its speed was only slightly impeded. In the blink of an eye, it smashed through the long blade.
Seeing this, the middle-aged ninja had no choice but to avoid its advance.
But just as he was about to leap away, he realized the rolling ball of flesh had stopped. Two enormous arms had extended from its sides, sweeping toward him and snatching him up in one hand.
"Ah! You're no match for this guy! Run!" The middle-aged Sunagakure Ninja struggled with all his might, but the massive hand seemed forged from steel. No matter how hard he fought, he had no hope of breaking free.
"Captain Cheng Tian!" The other Sunagakure Ninja looked anxious. Instead of heeding the middle-aged man's advice, they all rushed forward, intending to rescue him.
"Are you all idiots?!"
"Run!" Captain Cheng Tian was clenched in the massive hand, his body creaking as bloodshot veins filled his eyes.
After shouting those two words, he realized he could barely breathe. All he could do was watch as the other hand rose high into the air.
As it reached its peak, the hand seemed to inflate like a balloon, swelling to an even greater size. Its shadow was about to engulf the group of Sunagakure Ninja.
The hand slammed down!
Captain Cheng Tian squeezed his eyes shut, his heart bitter. Were these boys, who had only just graduated from the Ninja Academy, all going to die here?
I'm still too weak... One young face after another flashed through Captain Cheng Tian's mind.
Thud!
A piercing whistle cut through the air, followed by a violent impact.
Captain Cheng Tian felt as though his body had suddenly risen into the air, then fallen back to the ground. His dazed mind couldn't tell if he was still alive.
But in the next moment, pain surged through his body, filling him with relief. If he could still feel pain, then he was still alive.
When he came to, he found himself lying on the ground, with a group of bewildered young Sunagakure Ninja several meters away.
Behind him to the left, a deeper furrow had been gouged into the ground. Following the furrow with his eyes, he saw a golden spear embedded in the chest of the Konoha Ninja who had just grown those enormous arms.
The man had the distinctive markings of the Akimichi Clan on his face and wore dark red armor.
But the armor was clearly no match for the golden spear. The Akimichi Clan ninja was on the verge of death, the spear having pierced straight through his heart.
Before his consciousness faded into darkness, he heard the excited shouts of the Sunagakure Ninja: "Lord Souya!"
Souya glanced over Captain Cheng Tian's injuries. He had several broken bones and internal bleeding, but thankfully, he was still fully conscious.
"Take him to the rear," Souya said calmly. Although his Mystical Palm Technique could treat him, this was a crucial stage of the battle, and Souya couldn't afford to waste Chakra here.
"Lord Souya! We..." The Sunagakure Ninja seemed reluctant to obey. Before heading to the battlefield, their seniors had told them that desertion was the most shameful thing of all. They would rather die on the battlefield than flee or betray their comrades.
If they were caught deserting or fleeing by the village, their fate would be worse than death!
"This is an order. In your current condition, you're no use in this battle. Remember what you saw today. Turn your grief into motivation, and you'll be able to contribute more to the village." Souya turned and left them with words that allowed no argument.
After Souya and the young ninjas had left, a mound of earth suddenly wriggled up from the ground.
It moved incredibly fast, like a fish swimming through water.
In the blink of an eye, the mound reached the spot beneath the Akimichi Clan ninja. Then, with a rush of dirt—
Orochimaru appeared at the surface!
His aura was somewhat weak, suggesting that escaping Souya's powerful technique had taken a heavy toll on him.
"To think Sunagakure would produce someone like him..." Orochimaru extended his scarlet tongue and licked his upper lip, gazing toward the direction Souya had gone. An unusual light flickered in his eyes.
"Heh heh! I've been short on specimens lately. This is a perfect opportunity..." Orochimaru turned his gaze to the Akimichi Clan ninja's corpse.
His eyes burning with interest, Orochimaru bent down and placed one hand on the golden spear. With his other hand, he formed a sword-finger seal, and delicate blue light began to glow.
The spear instantly disintegrated, sliding down beneath the corpse like a mound of fine yellow sand.
Then Orochimaru opened his mouth and spat out a scroll. He sealed the corpse inside it, then swallowed the scroll back down.
If Souya had seen this, he would definitely have gone over to ask Orochimaru how he managed to make such creative use of Sealing Techniques...
With Souya, Sunagakure's main fighting force, joining the battle, the tide began to turn.
The Konoha Ninja retreated at a rapid pace.
Before long, the Sunagakure Ninja had forced them back to the entrance of a gorge.
If they could push through the gorge, Kikyo Mountain lay just ahead.
The Konoha Ninja knew full well how vital this pass was.
"Longping! What do we do now?"
"Lord Orochimaru isn't here!" a Uchiha ninja shouted.
The Konoha Ninja fought as they retreated, falling back toward the gorge and scrambling to seize the advantageous terrain.
The proud Uchiha Clan had chosen to hold the rear, showing just how strong their sense of honor was.
"Don't worry. These Sunagakure scum must have used some underhanded trick to hold Lord Orochimaru back temporarily. Their leader is so young—he can't possibly be a match for Lord Orochimaru!"
"We've already sent a distress signal. We just have to hold on. We absolutely can't let them take Kikyo Mountain!" Uchiha Longping shouted to steady the troops, his Three Tomoe Sharingan fixed on the enemy.
At the same time, he swung his Kunai, cutting down two Sunagakure Ninja who dared to attack him.
Ordinary Chunin couldn't last a single exchange against him, which showed just how formidable he was.
But such a remarkable display of strength quickly caught Souya's eye.
"Three Tomoe eyes are quite rare!" Souya was naturally interested in the Sharingan.
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