Eight-Tails Mock Battle

"Who is Body Flicker Shisui?"

Hearing Orochimaru's question, the Uchiha elites couldn't help but cast their gazes toward a young man in the crowd carrying a katana.

After a slight start, Shisui flashed away, and by the time he reappeared, he was already in front of Orochimaru, kneeling on one knee. "Lord Orochimaru."

"Worthy of the name 'Body Flicker,' your speed is truly extraordinary."

Orochimaru licked his lips, squinting as he looked Shisui up and down, his mouth curling into a dangerous arc.

The boy before him had participated in the Third Shinobi World War at the age of eleven, earning quite a reputation in the ninja world; his ocular power was immense, his strength rivaling that of an elite jonin, and even he had heard of him.

Yet, upon this first meeting, what impressed Orochimaru most was Shisui's temperament—he was far too gentle to be an Uchiha.

Is it true, as the Genie said, that he has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan?

Accustomed to the arrogance of the Uchiha, Orochimaru couldn't help but feel skeptical when facing such an atypical Uchiha as Shisui.

According to the Second Hokage's experimental records, the more extreme and aggressive an Uchiha's personality, the more powerful their Sharingan's ocular power.

This boy seemed even more mild-mannered and kind than an ordinary person; how could he have unlocked the forbidden eye of the Uchiha?

However, up to this point, the Genie had never been wrong.

And even without the Mangekyo Sharingan, this boy's talent and ocular power were superior to the average Uchiha, making him even more suitable for the First Hokage Cells experimental research.

The question was how to make him do it willingly.

Orochimaru's thoughts raced, and he smiled. "This Tailed Beast simulation training will be somewhat dangerous. I need to rely on your speed to avoid the aftermath of the battle while carrying injured Uchiha clansmen out of the battlefield."

"How about it? Are you confident you can do it?"

After a moment of thought, Shisui agreed to the task.

He was confident in his speed, and he liked the job Orochimaru had assigned him.

"Very well, the exercise begins immediately. Clan Head Fugaku, as previously discussed, you need not participate in the combat; you are responsible for command."

Fugaku nodded, and Itachi, realizing what was about to happen, held Sasuke and retreated far away with Shisui.

For a moment, only Orochimaru and the surrounding Konoha Military Police Force elites remained on the training ground, the atmosphere gradually growing heavy.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Orochimaru smiled, his lips curling into a cold, sharp arc. "What are you expecting? I can't conjure up a Tailed Beast."

"However... letting you experience the power of a Tailed Beast is easy enough."

Orochimaru formed hand seals. "Forbidden: Eight Branches Technique!"

On a large tree some distance from the battlefield.

Itachi crouched on a branch, reaching out to soothe an uneasy Sasuke, his expression growing solemn.

"What kind of monster is that?"

Beside Itachi, Shisui had already activated his Sharingan. He gazed toward the battlefield from afar, exclaiming:

"As expected of a 'Sannin'-level ninja. Such massive chakra—is he even human?"

As a cloud of smoke dissipated, a monster roughly the size of the Nine-Tails appeared on the training ground.

It was pure white, like eight giant snakes intertwined, its eight heads scanning the surrounding ninjas with cold gazes, as if looking at a group of insects.

"Itachi, it seems I can't chat with you anymore; I must head over immediately."

After settling Itachi, Shisui vanished from the spot.

"Is this a ninjutsu a human can perform? You've got to be kidding me."

On the training ground, over twenty jonin and nearly a hundred chunin were scattered around the Yamata no Orochi, looking up at the behemoth before them and swallowing hard.

Unless seen with one's own eyes, one could not grasp the visual impact brought by the giant beast. In a trance, they felt as if they had returned to the night of the Nine-Tails Incident.

The only difference was that they were no longer responsible for evacuating civilians or watching from afar; they were now at close range, facing the Nine-Tails that brought such terror.

Fugaku, in charge of command, shouted loudly, "Restrict its movements! Create a favorable environment for attack!"

Fugaku's shout blew the horn for the offensive, and the Uchiha elites distributed in a square formation began to form seals separately.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

"..."

All sorts of ninjutsu were hurled at the Yamata no Orochi; some were powerful, some less so, but overall, the output was quite considerable.

But as Orochimaru had said before, they were accustomed to small-team skirmishes or duels and lacked the experience of a coordinated army hunting a boss. The synergy between their ninjutsu was quite crude, with instances where Earth-Style Walls even blocked teammates' fire ninjutsu... such obvious coordination errors left the battlefield in chaos.

The Yamata no Orochi swung its eight giant tails, dispersing any ninjutsu that posed a threat with massive wind pressure, while the remaining attacks landed on the giant snake like tickles.

"What a pathetic display of coordination."

The heads of the Yamata no Orochi spoke in a human voice, the booming mockery striking at their hearts. "Do you need me to give you time to hold a little meeting?"

Holding a small meeting was impossible; it was never going to happen in this lifetime.

The elites of the Uchiha felt their faces burning with intense shame.

After the Nine-Tails Incident, they had been criticized and viewed with suspicion. Beneath their anger, there had always been the thought that "if it were me, I would have succeeded," and that the heavy losses suffered by others were simply due to their incompetence.

But reality had slapped them hard in the face; the Yamata no Orochi hadn't even begun its attack yet, and their coordination was already a complete disaster.

Fugaku Uchiha also felt a wave of heat on his face, as eighty percent of the blame for the terrible coordination just now fell on him.

Suppressing unnecessary emotions, Fugaku spoke again, "Adjust your positions and return to your respective squads. Konoha Military Police Force First Squad, head due south..."

As the orders were issued one after another, figures darted and crossed through the forest, accompanied by the sound of rushing wind. The Yamata no Orochi did not take the opportunity to attack, even though it would have been quite effective.

After all, it was just an exercise.

Once the formation was set, the Uchiha elites began to release ninjutsu in batches and organized units. Their attacks gradually became orderly, and they were finally able to have a real effect on the Yamata no Orochi.

Fugaku Uchiha could be considered a qualified clan head; at least regarding the members of the Konoha Military Police Force, he was very knowledgeable.

From the ninjutsu they mastered to their suitable combat styles, he was familiar with it all.

Among them, a significant portion of the Uchiha elites relied on sharp taijutsu and swordsmanship to slaughter their way through the battlefield. With the Sharingan, they were almost invincible.

Fighting against a tailed beast, however, largely negated their advantages. After all, no matter how exquisite the swordsmanship, a strike against the Yamata no Orochi would only leave a small cut. And given the regenerative power it displayed, the wound might heal the moment the blade left its body.

Fortunately, most of these elite ninja possessed abundant chakra, making it easy for them to coordinate and release ninjutsu.

"Third Squad, use Fire Release to suppress! Fourth Squad, use Wind Release to assist!"

Despite multiple failed attacks, Fugaku's command became increasingly fluid and precise.

"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

"..."

The wind fueled the fire, and a red glow spread, igniting a large area of the forest in the blink of an eye, surrounding the Yamata no Orochi with flames.

But even at this level, the Fire Release posed little threat to the Yamata no Orochi. It didn't even need to use ninjutsu; it simply rolled its body across the ground a few times, using the earth's dust to extinguish the flames spreading over it.

Not only that, but the serpent's skin began to shed, and the charred scars fell away along with it.

Fugaku was not discouraged; this did not exceed its previous performance and was well within his expectations.

He waved his hand, "Squad leaders, prepare to release genjutsu!"

Taking advantage of the gap while the Yamata no Orochi was clearing the damage caused by the Fire Release, eight figures leaped into the air, the tomoe in their eyes spinning as they locked gazes with the serpent eyes they were each assigned to target.